Visionary singer-songwriter and guitarist José González has announced the release of a 20th Anniversary Deluxe version of his uncompromising, candid, game-changing debut album (2003) Veneer. It features newly remastered audio of the seminal album as well as a bonus disc, comprising 13 intimate recordings from his historic 2003 performance at Gothenburg Concert Hall.
The 20th Anniversary Deluxe Version of Veneer will see release on limited edition double clear vinyl and digitally on October 27th, 2023 via Mute. It features a hand-numbered gatefold and 24-page booklet filled with archival photos, essays, a song-by-song guide from José and more.
Veneer made an indelible mark in its understated, expressive brilliance and cemented José González as a meticulous sonic craftsman and songwriter of singular talent. It’s hard to believe an album recorded with the most basic equipment in a cramped Gothenburg flat could end up going platinum, not only in Sweden but also the UK, selling well over 1 million copies worldwide. It’s harder still when one acknowledges that, aside from one brief trumpet solo and the slightest hint of percussion, the record features just one hushed voice and the dexterous picking of an acoustic guitar’s nylon strings. But 2003’s Veneer was such an album, charting in several countries in the world, and eventually making Top 10 in the UK, thanks in part to its delicate, evocative cover of The Knife’s “Heartbeats”.
Amidst a period of flux in his life and coming to terms with his own rising prominence as a musician, José reflects on some of the meaning behind the album’s title: “The word ‘veneer’ describes the thin material used to make cheap wood look expensive, and it’s also used to indicate other superficially appealing exteriors for what might oth¬erwise seem less attractive, whether that’s buildings or teeth. I chose it to refer to the feeling that things are not as they appear or are pretending to be something they aren’t. Partly I was thinking about other people and how they behaved, saying things as if they were in a game or in the theatre. None¬theless, I was also thinking of myself and my music, like I was trying to be someone I wasn’t.”
To further mark this milestone release, González has announced that he will return to North America in April 2024 to perform Veneer in its entirety (along with his other classics) for a select run of dates, listed below. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 11th.
“An Exclusive Evening With José González” A Tiger In Paradise film + talk + performance dates:
8/28/2023 – Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene
11/6/2023 – Los Angeles, CA – The Ace Hotel Downtown LA
11/7/2023 – San Francisco, CA – The Castro Theatre
11/8/2023 – Seattle, WA – The Moore Theatre
11/10/2023 – St. Paul, MN – The Fitzgerald Theater
11/11/2023 – Skokie, IL – North Shore Center
11/13/2023 – Washington DC – The Lincoln
11/14/2023 – New York, NY – Town Hall
11/15/2023 – Somerville, MA – Somerville Theatre
1/22/2024 – Madrid, ES – Teatro Gran Via
VENEER LIVE DATES:
8/12/2023 , Gothenburg, SE – Way Out West Festival
8/31/2023 – Lisbon – Kalorama Festival
9/2/2023 – Malaga, ES – Cala Mijas Festival
2/15/2024 – Berlin, DE – Theater des Westens
4/23/2024 – Vancouver, BC – The Orpheum
4/24/2024 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
4/26/2024 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
4/27/2024 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
4/28/2024 – Dallas, TX – Majestic Theater
4/29/2024 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
5/1/2024 – Miami Beach, FL – Miami Beach Bandshell
LOCAL VALLEY 2023 SOUTH AMERICAN DATES:
9/20/2023 – São Paulo, BR – Brazil Cine Joia
9/21/2023 – Rio de Janeiro, BR – Brazil Circo Voador
9/23/2023 – Bogota, CO – Festival Cordillera 2023
9/25/2023 – Montevideo, UY – La Trastienda Montevideo
9/26/2023 – Buenos Aires, AR – Teatro Coliseo
9/27/2023 – Santiago, CL – Teatro Coliseo
