The Decemberists

The Decemberists, an Indie rock band from Portland, Ore., will be the featured performer for the fourth annual Large Act Concert at Southwestern University on Thursday, Oct. 30. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 8 p.m. in the Corbin J. Robertson Center (building #16 on the campus map at www.southwestern.edu/tour/campus-map.pdf).


Tickets for the concert are $10 for Southwestern students and may be purchased online at http://southwestern.edu/studentactivities/thedecemberists.htm using Pirate Buc$ beginning Wednesday, Oct. 1.

Tickets for the general public are $20 and will be available beginning Oct. 8. There are several options for purchasing tickets:
1. Tickets can be purchased online using a credit card at http://southwestern.edu/studentactivities/thedecemberists.htm
2. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Southwestern University Student Activities Office on the third floor of the McCombs Campus Center.
3. Tickets can be purchased at the Kerby Lane Café at 2606 Guadalupe St. on Friday, Oct. 24, from 3-10 p.m.
4. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.

The concert will kick off The Decemberists’ national Bridesmaid Revisited Tour 2008, which includes performances at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and The Wiltern in Los Angeles, Calif. Southwestern will be the only stop the band makes in the southern United States during their tour.

“The Decemberists have a great history in the area,” said Nadia Alareksoussi, student co-chair for the Large Act Concert. “They are so talented and fun that they are sure to entertain.”

The Decemberists formed in 2000 and include Colin Meloy (vocals, guitar), Chris Funk (guitar, mandolin, hammered dulcimer), Jenny Conlee (keyboards, accordion, organ, vocals), Nate Query (bass) and John Moen (drums, vocals).

On Oct. 3, 2006, the band released its first album with major record label, Capital Records. The Crane Wife reached a peak position of 35 in the Billboard charts.

Prior to The Crane Wife, they released three full-length albums: Picaresque (2005), Her Majesty (2003) and Castaways and Cutouts (2002). Their hit singles include “The Soldiering Life,” “Sixteen Military Wives” and “O Valencia.”

The Decemberists music has been described as a mixture of classic pop and folk. Last.fm explains that their sound “has undergone a consistent evolution, most notably in the direction of progressive rock with a strong folk influence” or as Stephen Colbert puts it, they are “hyper-literate prog rock.”

Previous Large Act concerts at Southwestern have featured New Found Glory, Wyclef Jean and Cake, which performed to a sold-out audience last spring.

“I definitely think this year’s Large Act can rival last year’s for biggest and best performance at Southwestern,” said Andrew Ivy, the other student co-chair for the event.

For more information about the concert, visit http://southwestern.edu/studentactivities/thedecemberists.htm or call the Office of Student Activities at 512-863-1345.