The Decemberists to release “Here Comes The Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized”

The Decemberists’ album The Hazards of Love was released by EMI’s Capitol Records in March to rave reviews with NPR calling the album an “epic adventure” and SPIN writing that it “yields spectacular sparks,” adding that it contains “some of the snarliest, bluesiest, rockingest moments in The Decemberists’ catalog.” The raves continued when the band hit the road for their “A Short Fazed Hovel” tour with Pitchfork calling the live performance “a triumph,” The Wall Street Journal declaring it “a remarkable experience,” and New York Magazine naming it the “Indie Rock Show of the Year.”

On October 19, The Decemberists will unveil Here Come The Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized, a special project that takes their ambitious and acclaimed song cycle to new heights for it’s final American performance at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles. This unique live experience will feature The Decemberists in collaboration with four filmmakers—Guilherme Marcondes, Julia Pott, Peter Sluszka and Santa Maria—each of whom have created animation to accompany a section of the music. Presented in association with Flux, the event will also be a benefit for The GRAMMY Foundation®’s Grammy In The Schools® music education programs for high school students.

At Royce Hall, The Decemberists will perform the entire piece synchronized with the animation, as well as an additional second set of older and newer material. A limited presale will begin at 10:00am PT on Wednesday, September 16 at http://www.decemberists.tickets.musictoday.com. General tickets will go on sale on Friday, September 18. The band will also kick off the final leg of their “A Short Fazed Hovel” tour this week. See full dates below.

About Flux:
Flux is a global creative community and collective led by RESFEST founder Jonathan Wells and designer/gallerist Meg Wells. Flux is an online journal, concept space, film/art/event hub where individuals from various creative fields can meet and share their work. Visit for www.flux.net more information.

About The Filmmakers:
Guilherme Marcondes was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He started working as an illustrator while still in architecture school. In 2000 he joined the Brazilian animation studio Lobo where he worked for five years, eventually directing spots for international clients such as Diesel, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. In 2005 he went to London to direct the build-up campaign for that year’s Europe Music Awards at MTV Networks. He came back to São Paulo and directed Tyger, a short film that won more than 20 awards around the world. Marcondes moved to the US in 2006 and worked for a year at the renowned studio Motion Theory. He currently works with Hornet, a New York-based production company representing directors in the areas of multimedia, directing short films and commercials.

Julia Pott is a freelance animator and illustrator working out of London and New York. Her clients include Malibu Rum, Picador, Chronicle Books, Picasso Pictures, Sherbet, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Of Montreal. Her work has been exhibited in London, the U.S. and Antwerp and her animations have been screened at Onedotzero, Rushes Soho Shorts, the Youtube Short Film of the Year Award, SXSW and Pangea Day. She collaborates with her fellow animators in the animation collective Treat Studios. She begins an MA in animation at the Royal College of Art in Fall 2009.

Peter Sluszka is a New York-based director with Hornet specializing in stop-motion animation and photo-based effects. He studied literature and visual arts at Columbia University, eventually contriving to combine his love of storytelling and visual innovation by studying stop-motion animation at the School of Visual Arts. Sluszka has directed animation for feature films, commercials, music videos, television series, and performance projections. He has collaborated with Michel Gondry and Pilobolus, and manipulated everything from traditional foam latex puppets to meat, origami, snow, and yarn.

Santa Maria is a directing team comprised of Josh Goodrich and David Hill. Working in both live action and animation, Santa Maria’s vibrant mixed-media style evokes a playful, unexpected tone. For Goodrich and Hill, the creative process is a path of exploration. They are on a constant mission to fuse contrasting aesthetics, whether it’s integrating Native American and ‘80s motifs or merging folk art with techno design. Goodrich and Hill met at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where they studied computer animation and illustration, respectively. With their joint experience in illustration and computer animation, the two, directors at Hornet in New York, make a highly complementary team.

The Decemberists’ confirmed 2009 tour dates are as follows:

Sept. 18 Orono, Maine University of Maine (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)
Sept. 19 New York, NY Terminal 5 (*special lottery show w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)
Sept. 20 Burlington, VT Flynn Theater (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 21 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theater (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 23 Norfolk, VA The Norva (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 24 Charlottesville, VA Charlottesville Pavilion (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 25 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 26 Athens, GA The Classic Center (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)
Sept. 27 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 29 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheater (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 30 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 2 Houston, TX House of Blues (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 3 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Music Festival

Oct. 4 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 6 Lexington, KY University of Kentucky, Lexington (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 7 Columbia, MO Ninth St. Fall Fest (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 8 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)
Oct. 9 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)
Oct. 18 San Francisco, CA Treasure Island Music Festival

Oct. 19 Los Angeles, CA UCLA Royce Hall

Nov. 18 London, UK Forum

Nov. 19 London, UK Coronet

Nov. 21 The Hague, Netherlands Crossing Border Festival