Nada Surf releasing a covers album, playing 3 full albums in NYC, touring (2010 dates & presale)

“Hope you’ve all had a great [2009]. Besides playing shows in France, Switzerland, Japan and NYC/NJ, things might have seemed quiet on the Nada Surf front, but I’m happy to tell you that the band are finishing up a covers album and we’ll be making a full on announcement of the release (and tour) in early 2010. The one thing we can tell you is that it will include a version of the Depeche Mode song ‘Enjoy the Silence’ and for your listening pleasure, we’ve put a home demo Matthew recorded on our myspace site.

Those dates are now announced. Nada Surf will tour throughout North America and Europe in March, April & May. It all kicks off with three very special NYC shows….

Nada Surf – 3 nights in NYC
Mar 25 @ Bowery Ballroom – performing ‘Let Go’ (AmEx presale Wed)
Mar 26 @ The Bell House – performing ‘The Weight Is a Gift’ (on sale 1/8 at noon)
Mar 27 @ Music Hall of Williamsburg – performing ‘Lucky’ (AmEx presale Wed?)

There’s a presale for most dates also starting Wednesday. All dates, and more info on the covers record, below…

ABOUT THE COVERS RECORD

Nada Surf bring their trademark sense of harmony and musical craftsmanship to 12 of their favorite songs with their latest release, if i had a hi-fi, their first album of covers. Only a group with their wide-ranging and eclectic taste could bring songs from such artists as Kate Bush, Dwight Twilley and the Go-Betweens together into a coherent, intelligent record. hi-fi also includes some intriguingly obscure numbers like Spanish band Mecromina‘s “Evolution” and Bill Fox‘s power-pop “Electrocution.”

Although a great deal of thought went into the song selections, the band’s intent is not to make an overarching musical statement. Singer-guitarist Matthew Caws says, “We really just wanted to do it organically, whatever we felt like covering in the moment, rather than trying to sum up our influences or something. It’s whatever we were excited about in the months before making it. And I think we got to everything we wanted to.” The result is both inspired and casual, like a conversation with a friend who shares your taste but also pushes your musical boundaries. A vintage Moody Blues tune, the proto-prog tempo-shifting “Question,” shares space with The Soft Pack‘s blissfully rudimentary “Bright Side,” Depeche Mode‘s grand “Enjoy the Silence,” and experimental music icon Arthur Russell‘s terse but sweet “Janine.”

Although the band had just returned from a worldwide tour in support of their 2008 release Lucky, and had looked forward to some time off, if i had a hi-fi mysteriously reenergized them. “The material came together spontaneously,” says Caws. “We’d get together and kick ideas around and soon we had an A list, a B list, a C list…. .” They’re particularly proud of the title, which is both a callback to the musical platform of their youth and a palindrome.

if i had a hi-fi was recorded over three weeks in September at Resonate Studios in Austin, TX with long-time collaborator and part-time keyboardist Louie Lino. Fans who attend shows during the spring tour will be able to get their hands on the record before it’s in stores, offering true believers the opportunity for a double-first: hearing the songs for the first time and being able to take them home.

Nada Surf – 2010 Tour Dates
Mar 25 – Bowery Ballroom New York, New York
Mar 26 – Bell House Brooklyn, New York
Mar 27 – Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York
Mar 29 – Lee’s Palace Toronto
Mar 30 – Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour Montreal
Mar 31 – Pearl Street Night Club Northampton, Massachusetts
Apr 1 – First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 2 – 9:30 Club WASHINGTON, Washington DC
Apr 3 – Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 13 – ICA London
Apr 15 – Palais d’auron Bourges
Apr 17 – Artefact Festival Strasbourg
Apr 18 – Tivoli de Helling Utrecht
Apr 19 – Botanique Brussels
Apr 20 – Gloria Koln
Apr 21 – D! Club Lausanne
Apr 23 – Abart Zurich
Apr 24 – WUK Vienna
Apr 25 – Lucerna Music Bar Prague
Apr 26 – Lido Berlin
Apr 27 – Knust Hamburg
Apr 28 – Trabendo Paris
Apr 29 – Joy Eslava Madrid
Apr 30 – SOS Festival Murcia
May 1 – Festival do Norte Villagarcia de arosa
May 15 – Long-i-Rock Festival Longirod
May 24 – Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, California
May 25 – Troubador West Hollywood, California
May 27 – Great American Music Hall San Francisco, California
May 29 – Wonder Ballroom Portland, Oregon