HARD ROCK SUMMER: THE MELVINS ANNOUNCE ELECTRIC ROACH TOUR

The Melvins wrapped up the Ministry tour just before Easter, but come summertime the punk-metal outfit is getting back on the road for their first headlining trek since 2019.  The Electric Roach tour was announced earlier this month, kicking off June 15, and the Melvins couldn’t be more stoked. “It’s nice to be able to tour!! We were wondering if it would even be possible again,” says lead vocalist Buzz Osborne. “It’s been years since we played these places. The amazing Ministry tour was a warmup for this!” Tickets for the Electric Roach tour are already on sale––snag yours now.

Electric Roach tour dates:

June 15 – Long Beach, Calif. @ Alex’s Bar

June 16 – Pioneertown, Calif. @ Pappy & Harriet’s

June 18 – Tucson, Ariz. @ Club Congress

June 21 – New Orleans, La. @ One Eyed Jack’s

June 22 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Saturn

June 23 – Knoxville, Tenn. @ Bijou Theatre

June 24 – Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle

June 25 – Richmond, Va. @ The Broadberry

June 27 – Hamden, Ct. @ Space Ballroom

June 28 – Providence, R.I. @ Fete Music Hall

June 29 – Syracuse, N.Y. @ The Westcott Theatre

July 1 – Bethlehem, Pa. @ Musikfest Café at the ArtsQuest Center

July 2 – Huntington, W.V. @ The Loud

July 3 – Detroit, Mich. @ El Club

July 5 – Madison, Wis. @ High Noon Saloon

July 6 – Davenport, Iowa @ Racoon Motel

July 7 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Wooly’s

July 8 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Grumpy’s

July 9 – Fargo, N.D. @ The Hall at Fargo Brewing Company

July 10 – Sioux Falls, S.D. @ Icon Lounge

July 12 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Metro Music Hall

July 14 – Bozeman, Mont. @ The ELM

July 15 – Spokane, Wash. @ Knitting Factory

July 16 – Portland, Ore. @ Hawthorne Theatre

July 17 – Eugene, Ore. @ Sessions Music Hall

July 19 – Roseville, Calif. @ Goldfield Trading Post

July 20 – Berkeley, Calif. @ Cornerstone Berkeley

Aside from the Ministry tour, the Melvins have been putting in serious studio hours in preparation for Electric Roach. The hardworking band released two albums in 2021: Working with God (2021) calls back to the band’s original 1983 iterations (Osborne, Dale Crover and original drummer Mike Dillard), while Five Legged Dog is a 36-track, acoustic tour de force (and self-proclaimed four-album beast) features a career-spanning collection of songs, from 1987’s Gluey Porch Treatments to 2017’s A Walk With Love & Death. And as if that wasn’t enough, the Melvins came out of the gates in 2022 with a four-track EP Lord of The Flies, on which is a cover of Soundgarden’s “Spoonman.”

Singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne founded the Melvins in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. When drummer Dale Crover joined just the next year, the Melvins’ genre-melding sound began to take shape, merging the worlds of punk rock and heavy metal. The Melvins are one of the most influential bands in contemporary music, if not for their following than for the sheer amount of music they’ve made––in its 40-year run, the band has put out over 30 original albums, numerous live full-lengths, and an astounding outpouring of singles, odds, and ends. In 2021, the band completed the “51 States in 51 Days” tour (50 states, and D.C.) which was chronicled by the film Across the U.S. in 51 Days.

So it’s safe to say that if you’re looking forward to Electric Roach this summer, there’s plenty of preparation to do before the Melvins get to your city.  The aforementioned album, Five Legged Dog has 36 songs alone to keep you occupied. Even the press release is entertaining––whoever wrote it was on an absolute tear. “Their latest offering,” claims the release, “finds the Melvins unstuck in time, the musical version of Vonnegut’s Billy Pilgrim, quantum-vaulting between eras and eardrums. At once going forwards and backwards.” Check out Five Legged Dog below, an album inclining ever-closer to a chaotic horizon.