Machine Head Announce Brief Tour, Which Will “Serve as an Album Primer”
We still don’t know the release date of the new Machine Head album. But they do have a special Record Store Day 10″ coming out next week, which includes a demo of a new song called “Killers & Kings.” And now they’ve announced a brief headlining tour, which “will serve as an album primer for more dates in the U.S., but more importantly will hit numerous cities that Machine Head hasn’t headlined in for over a decade, or in several cases, never headlined, or even played, at all.”
So, it’s a warm-up tour. Which means we can assume the new album is nearing completion. And that even though we might not all get to spend time with Machine Head live this summer, we’ll all get to spend time with Machine Head live real soon. This is all-around good news!
Here’s a quote from Robb Flynn about the tour:
“When we played the Mayhem festival last year, we decided to do some warm up dates beforehand to shake off the rust. We decided to book them into extremely small, intimate venues where we could put on a really intense show without our usual bells and whistles. These venues were in (what is known in the touring industry as) “B and C markets”, (basically, not NY, LA, Chicago, Detroit, etc…). We played in Spokane, Portland, and Fresno, and the shows were so fucking amazing, so fucking hot and sweaty, so fucking life affirming, and just so much god damn FUN, as soon as we were done, we vowed that we had to do it again and go on tour in America hitting all the places that we rarely ever get to.
“Part of the reason we don’t hit these places, is that sometimes their local economy just can’t afford to pay as well as a major city. As a band, Machine Head have always made the effort to re-invest in our band rather than pocket the money. We’ve done a lot of tours where we lost buttloads of cash, all in the name of giving our fans the best show of their lives. That is what is most important to us.
“And with that said, we’re probably gonna lose some moolah doing this club run. But you know what? The way we look at it, this is also re-investing in our band, by investing in the most important thing we have, YOU! It’s giving die-hard Machine Head fans, the Head Cases in the nooks and crannies of America, the places that are often starving for live music, something special and unforgettable.
“And local bands you are welcome to jump on in every city.
“Because this will be the first time that we’ve ever played a lot of these cities, we’re not even sure if we HAVE fans there, but we believe we can break even!!
“So Head Cases, all that I ask of you, is that if you live in or near any of these cities, and are excited about Machine Head coming to your town on the Killers & Kings Tour…
“TELL PEOPLE!!
“Call people, text people, email people, Share, Tweet, pester, harass, guilt, and shame motherfuckers into going and having a great god damned time at a Machine Head show!! Once a week! The better these shows do, the better the chances of us coming back.
“It’s a risk for us, but you guys are worth the risk!
“We’re all in this together! Help us start a tradition of being able to hit the nooks and crannies of America EVERY Machine Head tour!! Make history my friends!
“See you on tour!
“Now plunder!!”
Dates are below, courtesy of The PRP. Presumably, the band will be performing “Killers & Kings;” fingers crossed they debut some other new material, too. And maybe an Avenged Sevenfold cover, if they’re feeling cheeky.
05/11 Boone, IA – Central Iowa Expo (LazerFest)
05/17 Pomona, CA – Fox Theater (Scion Rock Fest)
07/08 Fresno, CA – Strummers
07/10 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
07/11 Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
07/13 Billings, MT – The Carlin
07/15 Fargo, ND – The Venue
07/17 Ft. Wayne, IN – Piere’s
07/19 Oshkosh, WI – Ford Festival Park (‘Rock USA Fest‘)
07/21 Nashville, TN – Exit/In
07/23 Little Rock, AR – Juanita’s
07/24 Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
07/25 Springfield, MO – Outland Ballroom
