Features
Intrigue In The House
Crowded House will kick off a North American tour in support of Intriguer July 12 at Toronto’s Massey Hall.
The band’s two-month trek will take them from coast to coast in both the U.S. and Canada, with a multi-night stand July 19-21 at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom already on the books and plans for others in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Besides Finn, the revived version of Crowded House includes original bassist Nick Seymour, keyboardist/guitarist Mark Hart (who joined in 1989) and drummer Matt Sherrod (who first came on board for the recording of Time On Earth).
The band’s new album, which drops July 13, continues to follow the trail of what Finn describes as “the scent of something new,” with some help from guests like Lisa Germano, as well as Finn’s wife Sharon Dawn Johnson and his son (and longtime studio and onstage collaborator) Liam.
“Intriguer is exotic in parts, traditional in origin,” the group’s founder and principle songwriter explained. “Through many a twist and turn we fashioned some drama and intrigue.
“You will find that some threads go back through all that history and some new discoveries as well that will need to be followed up. It’s part of the continuum and it may just be the best thing we’ve done … until the next one.”
Finn said the track “Twice If You’re Lucky” is a perfect example of how the music evolved on Intriguer.
“We played an alternative version, more complex and mysterious on tour, then deconstructed back to the original, simple form in the last week of recording. I am inclined to circle songs, looking for any bit of advantage I can find – a verse, a chord or a word to change.”