Continuing to promote the release of last year’s successful The Port of Morrow,The Shins have announced a brief round of spring tour dates. Taking place throughout the month of May, the indie outfit from Albuquerque, NM, will get things going beginning on the 10th, in Napa, CA, at the first-ever Bottle Rock Festival. The group have lined up a few more southern and western dates up through the 22nd, which is when they’re slated to perform the first of two Canadian gigs, in Toronto and then Montreal. Their last three shows will see them back home on local turf, hitting up venues in Massachusetts and Virginia through the 28th.
Originally begun as a side project for lead singer James Mercer, who had been devoting most of his time and energy to the band Flake Music when The Shins first formed in 1997, the group has since moved to the forefront of the indie alt-rock scene. Their big mainstream break helped expand their fan base in 2004, when they appeared on the soundtrack to actor Zach Braff’s directorial debut, Garden State (having Natalie Portman declare your music “life-changing” will have that effect). Their music has gone on to feature prominently in similarly zeitgeist-y works like “The OC” and that other Zach Braff project, “Scrubs.” Since The Shins haven’t released any upcoming setlist info it’s unclear whether they’ll play their pop-culture hits on this latest tour, although there is, of course, only one way to find out… good thing tickets are on sale now!
