Offa Rex—New Project from Olivia Chaney and The Decemberists—Release "The Queen of Hearts" July 14 on Nonesuch

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On July 14, Nonesuch will release The Queen of Hearts, the debut album from Offa Rex, a new project from Olivia Chaney and The Decemberists. Produced and recorded by Tucker Martine and Colin Meloy at Martine's studio in Portland, OR, and mostly arranged by Chaney, The Queen of Hearts draws largely on traditional English-Irish-Scottish repertoire to create a transatlantic musical conversation that flirts with psychedelia and folk rock while maintaining its own inimitable identity. Nonesuch Store pre-orders include an exclusive print and an instant download of the title track, a performance video of which can be seen here.

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On July 7 July 14, Nonesuch Records will release The Queen of Hearts, the debut album from Offa Rex, an adventurous new project featuring English singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Olivia Chaney and The Decemberists. Produced and recorded by Tucker Martine (Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Neko Case) and Colin Meloy at Martine's studio in Portland, OR, and mostly arranged by Chaney, the thirteen tracks on The Queen of Hearts draw largely on traditional English-Irish-Scottish repertoire to create a transatlantic musical conversation that flirts with psychedelia and folk rock while maintaining its own inimitable identity. Pre-orders are available now from iTunes and the Nonesuch Store, where the title track may be downloaded instantly. Nonesuch Store pre-orders also include an instant-download of the title and an exclusive print, a limited number of which will be autographed by the musicians. While the autographed prints have now sold out, pre-orders continue to include unsigned prints.

You can watch a studio performance video for the title track, which premiered on NPR Music, here:

The origins of Offa Rex can be traced to a tweet. Meloy, a fan of Olivia Chaney's 2015 Nonesuch debut, The Longest River, struck up a dialog with her over Twitter, which eventually led to her supporting The Decemberists on a U.S. tour. Chaney says: "Every so often [on the tour] Colin and I would have these fleeting but quite intense conversations about songwriting and singing traditional songs. One night he asked me, grinning, 'Have you ever thought of having a backing group? We'll be your Albion Dance Band.'"

Meloy adds: “There’s this weird relationship between British and American music, this interesting trade and theft that goes back and forth. My hope was that if we—the neophytes, the dilettantes, the pretenders—brought Olivia to Portland to work with Tucker, perhaps these traditional British songs would be infused with something different.

From the heady harpsichord swirl that engulfs album opener "The Queen of Hearts" to the warm, delicate drone of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," or the cold, grey riff that heralds "Sheepcrook and Black Dog," it's evident that Offa Rex is different indeed, upending its folk roots and imbuing these songs with exploratory verve.

Offa Rex will tour this summer, including performances at the Newport Folk Festival, Town Hall in New York, and at The Aladdin in Portland. They will also be performing at Travelers' Rest, The Decemberists' two-day curated festival in Missoula, MT, on August 12. Additionally, Olivia Chaney will support The Decemberists during their August tour, during which she will join the band on stage to perform songs from The Queen of Hearts. Chaney will also do a few solo shows around these dates. Complete list of shows are below.

OFFA REX ON TOUR

Jul 23 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
Jul 26 The Town Hall New Yok, NY
Jul 28 XPoNential Festival Camden, NJ
Jul 29 Newport Folk Festival (Sold Out) Newport, RI
Aug 8 Orpheum Theatre* Vancouver, BC
Aug 9 MacEwan Hall* Calgary, AB
Aug 12&13 Traveler's Rest Festival Missoula, MT
Aug 15 Red Butte Garden* Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 17 Fox Theater* Oakland, CA
Aug 19 Britt Festival* Jacksonville, OR
     

*Olivia Chaney opening for The Decemberists

featuredimage
Offa Rex: "The Queen of Hearts" [cover]
  • Friday, May 5, 2017
    Offa Rex—New Project from Olivia Chaney and The Decemberists—Release "The Queen of Hearts" July 14 on Nonesuch

    On July 7 July 14, Nonesuch Records will release The Queen of Hearts, the debut album from Offa Rex, an adventurous new project featuring English singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Olivia Chaney and The Decemberists. Produced and recorded by Tucker Martine (Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Neko Case) and Colin Meloy at Martine's studio in Portland, OR, and mostly arranged by Chaney, the thirteen tracks on The Queen of Hearts draw largely on traditional English-Irish-Scottish repertoire to create a transatlantic musical conversation that flirts with psychedelia and folk rock while maintaining its own inimitable identity. Pre-orders are available now from iTunes and the Nonesuch Store, where the title track may be downloaded instantly. Nonesuch Store pre-orders also include an instant-download of the title and an exclusive print, a limited number of which will be autographed by the musicians. While the autographed prints have now sold out, pre-orders continue to include unsigned prints.

    You can watch a studio performance video for the title track, which premiered on NPR Music, here:

    The origins of Offa Rex can be traced to a tweet. Meloy, a fan of Olivia Chaney's 2015 Nonesuch debut, The Longest River, struck up a dialog with her over Twitter, which eventually led to her supporting The Decemberists on a U.S. tour. Chaney says: "Every so often [on the tour] Colin and I would have these fleeting but quite intense conversations about songwriting and singing traditional songs. One night he asked me, grinning, 'Have you ever thought of having a backing group? We'll be your Albion Dance Band.'"

    Meloy adds: “There’s this weird relationship between British and American music, this interesting trade and theft that goes back and forth. My hope was that if we—the neophytes, the dilettantes, the pretenders—brought Olivia to Portland to work with Tucker, perhaps these traditional British songs would be infused with something different.

    From the heady harpsichord swirl that engulfs album opener "The Queen of Hearts" to the warm, delicate drone of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," or the cold, grey riff that heralds "Sheepcrook and Black Dog," it's evident that Offa Rex is different indeed, upending its folk roots and imbuing these songs with exploratory verve.

    Offa Rex will tour this summer, including performances at the Newport Folk Festival, Town Hall in New York, and at The Aladdin in Portland. They will also be performing at Travelers' Rest, The Decemberists' two-day curated festival in Missoula, MT, on August 12. Additionally, Olivia Chaney will support The Decemberists during their August tour, during which she will join the band on stage to perform songs from The Queen of Hearts. Chaney will also do a few solo shows around these dates. Complete list of shows are below.

    OFFA REX ON TOUR

    Jul 23 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
    Jul 26 The Town Hall New Yok, NY
    Jul 28 XPoNential Festival Camden, NJ
    Jul 29 Newport Folk Festival (Sold Out) Newport, RI
    Aug 8 Orpheum Theatre* Vancouver, BC
    Aug 9 MacEwan Hall* Calgary, AB
    Aug 12&13 Traveler's Rest Festival Missoula, MT
    Aug 15 Red Butte Garden* Salt Lake City, UT
    Aug 17 Fox Theater* Oakland, CA
    Aug 19 Britt Festival* Jacksonville, OR
         

    *Olivia Chaney opening for The Decemberists

    Journal Articles:Album ReleaseArtist News

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