Director Carpenter Takes International Stage

Composer and film director John Carpenter has released additional dates in the United States and Europe after the release of his second studio album, “Lost Themes II.” The new dates round out Carpenter’s tour, on which he will showcase his brand of synth-heavy, anxiety-inducing instrumental music.

Photo: photo courtesy of Kyle Cassidy

John’s son Cody Carpenter plays synthesizer on the album and Carpenter’s godson Daniel Davies is on guitar. Both co-wrote the music and, presumably, are joining him on the tour.

The series of shows will start in Europe in Athens, Greece May 27, then zoom over to the Western States and Texas. The director will then hop the pond again to play at the Nuechatel International Fantastic Film Festival in Neuchatel, Switzerland, and then returns to the Midwest and Eastern U.S. before closing the run in Italy and the UK. There are sometimes long periods between scheduled shows, with the last one in London on October 31, stretching the span of dates over 5 months.

Carpenter directed films such as “Halloween,” “Escape from New York,” and “Big Trouble in Little China,” and scored all of his films himself, using a unique, upbeat style of composition centered around keyboards and synthesizers.

As Carpenter moved away from movies, he started focusing more on music, completing his first album, Lost Themes in 2014. He still related the project to work with film, only the pictures weren’t there yet.

“[The songs are] little moments of score from movies made in our imaginations,” Carpenter says on his website. “Now I hope it inspires people to create films that could be scored with this music.”

Here is the full list of dates:

May 27 — Athens, Greece, Piraeus 117 Academy
May 28 — Athens, Greece, Piraeus 117 Academy
May 30 — Copenhagen, Denmark, Koncerthuset
June 02 — Barcelona, Spain, Parc del Forum (Primavera Sound)
June 14 — Seattle, Wash., Paramount Theatre
June 15 — Portland, Ore., Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
June 17 — Oakland, Calif., Fox Theater
June 18 — Los Angeles, Calif., Orpheum Theatre
June 19 — Mesa, Ariz., Mesa Arts Center Ikeda Theater
June 21 — Englewood, Colo., Gothic Theatre
June 23 — Austin, Texas, Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater
June 24 — Dallas, Texas, Majestic Theatre
July 03 — Keflavik, Iceland, Asbru Former Naval Air Station (All Tomorrow’s Parties)
July 06 — Neuchatel, Switzerland, Theatre Du Passage (Nuechatel International Fantastic Film Festival)
July 08 — New York, N.Y., PlayStation Theater
July 09 — Glenside, Pa., Keswick Theatre
July 10 — Munhall, Pa., Carnegie Library Music Hall Of Homestead
July 12 — Washington, DC, Lincoln Theatre
July 15 — Detroit, Mich., Masonic Temple Theatre
July 16 — Chicago, Ill., Thalia Hall
July 18 — Milwaukee, Wis., Pabst Theater
Aug. 26 — Torino, Italy, Various Venues (Todays)
Aug. 28 — Rome, Italy, Auditorium Santa Cecilia
Oct. 28 — Manchester, United Kingdom, Albert Hall
Oct. 29 — Manchester, United Kingdom, Albert Hall
Oct. 31 — London, United Kingdom, Troxy

Tickets for a number of shows are already available and more information can be found at TheOfficialJohnCarpenter.com.