Legendary artist, composer and producer Van Dyke Parks will embark on a run of Southeast tour dates, including a February appearance at NPR’s Mountain Stage. After a set of dates with Fleet Foxes last fall, Parks will return to this part of the country once again in support of his unique 7″ vinyl series with artwork from some of the most important contemporary artists of our time, including Ed Ruscha, Art Speigelman, Frank Holmes and many more. Parks will kick off this run of performances with a set at Santa Barbara’s Soho Restaurant & Music Club on Tuesday, January 31. The show is in conjunction with an after party for the screening of “Music Man Murray,” a documentary scored by Parks, and written and directed by his son, Richard Parks premiering at the Santa Barbara Independent Film Festival.
Music Man Murray (trailer) from Richard Parks on Vimeo.
This series of 45’s is Parks’ first new studio music in over 15 years, since his acclaimed album Orange Crate Art. Announced last August on his own label Bananastan, the first four vinyls are available for purchase at the label’s website and during the forthcoming live appearances. In December, Parks released the latest single ‘Amazing Graces’/Hold Back Time‘ with Charles Ray art and will release the final two installments on March 20: ‘Sassafrass’/ ‘The All Golden‘ illustrated by both Billy Edd Wheeler and Klaus Voormann and ‘Missin’ Missippi’/’The Parting Hand‘ with sleeve art by Sally Parks, and Stanley Dorfman.
Parks also released Arrangements Vol. 1 last year, a compilation of some of his greatest arrangements, with Pitchfork saying, “the songs selected on ‘Arrangements’ are uniformly fantastic (8.6 ‘Best New Reissue’).” At the heart of some of the great albums of the last 50 years, Parks’ accomplishments include Brian Wilson‘s ‘lost’ masterpiece Smile, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder‘s first recordings, and Joanna Newsom’s critically acclaimed 2006 album YS. Read his interview with the LA Times as he discusses his recent endeavors and work with Grammy-nominated artist Skrillex.
Van Dyke Parks On Tour
1/31 – Santa Barbara, CA – Soho Restaurant & Music Club
2/15 – St. Petersburg, FL – Craftsman House Gallery
2/16 – Jacksonville, FL – The Florida Theatre
2/18 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
2/19 – Athens, GA – University of Georgia
http://www.vandykeparks.com
http://www.bananastan.com
