After finally being in the same room for the first time in six months, the Infamous Stringdusters seized the moment for their revealing new album, Toward the Fray. Inspired by self-reflection and a strong sense of solidarity, the project documents the Grammy Award-winning group's remarkable growth as instrumentalists as well as songwriters. Released on their own label, Americana Vibes, the collection also firmly establishes the band's stature on the modern acoustic music landscape, where they've built a solid and enduring fan base among traditional and progressive audiences alike.
The five band members — Travis Book (bass), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Andy Hall (Dobro), and Chris Pandolfi (banjo) — wrote the songs on Toward the Fray separately, sending simple phone demos to each other during lockdown. Fueled by friendship and a mastery of their instruments, the 13-track collection feels live, but not necessarily loose, due to a synergy that's developed over the last 16 years of playing sheds, clubs, and festival stages across the country.
"With all of our records, we always go into the studio to capture the live energy of our band, so I feel like we were all comfortable just plugging right in and getting started," Pandolfi says. "All five of us have arrived at this point in our careers where we all produce — we produce our own music and some of us produce for others. We knew we could get it done with all that collective intel and know-how. One of the awesome things about being in this band is that everybody is always working on their instrumental game. When we show up for a new tour or a new album, we all get a chance to dig even a little deeper — and you can hear that part of it. That's always been part of our mantra."
Toward the Fray begins with a somber perspective in songs like "Hard Line" and "I'm Not Alone," even as the arrangements tap into the ambitious, enthusiastic musicianship the band is known for. The point of view in "I Didn't Know" feels especially personal for Garrett.
"For me, it was a heavy time, with the pandemic slowing everything down, but what affected me the most was the death of George Floyd," he says. "I can't say what an impact that had on me personally, being an average American white guy going along through life, not necessarily fully understanding what the other side of the fence was. I took a deep look at myself because of that story. I got inside of my head and wanted to write about it. Several songs on this record come from that vantage point, trying to put more thought into, how can we bridge this gap that has happened? 'I Didn't Know' is about that. I didn't know we had to pay attention to these things. It was a wake-up call for me."
Continuing the conversation, Book adds, "All five of us took that opportunity for our consciousness to evolve, and we took the responsibility seriously. That's what I hear when I listen to this record. The songs are very honest and real, but what other option do we have? There's a responsibility as citizens of this country and as citizens of earth, for all the reasons — ecological and cultural — to lean in and to turn toward the battle. Everybody brought a lot of conviction with their tunes. Everybody came with a clear idea of what their statement was going to be. I think because of the situation we were all in, a harmonious and collective sound came out of that."
The title track of Toward the Fray finds the narrator making a decision to get involved, rather than just comment on the sidelines. It's a powerful image — and one that required an attention-grabbing visual. Of the cover art depicting a young girl standing firm among the wreckage, Hall says, "When we decided on the album title, I imagined the fray being a city that was on fire or in turmoil. And in juxtaposition of all that destruction happening, there's a child. That's what was happening in the world at the time. There were little kids seeing these protests and all this strife. No one is safe from what's going on, as far as experiencing some level of it. One thing that I like about the artwork is that the child has a strength to her, especially the way she's looking right into the camera. She's got to wear a gas mask and she looks ready to enter into the fray, like, 'All right, I've got to face this.'"
Toward the Fray is also the first Infamous Stringdusters album with drums, with the band deciding that the songs were calling out for it. The band explores other creative directions, too, ranging from the persistent march of "Revolution," to the comforts of home in "Pearl of Carolina." Meanwhile, "Spirits Wild" will be relatable to those who can't help but answer the call of the road. "When Will I Ride Again," a sequel to "Tragic Life" from their first album, is cinematic but also emblematic of their own questions about picking up where they left off. "How Do You Know" and "Through the Floor" are among the band's most vulnerable compositions in a catalog of exceptional material.
"To me, the theme of Toward the Fray is about dealing with your problems head on, rather than running away from them," Falco says. "One of the things that I'm really proud of is that this record is true to all of us. It's a genuine record because it really is about everything that we were all going through. We're talking about the pandemic and all of the chaos, but we're talking about love and other things, too. We were able to reflect and dive deep and look inward during all of this. I hope people who hear these songs will feel like they're not alone. That's what we always hope that people can relate to in our songs — that we're all in it together."
LAST-MODIFIED:20240129T224313Z SEQUENCE:10545165 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1874 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-10-03 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240201T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240201T233000 UID:A1EE2181-0000-414D-99D7-7853C6C29E9E SUMMARY:The Infamous Stringdusters CREATED:20230929T214155Z DTSTAMP:20230929T214155Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-infamous-stringdusters-2023-night-2 DESCRIPTION:After finally being in the same room for the first time in six months, the Infamous Stringdusters seized the moment for their revealing new album, Toward the Fray. Inspired by self-reflection and a strong sense of solidarity, the project documents the Grammy Award-winning group's remarkable growth as instrumentalists as well as songwriters. Released on their own label, Americana Vibes, the collection also firmly establishes the band's stature on the modern acoustic music landscape, where they've built a solid and enduring fan base among traditional and progressive audiences alike.\NThe five band members — Travis Book (bass), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Andy Hall (Dobro), and Chris Pandolfi (banjo) — wrote the songs on Toward the Fray separately, sending simple phone demos to each other during lockdown. Fueled by friendship and a mastery of their instruments, the 13-track collection feels live, but not necessarily loose, due to a synergy that's developed over the last 16 years of playing sheds, clubs, and festival stages across the country.\N"With all of our records, we always go into the studio to capture the live energy of our band, so I feel like we were all comfortable just plugging right in and getting started," Pandolfi says. "All five of us have arrived at this point in our careers where we all produce — we produce our own music and some of us produce for others. We knew we could get it done with all that collective intel and know-how. One of the awesome things about being in this band is that everybody is always working on their instrumental game. When we show up for a new tour or a new album, we all get a chance to dig even a little deeper — and you can hear that part of it. That's always been part of our mantra."\NToward the Fray begins with a somber perspective in songs like "Hard Line" and "I'm Not Alone," even as the arrangements tap into the ambitious, enthusiastic musicianship the band is known for. The point of view in "I Didn't Know" feels especially personal for Garrett.\N"For me, it was a heavy time, with the pandemic slowing everything down, but what affected me the most was the death of George Floyd," he says. "I can't say what an impact that had on me personally, being an average American white guy going along through life, not necessarily fully understanding what the other side of the fence was. I took a deep look at myself because of that story. I got inside of my head and wanted to write about it. Several songs on this record come from that vantage point, trying to put more thought into, how can we bridge this gap that has happened? 'I Didn't Know' is about that. I didn't know we had to pay attention to these things. It was a wake-up call for me."\NContinuing the conversation, Book adds, "All five of us took that opportunity for our consciousness to evolve, and we took the responsibility seriously. That's what I hear when I listen to this record. The songs are very honest and real, but what other option do we have? There's a responsibility as citizens of this country and as citizens of earth, for all the reasons — ecological and cultural — to lean in and to turn toward the battle. Everybody brought a lot of conviction with their tunes. Everybody came with a clear idea of what their statement was going to be. I think because of the situation we were all in, a harmonious and collective sound came out of that."\NThe title track of Toward the Fray finds the narrator making a decision to get involved, rather than just comment on the sidelines. It's a powerful image — and one that required an attention-grabbing visual. Of the cover art depicting a young girl standing firm among the wreckage, Hall says, "When we decided on the album title, I imagined the fray being a city that was on fire or in turmoil. And in juxtaposition of all that destruction happening, there's a child. That's what was happening in the world at the time. There were little kids seeing these protests and all this strife. No one is safe from what's going on, as far as experiencing some level of it. One thing that I like about the artwork is that the child has a strength to her, especially the way she's looking right into the camera. She's got to wear a gas mask and she looks ready to enter into the fray, like, 'All right, I've got to face this.'"\NToward the Fray is also the first Infamous Stringdusters album with drums, with the band deciding that the songs were calling out for it. The band explores other creative directions, too, ranging from the persistent march of "Revolution," to the comforts of home in "Pearl of Carolina." Meanwhile, "Spirits Wild" will be relatable to those who can't help but answer the call of the road. "When Will I Ride Again," a sequel to "Tragic Life" from their first album, is cinematic but also emblematic of their own questions about picking up where they left off. "How Do You Know" and "Through the Floor" are among the band's most vulnerable compositions in a catalog of exceptional material.\N"To me, the theme of Toward the Fray is about dealing with your problems head on, rather than running away from them," Falco says. "One of the things that I'm really proud of is that this record is true to all of us. It's a genuine record because it really is about everything that we were all going through. We're talking about the pandemic and all of the chaos, but we're talking about love and other things, too. We were able to reflect and dive deep and look inward during all of this. I hope people who hear these songs will feel like they're not alone. That's what we always hope that people can relate to in our songs — that we're all in it together." X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:After finally being in the same room for the first time in six months, the Infamous Stringdusters seized the moment for their revealing new album, Toward the Fray. Inspired by self-reflection and a strong sense of solidarity, the project documents the Grammy Award-winning group's remarkable growth as instrumentalists as well as songwriters. Released on their own label, Americana Vibes, the collection also firmly establishes the band's stature on the modern acoustic music landscape, where they've built a solid and enduring fan base among traditional and progressive audiences alike.
The five band members — Travis Book (bass), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Andy Hall (Dobro), and Chris Pandolfi (banjo) — wrote the songs on Toward the Fray separately, sending simple phone demos to each other during lockdown. Fueled by friendship and a mastery of their instruments, the 13-track collection feels live, but not necessarily loose, due to a synergy that's developed over the last 16 years of playing sheds, clubs, and festival stages across the country.
"With all of our records, we always go into the studio to capture the live energy of our band, so I feel like we were all comfortable just plugging right in and getting started," Pandolfi says. "All five of us have arrived at this point in our careers where we all produce — we produce our own music and some of us produce for others. We knew we could get it done with all that collective intel and know-how. One of the awesome things about being in this band is that everybody is always working on their instrumental game. When we show up for a new tour or a new album, we all get a chance to dig even a little deeper — and you can hear that part of it. That's always been part of our mantra."
Toward the Fray begins with a somber perspective in songs like "Hard Line" and "I'm Not Alone," even as the arrangements tap into the ambitious, enthusiastic musicianship the band is known for. The point of view in "I Didn't Know" feels especially personal for Garrett.
"For me, it was a heavy time, with the pandemic slowing everything down, but what affected me the most was the death of George Floyd," he says. "I can't say what an impact that had on me personally, being an average American white guy going along through life, not necessarily fully understanding what the other side of the fence was. I took a deep look at myself because of that story. I got inside of my head and wanted to write about it. Several songs on this record come from that vantage point, trying to put more thought into, how can we bridge this gap that has happened? 'I Didn't Know' is about that. I didn't know we had to pay attention to these things. It was a wake-up call for me."
Continuing the conversation, Book adds, "All five of us took that opportunity for our consciousness to evolve, and we took the responsibility seriously. That's what I hear when I listen to this record. The songs are very honest and real, but what other option do we have? There's a responsibility as citizens of this country and as citizens of earth, for all the reasons — ecological and cultural — to lean in and to turn toward the battle. Everybody brought a lot of conviction with their tunes. Everybody came with a clear idea of what their statement was going to be. I think because of the situation we were all in, a harmonious and collective sound came out of that."
The title track of Toward the Fray finds the narrator making a decision to get involved, rather than just comment on the sidelines. It's a powerful image — and one that required an attention-grabbing visual. Of the cover art depicting a young girl standing firm among the wreckage, Hall says, "When we decided on the album title, I imagined the fray being a city that was on fire or in turmoil. And in juxtaposition of all that destruction happening, there's a child. That's what was happening in the world at the time. There were little kids seeing these protests and all this strife. No one is safe from what's going on, as far as experiencing some level of it. One thing that I like about the artwork is that the child has a strength to her, especially the way she's looking right into the camera. She's got to wear a gas mask and she looks ready to enter into the fray, like, 'All right, I've got to face this.'"
Toward the Fray is also the first Infamous Stringdusters album with drums, with the band deciding that the songs were calling out for it. The band explores other creative directions, too, ranging from the persistent march of "Revolution," to the comforts of home in "Pearl of Carolina." Meanwhile, "Spirits Wild" will be relatable to those who can't help but answer the call of the road. "When Will I Ride Again," a sequel to "Tragic Life" from their first album, is cinematic but also emblematic of their own questions about picking up where they left off. "How Do You Know" and "Through the Floor" are among the band's most vulnerable compositions in a catalog of exceptional material.
