(Photo: Jason Thrasher)

Camper Van Beethoven – the beloved, genre-mashing musical unit and one of the bands that created the indie rock genre – has confirmed its first album in nine years with La Costa Perdida (January 22 / 429 Records). The release will mark CVB's first album recorded as a unit with the band cutting songs organically with all in attendance and produced entirely by the band's members. La Costa Perdida vividly depicts untamed characters and bizarre experiences on northern California's coastline, where the band began its musical adventures.

On the making of La Costa Perdida, Victor Krummenacher says, "The coolest part was that everything flowed from the fact that these distinctive musicians and personalities sat in the living room. Four people are writing it. The songs have great energy, but we're more relaxed and stately and a lot more confident."

Camper Van Beethoven is: Victor Krummenacher (bass, baritone guitar), Greg Lisher (guitars), David Lowery (guitars and vocals), Chris Pedersen (drums), Jonathan Segel (violin, guitar, mandolin, organ, backing vocals) and new addition Michael Urbano (drums and percussion). [Joining the band for their winter tour dates is longtime CVB and Cracker drummer Frank Funaro.]



Also led by Camper Van Beethoven's frontman David Lowery, Cracker will be joining CVB's run of winter dates. Cracker has been described as a lot of things over the years: alt-rock, Americana, insurgent-country, and have even had the terms punk and classic-rock thrown at them. But more than anything Cracker are survivors. Cofounders Lowery and Johnny Hickman have been at it for 20 years now - amassing nine studio albums (their most recent, 2009's critically acclaimed Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey), multiple gold records, thousands of live performances, hit songs ("Low," "Euro-Trash Girl" and "Get Off This" to name just a few) that are still in current radio rotation around the globe, and a worldwide fan base - that despite the major sea-changes within the music industry - continues to grow each year. Along with longtime drummer Frank Funaro (since 1998's Gentleman's Blues) and bassist Sal Maida (since 2006's Greenland), this uniquely American band has no intentions of slowing down.

Camper Van Beethoven/Cracker Winter Tour Dates
Jan. 18 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
Jan. 19 - Stage 48 - New York, NY (Doors are at 6:30PM and tickets are $20)
Jan. 20 - Middle East Downstairs - Cambridge, MA
Jan. 23 - Sky City - Augusta, GA (CVB only)
Jan. 24 - 40-Watt Club - Athens, GA (CVB only)
Jan. 25 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC (CVB only)
Jan. 26 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA (CVB only)
Jan. 27 - Mountain Stage - Charleston, WV (CVB only with Calexico and Bonnie "Prince" Billy)
Feb. 23 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR (CVB only)

Links:
Camper Van Beethoven
Cracker