The Decemberists
Alternative
The next The Decemberists concert is scheduled for Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at Ottawa Bluesfest in Ottawa, ON, Canada. See all 11 upcoming concerts
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About The Decemberists
Hometown
Portland, OR, United States
Formed
2000
Genre
Alternative
The Decemberists are a folk-influenced rock band known for elaborate stage designs and poetic lyrics inspired by real-life historical events.
∙ Founded in 2000, the group flourished in Portland, Oregon’s indie music scene, continuing the legacy of such ’90s stars as lo-fi folkie Elliott Smith and riot grrrl band Sleater-Kinney.
∙ NPR listeners voted the band’s major-label debut, The Crane Wife—which took inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Tempest and a Japanese folk tale—their favorite album of 2006.
∙ “Down By the Water,” a 2011 song featuring R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and Americana star Gillian Welch, was nominated for a Best Rock Performance Grammy Award.
∙ Their 2011 album, The King Is Dead, which was recorded in a barn on an 80-acre farm, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
∙ In 2017, the band collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda on “Ben Franklin’s Song,” the first track released in the Hamilton composer’s Hamildrops series.
∙ Frontman and lyricist Colin Meloy is also the author of a best-selling children’s fantasy series, The Wildwood Chronicles, and a book on The Replacements’ Let It Be.
Members of The Decemberists include, or have included, Colin Meloy, Petra Haden, Chris Funk and more.
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