Montana indie rock greats Silkworm, whose original run was 1987 – 2005, are reuniting for their first official shows in 20 years. The news came via Vish Khana’s Kreative Kontrol podcast, as band members Andy Cohen and Tim Midyett were on to discuss the new expanded reissue of 1997’s Developer, which is out this week via Comedy Minus One.
These will be the first official shows since the band broke up following the death of Michael Dahlquist in a car crash (his car was rammed from behind). Cohen and Midyett told Khana that the shows will feature original Silkworm drummer Joel RL Phelps, who left the band in 1994, as well as Matt Kadane (also of Bedhead and The New Year) who played keyboards on the final two Silkworm albums, Italian Platinum and It’ll Be Cool.
“There’s a very good chance that we’ll be playing a couple shows in September with Joel, and Matt [Kadane] will be playing keyboards—from Bedhead, who played in the latter day period of the ’worm,” Midyett told Khana. “So, it’ll kind of be an alternate history ’Worm, where Joel never left, and Matt was in the band, and we met Jeff Pananall instead of Michael [Dahlquist].” You can listen to the full podcast episode below.
Dates include a Chicago show on September 25 and Memphis’ Goner Fest on September 27, but full details are still TBA.
Silkworm reunited last year to play the private four-day Steve Albini: The Gathering memorial in Chicago.
The expanded edition of Developer, which was recorded by Albini and originally released via Matador, is a double album set featuring the original album remastered plus five songs from the Japanese edition, and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” with Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus. Check out one of the bonus tracks, “Ogilvie,” below. Order it here.
Developer Expanded
01 Give Me Some Skin
02 Never Met A Man I Didn”t Like
03 The City Glows
04 Developer
05 The Devil Is Beating His Wife
06 Ice Station Zebra
07 Waiting On A Train
08 Sheep Wait For Wolf
09 Goodnight Mr. Maugham
10 It’s Too Bad…
11. Stray Bullets*
12. Ogilvie*
13. Dead Hair*
14. Bones*
15. Numbered*
16. You Ain’t Going Nowhere (with Stephen Malkmus)
*Previously available only on CD in Japan