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Pete Yorn with Special Guest Ben Kweller to Perform at The Pearl at The Palms April 8

Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is set to bring his distinctive sounds to the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort on Friday, April 8, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. with special guest Ben Kweller.  

Yorn’s fifth solo studio effort and Vagrant Records debut, Pete Yorn, sees the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter peeling away the baroque orchestrations of his critically acclaimed previous work to expose a beating rock ‘n roll heart. Much of the self-titled album’s remarkable raw power comes courtesy of producer Frank Black, who in 2008 invited Yorn up to a Salem, Ore. studio for some spontaneous sessions. The result is exuberant and edgy, with songs like “The Chase” and the album-opening “Precious Stone” ringing out loud and strong with chiming guitars, soaring harmonies and Yorn’s soul-wrenchingly wrecked vocals.

Songs like “Future Life” and “Rock Crowd” are striking in their electric ebullience, especially in contrast to the darker songcraft featured on the haunting Back & Fourth (2009). Yorn suggests that while the character singing the “somber” songs on that album is “coming from a more remorseful, nostalgic place, the person singing the songs on this record is in a way better place. He’s more empowered, he’s not worried about the past, he’s looking forward and he’s like, ‘Let’s go.’  It’s a totally different stance.”

That forward-looking approach could well define Yorn’s own recent prolificacy. Pete Yorn marks his third release in just over a year, following his two acclaimed 2009 releases, Back & Fourth and Break Up, a musical alliance with Scarlett Johansson inspired by the classic duet recordings of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. But the triumphant rock ‘n roll of Pete Yorn stands as the clearest distillation thus far of a restless creative spirit that simply can’t be contained. 

Special guest Ben Kweller has been called everything from balladeer to punk rocker, anti-folker to indie-popper. The schizophrenia of music that hit Ben Kweller’s ears at that early age created the rainbow that critics have written about since his New York arrival in 1999. His most recent release Changing Horses (2009) finds Kweller returning to his small-town roots and country music, as well as self-producing for the first-time.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and show time is 7:30 p.m. The Pearl Box Office is open Sunday from noon – 7 p.m., Monday from noon – 10:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday from noon – 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday from noon – 9:45 p.m. and Saturday from noon – 12:15 a.m. The Pearl is sponsored by Citi; for more information on upcoming concerts, please call 702-942-6888. The Pearl is now on Twitter; please follow @PearlatPalms for concert announcements and event information.