The Shins February 20, 2007

THE SHINS
with special guest
VIVA VOCE

PARAMOUNT THEATRE – SEATTLE, WA
Tuesday, February 20, 2007

On Sale Friday, January 12 at Noon

Seattle, WA – Live Nation welcomes The Shins with special guest Viva Voce to the Paramount Theatre on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 8 p.m.
Recorded in singer/guitarist James Mercer's basement studio, Phil Ek's Seattle digs, and in Oregon City with veteran engineer Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2), Wincing the Night Away is The Shins' third full-length album. It's also the sound of a band growing up and out. Mercer's infectious, indelible melodic style is still at the core, and unfaltering. But anything can happen around it — and in this case, it does. While the vocals channel the spirit of Morrissey, "Sea Legs" pairs a loping hip-hop beat with lush melody and searing guitars. Elsewhere the band toys with tweaked-out, liquid piano steeped in kaleidoscopic strings ("Red Rabbit"); fractured synth samples ("Spilt Needles"); gauzy, arpeggiated keyboards cloaking thunderous anthems ("Sleeping Lessons"); and, taking cues from early Jesus and Mary Chain albums, sweeping, fuzz-toned epics ("Phantom Limb"). Finally, "Turn on Me," "Girl Sailor" and "Australia" are the lilting, thrilling, rollicking, rock-solid pop songs we've all come to covet from The Shins. Consider yourself surprised. Oh! Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow have sold more than a million copies worldwide.

Brought together by a genuine love of pop music — and subsequent eschewal of college aspirations — singer/guitarist James Mercer, drummer Jesse Sandoval, keyboardist Marty Crandall and bassist Dave Hernandez formed The Shins in 1996. Mercer had taught himself to play the guitar as a teenager, while listening to bands like My Bloody Valentine and Echo & The Bunnymen. With time, he developed a more pronounced interest in ‘60s pop and the art of well-crafted songwriting. Mercer’s aesthetic, paired with the like-minded sensibilities of his bandmates, gave rise to this most friendly troupe of disbelieving pop heroes.

Tickets are $25.00 and go on sale Saturday, January 12 at noon at all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or hob.com, or charge by phone (206) 628-0888. All tickets subject to applicable service charges and fees. Dates and times subject to change without notice.

Official Website: http://hob.com/tickets/eventdetail.asp?eventid=43397