"To me, the theme of Toward the Fray is about dealing with your problems head on, rather than running away from them," Falco says. "One of the things that I'm really proud of is that this record is true to all of us. It's a genuine record because it really is about everything that we were all going through. We're talking about the pandemic and all of the chaos, but we're talking about love and other things, too. We were able to reflect and dive deep and look inward during all of this. I hope people who hear these songs will feel like they're not alone. That's what we always hope that people can relate to in our songs — that we're all in it together."
LAST-MODIFIED:20240129T224331Z SEQUENCE:10544496 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1666 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-10-03 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240206T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240206T210000 UID:1C531929-D2A3-4E13-B0A4-3AE466B0B234 SUMMARY:Futurebirds x The Nude Party CREATED:20231106T224929Z DTSTAMP:20231106T224929Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/futurebirds-x-the-nude-party DESCRIPTION:Rock juggernaut Futurebirds’ newest EP, Bloomin’ Too, is a benchmark that not only celebrates 13 years together, it’s also a testament to the sheer iron will of a group of musicians hungry for the fruits of its labor.\N“Futurebirds is the best it’s been right now, far and away,” says singer/guitarist Carter King. “We’ve been unintentionally carving out our own space since the beginning, since we never exactly fit in anywhere else musically. We were always too indie rock for the jam festival, too country for the indie scene, a little too psych-rock to feel like we were Americana. The music over the years just kind of created its own weird little ecosystem — it's thriving and it feels great.”\NThe Athens, Georgia-based group once again tapped storied My Morning Jacket guitarist/producer Carl Broemel in the latest chapter of this seamless, bountiful partnership that initially came to fruition with the 2021 EP, Bloomin’.\N“Carl is extremely perceptive and an all-around smart dude. He’s really in tune with what the band is and what it strives to be. He’s engaged and understands our vision,” King says. “He’s a longtime hero of ours, and now is a friend and collaborator. It’s wild. And it’s great to be able to defer to someone you respect so much with creative decisions in the studio — we don’t just give that trust to just anybody.”\NCaptured this past spring at the legendary Ronnie’s Place in Nashville, Tennessee, the seven-song Bloomin’ Too is a vortex of sonic textures. The album ricochets from cosmic space, rock to rough around the edges, alt-country dreamscapes, sandy beach bum odes to kick in your step pop ballads — all signature tones and musical avenues at the core of the Birds' wide musical palette.\N“This is probably the quickest turnaround we’ve ever had for a record — we felt confident right when we got into the studio and just cranked it out,” says singer/guitarist Daniel Womack. “All of our frequencies are aligned as a band, where we’ve got this free-flow of ideas happening. We’re all on the same page right now and we have a lot of momentum going.”\NFor Broemel, he finds a sincere kinship and solidarity with Futurebirds. Witnessing first-hand the band’s blue-collar work ethic in the studio, Broemel was impressed and inspired by the ‘Birds’ democratic ways and means in how music is created and cultivated in the studio.\N“Futurebirds have this unique vibe with three singer-songwriters in the band, where everyone is constantly shifting their function depending on the song,” Broemel says. “Everyone just kind of falls into place and finds something to contribute. Someone will lead the charge on one song, then fall back and let another take charge on the next — it’s something rare to see and behold in rock music, where normally there’s just one songwriter and one leader.”\NThat camaraderie between founding members King, Womack, singer/guitarist Thomas Johnson and bassist Brannen Miles began when they were college students at the University of Georgia. In recent years, the quartet has added pedal steel player Kiffy Myers, keyboardist Spencer Thomas and drummer Tom Myers.\N“It’s the best feeling in the world to be up there onstage, to look across and see these other super talented dudes all stoked to be there,” King says. “We’re brothers and family and all that, but what's truly most impressive is that we’ve remained good friends on top of that. At the end of the day, for us, it’s always been about having a good time. That's what keeps this thing moving.”\NFrom there, it’s been endless miles on that old lost highway. It’s this rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts and actions — gig after gig, year after year — where now the band will be making its debut at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for a highly-anticipated two-night run (Oct. 3-4) alongside indie-rock darlings Caamp.\N“It was pure elation when we were offered Red Rocks,” Womack says. “Everything we’ve been working towards has always included being able to play Red Rocks someday — it’s a big win for us and such a gratifying feeling.”\NAnd though Futurebirds have offered up another instant classic release with Bloomin’ Too, the foundation of the group’s ethos, attitude, and rabid fan base remains its live shows — these undulating waves of sound, energy and passion spilling out onto the audience in this two-way street of respect and admiration.\N“The line between the stage and the audience has always been blurred, and we’ve definitely carried ourselves that way since the beginning,” Womack says. “The early days of rock-n-roll were about the mysticism surrounding musicians and bands. That’s never been us. We want to embrace our fans, to actually hang out and get to know them — they’re all part of the BirdFam.’”\NReflecting on the last 13 years, King can only shake his head in awe of what has transpired over that time period for Futurebirds, personally and professionally. From playing empty dive bars to selling out theaters coast to coast, from college kids to now husbands and fathers — the sacred flame of music, creativity and performance continually cradling and nurturing deeply-held dreams.\N“You start out doing this solely because it’s fun and you have no preconceived notion of what’s going to happen or what it should be. And then, you get a taste of this possibly being your actual life,” King says. “Maybe you get too serious about it, or too wrapped up in how you are being received, or the industry watermarks of success. But, life’s just a perception game. It’s about having fun and aligning yourself with the right people. The community that’s built up around us has made it real easy to peel back all that brush and noise and see this thing for what it really is." X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Rock juggernaut Futurebirds’ newest EP, Bloomin’ Too, is a benchmark that not only celebrates 13 years together, it’s also a testament to the sheer iron will of a group of musicians hungry for the fruits of its labor.
“Futurebirds is the best it’s been right now, far and away,” says singer/guitarist Carter King. “We’ve been unintentionally carving out our own space since the beginning, since we never exactly fit in anywhere else musically. We were always too indie rock for the jam festival, too country for the indie scene, a little too psych-rock to feel like we were Americana. The music over the years just kind of created its own weird little ecosystem — it's thriving and it feels great.”
The Athens, Georgia-based group once again tapped storied My Morning Jacket guitarist/producer Carl Broemel in the latest chapter of this seamless, bountiful partnership that initially came to fruition with the 2021 EP, Bloomin’.
“Carl is extremely perceptive and an all-around smart dude. He’s really in tune with what the band is and what it strives to be. He’s engaged and understands our vision,” King says. “He’s a longtime hero of ours, and now is a friend and collaborator. It’s wild. And it’s great to be able to defer to someone you respect so much with creative decisions in the studio — we don’t just give that trust to just anybody.”
Captured this past spring at the legendary Ronnie’s Place in Nashville, Tennessee, the seven-song Bloomin’ Too is a vortex of sonic textures. The album ricochets from cosmic space, rock to rough around the edges, alt-country dreamscapes, sandy beach bum odes to kick in your step pop ballads — all signature tones and musical avenues at the core of the Birds' wide musical palette.
“This is probably the quickest turnaround we’ve ever had for a record — we felt confident right when we got into the studio and just cranked it out,” says singer/guitarist Daniel Womack. “All of our frequencies are aligned as a band, where we’ve got this free-flow of ideas happening. We’re all on the same page right now and we have a lot of momentum going.”
For Broemel, he finds a sincere kinship and solidarity with Futurebirds. Witnessing first-hand the band’s blue-collar work ethic in the studio, Broemel was impressed and inspired by the ‘Birds’ democratic ways and means in how music is created and cultivated in the studio.
“Futurebirds have this unique vibe with three singer-songwriters in the band, where everyone is constantly shifting their function depending on the song,” Broemel says. “Everyone just kind of falls into place and finds something to contribute. Someone will lead the charge on one song, then fall back and let another take charge on the next — it’s something rare to see and behold in rock music, where normally there’s just one songwriter and one leader.”
That camaraderie between founding members King, Womack, singer/guitarist Thomas Johnson and bassist Brannen Miles began when they were college students at the University of Georgia. In recent years, the quartet has added pedal steel player Kiffy Myers, keyboardist Spencer Thomas and drummer Tom Myers.
“It’s the best feeling in the world to be up there onstage, to look across and see these other super talented dudes all stoked to be there,” King says. “We’re brothers and family and all that, but what's truly most impressive is that we’ve remained good friends on top of that. At the end of the day, for us, it’s always been about having a good time. That's what keeps this thing moving.”
From there, it’s been endless miles on that old lost highway. It’s this rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts and actions — gig after gig, year after year — where now the band will be making its debut at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for a highly-anticipated two-night run (Oct. 3-4) alongside indie-rock darlings Caamp.
“It was pure elation when we were offered Red Rocks,” Womack says. “Everything we’ve been working towards has always included being able to play Red Rocks someday — it’s a big win for us and such a gratifying feeling.”
And though Futurebirds have offered up another instant classic release with Bloomin’ Too, the foundation of the group’s ethos, attitude, and rabid fan base remains its live shows — these undulating waves of sound, energy and passion spilling out onto the audience in this two-way street of respect and admiration.
“The line between the stage and the audience has always been blurred, and we’ve definitely carried ourselves that way since the beginning,” Womack says. “The early days of rock-n-roll were about the mysticism surrounding musicians and bands. That’s never been us. We want to embrace our fans, to actually hang out and get to know them — they’re all part of the BirdFam.’”
Reflecting on the last 13 years, King can only shake his head in awe of what has transpired over that time period for Futurebirds, personally and professionally. From playing empty dive bars to selling out theaters coast to coast, from college kids to now husbands and fathers — the sacred flame of music, creativity and performance continually cradling and nurturing deeply-held dreams.
“You start out doing this solely because it’s fun and you have no preconceived notion of what’s going to happen or what it should be. And then, you get a taste of this possibly being your actual life,” King says. “Maybe you get too serious about it, or too wrapped up in how you are being received, or the industry watermarks of success. But, life’s just a perception game. It’s about having fun and aligning yourself with the right people. The community that’s built up around us has made it real easy to peel back all that brush and noise and see this thing for what it really is."
LAST-MODIFIED:20240201T044944Z SEQUENCE:7452015 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3104 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-11-07 15:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240208T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240208T210000 UID:E0EFAD4A-66EE-4E46-A81B-FA989AA7831B SUMMARY:Cosmic Hootenanny CREATED:20240109T170149Z DTSTAMP:20240109T170149Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/cosmic-hootenanny DESCRIPTION:Presented by the Trash Moon Collective, the Cosmic Hootenanny is a celebration of our local acoustic music community and a chance to help a friend in need through the power of music and a rowdy good time. Four staple bands of the SLC scene—David Burchfield and the Fire Guild, Hot House West, Pompe ’n Honey, and Pixie and the Partygrass Boys—will be donating their performing time so almost all ticket sales will go to our dear friend and fiddler extraordinaire, Megan Nay, who is experiencing financial hardship due to medical complications.\NFrom 8-11pm you will enjoy four raging musical acts, speckled with tantalizing Reverse Burlesque performances by local dancers. We will have items TBD up for silent auction and a donation booth, with all proceeds donated to Megan. There will be gifts for donors throughout the evening, the greatest of which will be a SANTA CRUZ GUITAR contributed by Acoustic Music.\NThe Trash Moon Collective is an organization devoted to growing and supporting Utah’s acoustic music community. We believe that acoustic music—from bluegrass to old time, and swing—brings people together and creates opportunities for connectedness, learning, and joy. We host a weekly jam at Woodbine Food Hall, a monthly square dance and honky tonk at Fisher Brewing, curate a Bluegrass Night at Gracie’s, and help to promote local shows and unique events within our community. Our website is currently under construction but go to trashmooncollective.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Instagram @trashmooncollective for more information. The Trash Moon Collective is a program of Hot House West nonprofit, a swing orchestra and collection of local musicians dedicated to building and fostering a healthy music scene in Utah.\NStay tuned for more detailed info about the Cosmic Hootenanny! What are you waiting for? Grab your cowboy hat, your boots, and find your inner Space Cowgirl. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Presented by the Trash Moon Collective, the Cosmic Hootenanny is a celebration of our local acoustic music community and a chance to help a friend in need through the power of music and a rowdy good time. Four staple bands of the SLC scene—David Burchfield and the Fire Guild, Hot House West, Pompe ’n Honey, and Pixie and the Partygrass Boys—will be donating their performing time so almost all ticket sales will go to our dear friend and fiddler extraordinaire, Megan Nay, who is experiencing financial hardship due to medical complications.
