December travels upcoming

Been quiet on the Speer front of late, after roaming around quite a bit the 1st half of the year, but we will be dusting off our boots and getting out on the road for a long weekend of sorts in middle December. Gonna hit some towns we have never ventured to before so that is great. Big thanks to Joe Fletcher for asking us to out with him for this jaunt. The beautiful Brown Bird will also be appearing at all 4 of these gigs so be ready for killer songsmiths all night long!

Dec 15 2011
The Middle East w/ Brown Bird, Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons
Cambridge, MA

Dec 16 2011
Cafe 9 w/ Brown Bird, Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons
New Haven, CT

Dec 17 2011
The Met w/ Brown Bird, Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons
Providence, RI

Dec 18 2011
Union Pool w/ Brown Bird, Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons
Brooklyn, NY

Blazing through the South!

Yes yes another journey to the territories so dear to our hearts, the sunny south. Come catch us in the coming weeks as we dust off some old favorites from the After Hours LP, play the new scorchers and continue our presentation of the finest roots mind melt around...

July 19 2011
5th Dimension w/ Weyes Blood, Lexie Mountain
Baltimore, MD

July 20 2011
King's Barcade w/ Eugene Chadbourne, Shadow World Duo
Raleigh, NC

July 21 2011
The Get Down w/ The Skurvies, Homeless Gospel Choir
Asheville, NC

July 22 2011
529 w/ Six Shot Revival, Part of the Problem
Atlanta, GA

July 23 2011
Farm 255 w/ Bubbly Mommy Gun
Athens, GA

July 24 2011
Pilot Light w/ Rugaru
Knoxville, TN

July 25 2011
Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar w/ Old Calf
Charlottesville, VA

July 26 2011
The Burners at St. Bernards w/ Brother JT
Bethlehem, PA

Moving Pictures

Here's a video we put together using some old favorite flicks about the great state of Louisiana; the track is from our latest release Leaving the Commonwealth

D. Charles Speer & The Helix - Le Grand Cochon from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

also a live clip from the Speer solo trio in effect in Brooklyn back in March. I'll also be putting up a piece from our spring tour with Pigeons in the coming days, likely something of the fully electric nature...

Helix tour kicks off soon!

Here's the full extent, really glad to have an old bud Zach Cale along for the fun. See you folks in the heartland...

May 12 2011 The Velvet Lounge w/ Zachary Cale, Borborites Washington, D.C.

May 13 2011 Howlers w/ Zachary Cale, Secret Tombs Pittsburgh, PA

May 14 2011 Jackfest at Oberlin College Oberlin, OH

May 15 2011 Frank's Power Plant w/ Zachary Cale Milwaukee, WI

May 16 2011 Monks Caffee Pub w/ Zachary Cale Dubuque, IA

May 17 2011 Medusa w/ Zachary Cale, Paul Metzger Minneapolis, MN

May 18 2011 White Lightning Warehouse w/ Zachary Cale, Douglas Nye Iowa City, IA

May 19 2011 Empty Bottle w/ Zachary Cale, blink, Helen Money Chicago, IL

May 20 2011 PJ's Lager House w/ Zachary Cale Detroit, MI

May 21 2011 The Summit w/ Zachary Cale, Shivering Timbers, Royal Pines Columbus, OH

May 22 2011 Betty's Grill w/ Zachary Cale, William Tyler Nashville, TN

May 23 2011 Nightlight w/ Zachary Cale Chapel Hill, NC

May 24 2011 The Cellar w/ Zachary Cale, Black Twig Pickers Blacksburg, VA

May 25 2011 Golden West Cafe w/ Zachary Cale Baltimore, MD

May 27 2011 Highwire Gallery w/ Zachary Cale, Boogie Witch Philadelphia, PA

Interview at Bomb Magazine's site

Back from a wonderful tour with Pigeons, many thanks to Clark and Wednesday for asking us to go out on the road with them. Many new friends and connections made, old friends loved, thanks to all for coming out to the gigs. Here's an interview/video mix I did via email from the road. Enjoy!

Upcoming tour with Pigeons

Really pleased to be hitting the road with Pigeons at the end of the month, they will be showcasing a new rhythm section and some stellar new songs. Speer will be presenting material from the new solo record and some old faves in a special trio format. Check out the scope below...

Mar 23 2011
Kung Fu Necktie w/ Chris Forsythe, Pigeons, Vapour Theories
Philadelphia, PA

Mar 24 2011
Cous Cous w/ Pigeons
Richmond, VA

Mar 25 2011
Gillie's Late Night w/ Pigeons
Blacksburg, VA (early-ish show done by 11 PM)

Mar 26 2011
Nightlight w/ Pigeons, Spider Bags
Chapel Hill, NC
8th anniversary show for the Nightlight

Mar 27 2011
Broadway's w/ Pigeons, Nathaniel & Kale
Asheville, NC

Mar 28 2011
Go Bar w/ Pigeons, Green Gerry, Jeff Tobias
Athens, GA

Mar 29 2011
Highland Inn Ballroom w/ Pigeons, Bon Vivants
Atlanta, GA

Mar 30 2011
The Handle Bar w/ Pigeons, Heavy Kid
Pensacola, FL

Mar 31 2011
The Den w/ Pigeons, LadyBabyMiss & the Tigermen
New Orleans, LA

April 1 2011
Heart's Desire House 1521 Live Oak Dr.
Tallahassee, FL

April 2 2011
The Buccaneer Lounge w/ Pigeons, Modern Convenience
Memphis, TN

April 3 2011
Betty's Grill w/ Pigeons
Nashville, TN

April 4 2011
House Party at M.A. Turner's w/ Pigeons, Cross
Lexington, KY

April 5 2011
The Black Sparrow w/ Pigeons
Lafayette, IN

April 6 2011
The Shop w/ Pigeons, Ursa Major
Pittsburgh, PA

Live in March : NYC and beyond

Busy month upcoming with a bunch of shows to support the new solo record. Killer bills all through each night and spread out all over Brooklyn and Manhattan, no reason not to come check one out! Also featuring a new ensemble for these gigs with Margot Bianca on keys and guitar and Spencer Herbst on percussions. Here are our local plans for these blustery days.


March 6th Barbes Brooklyn w/ Zachary Cale
Early show - music starts at 7 pm sharp Speer at 8pm


March 13th Mercury Lounge w/ Endless Boogie, Arbouretum
Solo record release show - another early slot we play at 7pm


March 19th Ding Dong Lounge Uptown w/ Ed Askew, Gary Higgins
Gary Higgins has a new record coming out - should be available here


March 22nd Bruar Falls Brooklyn w/ Steve Gunn, William Tyler
Another awesome bill - do not miss Willie T!


The next night we leave for a tour with Pigeons down through the southeast. We'll be seeing all ya'll real soon.

New Solo Record Hits March 15th

Super excited to have this music see the light of day, thanks to Bettina for being into it. Culled from home recordings of the last 5+ years, this album is the bouzouki-centric sonic meltdown you've been looking for. Paste on cover featuring skeletons from the family closet. Never have the Ides of March been so pleasurable.

More details at Thrill Jockey