Captain Yonder

JUST IN:

The Captain's fourth record, "Good-bye, Woland!", is now out! Check out brand-new reviews in PopMatters (8 of 10 stars), Americana UK (8 of 10 stars), the PULSE ("A delightful, sometimes dark but ultimately uplifting collection of top-notch songwriting and musicianship"), and the Minnesota Monthly.

2008 TOUR DATES/ LOG:

December 13 The Kitty Kat Klub (Minneapolis, MN.) With our friends (and Ryan's other band) Murzik.
November 23 The Turf Club (St. Paul, MN.)
September 27 Fitger's (Duluth, MN.)
July 26 Matty B's (Saint Paul, MN.)
July 18-20. Tracking our next album at the Devil's Workshop Studio.
July 11 The Nomad (Minneapolis, MN).
June 6-8. Tracking our next album at the Devil's Workshop Studio.
May 17 Art-A-Whirl, NorthrupKing Building (Minneapolis, MN.) 7:00 PM.
May 17 Art-A-Whirl, Q'arma Bulding (Minneapolis, MN.) 4:00 PM.
May 16 Art-A-Whirl, NorthrupKing Building (Minneapolis, MN.) 6:00 PM.
May 9 The Eagles Club (Saint Paul, MN.)
April 19 The 331 Club (Minneapolis, MN).
March 6 University of Wisconsin, Stout (Menomonie, WI). With Kid Dakota.
March 1 Isabella's (Dubuque, IA).
February 29 Isabella's (Dubuque, IA).
January 27 The Ice Shanty Project (Medicine Lake, MN.)
January 26 The Ice Shanty Project (Medicine Lake, MN.)
January 19 The Ice Shanty Project (Medicine Lake, MN.)
January 18 The Turf Club (Saint Paul, MN).
January 13 The Turf Club (Saint Paul, MN).

2007 TOUR DATES/ LOG:

December 1 The Nomad World Pub (Minneapolis, MN.) With Murzik and Ice Palace
November 8 Bryant Lake Bowl (Minneapolis, MN.) Motion Booking Presents: Chicken Wings, a night of acoustic sets w/ Captain Yonder.
October 24 The Kitty Cat Klub (Minneapolis, MN.) W/ our friends Murzik.
October 13 The Sugar Room (Mankato, MN.)
October 4 The Turf Club (St. Paul, MN.) W/ Moon Maan and the 757's.
September 15 The Turf Club (St. Paul, MN.) With Little Man.
September 7 Kitty Cat Klub (Minneapolis, MN). W/ Ben Connelly and Stook.
August 17 Lee's Liquor Lounge (Minneapolis, MN). W/ the Radio Years.
August 3 Kitty Cat Klub (Minneapolis, MN).
July 27 Fitgers (Duluth, MN).
July 6 Sin City Revue at the Bryant Lake Bowl (Minneapolis, MN). Appearing with Bobbi Miller!
June 30 Triple Rock Social Club (Minneapolis). W/ the Blue Rock Boys.
June 8 Clubhouse Jaeger (Minneapolis, MN).
May 26 (Minneapolis, MN). Ryan has been commissioned to write and perform a piece for a private wedding.
May 19 Isabella's (Dubuque, IA).
May 18 Lemmon's (Saint Louis, MO).
May 17 Barley Street Tavern (Omaha, NE).
May 16 The Picador (Iowa City, IA). Canceled.
May 12 The Nomad (Minneapolis, MN.) Our hometown CD RELEASE w/ Jeremy Messersmith, the Sunny Era, and Jack Torrey.
May 10 The Minneapolis City Pages lists our Nomad CD Release on the A-List.
May 10 Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Chris Riemenschneider reviews "Good-bye, Woland!"
May 5 The Hideout (Chicago, IL). Note: EARLY SHOW!!! Doors at 8:00, music at 8:30 prompt.
May 4 Cafe Montmartre (Madison, WI). Sponsored by 89.9 WORT.
May 4 Chicago Reader Critic Monica Kendrick previews our Hideout show in The Treatment.
May 2 The Madison Isthmus and the Onion select our Montmartre show in the Critics' Choice sections.
May 1 Our official CD release date.
May 1 Minnesota Monthly critic Jim Meyers opines that "Pfeiffer’s humble but limber voice can turn as sweet as the folkie Nick Drake or as dry as Leonard Cohen."
April 27 PULSE critic Tom Hallett describes "Good-bye, Woland!" as a "delightful, sometimes dark but ultimately uplifting collection of top-notch songwriting and musicianship."
April 26 PopMatters awards "Good-bye, Woland" 8 out of 10 stars.
April 8 The Turf Club (St. Paul, MN). Ryan plays an impromptu set at the Turf with Dave Hazledine, among others.
March 24 The British web site Americana UK awards "Good-bye, Woland!" 8 out of 10 stars.
March 18 The Turf Club. (St. Paul, MN.) 9:00 PM.
March 18 The House of Mercy (St. Paul, MN.) 5:00 PM.
March 15 Canvas Bar & Gallery (Austin, TX). 11:00 PM. W/ Oppenheimer. Sponsored by Culture Catch and Electro-Voice.
March 15 Headhunter's (Austin, TX). 5:00 PM.
March 3 Lee's Liquor Lounge (Minneapolis, MN). 9:00. A City Pages Picked to Click Event. W/ Painted Saints and Get-Up Johns.
February 10 The Sugar Room (Mankato, MN).
January 12 Fitgers (Duluth, MN.)