From 8-11pm you will enjoy four raging musical acts, speckled with tantalizing Reverse Burlesque performances by local dancers. We will have items TBD up for silent auction and a donation booth, with all proceeds donated to Megan. There will be gifts for donors throughout the evening, the greatest of which will be a SANTA CRUZ GUITAR contributed by Acoustic Music.
The Trash Moon Collective is an organization devoted to growing and supporting Utah’s acoustic music community. We believe that acoustic music—from bluegrass to old time, and swing—brings people together and creates opportunities for connectedness, learning, and joy. We host a weekly jam at Woodbine Food Hall, a monthly square dance and honky tonk at Fisher Brewing, curate a Bluegrass Night at Gracie’s, and help to promote local shows and unique events within our community. Our website is currently under construction but go to trashmooncollective.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Instagram @trashmooncollective for more information. The Trash Moon Collective is a program of Hot House West nonprofit, a swing orchestra and collection of local musicians dedicated to building and fostering a healthy music scene in Utah.
Stay tuned for more detailed info about the Cosmic Hootenanny! What are you waiting for? Grab your cowboy hat, your boots, and find your inner Space Cowgirl.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240130T193906Z SEQUENCE:1823837 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2387 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240210T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240210T233000 UID:41B7931E-B7D5-4785-81A3-7D7030009C40 SUMMARY:Big Richard CREATED:20230919T033022Z DTSTAMP:20230919T033022Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/big-richard-cw DESCRIPTION:What began as an all-female festival collab quickly morphed into a serious passion project driven by sisterhood, harmony and humor...…along with the shared desire to rage fiddle tunes and smash the patriarchy. \N Big Richard is a neo-acoustic super group made up of four well established Colorado musicians: Bonnie Sims on mandolin (Bonnie & Taylor Sims/Everybody Loves An Outlaw/Bonnie & the Clydes), Joy Adams on cello (Nathaniel Rateliff/Darol Anger/Half Pelican), Emma Rose on bass + guitar (Sound of Honey/Daniel Rodriguez/Whippoorwill) and Eve Panning on fiddle (Lonesome Days). \NFormed in late 2021, the band gained immediate notoriety for their charismatic stage presence and their vocal/instrumental prowess. After selling out all of their club shows Big Richard quickly started confirming festival appearances across America. 2023 is sure to be a big year!! X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:What began as an all-female festival collab quickly morphed into a serious passion project driven by sisterhood, harmony and humor...…along with the shared desire to rage fiddle tunes and smash the patriarchy.
Big Richard is a neo-acoustic super group made up of four well established Colorado musicians: Bonnie Sims on mandolin (Bonnie & Taylor Sims/Everybody Loves An Outlaw/Bonnie & the Clydes), Joy Adams on cello (Nathaniel Rateliff/Darol Anger/Half Pelican), Emma Rose on bass + guitar (Sound of Honey/Daniel Rodriguez/Whippoorwill) and Eve Panning on fiddle (Lonesome Days).
Formed in late 2021, the band gained immediate notoriety for their charismatic stage presence and their vocal/instrumental prowess. After selling out all of their club shows Big Richard quickly started confirming festival appearances across America. 2023 is sure to be a big year!!
LAST-MODIFIED:20240130T193949Z SEQUENCE:11549367 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1887 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-09-19 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240214T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240214T233000 UID:CEF6AB8D-DC0D-4FE9-9672-ED275C102765 SUMMARY:Kitchen Dwellers CREATED:20231023T200419Z DTSTAMP:20231023T200419Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/kitchen-dwellers-2 DESCRIPTION:Among the many natural wonders in Montana, Wise River runs for about 30 miles through the Southwestern region of the state, cutting through the mountains and flowing into the Big Hole River. Beyond being a favorite spot for fly fishermen, it remains etched into the topography of the land itself. Two hours away in Bozeman, Kitchen Dwellers equally embody the spirit and soul of their home with a sonic palette as expansive as Montana’s vistas. The quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [banjo], Joe Funk [upright bass], and Max Davies [acoustic guitar]—twist bluegrass, folk, and rock through a kaleidoscope of homegrown stories, rich mythology, American west wanderlust, and psychedelic hues. After amassing 5 million-plus streams, selling out shows, and receiving acclaim from Huffington Post, Relix, American Songwriter, and more, the group brings audiences back to Big Sky Country on their third full-length album, Wise River, working with Cory Wong of Vulfpeck as producer.\N“Since we weren’t on the road due to COVID-19, the music we wrote was different,” Max reveals. “It was more introspective. There were a lot of ties to Montana.”\N“For the first time, we were all home for 365 days in a row, which hasn’t happened in ten years,” adds Shawn. “We were thinking of the quieter lifestyle encapsulated in the area. That comes through.”\N“In the past, our songs would touch on the physical aspects of the state or reference its history and nature,” says Torrin. “These songs are more introspective, because they come from the perspective of actually being in one place. The vibe is a little more serious—given the weirdness of the past year and the shit everyone has been dealing with. Our little corner of the world has always delt with hard winters, but the whole world felt it in 2020.”\NAt the same time, their music continues to resound beyond that little corner. They’ve captivated audiences at hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and performed alongside everyone from Railroad Earth and Twiddle to The Infamous String Dusters in addition to playing festivals such as Northwest String Summit, WinterWonderGrass, and more. They’ve released two critically acclaimed albums—Ghost In The Bottle [2017] and Muir Maid [2019]—and a live record, Live from the Wilma [2021]. They broke up 2020 with an EP of Pink Floyd covers entitled Reheated, Vol. 2. It was heralded by a two-night livestream concert, Live From The Cabin, beamed out to audiences from the Bridger Mountains. Additionally, they appeared at the Live From Out There virtual festival and even took over a drive-in movie theater for an in-person gig in between regular writing sessions together throughout the year.\NIn order to bring the new tunes to life, they recruited Cory behind the board as producer. Holing up at Creation Studios in Minneapolis, they recorded Wise River in just four days.\N“Cory brought a little more orchestration,” Shawn reveals. “He helped us really think differently and evolve the sound as a band.”\NOn the single and title track “Wise River,” banjo brushes up against acoustic guitar as visuals of a “lonely river town where the barfly knows you best,” “the ghosts of miners,” and a place “where the snow can fall like cannonballs and lonesome wind blows bitter.” \N“The town of Wise River is basically a forgotten spot on the map,” Shawn says. “It used to be a thriving place with many prosperous mines, but now it’s practically dried up. There’s a hell of a lot of melancholy. In our mind, it symbolizes the overall feeling of being in slowed-down Montana life.”\NMeanwhile, “Stand At Ease” gallops along on nimbly strummed banjo and bright piano towards a chanting chorus, “I can’t stand to see what you’ve done to be free.”\N“That one is based on the mental health issues in the music industry coming to light over the past couple of years,” Joe reveals. “It’s about losing a lot of our friends and idols.”\N“Paradise Valley” surveys the landscape as the lyrics visit the remnants of underground bunkers once occupied by a doomsday cult in the north. The finale “Their Names Are The Trees” recants another true story of tragedy in the wilderness.\N“A good friend of ours is a wildland firefighter,” Shawn goes on. “He was stationed out in Oregon on the Beachie Creek Fire, which destroyed maybe three towns and killed several people. One night, they were 15 miles back from the fire line. They wondered where the fire had moved in the wind, but it overtook their camp, the entire town they were stationed in, and wiped it out. Several people didn’t make it.”\NIn the end, Kitchen Dwellers share timeless American stories from the heart of one of its greatest treasures.\N“When you listen to Wise River, I hope you hear some of the original qualities that made us who we are, but you also recognize aspects that are new and adventurous,” Max leaves off. “If you go to a studio with a whole new batch of songs, it should never be the same as the last time. I hope you hear what it sounds like when the four of us are at home and have the space to create something together. This album is really how we sound as a band.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Among the many natural wonders in Montana, Wise River runs for about 30 miles through the Southwestern region of the state, cutting through the mountains and flowing into the Big Hole River. Beyond being a favorite spot for fly fishermen, it remains etched into the topography of the land itself. Two hours away in Bozeman, Kitchen Dwellers equally embody the spirit and soul of their home with a sonic palette as expansive as Montana’s vistas. The quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [banjo], Joe Funk [upright bass], and Max Davies [acoustic guitar]—twist bluegrass, folk, and rock through a kaleidoscope of homegrown stories, rich mythology, American west wanderlust, and psychedelic hues. After amassing 5 million-plus streams, selling out shows, and receiving acclaim from Huffington Post, Relix, American Songwriter, and more, the group brings audiences back to Big Sky Country on their third full-length album, Wise River, working with Cory Wong of Vulfpeck as producer.
“Since we weren’t on the road due to COVID-19, the music we wrote was different,” Max reveals. “It was more introspective. There were a lot of ties to Montana.”
“For the first time, we were all home for 365 days in a row, which hasn’t happened in ten years,” adds Shawn. “We were thinking of the quieter lifestyle encapsulated in the area. That comes through.”
“In the past, our songs would touch on the physical aspects of the state or reference its history and nature,” says Torrin. “These songs are more introspective, because they come from the perspective of actually being in one place. The vibe is a little more serious—given the weirdness of the past year and the shit everyone has been dealing with. Our little corner of the world has always delt with hard winters, but the whole world felt it in 2020.”
At the same time, their music continues to resound beyond that little corner. They’ve captivated audiences at hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and performed alongside everyone from Railroad Earth and Twiddle to The Infamous String Dusters in addition to playing festivals such as Northwest String Summit, WinterWonderGrass, and more. They’ve released two critically acclaimed albums—Ghost In The Bottle [2017] and Muir Maid [2019]—and a live record, Live from the Wilma [2021]. They broke up 2020 with an EP of Pink Floyd covers entitled Reheated, Vol. 2. It was heralded by a two-night livestream concert, Live From The Cabin, beamed out to audiences from the Bridger Mountains. Additionally, they appeared at the Live From Out There virtual festival and even took over a drive-in movie theater for an in-person gig in between regular writing sessions together throughout the year.
In order to bring the new tunes to life, they recruited Cory behind the board as producer. Holing up at Creation Studios in Minneapolis, they recorded Wise River in just four days.
“Cory brought a little more orchestration,” Shawn reveals. “He helped us really think differently and evolve the sound as a band.”
On the single and title track “Wise River,” banjo brushes up against acoustic guitar as visuals of a “lonely river town where the barfly knows you best,” “the ghosts of miners,” and a place “where the snow can fall like cannonballs and lonesome wind blows bitter.”
“The town of Wise River is basically a forgotten spot on the map,” Shawn says. “It used to be a thriving place with many prosperous mines, but now it’s practically dried up. There’s a hell of a lot of melancholy. In our mind, it symbolizes the overall feeling of being in slowed-down Montana life.”
Meanwhile, “Stand At Ease” gallops along on nimbly strummed banjo and bright piano towards a chanting chorus, “I can’t stand to see what you’ve done to be free.”
“That one is based on the mental health issues in the music industry coming to light over the past couple of years,” Joe reveals. “It’s about losing a lot of our friends and idols.”
“Paradise Valley” surveys the landscape as the lyrics visit the remnants of underground bunkers once occupied by a doomsday cult in the north. The finale “Their Names Are The Trees” recants another true story of tragedy in the wilderness.
“A good friend of ours is a wildland firefighter,” Shawn goes on. “He was stationed out in Oregon on the Beachie Creek Fire, which destroyed maybe three towns and killed several people. One night, they were 15 miles back from the fire line. They wondered where the fire had moved in the wind, but it overtook their camp, the entire town they were stationed in, and wiped it out. Several people didn’t make it.”
In the end, Kitchen Dwellers share timeless American stories from the heart of one of its greatest treasures.
