Colin Meloy — solo musician, children’s author and frontman of folk-rockers the Decemberists — will bring his folklore nationwide this November to support his first solo run in five years. “He just wanted to get out there and get back onstage, maybe play some new songs,” Paradigm agent Kevin French says. “Songs that may or may not be on the new Decemberists record. They’ll be recording soon.”
Routing: French worked to nail down markets that drew in the past for both Meloy’s solo runs and the Decemberists. “Colin really wanted to get back to those die-hard fans, so he chose the markets accordingly.” Meloy will play mostly 800- to 1,500-capacity theaters, hitting Town Hall in New York (Nov. 1), the Somerville (Ma.) Theatre (Nov. 4), Variety Playhouse in Atlanta (Nov. 8) and the Woman’s Club in Minneapolis (Nov. 13).
Audience: Meloy will reward attendees with an exclusive covers EP only available on tour. (In the past he’s released covers of Sam Cooke, Shirley Collins and Morrissey.) “It’s only going to be available on the tour just to start. We’re not going to release it — at least at first,” French says. The fall swing isn’t the end of the road. “There will be some West Coast dates added. We had a short window to put this November tour together,” he adds, “but in January we’ll be in the Northwest and a few stops in California too.”
Promotion: French’s promotional strategy focused on fans on social media platforms and local promoters. “There’s no new Decemberists album here to promote,” he says. “It’s really just to play to Colin’s fan base.” Organizing a campaign through Crowdsurge that started July 31, French hoped a fan presale would entice higher numbers for early ticket sales. Meloy, too, will continue to work his Twitter magic. “Colin is a big tweeter. He’s pretty vocal through all social media. I’m sure there will be a lot of fan interaction in that realm.”
Booking Agent: Kevin French, Paradigm
Tour Dates: Nov. 1-13