2006 TOUR DATES/ LOG:

December 10 The Turf Club (St. Paul, MN). 9:00. With Caveman!
December 2 The 331 Club (Minneapolis, MN). W/ the Roe Family Singers.
November 12 The House of Mercy (St. Paul, MN). 5:00 sharp.
October 27 The Nomad World Pub (Minneapolis, MN). A pre-Halloween show w/ Kid Dakota and Charlie Parr about witchery, ghosts, necromancy, and murder. Costumes are encouraged.
September 30 The Second Story (Bloomington, IN). Evening show. CANCELED.
September 30 The Second Story (Bloomington, IN). Afternoon show. CANCELED.
September 29 The Varsity Theater (Minneapolis, MN). With CloudCult and Halloween Alaska! Sponsored by 89.3 the Current.
August 26 The Hideout (Chicago, IL). With the Lesser Birds of Paradise. This is the Lesser Birds' CD release show!
August 25 Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson, WI). Show starts at 8:00 pm.
August 25 Live on WFAW (Fort Atkinson, WI) at 9:00 am. Esme will join Michael Clish on Morning Magazine.
August 24 Live on 88.7 WLUW (Chicago, IL) at 1:15 pm. Ryan will chat with Di on the Razor & Die Show.
August 17 The Nomad World Pub (Minneapolis, MN). With the Painted Saints, Nathaniel Carroll, & Kate Kennedy.
July 23 The Turf Club (St. Paul, MN). With Dave Hazledine of Spikedriver.
July 21 Bryant Lake Bowl (Minneapolis, MN) With In Praise of Folly
July 16 The Green Man Festival (Duluth, MN). We will play on the big stage @ noon. Details TBA.
July 1-7 (Tucson, AZ). We have been invited to record our fourth album at Wavelab Studios. Craig Schumacher (founder of Tape Op) has agreed to serve as producer.
June 16 Carleton College (Northfield, MN). '96 Reunion Showcase. W/ Laura Veirs and our friends 10w40.
May 19 (Orono, MN). Orono High School. A Montage shindig.
April 21 The Stone's Throw (Eau Claire, WI). W/ Carbellion.
April 15 The 331 Club (Minneapolis, MN). With Ellie Sawyer.
April 1 The Mission Creek Music Festival (Iowa City, IA). At the Mill. We will play an evening set as part of "Whiskeytown II."
April 1 The Mission Creek Music Festival (Iowa City, IA). At the Mill. We will play an afternoon set during "Whiskeytown I."
March 31 The Melody Inn (Indianapolis, IN). W/ Odawas, Lesser Birds of Paradise, and Elephant Micah. Jess Halverson will join us on drums. Unbeknownst to Jess, we have developed a secret hypnotic potion that will forever "Yonderize" her.
March 30 We receive a critic's pick in the Indianapolis Intake Weekly for our show at the Melody Inn.
March 30 The Second Story (Bloomington, IN). W/ the M's and Headlights. Marc Cheetah will open his superb club on a Thursday for us. Jess Halverson will join us on skins.
March 30 We receive a critic's pick in the Bloomington Herald Times for our show at the Second Story.
March 23 The Varsity Theater (Minneapolis, MN). W/ The Gunshy, Low Lustre, and Andy Holmass.
March 1 We reach #26 on 3rd Coast Magazine's (Austin, TX) FAR Chart.
February 10 The Cedar Cultural Center (Minneapolis, MN). Our Minneapolis CD release show. W/ Felonious Bosch.
February 10 Minnesota Public Radio broadcasts a news feature about us on All Things Considered.
February 8 The Onion features our Cedar show in the A.V. Club and flatteringly compares Ryan to Jay Farrar & Robyn Hitchcock.
February 8 The City Pages features our Cedar show on its "A-List."
February 5 Live in-studio on 89.3 The Current with host Chris Roberts.
February 3 The Hideout (Chicago, IL). Our favorite Chicago venue. W/ What Four. Thanks to Ryan Hembrey.
February 3 The Chicago Reader features our Hideout show on its Critic's Choice list. Monica Hendrick describes our music as "dreamy and sepia-toned folk in the Harry Smith vein."
January 20 The High Noon (Madison, WI). Our Madison CD release. W/ Chris Mills and Catfish Haven. Sponsored by 89.9 WORT.
January 20 In Madison, The Capital Times selects us as a "Best Bet" and features us on the front page of the Lifestyle section.
January 20 Live on 89.9 WORT (Madison, WI). Ryan appeared on the 8:00 BUZZ with Jonathan Zarov and read the latest in his series of odes to truckers.