“When you listen to Wise River, I hope you hear some of the original qualities that made us who we are, but you also recognize aspects that are new and adventurous,” Max leaves off. “If you go to a studio with a whole new batch of songs, it should never be the same as the last time. I hope you hear what it sounds like when the four of us are at home and have the space to create something together. This album is really how we sound as a band.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20240213T181121Z SEQUENCE:9756422 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1274 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-10-24 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240223T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240223T210000 UID:822D6CFF-B668-4148-AE9D-25E05CBB8A48 SUMMARY:The Motet CREATED:20231113T221854Z DTSTAMP:20231113T221854Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-motet-3 DESCRIPTION:Formed over two decades ago, the funk six-piece The Motet have learned to work as an interlocking unit, with each member bolstering one another towards the best creative output. This symbiosis has led to a unique style and cohesive musical chemistry, as seen in the band's immaculate live performances and seamless blend of funk, soul, jazz, and rock. With a fervent fanbase in tow, The Motet have sold out shows across the nation, performed six headlining slots at Red Rocks and sets at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Electric Forest, Bumbershoot, Summer Camp, and High Sierra.\NBut even after their 20+ years of accolades and recognition, the legendary outfit -composed of Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (keys), Garrett Sayers (bass), Drew Sayers (keys and saxophone), Ryan Jalbert (guitar), and new singer Sarah Clarke-are still exploring new sonic ideas and finding new ways to showcase each other’s skill sets. \NThe band released their 10th studio album, All Day, in January 2023-an eclectic instrumental voyage threaded by the infectious grooves and immaculate, layered arrangements that The Motet have become known for.\NNow with vocal powerhouse Sarah Clarkein tow, the band continues their journey with their new song “Natural Light” and the promise of more to come. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Formed over two decades ago, the funk six-piece The Motet have learned to work as an interlocking unit, with each member bolstering one another towards the best creative output. This symbiosis has led to a unique style and cohesive musical chemistry, as seen in the band's immaculate live performances and seamless blend of funk, soul, jazz, and rock. With a fervent fanbase in tow, The Motet have sold out shows across the nation, performed six headlining slots at Red Rocks and sets at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Electric Forest, Bumbershoot, Summer Camp, and High Sierra.
But even after their 20+ years of accolades and recognition, the legendary outfit -composed of Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (keys), Garrett Sayers (bass), Drew Sayers (keys and saxophone), Ryan Jalbert (guitar), and new singer Sarah Clarke-are still exploring new sonic ideas and finding new ways to showcase each other’s skill sets.
The band released their 10th studio album, All Day, in January 2023-an eclectic instrumental voyage threaded by the infectious grooves and immaculate, layered arrangements that The Motet have become known for.
Now with vocal powerhouse Sarah Clarkein tow, the band continues their journey with their new song “Natural Light” and the promise of more to come.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240221T182503Z SEQUENCE:8625969 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1821 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-01-02 17:09:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240227T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240227T233000 UID:242462D4-5629-46FA-8AD2-A41BD559EF4E SUMMARY:Em Beihold CREATED:20231009T152743Z DTSTAMP:20231009T152743Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/em-beihold DESCRIPTION:Em Beihold’s music converses and connects much like your closest friend would. She isn’t afraid to be blunt, disclose her insecurities, or laugh unexpectedly, and exudes nothing but love. It’s why she’s emerged as an unmistakable and inimitable platinum-certified pop songstress with north of 4 billion streams and widespread critical acclaim. She’s the girl on the red carpet with the $10 coat (who will proudly tell anyone who asks!) and who sends her hair stylist a picture of Jessica Rabbit as inspo for a late-night TV appearance. The Los Angeles native climbed into the pop culture conversation with the 2022 platinum smash “Numb Little Bug,” generating over 2 billion global streams in addition to cracking the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists Chart, #5 at Pop radio and holding the #1 spot at Hot AC for three weeks. She only accelerated her rise with the Egg In The Backseat EP, making her late-night television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She incited the applause of The New York Times, Stereogum, Teen Vogue, V Magazine, and Variety who hailed, “Beihold is very much part of the new guard.” She lent her voice to a duet version of Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You,” which has eclipsed 1 billion streams. Moreover, they lit up The Late Late Show with James Corden together with their energetic and honest performance. She opens up even more on a series of 2023 singles for Moon Projects/Republic Records including her upcoming single “Pedestal,” Oct 12th, which she’s been performing live the past year and has quickly become a fan favorite begging for a proper release. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Em Beihold’s music converses and connects much like your closest friend would. She isn’t afraid to be blunt, disclose her insecurities, or laugh unexpectedly, and exudes nothing but love. It’s why she’s emerged as an unmistakable and inimitable platinum-certified pop songstress with north of 4 billion streams and widespread critical acclaim. She’s the girl on the red carpet with the $10 coat (who will proudly tell anyone who asks!) and who sends her hair stylist a picture of Jessica Rabbit as inspo for a late-night TV appearance. The Los Angeles native climbed into the pop culture conversation with the 2022 platinum smash “Numb Little Bug,” generating over 2 billion global streams in addition to cracking the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists Chart, #5 at Pop radio and holding the #1 spot at Hot AC for three weeks. She only accelerated her rise with the Egg In The Backseat EP, making her late-night television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She incited the applause of The New York Times, Stereogum, Teen Vogue, V Magazine, and Variety who hailed, “Beihold is very much part of the new guard.” She lent her voice to a duet version of Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You,” which has eclipsed 1 billion streams. Moreover, they lit up The Late Late Show with James Corden together with their energetic and honest performance. She opens up even more on a series of 2023 singles for Moon Projects/Republic Records including her upcoming single “Pedestal,” Oct 12th, which she’s been performing live the past year and has quickly become a fan favorite begging for a proper release.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240226T220003Z SEQUENCE:12119540 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2069 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-10-09 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240304T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240304T210000 UID:159266D8-ADB2-4098-A402-E67AE77B58CD SUMMARY:Voivod x Prong CREATED:20231213T213015Z DTSTAMP:20231213T213015Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/voivod-x-prong DESCRIPTION:Very few bands survive for four decades. Even fewer are those that continue to reach new creative heights, long after legendary status has been achieved. Voïvod were never like other bands: even as the thrash metal scene exploded in the early ‘80s, the Jonquière, Québec crew stood apart, both as unique visionaries and as proud subverters of the metallic norm. From early prog-thrash classics like Killing Technology and Dimension Hatröss through to the psychedelic explorations of The Outer Limits, Voïvod have been standard bearers for individuality and creative freedom for nearly 40 years.\NAlways defiantly out of step with prevailing trends but widely respected as true mavericks, Voïvod even weathered the untimely death of talismanic guitarist and songwriter Denis ‘Piggy’ D’Amour in 2005. Buoyed by the support of their huge global following, surviving original members Denis “Snake” Bélanger (vocals), Michel “Away” Langevin (drums) and Jean-Yves “Blacky” Thériault embarked on a new and challenging chapter in the Voïvod story, releasing the much-hailed Target Earth in 2013, with guitarist Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain proving himself to be a smart and dextrous successor to D’Amour.\NBy 2014, bassist Dominic “Rocky” Laroche had replaced Thériault, and a new incarnation of this indestructible band crossed their compositional beams to forge yet more mind-bending, psychedelic post-thrash wizardry. Released in 2018, The Wake was almost universally hailed as the finest Voïvod album since the band’s late ‘80s heyday. One of the band’s most successful albums yet, The Wake scored chart entries in Germany (#26), Switzerland (#51), Belgium (Wallonia) (#94) and the USA (New Artist: #8/Overall: #148): confirmation that the band’s return to peak form had struck a chord with fans old and new. Not surprisingly, Voïvod hit the road to reaffirm their status as one of metal’s most unique and powerful live acts. \N“At first we went on tour for almost two years, pretty intensively, with great bands and line-ups,” recalls Chewy. “We went all over the globe, to Australia, Japan and Europe many times, and twice across North America. It was great! We had also a few surprising invitations, like playing the Montreal Jazz Fest. We also won a Juno award for ‘Metal/Hard Music Album’ of 2019. We came back home in late December 2019, and then everything stopped for obvious reasons.”\NConfined to their quarters for those long months of lockdown, Canada’s finest simply did what they do best: create. The result is Synchro Anarchy, Voïvod’s 15th studio album and, as fans have come to expect, yet another unparalleled eruption of wildly imaginative heaviness. Shaped by the weirdest of circumstances, the new songs were born from an intense period of collaboration.\N“It was a challenge, because we couldn’t jam together very much, but we all welcomed the circumstances as a new creative element,” says Chewy. “Lots of demos and files were shared and it was all worked to the point where it really sounded like the four of us playing in the same room. We could get together and try the ideas out just before the recording process to make all the small adjustments. In the end, it was almost like a race against the clock. It was pretty intense, but we welcomed the challenge!”\NDespite the pressures of working amid a global pandemic, Synchro Anarchy sounds like the work of truly liberated artists. Following the career peak of The Wake was always going to be tricky, but the Canadians have smashed the follow-up out of the park, delivering one of the most idiosyncratic and adventurous expressions of their unique, genre-bending sound yet. Fans old and new can expect something truly mind-blowing this time around.\N“I think it’s pure Voïvod!” says Chewy. “I think it's a dark record with glimpses of light. It’s intricate, and deep. There’s complexity. There are new explorations on many levels. Of course, there are many references to space, to the advance of technology versus our fragile planet, to mental illness, anxiety, rebellion, fatality, time and space mysteries. Synchronicity and chaos! Lots of food for thought, I suppose. And the tones are fantastic. Francis (Perron, producer) worked his magic at RadicArt Studio. He has been part of the Voïvod sound since our Post Society EP.” \NStill one of the most fervently creative bands on the planet, Voïvod have created another kaleidoscopic sonic monster. The perfect antidote to just about everything, Synchro Anarchy will light up 2022 with crazed, lysergic glee. Meanwhile, its creators are planning their next around-the-world campaign, armed with some of the finest music they have ever written. \N“We can’t wait to put out the album and go on tour, as soon as it’s possible and safe!” concludes Chewy. “Many things are on the way for Voïvod, we have a documentary and a book, and we may do some more online performances… we’ll see! But there are a lot of options. We all miss the touring and meeting our friends and fans around the world. That’s what it’s all about: creating, travelling, connecting with people.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Very few bands survive for four decades. Even fewer are those that continue to reach new creative heights, long after legendary status has been achieved. Voïvod were never like other bands: even as the thrash metal scene exploded in the early ‘80s, the Jonquière, Québec crew stood apart, both as unique visionaries and as proud subverters of the metallic norm. From early prog-thrash classics like Killing Technology and Dimension Hatröss through to the psychedelic explorations of The Outer Limits, Voïvod have been standard bearers for individuality and creative freedom for nearly 40 years.
Always defiantly out of step with prevailing trends but widely respected as true mavericks, Voïvod even weathered the untimely death of talismanic guitarist and songwriter Denis ‘Piggy’ D’Amour in 2005. Buoyed by the support of their huge global following, surviving original members Denis “Snake” Bélanger (vocals), Michel “Away” Langevin (drums) and Jean-Yves “Blacky” Thériault embarked on a new and challenging chapter in the Voïvod story, releasing the much-hailed Target Earth in 2013, with guitarist Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain proving himself to be a smart and dextrous successor to D’Amour.
By 2014, bassist Dominic “Rocky” Laroche had replaced Thériault, and a new incarnation of this indestructible band crossed their compositional beams to forge yet more mind-bending, psychedelic post-thrash wizardry. Released in 2018, The Wake was almost universally hailed as the finest Voïvod album since the band’s late ‘80s heyday. One of the band’s most successful albums yet, The Wake scored chart entries in Germany (#26), Switzerland (#51), Belgium (Wallonia) (#94) and the USA (New Artist: #8/Overall: #148): confirmation that the band’s return to peak form had struck a chord with fans old and new. Not surprisingly, Voïvod hit the road to reaffirm their status as one of metal’s most unique and powerful live acts.
“At first we went on tour for almost two years, pretty intensively, with great bands and line-ups,” recalls Chewy. “We went all over the globe, to Australia, Japan and Europe many times, and twice across North America. It was great! We had also a few surprising invitations, like playing the Montreal Jazz Fest. We also won a Juno award for ‘Metal/Hard Music Album’ of 2019. We came back home in late December 2019, and then everything stopped for obvious reasons.”
Confined to their quarters for those long months of lockdown, Canada’s finest simply did what they do best: create. The result is Synchro Anarchy, Voïvod’s 15th studio album and, as fans have come to expect, yet another unparalleled eruption of wildly imaginative heaviness. Shaped by the weirdest of circumstances, the new songs were born from an intense period of collaboration.
“It was a challenge, because we couldn’t jam together very much, but we all welcomed the circumstances as a new creative element,” says Chewy. “Lots of demos and files were shared and it was all worked to the point where it really sounded like the four of us playing in the same room. We could get together and try the ideas out just before the recording process to make all the small adjustments. In the end, it was almost like a race against the clock. It was pretty intense, but we welcomed the challenge!”
Despite the pressures of working amid a global pandemic, Synchro Anarchy sounds like the work of truly liberated artists. Following the career peak of The Wake was always going to be tricky, but the Canadians have smashed the follow-up out of the park, delivering one of the most idiosyncratic and adventurous expressions of their unique, genre-bending sound yet. Fans old and new can expect something truly mind-blowing this time around.
