This article will be one that remains very close to my heart, because I get to update you all on my darling friends who also happen to be the members of GIVERS (@giversmusic). They recently invited me to spend the night at their rehearsal space out in the Louisiana countryside. It was a much needed evening (right before finals — argh!) of goofing around, paddle-boating, making yummy gluten-free pizzas, and, of course, hearing a little preview of the set for their upcoming show at Festival International de Louisiane — the country’s largest free francophone festival, based in our hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana. This show is the kickoff to their summer tour and will be their second time participating, though this time they’ll be on the main stage.

Their summer tour goes all along the West coast, eventually taking them back around and to the Northeast. They’ll be playing a couple of festivals along the way including Sasquatch and Bonnaroo. On June 7th, their anxiously awaited first full-length album, In Light, comes out as well. It’s been on many album wish-lists for quite some time now, and they’re all incredibly excited to release it into the world. Soon, we will finally be able to rejoice in its wonderfulness and spend all summer blaring it from our car windows.

Over the past two years, I’ve seen these guys (and gal) put a tremendous amount of time, effort, and care into this project. Their commitment is really paying off, and I know it will continue to do so. GIVERS’ live show encompasses a type of connection that’s incredibly rare and transcendent for the audience. At the very least, you’ll notice yourself moving to the music and becoming entranced with the passion that’s evident in each of them. I can very humbly say that theirs is a show you absolutely don’t want to miss.

4/30 — Parc International — Lafayette, LA
5/14 — Local 506 — Chapel Hill, NC
5/21 — Northstar — Philadelphia, PA
5/22 — Club Cafe — Pittsburgh, PA
5/23 — Beachand Tavern — Cleveland, OH
5/27 — Larimer Lounge — Denver, CO
5/30 — Sasquatch Festival — George, WA
6/1 — Rickshaw Stop — San Francisco, CA
6/2 — Bootleg Theatre — Los Angeles, CA
6/4 — Trunk Space — Phoenix, AZ
6/7 — The Loft — Dallas, TX
6/8 — Antone’s — Austin, TX
6/10 — Bonnaroo Festival — Manchester, TN
6/14 — Rock and Roll Hotel — Washington, DC
6/16 — Bowery Ballroom — New York, NY
6/19 — Middle East — Boston, MA
6/20 — Il Motore — Montreal, QC
6/21 — The Garrison — Toronto, ON
6/23 — The Basement — Columbus, OH
6/24 — Schubas — Chicago, IL
6/26 — 7th St Entry — Minneapolis, MN
6/27 — Riot Room — Kansas City, MO