After releasing one of the Best Country Albums of 2021 (Stereogum, The Boot, Glide Magazine, No Depression), Eastern Oregon songwriter Margo Cilker is set to embark on upcoming tours with American Aquarium and Hayes Carll. Full tour details HERE and listed further below.
 
Cilker’s widely acclaimed debut, Pohorylle, arrived in November of last year on the heels of NPR Music naming her one of “11 Oregon Artists to Watch in 2021.” Pitchfork says the 9-song set “showcases her distinct personality with vivid lyrics and lovely, thoughtful arrangements,” noting, “She can break a syllable to break your heart.” Glide Magazine calls Pohorylle “a nearly flawless record from the opening track on,” Rolling Stone adds, “Cilker shows that she is as interested in reinvigorating Southern country-folk storytelling tropes as she is in exposing their flaws,” and No Depression praises, “[She] has the power to make you cry with just one note you never saw coming.”
 
In celebration of her debut, Cilker will headline in Nashville at The Basement this Wednesday, March 9, with support from Stephanie Lambring, and then hit the road with American Aquarium starting in Knoxville, TN on March 10. The 10-show support run also includes appearances in Athens, GA, Tampa, Baton Rouge, Dallas, Little Rock, and more. She will close out the month with a performance at Treefort Music Fest on March 24. She then joins Hayes Carll for a 9-show stretch beginning on April 19 in Salt Lake City and including dates in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and more.
 
For the last seven years, Cilker has split her time between the road and various outposts across the world, from Enterprise, OR to the Basque Country of Spain. As Pohorylle traverses through the geography of Cilker’s memories—a touring musician’s tapestry of dive bars and breathtaking natural beauty—love is apparent, as is its inevitable partner: loss. Her lyrics paint details of the human experience with language that is intricately poignant, relatable, and gripping. As the Nashville Scene puts it, “Every song comes across as a chapter of a story that I want to hear more of, even if it’s about circumstances that no one should have to live through.”
 
Carrying gentle nods to Lucinda Williams, and a refreshing style not unlike recent work by indie-folk breakouts Waxahatchee and Katy Kirby, Pohorylle shines under the instincts of producer Sera Cahoone, whose own music Cilker first came across in 2019. Cahoone assembled an all-star studio band comprising The Decemberists’ Jenny Conlee on keys, Beirut’s Kelly Pratt on horns, Jason Kardong (Sera Cahoone, Son Volt) on pedal steel, Rebecca Young (Lindsey Fuller, Jesse Sykes) on bass, Mirabai Peart (Joanna Newsom) on strings, and the album’s engineer John Morgan Askew (Neko Case, Laura Gibson) on an array of other instruments. The record also prominently features effortless blood harmonies from Sarah Cilker, Margo Cilker’s sister and frequent touring partner.
 
Margo Cilker On Tour
March 9 — The Basement @ 7:00pm — Nashville, TN
March 10 — Bijou Theatre @ 8:00pm — Knoxville, TN*
March 12 — Georgia Theatre @ 8:00pm — Athens, GA*
March 13 — Tuffy's Music Box @ 8:00pm — Sanford, FL*
 March 14 — Crowbar @ 8:00pm — Tampa, FL*
March 16 — Proud Larry's @ 8:00pm — Oxford, MS*
March 17 — Chelsea's Live @ 8:00pm — Baton Rouge, LA*
March 18 — River Road Ice House @ 7:00pm — New Braunfels, TX*
March 19 — Studio at The Factory @ 8:00pm — Dallas, TX*
March 20 — White Water Tavern @ 8:00pm — Little Rock, AR*
March 21 — White Water Tavern @ 8:00pm — Little Rock, AR*
March 24 — Treefort Music Fest 2022 @ 7:00pm — Boise, ID
April 19 — The Commonwealth Room @ 8:00pm — Salt Lake City, UT+
April 20 — The Olympic Venue @ 8:00pm — Boise, ID+
April 21 — Tractor Tavern @ 9:00pm — Seattle, WA+
April 22 — Tractor Tavern @ 9:00pm — Seattle, WA+
April 23 — Aladdin Theater @ 8:00pm — Portland, OR+
April 24 — Arcata Theatre Lounge @ 7:00pm — Arcata, CA+
April 26 — Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub @ 7:00pm — Sacramento, CA+
April 27 — The Guild Theatre @ 7:00pm — Menlo Park, CA+
April 28 — Great American Music Hall @ 8:00pm — San Francisco, CA+
 
*with American Aquarium
+with Hayes Carll