Radiohead's Thom Yorke books two dates at the Orpheum with RHCP's Flea*
The Orpheum gigs will be a coming-out party for a new band of sorts, one that unexpectedly contains famed Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea (perhaps Slash will be a surprise guest). Also backing Yorke will be longtime producer/collaborator Nigel Godrich, noted session drummer Joey Waronker (R.E.M., Beck) and percussionist Mauro Refosco (David Byrne).
Early Monday, Yorke's publicity firm Nasty Little Man sent out a release announcing the show. In case there is any confusion, this sentence was tucked in the middle: "Radiohead is not breaking up."
Yorke has released one solo album, 2006's "The Eraser," and has dropped hints that more solo material was on the horizon. The artist recently released a pair of songs, "Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses" and "The Hollow Earth," which will be available digitally on Oct. 6 and is currently available on 12-inch vinyl.
He's also been spotted around Los Angeles, most notably at a surprise DJ appearance at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel. While one need not stress about of being granted access past a velvet rope at the Orpheum next week, one may need to be quick with the refresh button. The tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, and are $47, not including the inevitable multiple surcharges.
There is a two-ticket limit, and in the hopes of thwarting scalpers, it will be a "paperless" gig, meaning fans will gain access to a show by presenting the credit card used to purchase the tickets. Yorke writes on the Radiohead site that there is no name for the group, and the act will perform new material. Although one should not expect a late night, Yorke warns, writing "we haven't got that much material yet!"Local experimentals the Lucky Dragons will support.
-- Todd Martens
Photo: Thom Yorke. Credit: Los Angeles Times
*Updated at 10:48 a.m. to include a statement from the official press release and to correct the spelling of Nigel Godrich's name, which was initially incorrectly written as Goodrich.