“I think it’s pure Voïvod!” says Chewy. “I think it's a dark record with glimpses of light. It’s intricate, and deep. There’s complexity. There are new explorations on many levels. Of course, there are many references to space, to the advance of technology versus our fragile planet, to mental illness, anxiety, rebellion, fatality, time and space mysteries. Synchronicity and chaos! Lots of food for thought, I suppose. And the tones are fantastic. Francis (Perron, producer) worked his magic at RadicArt Studio. He has been part of the Voïvod sound since our Post Society EP.”
Still one of the most fervently creative bands on the planet, Voïvod have created another kaleidoscopic sonic monster. The perfect antidote to just about everything, Synchro Anarchy will light up 2022 with crazed, lysergic glee. Meanwhile, its creators are planning their next around-the-world campaign, armed with some of the finest music they have ever written.
“We can’t wait to put out the album and go on tour, as soon as it’s possible and safe!” concludes Chewy. “Many things are on the way for Voïvod, we have a documentary and a book, and we may do some more online performances… we’ll see! But there are a lot of options. We all miss the touring and meeting our friends and fans around the world. That’s what it’s all about: creating, travelling, connecting with people.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20240222T001440Z SEQUENCE:6057865 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3680 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240319T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240319T210000 UID:FC392F1A-251D-4F33-B168-FEF02820D85C SUMMARY:Dawes & Lucius CREATED:20231212T230352Z DTSTAMP:20231212T230352Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/dawes-lucius DESCRIPTION:Through a tapestry of warm vocals and sun-soaked guitar hooks, Dawes have made a name for themselves for replicating the feel of the Laurel Canyon sound of the ’70s. But far from being a copy, the quartet are something retro-inspired, but with a chilled vibe straight out of the present.\NAfter changing their name from Simon Dawes and swapping post-punk for a more mellow folk-rock sound, Dawes first rose to prominence in 2010 with an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, the LA-based foursome have gone on to work with some of their heroes including playing with Jackson Browne at an Occupy Wall Street event in 2012. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Through a tapestry of warm vocals and sun-soaked guitar hooks, Dawes have made a name for themselves for replicating the feel of the Laurel Canyon sound of the ’70s. But far from being a copy, the quartet are something retro-inspired, but with a chilled vibe straight out of the present.
After changing their name from Simon Dawes and swapping post-punk for a more mellow folk-rock sound, Dawes first rose to prominence in 2010 with an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, the LA-based foursome have gone on to work with some of their heroes including playing with Jackson Browne at an Occupy Wall Street event in 2012.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240318T214607Z SEQUENCE:8376135 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3061 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-12-13 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240329T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240329T233000 UID:282FE90B-1B42-4E53-B91C-93C5429DE6C5 SUMMARY:Fleetwood Mask CREATED:20231003T223201Z DTSTAMP:20231003T223201Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/fleetwood-mask DESCRIPTION:The legend lives on with the world’s most authentic tribute to Fleetwood Mac graciously endorsed by Fleetwood Mac founding member Mick Fleetwood. Audiences of all ages escape with the 'five fireflies' of Fleetwood Mask back in time to multiple eras of Fleetwood Mac's incredible history for a truly immersive musical and visual experience. Fleetwood Mask 2-Set performances offer Fleetwood Mac fans a concert of their favorite songs and fan favorite deep cuts mixed between one of three iconic Fleetwood Mac tours (Set 1) followed with a set of Fleetwood Mac's most historic hits and more (Set 2). X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The legend lives on with the world’s most authentic tribute to Fleetwood Mac graciously endorsed by Fleetwood Mac founding member Mick Fleetwood. Audiences of all ages escape with the 'five fireflies' of Fleetwood Mask back in time to multiple eras of Fleetwood Mac's incredible history for a truly immersive musical and visual experience. Fleetwood Mask 2-Set performances offer Fleetwood Mac fans a concert of their favorite songs and fan favorite deep cuts mixed between one of three iconic Fleetwood Mac tours (Set 1) followed with a set of Fleetwood Mac's most historic hits and more (Set 2).
LAST-MODIFIED:20240130T195023Z SEQUENCE:10271902 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3997 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240406T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240406T210000 UID:2CB41AB5-9B4C-46EB-BBB5-DD261D46666E SUMMARY:Charlie Parr CREATED:20240108T183621Z DTSTAMP:20240108T183621Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/charlie-parr-2 DESCRIPTION:In the music of Charlie Parr, there is a sincere conviction and earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist, songwriter, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troubadour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows, writing and rewriting songs as he plays, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closely from the sights and sounds around him, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—including Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s music with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr sees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I stand on a lot of big shoulders,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.” \NWith a discography simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music, Charlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr started recording in Duluth in 2002, where he lives today. Life in the port town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way his childhood in Austin, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut album, Criminals and Sinners, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad, Parr signed with Red House Records in 2015, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mindful, and his sound is timeless.\NParr’s mastery of his craft is only more apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of which Parr has dedicated his practice The land and lives around and intersecting with Parr have always influenced him, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capable of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influences, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes and ears are open,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—sometimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country, folk, and blues legends, many of whom are staples in the Folkways catalog. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string, you can hear influences like Mance Lipscomb, Charley Patton, Spinder John Koerner, Rev. Gary Davis, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing, when, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia, Parr turned to greats like Davis, Doc Watson, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gifted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father, Parr has never had a formal lesson and learned by to listening records and watching musicians he admired. \NParr’s first album with Smithsonian Folkways, Last of Better Days Head (2021), foregrounded his lyrical craftsmanship and sophisticated bluesman confidence, with spare production highlighting Parr’s mastery of guitar and elevating his poetry. Last of Better Days Ahead is a portrait of how Parr saw the world in that moment, reflecting on time and memories that have past while holding an enduring desire to be present. In his 2024 release, Little Sun, Parr weaves together stories celebrating music, community, and communing with nature. Putting forth an ambitious and raw album that exemplifies the best of Parr's sound: a blend of the blues and folk traditions he continues to carry with him and the steadfast originality of a poet. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:In the music of Charlie Parr, there is a sincere conviction and earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist, songwriter, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troubadour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows, writing and rewriting songs as he plays, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closely from the sights and sounds around him, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—including Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s music with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr sees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I stand on a lot of big shoulders,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.”
With a discography simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music, Charlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr started recording in Duluth in 2002, where he lives today. Life in the port town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way his childhood in Austin, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut album, Criminals and Sinners, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad, Parr signed with Red House Records in 2015, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mindful, and his sound is timeless.
Parr’s mastery of his craft is only more apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of which Parr has dedicated his practice The land and lives around and intersecting with Parr have always influenced him, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capable of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influences, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes and ears are open,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—sometimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country, folk, and blues legends, many of whom are staples in the Folkways catalog. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string, you can hear influences like Mance Lipscomb, Charley Patton, Spinder John Koerner, Rev. Gary Davis, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing, when, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia, Parr turned to greats like Davis, Doc Watson, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gifted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father, Parr has never had a formal lesson and learned by to listening records and watching musicians he admired.
Parr’s first album with Smithsonian Folkways, Last of Better Days Head (2021), foregrounded his lyrical craftsmanship and sophisticated bluesman confidence, with spare production highlighting Parr’s mastery of guitar and elevating his poetry. Last of Better Days Ahead is a portrait of how Parr saw the world in that moment, reflecting on time and memories that have past while holding an enduring desire to be present. In his 2024 release, Little Sun, Parr weaves together stories celebrating music, community, and communing with nature. Putting forth an ambitious and raw album that exemplifies the best of Parr's sound: a blend of the blues and folk traditions he continues to carry with him and the steadfast originality of a poet.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T000932Z SEQUENCE:4512791 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2461 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-01-09 15:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240412T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240412T203000 UID:5B372306-243B-4ACD-BD26-4A3F3AE644AF SUMMARY:Sierra Hull CREATED:20240129T215241Z DTSTAMP:20240129T215241Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/sierra-hull DESCRIPTION:Sierra Hull is widely regarded to be a as a master of her instrument; A two-time Grammy Nominated artist and songwriter, recognized for both her most recent projects, 25 Trips (2020) and Weighted Mind (2016), she is also the 4x recipient of IBMA's Mandolin Player of the Year, the first woman to ever receive this distinction. A pioneer for acoustic music throughout her already impressive multi-decade career, she has graced the country's most iconic stages, including Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, and the White House. Her virtuosic abilities have garnered respect from genre-defining trailblazers, friends, and collaborators such as Alison Krauss, Sturgill Simpson, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Bela Fleck, Bobby McFerrin, and Brandi Carlile. Originally hailing from Byrdstown, Tennessee, her unique sound is rooted in bluegrass, and she is widely considered one of acoustic music's most inventive artists. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Sierra Hull is widely regarded to be a as a master of her instrument; A two-time Grammy Nominated artist and songwriter, recognized for both her most recent projects, 25 Trips (2020) and Weighted Mind (2016), she is also the 4x recipient of IBMA's Mandolin Player of the Year, the first woman to ever receive this distinction. A pioneer for acoustic music throughout her already impressive multi-decade career, she has graced the country's most iconic stages, including Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, and the White House. Her virtuosic abilities have garnered respect from genre-defining trailblazers, friends, and collaborators such as Alison Krauss, Sturgill Simpson, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Bela Fleck, Bobby McFerrin, and Brandi Carlile. Originally hailing from Byrdstown, Tennessee, her unique sound is rooted in bluegrass, and she is widely considered one of acoustic music's most inventive artists.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240405T142853Z SEQUENCE:5762172 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3389 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240413T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240413T210000 UID:7B42712A-8911-4966-B2C6-E53E7451A045 SUMMARY:Andy Frasco & The U.N. CREATED:20231113T184733Z DTSTAMP:20231113T184733Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/andy-frasco-the-u-n-2024 DESCRIPTION:Andy Frasco & The U.N. have long been the high-flying DIY renegades of the touring scene known and loved for their kaleidoscopic musical fusion and one-of-a-kind onstage audacity. Now celebrating their longevity, the band is shaking things up with L’Optimist (Fun Machine Records/Soundly), as its title suggests, Frasco’s most hopeful and enthusiastic collection thus far. A testament to Frasco’s wide-ranging influences and boundless energy, his band’s sixth released studio album sees the magnetic frontman continuing to chart his path of self-exploration and personal discovery through increasingly introspective lyricism and musical adventure. Songs like “Everything Bagel (Feat. Artikal Sound System)” and the deeply moving “Iowa Moon” touch on matters of the heart and mental health, emotional struggle and the sheer vulnerability of the human experience, all relayed through a wildly eclectic approach navigating funk, jazz, surf rock, blues, swing, gospel, reggae, exotica, and more with horn-blasted positivity and soulful power. \N“I fight depression every single day,” Frasco says, “and the only way to fight depression is through optimism. I try to write optimistic songs because optimism keeps me going. As humans, I don't think we're all that much different. Everyone needs a little optimism to keep going.”\NHaving spent the first part of his career making his bones as a fun-loving frontman with a self-proclaimed “gift of gab,” Frasco pushed his songwriting in more personal directions with 2020's Keep On Keepin’ On and 2022’s Wash, Rinse, Repeat. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Andy Frasco & The U.N. have long been the high-flying DIY renegades of the touring scene known and loved for their kaleidoscopic musical fusion and one-of-a-kind onstage audacity. Now celebrating their longevity, the band is shaking things up with L’Optimist (Fun Machine Records/Soundly), as its title suggests, Frasco’s most hopeful and enthusiastic collection thus far. A testament to Frasco’s wide-ranging influences and boundless energy, his band’s sixth released studio album sees the magnetic frontman continuing to chart his path of self-exploration and personal discovery through increasingly introspective lyricism and musical adventure. Songs like “Everything Bagel (Feat. Artikal Sound System)” and the deeply moving “Iowa Moon” touch on matters of the heart and mental health, emotional struggle and the sheer vulnerability of the human experience, all relayed through a wildly eclectic approach navigating funk, jazz, surf rock, blues, swing, gospel, reggae, exotica, and more with horn-blasted positivity and soulful power.
“I fight depression every single day,” Frasco says, “and the only way to fight depression is through optimism. I try to write optimistic songs because optimism keeps me going. As humans, I don't think we're all that much different. Everyone needs a little optimism to keep going.”
