Squirrel Nut Zippers Return to the Road

The ’90s-nostalgia boomlet has revived yet another decade-defining sound — juke-y, jive-y, neo-swing. This summer the Squirrel Nut Zippers will resurface for a seven-date tour.

Announced yesterday via the band’s Facebook page, the tour kicks off on June 29 in Tucson, Arizona, and currently caps with an appearance at the LEAF Festival in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The closest the Zippers will come to New York state is Virginia; but hang tight, swing kids, as fall shows are in the works.

The Chapel Hill, North Carolina, band made noise with the release of their second album, Hot, in 1996, (featuring the chart-topping hit “Hell”), and in honor of the 20th anniversary of this commercial success, the Zippers decided to return to the road. For this limited run, founding members James “Jimbo” Mathus and Chris Phillips recruited the talent of singer Ingrid Lucia (Flying Neutrino) and noted New Orleans musicians to join the new stage show. Phillips commented on the band’s reunion in the statement:

The band has been quiet for long enough. Honestly, the songs from such a unique and rambunctious catalog never get old on stage. When it was brought to my attention that 2016 was the 20th anniversary of Hot I knew the timing was right. We take great pleasure in the sense of togetherness we maintain with audiences that have such a wide age range — from young to old and those in between. Even the old are young at heart when they are at a Squirrel Nut Zippers show…

In other words, press your zoot suits, and get ready for a blast from the past. Most tickets are on sale now through the venue box offices or online; see the full set of tour dates below.

Squirrel Nut Zippers tour dates:

6/29 – Rialto – Tucson, AZ
6/30 – Marquee – Tempe, AZ
7/1 – Orpheum – Flagstaff, AZ
7/3 – Deer Valley Resort – Park City, UT
9/3 – Sausalito Arts Festival – Sausalito, CA
10/18 – The Birchmere – Alexandria, VA
10/23 – LEAF Festival – Black Mountain, NC

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