2005 TOUR DATES/ LOG:

December 24 Green Acre (Estes Park, CO). Private.
December 23 The Hi-Dive (Denver, CO).
November 20 The Turf Club (St. Paul, MN). W/ Rich Mattson of Ol' Yeller. Thanks for joining us, Rich. Thanks for the excellent sound, Mr. Hazledine.
September 24 The 7th St. Entry (Minneapolis). With Akron/Family and Great Lakes Swimmers. Show starts at 9:30.
August 26 Acadia Cafe (Minneapolis). Show starts at 9:15. Nick Morawiecki will open.
August 20 Beaners (Duluth). Jamie Ness & Laura Kincaid will open.
August 18 The Duluth News Tribune endorses our Beaners show as "A Great Date."
August 18 The Duluth Reader Weekly devotes a full page article to us.
July 29 The Hideout (Chicago, IL). W/ Roommate and Rhombus.
July 29 The Chicago Sun-Times specifically endorses us and our Hideout performance on its "Really Cool Things to Do" list.
June 16 The Terminal Bar (Minneapolis, MN). Midnight.
June 3 The Cedar Cultural Center (Minneapolis, MN). W/ the Owls. Ben Glaros will open at 8:00. Sponsored by 89.3 the Current and Electro-Voice.
May 1 The Turf Club (St. Paul, MN). W/ the Walsh Bros. and Little Man. Special thanks to Dave Hazledine.
April The Twin Cities Rake endorses our upcoming Turf Club show as a "Recommended Show."
April 7 The High Noon (Madison, WI). W/ the Crooked Fingers and Micah P. Hinson.
April 6 Station 4 (St. Paul, MN). W/ Oregon-based Hillstomp. Canceled due to illness.
March 26 The Second Story (Bloomington, IN). W/ our favorites, the Odawas, and Minus Story.
March 25 The Firehouse (North Manchester, IN). W/ Jason Anderson and Caleb Jehl.
February 11 The Cave, Carleton College (Northfield, MN). W/ RP&O and Torn Anus (not Tori Amos).
It is rumored that EV PR-man James Edlund will make a special appearance. Will Zins come, too?
January 31 "Hey-Away-Ho" is selected by KRFC-FM 88.9 DJ JC Shepard as a best song of 2004.
January 22 The Roxbury Tavern (Roxbury, WI).

2004 TOUR DATES/ LOG:

December 2004 MOJO Magazine awards "Mad Country Love Songs" four stars in its Johnny Cash Issue.
December 11, 2004 Martyrs' (Chicago, IL)
December 5, 2004 Turf Club (St. Paul, MN)
December 1, 2004 The Twin Cities PULSE suggests that "Mad Country Love Songs" is an "undiscovered Americana classic."
September 11, 2004 Cafe Montmartre (Madison, WI) w/ our favorites, Odawas, from Bloomington, IN (www.odawas.com)
August 28 Slipper Club (Madison, WI) w/ Yid Vicious.
August 11 CBGB (New York , NY) Awesome.
July 28 The High Noon Saloon (Madison, WI) w/ Space Camp and Blake Thomas
and the Downtown Browns.
July 23 Pizza Luce (Duluth, MN)
July 9 Private Wedding (Northfield, MN)
July 2 Bonnie and Clyde's (Clitherall, MN) w/ 10-W-40 and the great sonic
chameleon James Edlund. See www.theband10w40.com. Zach Zins blows right to
the bone, and Grandpa again collapses.
June 19 The Second Story (Bloomington, IN)
June 18 The Firehouse (North Manchester, IN)
June 5 Cafe Montmartre (Madison, WI)
June 4 The Uptowner (Milwaukee, WI)
June [1-4] Begin mixing album #3 in the Strange Midge headquarters, Madison,
WI. Bill Racine bedazzles us on the ones and zeros.
May 29-31 Conclude tracking album #3 at Smart Studios. Former Tarbox
engineer Bill Racine joins us from New York City.
May 22 Lee's Liquor Lounge (Minneapolis, MN)
May 21 Carleton College (Northfield, MN)
May 20 The Mill (Iowa City, IA)
May 8 The Subterranean (Chicago, IL) w/ Bevel
May 7 Frederick's Music Lounge (St. Louis, MO)
April 10 Cafe Montmartre (Madison, WI)
April 9 WORT (Madison, WI). We appeared on the 8:00 Buzz, Mud Acres, and Hootenanny.
April 9 Carleton College RESCHEDULED to May 21
April 2 East High School (Madison, WI)
March 30 Frederick's Music Lounge RESCHEDULED to May 7
March 27 The Hideout (Chicago)
March 26 Underground City Tavern (Springfield, IL)
February 28 Venice Cafe (St. Louis)
February 27 Pop's Blue Moon (St. Louis)
Jan. 17 Live at Gabe's Oasis. Iowa City, IA. See www.gabesoasis.com.
Jan. 16 Live at Mother Fool's. Madison, WI. See www.motherfools.com.
Jan. 15 Live at Lee's Liquor Lounge. Minneapolis, MN. Opener TBA. See www.leesliquorlounge.com.
Jan. 1 We are listed on 3rd Coast Magazine's FAR chart http://www.accd.edu/tcmn/far/far54.html