Having spent the first part of his career making his bones as a fun-loving frontman with a self-proclaimed “gift of gab,” Frasco pushed his songwriting in more personal directions with 2020's Keep On Keepin’ On and 2022’s Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240221T171816Z SEQUENCE:8634643 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2698 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-11-15 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240416T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240416T210000 UID:DA15CCD7-AA58-4FB8-AF1F-C9DFF097F0BE SUMMARY:The California Honeydrops CREATED:20240116T232601Z DTSTAMP:20240116T232601Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-california-honeydrops DESCRIPTION:“The California Honeydrops...evoke the greasy rumble of Booker T and channel the spiritual ecstasy of Sly and the Family Stone.” - Rolling Stone\NFormed in the subway systems of Oakland, retro-soul outfit The California Honeydrops are an electrifying group that defy convention at every turn. They’ve become a mainstay at festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest (Australia), Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, Lightning In A Bottle, and touring with B.B. King, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Allen Toussaint. Led by the enigmatic and energetic frontman, Lech Wierzynski, and drummer Benjamin Malament, each member of the band is a virtuoso in their own rite — Yanos “Johnny Bones” Lustig on saxophone, Lorenzo Loera on keyboards/guitar, Beaumont Beaullieu on bass, and regularly accompanied by Scott Messersmith on percussion, Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Leon Cotter on saxophone/clarinet, and Miles Lyonson trombone/sousaphone — navigating through a vast repertoire of original songs and timeless classics every night. But what truly sets them apart is their unwavering commitment to the art of improvisation - a skill so finely honed that they have completely abandoned the use of set lists and no two shows are ever the same. Off stage, their music has been streamed more than 200 million times, and placed in a variety of TV and films, including “Dead To Me,” “Alaska Daily,” “Black-ish” and more. They are currently touring North America in support of their new deluxe album, 'Soft Spot'. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:“The California Honeydrops...evoke the greasy rumble of Booker T and channel the spiritual ecstasy of Sly and the Family Stone.” - Rolling Stone
Formed in the subway systems of Oakland, retro-soul outfit The California Honeydrops are an electrifying group that defy convention at every turn. They’ve become a mainstay at festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest (Australia), Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, Lightning In A Bottle, and touring with B.B. King, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Allen Toussaint. Led by the enigmatic and energetic frontman, Lech Wierzynski, and drummer Benjamin Malament, each member of the band is a virtuoso in their own rite — Yanos “Johnny Bones” Lustig on saxophone, Lorenzo Loera on keyboards/guitar, Beaumont Beaullieu on bass, and regularly accompanied by Scott Messersmith on percussion, Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Leon Cotter on saxophone/clarinet, and Miles Lyonson trombone/sousaphone — navigating through a vast repertoire of original songs and timeless classics every night. But what truly sets them apart is their unwavering commitment to the art of improvisation - a skill so finely honed that they have completely abandoned the use of set lists and no two shows are ever the same. Off stage, their music has been streamed more than 200 million times, and placed in a variety of TV and films, including “Dead To Me,” “Alaska Daily,” “Black-ish” and more. They are currently touring North America in support of their new deluxe album, 'Soft Spot'.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240416T173558Z SEQUENCE:7841397 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2614 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-01-17 18:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240420T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240420T210000 UID:4AE49D3E-6D40-4FC0-AD02-56D765B89FAE SUMMARY:The Bones of J.R. Jones x Parker Millsap CREATED:20240214T003000Z DTSTAMP:20240214T003000Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-bones-of-j-r-jones-x-parker-millsap DESCRIPTION:“There was no ‘a-ha’ moment,” says Jonathon Linaberry, “no life-changing revelation, nosingular flash of inspiration. It was just a fierce, steady, undeniable energy, a force of nature Ihad to wrestle and wrangle with for years until I could harness it.”It’s easy to understand, then, why Linaberry—better known as The Bones Of J.R. Jones—wouldcall his mesmerizing new album Slow Lightning. As its title would suggest, the collection is rawand visceral, pulsating with an understated electrical current that flows just beneath itsseemingly placid surface. The songs are restless and unsettled here, often grappling with doubtand desire in the face of nature and fate, and frequent collaborator Kiyoshi Matsuyama’sproduction is eerily hypnotic to match, with haunting synthesizers, vintage drum machines, andghostly guitars fleshing out Linaberry’s already-cinematic brand of roots noir. The result is amoody, ominous work that’s equal parts Southern Gothic and transcendentalist meditation, aninstinctual slice of piercing self-reflection that hints at everything from Bruce Springsteen andBon Iver to James Murphy and J.J. Cale as it searches for meaning and purpose in a worldwithout easy answers.“I felt very lost at the time I was writing these songs,” Linaberry confesses. “It was a momentof deep crisis and anxiety, but I knew the only way out was through, which meant I just had tobring myself to the table every day and put in the work.”Linaberry’s no stranger to putting in the work. Born and raised in central New York, he got hisstart playing in hardcore and punk bands before becoming enamored with the field recordingsof Alan Lomax, who documented rural American blues, folk, and gospel musicians throughoutthe 1930s and ’40s. Inspired by the unvarnished honesty of those vintage performances,Linaberry launched The Bones of J.R. Jones in 2012 and, operating as a fully independent artistover the course of the ensuing decade, released three critically acclaimed albums along with atrio of similarly well received EPs; landed his songs in a slew of films and television seriesincluding Suits, Daredevil, Longmire, and Graceland; and toured the US and Europe countlesstimes over as a one-man-band, playing guitar or banjo while simultaneously stomping amodified drum kit everywhere from Telluride Blues to Savannah Stopover. Along the way,Linaberry also shared bills with the likes of The Wallflowers, G. Love, and The Devil MakesThree, soundtracked an Amazon commercial helmed by Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi,and earned praise from Billboard, American Songwriter, and Under the Radar, among others.\NAfter living in constant motion for the better part of ten years, though, Linaberry found himselfat an unexpected standstill in 2021. At the time, he and his wife had recently relocated fromBrooklyn to an old farmhouse in the Catskills, and the change of pace was both rewarding andchallenging all at once.“It’s a pretty remote, rural area we moved to,” Linabery explains, “the kind of place wherespring is just a continuation of the cold, grey, muddy, brown of winter. I was exhausted by theseasons, working on songs nine hours a day in the attic, and it all felt very isolated and insular.”Where the most recent Bones of J.R. Jones release, 2021’s A Celebration, drew inspiration froma trip into the vast, desert expanses of the American southwest, the songs that began takingshape in upstate New York this time around were more difficult to pin down, seeming to comeand go of their own accord.“That’s where the notion of ‘slow lightning’ was born,” Linaberry explains. “It’s about a poweryou can’t control, a force that’s bigger than you and follows its own path no matter how badlyyou want to mold or direct it. That’s what this record felt like, and it’s something I had tofigure out how to embrace.”That kind of all-consuming power is palpable from the start on Slow Lightning, which beginswith the boisterous “Animals.” Gritty and insistent, the track taps into something primal anduninhibited, learning to trust its gut and make peace with aiming high and sometimes fallingshort. “Well my heart’s just trying to kill me,” Linaberry sings over roiling guitars and drums.“It always vibrates above / With always grand notions / But it plays in the mud.” Like so muchof the album, it’s a testament to resilience, to letting go of failure and pressing on even whenthings feel hopeless. The bittersweet title track explores tenacity in the face ofdisenchantment, while the lo-fi “Blue Skies” insists on reaching for hope regardless of the cost,and “The Flood” conjures up a wistful portrait of survival and loss as it builds from a dreamyblur into a searing crescendo.“I remember lying in bed in the dark hearing the coyotes laughing out in the field behind ourhouse just before they killed something,” Linaberry recalls. “It was so haunting and eerie, butat the same time, you’re just so totally in awe of what’s happening right outside your window,this elemental moment of life and death all wrapped up together.”Despite the looming sense of danger that permeates the album, Slow Lightning still manages tofind moments of humor and levity. The darkly romantic “I’ll See You In Hell” revels in a love sostrong it carries on through eternal damnation; the sardonic “I Ain’t Through With You” getshigh on an addictively toxic relationship; and the relentlessly taut “Heaven Help Me” surrendersto overwhelming infatuation, with Linaberry recalling, “Love is the kind of thing that will keepyou warm / That's what she said / As she was burning down my home.”In the end, though, it’s perhaps the breezy “Salt Sour Sweet” that best encapsulates the spiritof the record, with Linaberry looking back on a lifetime of love and heartbreak, dreams anddisappointment, success and failure, and ultimately recognizing that it’s the grand sum of themall that make us who we are. “It’s the salt sour and sweet / That holds,” he sings in an airyfalsetto. Call it maturity, call it self-awareness; it’s the kind of wisdom that can only arrive ona bolt of Slow Lightning. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:“There was no ‘a-ha’ moment,” says Jonathon Linaberry, “no life-changing revelation, nosingular flash of inspiration. It was just a fierce, steady, undeniable energy, a force of nature Ihad to wrestle and wrangle with for years until I could harness it.”It’s easy to understand, then, why Linaberry—better known as The Bones Of J.R. Jones—wouldcall his mesmerizing new album Slow Lightning. As its title would suggest, the collection is rawand visceral, pulsating with an understated electrical current that flows just beneath itsseemingly placid surface. The songs are restless and unsettled here, often grappling with doubtand desire in the face of nature and fate, and frequent collaborator Kiyoshi Matsuyama’sproduction is eerily hypnotic to match, with haunting synthesizers, vintage drum machines, andghostly guitars fleshing out Linaberry’s already-cinematic brand of roots noir. The result is amoody, ominous work that’s equal parts Southern Gothic and transcendentalist meditation, aninstinctual slice of piercing self-reflection that hints at everything from Bruce Springsteen andBon Iver to James Murphy and J.J. Cale as it searches for meaning and purpose in a worldwithout easy answers.“I felt very lost at the time I was writing these songs,” Linaberry confesses. “It was a momentof deep crisis and anxiety, but I knew the only way out was through, which meant I just had tobring myself to the table every day and put in the work.”Linaberry’s no stranger to putting in the work. Born and raised in central New York, he got hisstart playing in hardcore and punk bands before becoming enamored with the field recordingsof Alan Lomax, who documented rural American blues, folk, and gospel musicians throughoutthe 1930s and ’40s. Inspired by the unvarnished honesty of those vintage performances,Linaberry launched The Bones of J.R. Jones in 2012 and, operating as a fully independent artistover the course of the ensuing decade, released three critically acclaimed albums along with atrio of similarly well received EPs; landed his songs in a slew of films and television seriesincluding Suits, Daredevil, Longmire, and Graceland; and toured the US and Europe countlesstimes over as a one-man-band, playing guitar or banjo while simultaneously stomping amodified drum kit everywhere from Telluride Blues to Savannah Stopover. Along the way,Linaberry also shared bills with the likes of The Wallflowers, G. Love, and The Devil MakesThree, soundtracked an Amazon commercial helmed by Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi,and earned praise from Billboard, American Songwriter, and Under the Radar, among others.
