Sludge-rock veterans the Melvins have apparently borrowed a page from the Ned’s Atomic Dustbin playbook and added a second bassist to their forthcoming album Pinkus Abortion Technician. Jeff Pinkus of the Butthole Surfers fame is joining current Melvins bassist Steven McDonald on the low end.
“We’ve never had two bass players. We’ve had two drummers and two guitar players so it makes total sense to now have two bass players,” Buzz Osborne said in a statement. “We’ll be taking this two-prong bass attack on the road as well which should prove to be interesting. Pinkus Abortion Technician is a radically great record and was a stone groove to record. We drank a lot of coffee and enjoyed each other’s company. I like Steven and Jeff a great deal. I admire their bass playing and singing and both of them can grill a mean steak.”
We’ll have to take Osborne’s word on Pinkus and McDonald’s culinary skills, but we’ll be able to hear the dual bass in action when Pinkus Abortion Technician drops on April 20. The band did release a track list and a slew of North American tour dates in the interim. The new record includes a cover of the Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and the Butthole Surfer’s “Graveyard” — two bands commonly uttered in the same breath.
The Melvins kick off a 10-week North American tour on April 26. Check out the dates and tracklist below:
Tour dates:
April 26 San Diego, CA Casbah
April 29 Dallas, TX Tree’s
April 30 Austin, TX Mohawk
May 1 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
May 3 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
May 4 Birmingham, AL Zydeco
May 6 Charlottee, NC Visulite Theater
May 7 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
May 9 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
May 10 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
May 11 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw
May 12 Hamden, CT Space Ballroom
May 13 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
May 14 Montreal, QC Corona Theatre
May 18 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
May 19 Pittsburgh, PA Rex Theater
May 20 Louisville, KY Headliner’s Music Hall
May 22 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
May 23 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone
May 24 St. Louis, MO The Ready Room
May 25 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
May 31 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
July 12 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
July 13 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
July 14 Fresno, CA Strummer’s
July 16 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
July 17 Sacramento, CA Holy Diver
July 19 Seattle, WA Neumo’s
July 20 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
July 21 Vancouver, BC Venue Nightclub
July 24 Edmonton, AB Union Hall
July 25 Calgary, AB Marquee Room
July 27 Winnipeg, MB Pyramid Cabaret
July 28 Fargo, ND The Aquarium (Dempsey’s Upstairs)
July 29 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
July 30 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
July 31 Chicago, IL Park West
August 2 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme
August 3 Detroit, MI El Club
August 4 Columbus, OH A&R Music Bar
August 5 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue Theatre
August 6 Rock Island, IL Rock Island Brewing Company
August 7 Des Moines, IA Wooly’s
August 8 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
August 10 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre
August 11 Ft. Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
August 13 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
August 14 Las Vegas, NV The Bunkhouse Saloon
Tickets go own sale Friday at 10 am.
Pinkus Abortion Technician tracklist:
1. Stop Moving To Florida 2. Embrace The Rub
3. Don’t Forget To Breathe
4. Flamboyant Duck
5. Break Bread
6. I Want To Hold Your Hand
7. Prenup Butter
8. Graveyard
