I’ve had a Matthew Sweet post on tap for a while, that’s been holding, because I was hoping to dig up a “sweet” show that I’ve got from the tour for In Reverse. That’s going to have to wait, because that particular disc remains lost somewhere in “will I ever find all of my stuff” moving hell!

But check this out – Matthew Sweet is hitting the road for a rare set of tour dates that will bring him to my neck of the woods for the first time in a LONG time. It’s been 13 years actually, since I saw Matthew Sweet at Nautica Stage here in Cleveland, playing with The Jayhawks and Soul Asylum.

Sweet has a new album called Sunshine Lies (pre-order) that will be released on August 26th, and a run of tour dates that will find him playing some REALLY cool venues, including Beachland Ballroom here, and Mr. Small’s in Pittsburgh.

I’m planning to road trip to Pittsburgh for the Mr. Small’s gig, and will also of course catch the gig here in Cleveland the following night. I’m not sure if I can count on “Devil With The Green Eyes” as an automatic in the setlist, but I’d like to hear that one, and “What Matters” from In Reverse would be a cool nugget, as well!

Here is an AWESOME interview with Sweet that has a lot of good discussion about the new album.

Here are the tour dates so far from his Myspace page:

Aug 25 2008 7:00P
Belly Up: Solana Beach, California

Aug 27 2008 7:00P
The Coach House: San Capistrano, California

Aug 28 2008 7:00P
Echo: Silver Lake, California

Oct 20 2008 7:00P
Fox Theater: Boulder, Colorado

Oct 22 2008 7:00P
First Avenue Main Room: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Oct 23 2008 7:00P
Park West: Chicago, Illinois

Oct 24 2008 7:00P
Mr. Smalls: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Oct 25 2008 7:00P
Beachland Ballroom: Cleveland, Ohio

Oct 27 2008 7:00P
Paradise Rock Club: Boston, Massachusetts

Oct 28 2008 7:00P
Webster Hall: New York, New York

Oct 29 2008 7:00P
State Theater: Falls Church, Virginia

Oct 30 2008 7:00P
Variety Playhouse: Atlanta, Georgia

5 of my favorite Matthew Sweet rarities:

1. Superdeformed (demo version)
2. Devil With The Green Eyes (alternate version)
3. Someone To Pull The Trigger (live)
4. Behind The Smile (demo version)
5. Magnet and Steel (cover w/ Lindsey Buckingham and Susanna Hoffs)

Relevant Links:

Pre-order the new Matthew Sweet album Sunshine Lies from Amazon – in stores August 26th!

The new album will also be released on vinyl with four bonus tracks exclusive to vinyl!

Shout Factory’s press release about Sunshine Lies

Matthew Sweet’s official website