After living in constant motion for the better part of ten years, though, Linaberry found himselfat an unexpected standstill in 2021. At the time, he and his wife had recently relocated fromBrooklyn to an old farmhouse in the Catskills, and the change of pace was both rewarding andchallenging all at once.“It’s a pretty remote, rural area we moved to,” Linabery explains, “the kind of place wherespring is just a continuation of the cold, grey, muddy, brown of winter. I was exhausted by theseasons, working on songs nine hours a day in the attic, and it all felt very isolated and insular.”Where the most recent Bones of J.R. Jones release, 2021’s A Celebration, drew inspiration froma trip into the vast, desert expanses of the American southwest, the songs that began takingshape in upstate New York this time around were more difficult to pin down, seeming to comeand go of their own accord.“That’s where the notion of ‘slow lightning’ was born,” Linaberry explains. “It’s about a poweryou can’t control, a force that’s bigger than you and follows its own path no matter how badlyyou want to mold or direct it. That’s what this record felt like, and it’s something I had tofigure out how to embrace.”That kind of all-consuming power is palpable from the start on Slow Lightning, which beginswith the boisterous “Animals.” Gritty and insistent, the track taps into something primal anduninhibited, learning to trust its gut and make peace with aiming high and sometimes fallingshort. “Well my heart’s just trying to kill me,” Linaberry sings over roiling guitars and drums.“It always vibrates above / With always grand notions / But it plays in the mud.” Like so muchof the album, it’s a testament to resilience, to letting go of failure and pressing on even whenthings feel hopeless. The bittersweet title track explores tenacity in the face ofdisenchantment, while the lo-fi “Blue Skies” insists on reaching for hope regardless of the cost,and “The Flood” conjures up a wistful portrait of survival and loss as it builds from a dreamyblur into a searing crescendo.“I remember lying in bed in the dark hearing the coyotes laughing out in the field behind ourhouse just before they killed something,” Linaberry recalls. “It was so haunting and eerie, butat the same time, you’re just so totally in awe of what’s happening right outside your window,this elemental moment of life and death all wrapped up together.”Despite the looming sense of danger that permeates the album, Slow Lightning still manages tofind moments of humor and levity. The darkly romantic “I’ll See You In Hell” revels in a love sostrong it carries on through eternal damnation; the sardonic “I Ain’t Through With You” getshigh on an addictively toxic relationship; and the relentlessly taut “Heaven Help Me” surrendersto overwhelming infatuation, with Linaberry recalling, “Love is the kind of thing that will keepyou warm / That's what she said / As she was burning down my home.”In the end, though, it’s perhaps the breezy “Salt Sour Sweet” that best encapsulates the spiritof the record, with Linaberry looking back on a lifetime of love and heartbreak, dreams anddisappointment, success and failure, and ultimately recognizing that it’s the grand sum of themall that make us who we are. “It’s the salt sour and sweet / That holds,” he sings in an airyfalsetto. Call it maturity, call it self-awareness; it’s the kind of wisdom that can only arrive ona bolt of Slow Lightning.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T185707Z SEQUENCE:1708027 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2257 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240427T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240427T210000 UID:B8C46E80-A175-4B50-B2B9-F16DF11065F1 SUMMARY:Talia Keys & The Love CREATED:20240226T234935Z DTSTAMP:20240226T234935Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/talia-keys-the-love-2 DESCRIPTION:Lessons is the latest album from Talia Keys & the Love, and unveils the kaleidoscopic vision of a motivated, inspired artist. A born-leader and dynamic rocker who aims higher, digs deeper and circles the wagons to manifest the most ambitious work of her career. The guitar-shredding firebrand has fine-tuned her scintillating stew of high-octane blues and soulful R&B grooves, with the squad in tow to show and prove. Lessons finds Ms. Keys leaning into the intestinal strength and resilience inherent in her voice, with more clarity, consciousness, and swagger than ever. Coming out of the creative cocoon of the global pandemic, Keys steps into her power, sharing a selection of her strongest songs to date with a palpable urgency and a veteran band’s streamlined delivery.\NTalia is an activist-musician who has laid a loyal local foundation in Salt Lake City clubs for over a decade, and later made her name on national tours and jam festivals from coast to coast. Keys’ vintage ethos, as well as her trademark fire and brimstone stage presence, are an amalgam of her journey, identity, influences; a new twist on the rock n’ roll troubadour singing songs of struggle and ultimately, triumph. Lessons is a robust sound document that reflects a determined songwriter, principled artist and electrifying frontperson. In various band iterations over the years, Keys has supported an eclectic array of cultural stalwarts across multiple generations, including the Indigo Girls, Lukas Nelson and The Promise of The Real, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Franti, and Thievery Corporation, among others.\NKeys has been determined in developing a well-oiled band to back her onstage, employing the sturdy sounds of The Love for over five years. The contingent includes jamband veteran Dave Brogan (ALO) on drums, Ryan Conger (Joe McQueen Quartet) on keys, Josh Olsen on bass and Lisa Giacoletto on backing vocals. On 2018’s We’re Here, the crew galvanized while exploring Keys activated tracks. On Lessons, The Love incorporates the Omega Horns on several cuts, giving the compositions some proper pizazz. In 2022, Talia Keys & the Love have coalesced into a collaborative chemistry that propels the compositions further, both in the live setting and the studio alike.\NLike so many soul and blues heroines who’ve paved the roads before her, Keys writes and sings of the tensions that continue to plague our cultural climate, assertively taking a principled, personal stance in song after rebel song. The bandleader boldly captures the conversations we’re currently having as a society. Simultaneously, Talia sees making music as her offering of peace and positivity, intended to redirect our energy away from the constant chaos that seems to surround us daily.\NFirst single “Ain’t Got Time For This” blasted back with a tenacity as potent as it is funky. An uptempo romp that calls out to Motown and Stax with its throwback vibes and assertive groove. Yet lyrically, the tune lives here-in-the-now frontier, addressing the distressing state of our fractured society with her trademark unrepentant attitude and style.\N“Existence is a resistance! Be proud of who you are, you are already making a difference. Persistence is resilience. Be bold. Say no and fight back for your presence” Keys sings on “Each One Teach One”, a rallying cry of perseverance and rage that demonstrates Lessons’ attitude and awareness. The scorching stomp defiantly marches along, a fat-bottom baritone sax bassline strutting all the way to the center of town. With typically-provocative lyrics dotting the entire album, Keys’ biting barbs address in her own space and place as a queer woman in today’s divided America.\NTalia continues to sing for the dignity and spirit of others as well, marginalized people of all kinds, in all places. “Head Up” is a feisty number that gallops with an undeniably uplifting message, emboldened by her spirited vocals, and charged with her patented gritty electricity. Keys wrote this song early in the pandemic, as the skies grew dark and foreboding. Yet instead of delivering more gloom and doom, she reverses course - and the curse - with a bright, punchy, danceable jam rich in brass, bluesy guitar licks, and funky basslines.\NTalia says that “Come Back Down”, with a Brody Izm directed video, is a very personal tune to her. The track was inspired by observing so many friends and peers endlessly grind for an uncertain future, without taking any time to smell the roses and enjoy the present moment.\N“Too many times religions tell you to live a certain way so you can get into heaven. People are living for something unknown, and they forget to actually live, love and exist in the now.”\NThe stunning “Born in The Light" features a breathtaking music video filmed in the desert land of ancestral Puebloan and Ute Tribes. The treatment incorporates the Love and the Omega Horns, and was directed by Melahn Atkinson.\NWritten and produced by Keys herself, the compositions on Lessons were conceived and recorded just prior to the global pandemic, foreshadowing an extremely contentious time in our lives. The subject matter is brimming with ruminations on the politics of our country, patriarchy in the music industry, LGBTQ rights, and recognizing institutionalized racism. Critics might assert that she’s a social justice warrior, but Keys “Ain’t Got Time For That.” It’s a badge of honor that Talia wears with pride, and infuses into her art.\NBecause some things are just worth fighting for, and when it comes to Talia Keys & the Love, music is the weapon. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Lessons is the latest album from Talia Keys & the Love, and unveils the kaleidoscopic vision of a motivated, inspired artist. A born-leader and dynamic rocker who aims higher, digs deeper and circles the wagons to manifest the most ambitious work of her career. The guitar-shredding firebrand has fine-tuned her scintillating stew of high-octane blues and soulful R&B grooves, with the squad in tow to show and prove. Lessons finds Ms. Keys leaning into the intestinal strength and resilience inherent in her voice, with more clarity, consciousness, and swagger than ever. Coming out of the creative cocoon of the global pandemic, Keys steps into her power, sharing a selection of her strongest songs to date with a palpable urgency and a veteran band’s streamlined delivery.
Talia is an activist-musician who has laid a loyal local foundation in Salt Lake City clubs for over a decade, and later made her name on national tours and jam festivals from coast to coast. Keys’ vintage ethos, as well as her trademark fire and brimstone stage presence, are an amalgam of her journey, identity, influences; a new twist on the rock n’ roll troubadour singing songs of struggle and ultimately, triumph. Lessons is a robust sound document that reflects a determined songwriter, principled artist and electrifying frontperson. In various band iterations over the years, Keys has supported an eclectic array of cultural stalwarts across multiple generations, including the Indigo Girls, Lukas Nelson and The Promise of The Real, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Franti, and Thievery Corporation, among others.
Keys has been determined in developing a well-oiled band to back her onstage, employing the sturdy sounds of The Love for over five years. The contingent includes jamband veteran Dave Brogan (ALO) on drums, Ryan Conger (Joe McQueen Quartet) on keys, Josh Olsen on bass and Lisa Giacoletto on backing vocals. On 2018’s We’re Here, the crew galvanized while exploring Keys activated tracks. On Lessons, The Love incorporates the Omega Horns on several cuts, giving the compositions some proper pizazz. In 2022, Talia Keys & the Love have coalesced into a collaborative chemistry that propels the compositions further, both in the live setting and the studio alike.
Like so many soul and blues heroines who’ve paved the roads before her, Keys writes and sings of the tensions that continue to plague our cultural climate, assertively taking a principled, personal stance in song after rebel song. The bandleader boldly captures the conversations we’re currently having as a society. Simultaneously, Talia sees making music as her offering of peace and positivity, intended to redirect our energy away from the constant chaos that seems to surround us daily.
First single “Ain’t Got Time For This” blasted back with a tenacity as potent as it is funky. An uptempo romp that calls out to Motown and Stax with its throwback vibes and assertive groove. Yet lyrically, the tune lives here-in-the-now frontier, addressing the distressing state of our fractured society with her trademark unrepentant attitude and style.
“Existence is a resistance! Be proud of who you are, you are already making a difference. Persistence is resilience. Be bold. Say no and fight back for your presence” Keys sings on “Each One Teach One”, a rallying cry of perseverance and rage that demonstrates Lessons’ attitude and awareness. The scorching stomp defiantly marches along, a fat-bottom baritone sax bassline strutting all the way to the center of town. With typically-provocative lyrics dotting the entire album, Keys’ biting barbs address in her own space and place as a queer woman in today’s divided America.
Talia continues to sing for the dignity and spirit of others as well, marginalized people of all kinds, in all places. “Head Up” is a feisty number that gallops with an undeniably uplifting message, emboldened by her spirited vocals, and charged with her patented gritty electricity. Keys wrote this song early in the pandemic, as the skies grew dark and foreboding. Yet instead of delivering more gloom and doom, she reverses course - and the curse - with a bright, punchy, danceable jam rich in brass, bluesy guitar licks, and funky basslines.
Talia says that “Come Back Down”, with a Brody Izm directed video, is a very personal tune to her. The track was inspired by observing so many friends and peers endlessly grind for an uncertain future, without taking any time to smell the roses and enjoy the present moment.
“Too many times religions tell you to live a certain way so you can get into heaven. People are living for something unknown, and they forget to actually live, love and exist in the now.”
The stunning “Born in The Light" features a breathtaking music video filmed in the desert land of ancestral Puebloan and Ute Tribes. The treatment incorporates the Love and the Omega Horns, and was directed by Melahn Atkinson.
Written and produced by Keys herself, the compositions on Lessons were conceived and recorded just prior to the global pandemic, foreshadowing an extremely contentious time in our lives. The subject matter is brimming with ruminations on the politics of our country, patriarchy in the music industry, LGBTQ rights, and recognizing institutionalized racism. Critics might assert that she’s a social justice warrior, but Keys “Ain’t Got Time For That.” It’s a badge of honor that Talia wears with pride, and infuses into her art.