2003
Dec. 14 Live at Loading Dock. Traverse City, MI. See www.theloadingdock.org
Dec. 12 Official release of "Mad Country Love Songs."
Oct. 31 Live at Horizon Cafe. Traverse City, MI. See www.horizonbooks.com.
Aug. 5 Live at Warren Dunes. Benton Harbor, MI. W/ Skeeters.
July 27-Aug. 2 Continue tracking "Mad Country Love Songs" at Tarbox Road Studios w/ engineer Bill Racine. See www.tarboxroadstudios.com.
July 26 Live at B.J.'s. Fredonia, NY. W/ Captain Bringdown and the Buzzkillers and plenty o' pirates. See www.bjsfredonia.com.
July 16 Live at Frederick's Music Lounge. St. Louis, MO. W/ Pitchfork. See www.fredericksmusiclounge.com.
July 16 Official release of "Whence, Whither Hence, the Sordid?"
July 5-6 Begin recording "Mad Country Love Songs" at Tarbox Road Studios w/ engineer Bill Racine. See www.tarboxroadstudios.com.
May 21 Live at Frederick's Music Lounge. St. Louis, MO. See www.fredericksmusiclounge.com.
Mid-May Finish tracking "Whence, Whither Hence, the Sordid?" with Andy Driscoll in the Perfect Room. St. Louis.
April 29 Begin tracking "Whence, Whither Hence, the Sordid?" at Music Masters in St. Louis.
March Adieu, my good friend.

"MAD COUNTRY LOVE SONGS":

"Mad Country Love Songs" was recorded in August by invitation at the Flaming Lips' studio (www.tarboxroadstudios.com), where we worked with Bill Racine (engineer/producer for Mogwai, Hopewell, Phantom Planet).

Ryan Pfeiffer played various guitars, cello, and sang; Joi Jaasma (also with the Sidehill Winders) sang; Esme Schwall played cello; James Edlund (also with 10-W-40 (www.theband10w40.com)) played Wurlitzer and guitar; Ruairi Fennessee (also with High and Lonesome) played guitar; and Pat Spurgeon (a.k.a., the Phantom Drummer; also with Rogue Wave (www.roguewavemusic.com)) played a whole host of shit. Others (including Troy-the-Neighbor-Boy and "Cabin Boy" Pat Mundy) contributed spontaneity and levity.

The Tarbox experience was as gratifying as it was terrifying. During the last night there, one of our musicians dreamt that the Captain was the Devil. At roughly the same time, Ryan was ejected from his mattress, which landed squarely on top of him.

The songs themselves consist of imagistic narratives by Mr. Pfeiffer about madness, solitude, country and nature. Listeners will appreciate the Captain's subtle stylistic and lyrical influences throughout.

"WHENCE, WHITHER HENCE, THE SORDID?"

"Whence, Whither Hence, the Sordid?" was recorded live in Andy Driscoll's studio ("the Perfect Room"). It was mastered at Tarbox.

The album consists mainly of songs that the Captain and Mr. Pfeiffer worked on together in the course of their several-year friendship, and then others that Pfeiffer pieced together from the materials he inherited from the Captain. Mr. Pfeiffer has described the record as a humanistic study of the relations and qualities that make people inhuman. Does the "Anonymous" deep-throated southerner in Track 1 suggest an empirical answer to the titular dilemma, or in Track 12, a moral answer? Who's to say, really? Who the f#%$^*% cares? Do you? E-mail us. We'll tell you what the Captain would have said.