Photo by Jason Quigley

Black Prairie, a side-project of indie folk band The Decemberists, will tour the West Coast beginning in May to support their new album, Fortune, out April 22. The tour includes a spot at SASQUATCH! Music Festival in July.

Fortune, the band’s third album, showcases their folk and bluegrass roots with a rock and roll twist. The heaviness was partly inspired by their engineer, Vance Powell, who has worked with The Dead Weather and Red Fang.

Black Prairie formed in 2007 when The Decemberists guitarist Chris Funk decided to explore more acoustic-centric music. He formed the group with fellow Decemberists Nate Query on bass, Jenny Conlee on accordion and John Moen on drums, as well as Annalissa Tornfelt on fiddle and Jon Neufeld (Jackstraw, Doloreon) on guitar. More tour dates for the band will be announced throughout the year.

Black Prairie Tour Dates

May 1 Seattle, WA—The Tractor
May 2 Portland, OR—Aladdin Theatre
May 3 Eugene, OR—John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts
May 7 Los Angeles, CA—Bootleg Theater
May 8 San Diego, CA—Soda Bar
May 9 Santa Ana, CA—Constellation Room
May 10 San Francisco, CA—Slim’s
July 5 George, WA—SASQUATCH! Music Festival