Since the breakup of Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeremy Barnes has collaborated with Bablicon, The Gerbils, and most recently Beirut, and he's even released a solo album under the moniker Marta Tennae (Excerpts from a Janitor's Almanac, 2000), but his most consistent project has been his band A Hawk and a Hacksaw, which has released two albums to date: the self-titled debut album on Cloud Recordings, and the follow-up Darkness at Noon on The Leaf Label. AHAAH's music might be thought of as sounding like the lost field recordings of a crazed band of Scandinavian gypsies. The live shows are spectacular.

This summer he's playing a number of music festivals throughout Europe, and according to The Leaf Label, Barnes and Heather Trost (the other half of AHAAH) are currently wrapping up production on a third album before embarking on a more extensive 2007 tour.

According to the label's website, "A Hawk And A Hacksaw are at home in Albuquerque putting the finishing touches to their third album, to be released in September. The record, yet to be named, was recorded in the tiny Moldovan village of Zece Prajini, Romania with the help of local Gypsy brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia (who were voted best European artist at the 2006 BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards)."

The tour dates for this summer:

A Hawk and a Hacksaw

07.01.06 Toulouse, France @ Les Seistes Electroniques
07.04.06 Cherbourg, France @ Festival Charivarue, Plage Verte
07.21.06 Copenhagen, Denmark @ The Jazz Juice Festival
08.04.06 Eastnor Castle Deer Park, UK @ Big Chill Festival
08.06.06 Norwich, UK @ Norwich Arts Centre (NPUC Festival)
08.09.06 London, UK @ London Luminaire
08.10.06 Cheltenham, UK @ Slak 08.11.06 Leicester, UK @ Summer Sundae
08.18.06 Brecon Beacons, Wales @ Green Man Festival
08.23.06 Reading, UK @ The Reading Fringe Festival
09.06.06 Bergen, Norway @ TBA
09.08.06 Stavanger, Norway @ Numusic Festival

Thanks to Chris Yetter for the SXSW photo!