tour dates

While Houston doesn't see quite as many great live shows as some other cities do, we still occasionally experience nights that find us deciding between performances from multiple equally good artists. One occasion that particularly stands out in my mind took place in April of last year, when Brooklyn's TV on the Radio were set to take the stage at the Meridian, mere blocks from Warehouse Live, where - on the same night - Yo La Tengo were booked to perform. We decided the only way to settle this dilemma was to head over to Pitchfork and choose which band we'd see based on whose name we spotted first. We soon spied a Yo La Tengo news feature, which sealed the deal and led us to the Warehouse that night. I don't at all regret seeing YLT - they knocked it out of the park that night - but still, I've been yearning to catch TV on the Radio ever since. It looks like I'll finally have my chance this fall, as they will be playing at Houston's yet-to-be-opened House of Blues, as well as at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans (which, thanks to Cereal's amazing talents, we will be attending clad in oversized, candy-themed costumes. Look out for a gigantic Hershey Kiss.)

If that's not enough, TVotR have completed their follow-up to 2006's Return To Cookie Mountain; entitled Dear Science (album artwork above), it's set to be released on September 23. You can stream the first track "Golden Age" at their official website.

Find the complete list of tour dates after the jump

In what seems to be an endless quest to rock peoples' faces off, The Whigs have announced yet another round of dates that will see them traversing North America through the end of fall. After finishing off a few shows of their own, the road will find them playing gigs with Tokyo Police Club, Justice, MGMT, The Kooks, Kings Of Leon, and We Are Scientists. They'll also be making stops at the Monolith Music Festival at Morrison, CO's Red Rocks Ampitheatre, and Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival. We first fell in love with these guys after an amazing afternoon in-store performance and an even better (and louder) headlining set later that night. Their brand of garage rock sounds good on record, but even more powerful in a live setting, so take my word for it and check them out before the venues get bigger and the tickets get more expensive.

See The Whigs' full list of tour dates after the jump

New England singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne will be hitting the road this fall with a US tour in support of his third album, Gossip in the Grain (due out Oct. 14th). The 28 show tour is set to take off on Sept. 30th in Indianapolis, IN and will end on Nov. 9 in Seattle, WA. LaMontagne's unique sound in combination with his intimate stage show should make for an blissfully calm night of music. Fellow songwriter Leona Naess will be on the tour in support of LaMontagne and is also featured in the songs "I Still Care For You" and "A Falling Through" off of his new album. This will personally be my first time to see Ray - I will be making the trip to Kansas City, MO, so look for upcoming coverage of the night.

Tour dates after the jump

Fresh off one of their largest shows, a headlining spot at England's Glastonbury festival, Kings Of Leon are ready to hit the road in support of their latest studio effort, Only By The Night. The follow up to 2007's Because Of The Times, set to be released on September 23rd, will also feature a full North American tour in support. For this trek they have enlisted the help of a few acts that will more than enhance the evenings events. For the whole tour, We Are Scientists will take the opening slot, while The Stills and The Whigs will rotate support duties for different dates.

The first single from Only By The Night, entitled "Sex On Fire", is streaming on their MySpace page as we speak, so after you see if they are coming to your town (they're coming to mine!), head on over there to check out the new tune.

See the full dates after the jump