The Cedar Presents
ROBYN HITCHCOCK with Eugene Mirman
Thursday, May 2, 2024 / Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 7:30PM
All Ages
Seated
$35 Advance, $40 Day of Show
This is a seated show with general admission, first-come-first-served seating. The Cedar is happy to reserve seats for patrons who require special seating accommodations.To request access accommodations, please go to our Access page.
General Admission tickets are available online.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
When we discussed the wish list of artists to return to our stage in this 35th Anniversary year, ROBYN HITCHCOCK was unanimous! So much sympatico between us.... with Robyn's illustrious career spanning many decades and the richness of his craft more substantial and surrealistic with every new album and song uttered from his wry, curious point of view. The Cedar is truly honored to be hosting this enduring troubadour. Eugene Mirman of Bob’s Bugers to open with a comedy set.
Robyn Hitchcock performing live courtesy of KEXP’s YouTube Channel.
Eugene Mirman featured on “Senses Working Overtime with David Cross” courtesy of Official David Cross’ YouTube Channel.
About ROBYN HITCHCOCK
With a career now spanning six decades, Robyn Hitchcock remains a truly one-of-a-kind artist –surrealist rock ’n’ roller, iconic troubadour, guitarist, poet, painter, performer. An unparalleled, deeply individualistic songwriter and stylist, Hitchcock has traversed myriad genres with humor, intelligence, and originality over more than thirty albums and seemingly infinite live performances. From The Soft Boys’ proto-psych-punk and The Egyptians’ Dadaist pop to solo masterpieces like 1984’s milestone I Often Dream of Trains and 1990’s Eye, Hitchcock has crafted a strikingly original oeuvre rife with sagacious observation, astringent wit, recurring marine life, mechanized rail services, cheese, Clint Eastwood, and innumerable finely drawn characters real and imagined.
Born in London in 1953, Hitchcock attended Winchester College before moving to Cambridge in 1974. He began playing in a series of bands, including Dennis and the Experts which became The Soft Boys in 1976. Though light years away from first wave punk’s revolutionary clatter, the band still manifested the era’s spirit of DIY independence with their breakneck reimagining of British psychedelia. During their (first) lifetime, The Soft Boys released two albums, among them 1980’s landmark second LP, Underwater Moonlight. “The term ‘classic’ is almost as overused as ‘genius’ and ‘influential,’” declared Rolling Stone upon the album’s 2001 reissue. “But Underwater Moonlight remains all three of those descriptions.”
Hitchcock embarked on his solo career with 1981’s Black Snake Diamond Röle, affirming his knack for eccentric insight and surrealist lyrical hijinks. 1984’s I Often Dream Of Trains fused that approach with autumnal acoustic arrangements which served to deepen the emotional range of his songcraft. Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians were born that same year and immediately lit up college rock playlists with albums like 1986’s Element of Light. He signed to A&M Records in 1987 and earned early alternative hits with “Balloon Man” and “Madonna of the Wasps.” Hitchcock returned to his dark acoustic palette with 1990’s equally masterful Eye before joining the Warner Bros. label for a succession of acclaimed albums including 1996’s Moss Elixir and 1999’s Jewels For Sophia.
Having first reunited for a brief run of shows in 1994, The Soft Boys came together for a second go-around in 2001, this time releasing Nextdoorland to universal applause. Hitchcock joined the Yep Roc label in 2004, embracing collaboration with such friends and like-minded artists as Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings (2004’s Spooked) and legendary producer Joe Boyd (2014’s The Man Upstairs). Beginning in 2006, Hitchcock released a trio of albums backed by The Venus 3, featuring Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin.
Hitchcock moved to Nashville in 2015 where he quickly found a place among the Music City community, recording 2017’s self-titled album Robyn Hitchcock with an array of local talent including co-producer Brendan Benson. In 2019, Hitchcock joined forces with XTC’s Andy Partridge for the four-song EP, Planet England. Indeed, Hitchcock has proven an irrepressible collaborator throughout his long career, teaming with a boundless series of fellow artists over the years, including R.E.M., Grant-Lee Phillips, Jon Brion, The Decemberists, Norwegian pop combo I Was A King, Yo La Tengo to name but a very few.
Along with his musical efforts, Hitchcock has appeared in a number of films, among them collaborations with the late Jonathan Demme on 1998’s concert documentary Storefront Hitchcock as well as roles in 2004’s The Manchurian Candidate and 2008’s Rachel Getting Married.
An inveterate traveler and live performer, Hitchcock has toured near constantly for much of the past four decades, playing countless shows around the world, from Africa to the Arctic. Locked down in Nashville and London by the global pandemic of 2020, Hitchcock and his partner Emma Swift began their Live From Sweet Home Quarantine livestream series, performing weekly sets joined by their two cats, Ringo and Tubby. 2021 saw the publication of Hitchcock’s first book, Somewhere Apart: Selected Lyrics 1977-1997, featuring 73 songs and 34 illustrations in a beautiful cloth-bound edition from his own Tiny Ghost Press.
His most recent album Shufflemania! was released in October 2022 (Tiny Ghost Records) to critical acclaim.
"If ‘SHUFFLEMANIA!’ isn't ROBYN HITCHCOCK’S best album, it's certainly one of his best"
– PopMatters
To learn more about Robyn Hitchcock:
About EUGENE MIRMAN
Eugene Mirman is a comedian, actor, and hero who lives in Massachusetts. He voices “Gene” on Fox’s Emmy Award-winning animated series Bob’s Burgers and hosts the Audible podcast, Hold On. He appeared regularly on Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim’s Delocated, and Archer, and has two standup comedy specials on Comedy Central. His latest comedy special is available on Netflix. Eugene is also a frequent co-host of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s science/ comedy show, StarTalk. His fifth comedy album, I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome), is available from Sub Pop Records in multiple formats — a 9 Volume Digital Set, 7LPs, a chair, and a robe.
To learn more about Eugene Mirman: