The Decemberists Embark on "A Short Fazed Hovel Tour 2009"

The lovable indie-folkers-turned-major-label heavyweights, known collectively as The Decemberists, are setting sail for a musical theatre/theater near you. The Portland outfit will be joined on the May/early-June tour (titled "A Short Fazed Hovel tour 2009") by Lavender Diamond's Beck Stark and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden. They will portray their characters from Colin Meloy's epic 17-song folk-opera.

The spring tour kicks off with NPR's SXSW Showcase show March 18 at Stubb's, where the band will play through the new album in its entirety. All the ATP-like goodness will continue through their appearance at Radio City Music Hall (June 10) and this summer's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (June 11-14) in Tennessee.

And in case anyone was wondering, The Hazards of Love is still coming out March 24 via Capitol and as you can tell from the album artwork below, The Decemberists' fifth album will live up to the following story abstract: "a woman named Margaret who is ravaged by a shape-shifting animal; her lover, William; a forest queen; and a cold-blooded, lascivious rake." I guess ol' Marge took a few wrong turns in the woods. [Pitchfork]

Start practicing that swallowed-by-a-whale scream now:

03.18 Austin, TX: Stubb's

05.19 Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Palladium

05.20 Oakland, CA: Fox Theatre

05.21 Eugene, OR: McDonald Theater

05.24 Missoula, MT: Wilma Theatre

05.25 Denver, CO: Fillmore Auditorium

05.27 Kansas City, MO:  Uptown Theater

05.29 Milwaukee, WI: Riverside Theater

05.31 St. Louis, MO: The Pageant

06.01 Columbus, OH: Lifestyle Communities Pavilion

06.03 Atlanta, GA: Tabernacle

06.04 Raleigh, NC: Memorial Auditorium

06.05 Richmond, VA: The National

06.06 Upper Darby, PA: Tower Theatre

06.09 Boston, MA: Radio City Music Hall

06.11-14 Manchester, TN: Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival