Cass McCombs & Chris Cohen – Steel Reserve
Cass McCombs and Chris Cohen have released a two-song collaborative 7″ on Hardly Art / Domino — “Steel Reserve” b/w “Ignis Fatuus, Hinkypunk, Sharkfins And Ambergris”. The division of labour was clean: McCombs wrote the lyrics, Cohen composed the music. Artwork by their longtime mutual friend Trevor Shimizu. The vinyl pressing is exclusive to McCombs’ current North American “Interior Live Oak Live” tour; both tracks are streaming now. Cohen co-produced Interior Live Oak (2025), and the two go back to the early 2000s Bay Area — Cohen also played guitar on McCombs’ debut LP A and on “County Line”. Before his work with McCombs, Cohen was a member of Deerhoof and the Curtains, and has released several solo records, most recently Paint A Room (2024).
On “Steel Reserve” McCombs plays classical guitar, which Cohen asked him to lay on top after the track was done. The B-side, “Ignis Fatuus”, is their first proper duet — both trade verses and harmonize. McCombs describes both as “somewhat cracked meditations on dignity”: “Steel Reserve” explores, in his words, “the bushes, hidden away — public life has nothing to offer dignity”, while “Ignis Fatuus” is “a pirate’s treasure collected from an Earth stained with blood and madness — stolen from W.B. Yeats”. Cohen’s account of his approach is equally good: “I took it as a dare, as the words were tricky and the forms unusual ones for songs, but I followed them exactly as they were. The music is my reaction to the words as I understood them”. What I find interesting about this pair is how naturally the collaboration sits — nearly two decades in, they don’t seem to need much negotiation.
Tour Dates:
North America:
- Mar 19 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge (w/ Chris Cohen)
- Mar 20 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom (w/ Jennifer Castle)
- Mar 21 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall (w/ Jennifer Castle)
- Mar 22 – Northampton, MA @ The Iron Horse (w/ Jennifer Castle)
- Mar 24 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz (w/ Jennifer Castle)
- Mar 25 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern (w/ Jennifer Castle)
- Mar 27 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig (w/ Danny Arakaki)
- Mar 28 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall (w/ Danny Arakaki)
- Mar 29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium (w/ Danny Arakaki)
- Mar 30 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club (w/ Danny Arakaki)
- Apr 01 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater (w/ Ross James)
- Apr 03 – Boise, ID @ The Shrine Ballroom (w/ Jens Kuross)
- Apr 04 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern (w/ Hand Habits)
- Apr 05 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater (w/ Hand Habits)
- Apr 07 – Petaluma, CA @ Mystic Theater (w/ Hand Habits)
- Apr 09 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (w/ Hand Habits)
- Apr 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room (w/ Hand Habits)
- Apr 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour (w/ Hand Habits)
- Apr 25 – Austin, TX @ 29th St. Ballroom (w/ Lael Neale)
- Apr 27 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Beer City Music Hall (w/ Lael Neale)
- Apr 28 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada (w/ Lael Neale)
- Apr 30 – Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room (w/ Lael Neale)
- May 01 – Birmingham, AL @ Lakeview Marina Music Park
- May 02 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl (w/ Lael Neale)
- May 03 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle (w/ Lael Neale)
- May 05 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (w/ Lael Neale)
- May 07 – Philadelphia, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall (w/ Lael Neale)
- May 08 – Washington, DC @ The Atlantis (w/ Lael Neale)
- May 09 – Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall (w/ Garcia Peoples)
Europe:
- Jun 01-07 – Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera a la Ciutat