Because some things are just worth fighting for, and when it comes to Talia Keys & the Love, music is the weapon.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240409T210538Z SEQUENCE:3705363 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2273 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-02-29 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240504T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240504T233000 UID:77E11602-121C-406D-811C-1B6E80E7425D SUMMARY:Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors CREATED:20230828T193857Z DTSTAMP:20230828T193857Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/drew-holcomb-the-neighbors DESCRIPTION:There are no strangers at a Drew Holcomb show. For the better part of two decades, the award-winning songwriter has brought his audience together night after night, turning his shows into celebrations of community, collaboration, and contemporary American roots music.Strangers No More, the ninth album from Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, celebrates that sense of togetherness. Produced by Cason Cooley, it expands the band's mix of timeless songwriting, modern-day Laurel Canyon folk, amplified Americana, and heartland rock & roll. "All The Money in the World," with its deep-pocketed groove that showcases The Neighbors’ musicality, is punctuated by blasts of brass, marking the band’s first song to feature horns. "That's On You, That's On Me" makes room for barrelhouse piano, slide guitar, and the greasy grit of a juke joint rock band. "On a Roll" and "Possibility" are Springsteen-sized rock & roll melodramas that wail and exalt, their cinematic arrangements built for the large rooms that Holcomb regularly plays these days. "Fly" is a reflective, finger-plucked folksong. Finally, there's "Dance With Everybody,” a lively tribute to the live show that brims with a joyful optimism—a feeling that was often missing during the band’s earlier years, when their shows weren’t nearly as packed. Song by song,Strangers No More offers an all-encompassing view not only of the places Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors have been, but where they're headed next, too. It's an invitation into the band's world. Strangers no more, indeed. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:There are no strangers at a Drew Holcomb show. For the better part of two decades, the award-winning songwriter has brought his audience together night after night, turning his shows into celebrations of community, collaboration, and contemporary American roots music.Strangers No More, the ninth album from Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, celebrates that sense of togetherness. Produced by Cason Cooley, it expands the band's mix of timeless songwriting, modern-day Laurel Canyon folk, amplified Americana, and heartland rock & roll. "All The Money in the World," with its deep-pocketed groove that showcases The Neighbors’ musicality, is punctuated by blasts of brass, marking the band’s first song to feature horns. "That's On You, That's On Me" makes room for barrelhouse piano, slide guitar, and the greasy grit of a juke joint rock band. "On a Roll" and "Possibility" are Springsteen-sized rock & roll melodramas that wail and exalt, their cinematic arrangements built for the large rooms that Holcomb regularly plays these days. "Fly" is a reflective, finger-plucked folksong. Finally, there's "Dance With Everybody,” a lively tribute to the live show that brims with a joyful optimism—a feeling that was often missing during the band’s earlier years, when their shows weren’t nearly as packed. Song by song,Strangers No More offers an all-encompassing view not only of the places Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors have been, but where they're headed next, too. It's an invitation into the band's world. Strangers no more, indeed.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240503T173444Z SEQUENCE:21506147 LOCATION:195 W 2100 S\, South Salt Lake\, Utah 84190 GEO:40.72535200;-111.89425067 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The Commonwealth Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2643 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2023-08-29 13:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240512T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240512T203000 UID:9BD0CCA5-E808-4E92-A0B9-9DBBF4E79DC2 SUMMARY:Dustin Kensrue CREATED:20240214T183251Z DTSTAMP:20240214T183251Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/dustin-kensrue DESCRIPTION:Dustin Kensrue was still a teenager when he formed Thrice, the dynamic and multifaceted rock band who have been bending and blending genres for the past quarter century. Before the group's touring schedule took him around the world, he spent his childhood in Southern California, regularly heading into the desert to visit his paternal grandparents in Palm Springs. While there, he would wander for hours through the rocky hills and sandy washes near their home, and the landscape, colors, and stories of that sun-baked wilderness left a lasting impression.\NDecades later, Kensrue summons the spirit of the American southwest with his third original studio solo album, the evocative and eclectic Desert Dreaming. It's a transportive album that blurs the lines between genre and geography, balancing the influence of old-school country western icons like Marty Robbins and Gene Autry with the sharp songwriting of a modern musician who's spent 25 years on the road, onstage, and in the writing room. Kensrue approaches these songs like a western novelist, filling them with details of the desert—the sound of coyotes howling in the distance, the smell of sage and lilac in the dry wind, the lure of hidden treasure in the hills—and punctuating the recordings with pedal steel guitar, train beats, and the strongest melodies of his career.\N"The setting really is the main character of the record," says Kensrue. "I grew up in the southwest, and over time, you can get so used to a certain kind of beauty that you stop seeing it. I used to think, 'It's just so brown here.' When I moved back to the southwest after living in the Pacific Northwest for a little bit, I gained a totally new appreciation for the landscape. I fell in love with the desert all over again."\NThat sense of rediscovery—of finally seeing something that's been right in front of you all along—runs throughout the self-produced record. On "Lift Your Eyes," Kensrue's booming voice floats above a backdrop of tremolo guitar and shuffling percussion like it's echoing off the canyon walls, adding gravitas to the song's message. "It's about trying to genuinely experience the expansive world that's laid out in front you, and not getting trapped in some shrunken and abstracted version of it," he says. "We all have ways of imposing our own narratives and structures onto the world. These can be useful, but they aren’t the thing itself. Sometimes we need to step back and really look at what’s there instead of what we expect to see, both literally and metaphorically.”\NA similar theme anchors songs like "Treasure in the West" — a campfire tune about someone too blinded by goldlust to see the riches all around them — and "Heart of Sedona." In the latter song, a man leaves the Verde Valley to join the seminary, only to lose his way, tangled up in “councils and creeds.” His wandering eventually leads him home again, now an old man, and the final verse finds him again back amongst the sandstone buttes of Sedona, preaching a different kind of gospel. "That holy cross is truly something," he sings, "but Cathedral Rock's the only church I need."\N"So many of these songs are tied into the way I personally re-experienced the desert," explains Kensrue, who wrote Desert Dreaming on his acoustic guitar and recorded most of the album at home, joined by collaborators like upright bassist Seth Richardson, pedal steel guitarist Ave Levy, and drummer James McAlister. "I no longer look outside and say, 'There's that brown space.' I can actually see it now. There are layers and layers of beauty everywhere you look. Desert Dreaming is both a love letter to the southwest and a personal travel journal of my own experiences in learning to open my eyes to the world in front of me.”\NAs a SoCal teenager who cut his teeth on punk-rock, Kensrue grew up avoiding the country music that would eventually inspire Desert Dreaming. Johnny Cash became his gateway drug, followed by classic crooners like Patsy Cline, cult heroes like Townes Van Zandt, and alt-country pioneers like Whiskeytown, Drive-By Truckers, and Wilco. "That music was a portal into a different time and a different way of telling stories," he remembers. "It became something that pulled on me, and it became inevitable that I'd write a record like this. I think there's something to be said for creating art that you have to make, even if it might disappoint or confuse someone else. There's a real depth to just doing what you have to do."\NIt's been years since Kensrue made his earliest trips into the Sonoran Desert to visit his grandparents, gaining an appreciation for the southwestern landscape along the way. But this record itself reaches even further back, leaning heavily into the ethos and aesthetics of the country and western music of the 50’s and 60’s. And following another thread into the mid-century he opens Desert Dreaming with "Death Valley Honeymoon," a song about his mother’s parent’s own honeymoon in the Mojave Desert. It's a personal moment of an album that mixes biography, history, and fiction, and it's one of the many songs that make this Desert bloom. Everything that follows—the deep growl of Kensrue's baritone guitar, the spring reverb that drifts skyward like woodsmoke, the trail-riding twang of songs like "Leaving Tonight For Santa Fe"—shows just how expansive Kensrue's music can really be. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Dustin Kensrue was still a teenager when he formed Thrice, the dynamic and multifaceted rock band who have been bending and blending genres for the past quarter century. Before the group's touring schedule took him around the world, he spent his childhood in Southern California, regularly heading into the desert to visit his paternal grandparents in Palm Springs. While there, he would wander for hours through the rocky hills and sandy washes near their home, and the landscape, colors, and stories of that sun-baked wilderness left a lasting impression.
Decades later, Kensrue summons the spirit of the American southwest with his third original studio solo album, the evocative and eclectic Desert Dreaming. It's a transportive album that blurs the lines between genre and geography, balancing the influence of old-school country western icons like Marty Robbins and Gene Autry with the sharp songwriting of a modern musician who's spent 25 years on the road, onstage, and in the writing room. Kensrue approaches these songs like a western novelist, filling them with details of the desert—the sound of coyotes howling in the distance, the smell of sage and lilac in the dry wind, the lure of hidden treasure in the hills—and punctuating the recordings with pedal steel guitar, train beats, and the strongest melodies of his career.
"The setting really is the main character of the record," says Kensrue. "I grew up in the southwest, and over time, you can get so used to a certain kind of beauty that you stop seeing it. I used to think, 'It's just so brown here.' When I moved back to the southwest after living in the Pacific Northwest for a little bit, I gained a totally new appreciation for the landscape. I fell in love with the desert all over again."
That sense of rediscovery—of finally seeing something that's been right in front of you all along—runs throughout the self-produced record. On "Lift Your Eyes," Kensrue's booming voice floats above a backdrop of tremolo guitar and shuffling percussion like it's echoing off the canyon walls, adding gravitas to the song's message. "It's about trying to genuinely experience the expansive world that's laid out in front you, and not getting trapped in some shrunken and abstracted version of it," he says. "We all have ways of imposing our own narratives and structures onto the world. These can be useful, but they aren’t the thing itself. Sometimes we need to step back and really look at what’s there instead of what we expect to see, both literally and metaphorically.”
A similar theme anchors songs like "Treasure in the West" — a campfire tune about someone too blinded by goldlust to see the riches all around them — and "Heart of Sedona." In the latter song, a man leaves the Verde Valley to join the seminary, only to lose his way, tangled up in “councils and creeds.” His wandering eventually leads him home again, now an old man, and the final verse finds him again back amongst the sandstone buttes of Sedona, preaching a different kind of gospel. "That holy cross is truly something," he sings, "but Cathedral Rock's the only church I need."
"So many of these songs are tied into the way I personally re-experienced the desert," explains Kensrue, who wrote Desert Dreaming on his acoustic guitar and recorded most of the album at home, joined by collaborators like upright bassist Seth Richardson, pedal steel guitarist Ave Levy, and drummer James McAlister. "I no longer look outside and say, 'There's that brown space.' I can actually see it now. There are layers and layers of beauty everywhere you look. Desert Dreaming is both a love letter to the southwest and a personal travel journal of my own experiences in learning to open my eyes to the world in front of me.”
As a SoCal teenager who cut his teeth on punk-rock, Kensrue grew up avoiding the country music that would eventually inspire Desert Dreaming. Johnny Cash became his gateway drug, followed by classic crooners like Patsy Cline, cult heroes like Townes Van Zandt, and alt-country pioneers like Whiskeytown, Drive-By Truckers, and Wilco. "That music was a portal into a different time and a different way of telling stories," he remembers. "It became something that pulled on me, and it became inevitable that I'd write a record like this. I think there's something to be said for creating art that you have to make, even if it might disappoint or confuse someone else. There's a real depth to just doing what you have to do."
It's been years since Kensrue made his earliest trips into the Sonoran Desert to visit his grandparents, gaining an appreciation for the southwestern landscape along the way. But this record itself reaches even further back, leaning heavily into the ethos and aesthetics of the country and western music of the 50’s and 60’s. And following another thread into the mid-century he opens Desert Dreaming with "Death Valley Honeymoon," a song about his mother’s parent’s own honeymoon in the Mojave Desert. It's a personal moment of an album that mixes biography, history, and fiction, and it's one of the many songs that make this Desert bloom. Everything that follows—the deep growl of Kensrue's baritone guitar, the spring reverb that drifts skyward like woodsmoke, the trail-riding twang of songs like "Leaving Tonight For Santa Fe"—shows just how expansive Kensrue's music can really be.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240221T171952Z SEQUENCE:600421 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2295 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240516T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240516T210000 UID:7C192FCA-0B03-4C0E-B2B5-8008E85504C2 SUMMARY:Wade Bowen CREATED:20240307T234555Z DTSTAMP:20240307T234555Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/wade-bowen DESCRIPTION:Two decades and more than 4,000 shows into his career, Wade Bowen has become synonymous with country music, songwriting, and captivating live performances, and for good reason. An artistic descendant of American icons like Guy Clark, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Earl Keen and more, Bowen is an important voice in a legacy of Texas troubadours stretching back more than 50 years. Texas Radio agrees, as he scored Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year at the 2023 T3R Awards, along with a #1 hit for his foot-stomping, signature country-rock single “Honky Tonk Roll.”\NRevered as one of the genre’s finest and most authentic modern voices, Bowen’s approach is rooted in tradition, but also stands on the creative cutting edge. His focus remains on writing unique songs with a literary quality and shifting his sonic territory to match his life. More than a dozen albums have shown his musical diversity – including nine studio sets, four live collections, and an ongoing series of buddy-country hits with fellow Texan, Randy Rogers. Later this year, the singer-songwriter will release his tenth studio album, showcasing his diverse musical range and hard-hitting songwriting, as well as a cast of respected features that add unique elements throughout.\NBowen continues to perform more than 200 dates a year across the U.S., solidifying his dedication to connecting with fans through his live performances. There is no slowing down for the road warrior either, with a steady stream of festivals and tour dates lined up for 2024, including a special run in his hometown of New Braunfels, TX alongside long-time friend and collaborator, Miranda Lambert.\NA philanthropist at heart, Bowen founded the Bowen Family Foundation, which has helped children and families in and around central Texas by raising more than $6 million for beneficiaries including March of Dimes Waco, CASA of McLennan and Hill Counties, City of West Disaster Relief, Boys & Girls Clubs of Waco, Inspiración, The Mentoring Alliance, and more. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Two decades and more than 4,000 shows into his career, Wade Bowen has become synonymous with country music, songwriting, and captivating live performances, and for good reason. An artistic descendant of American icons like Guy Clark, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Earl Keen and more, Bowen is an important voice in a legacy of Texas troubadours stretching back more than 50 years. Texas Radio agrees, as he scored Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year at the 2023 T3R Awards, along with a #1 hit for his foot-stomping, signature country-rock single “Honky Tonk Roll.”
Revered as one of the genre’s finest and most authentic modern voices, Bowen’s approach is rooted in tradition, but also stands on the creative cutting edge. His focus remains on writing unique songs with a literary quality and shifting his sonic territory to match his life. More than a dozen albums have shown his musical diversity – including nine studio sets, four live collections, and an ongoing series of buddy-country hits with fellow Texan, Randy Rogers. Later this year, the singer-songwriter will release his tenth studio album, showcasing his diverse musical range and hard-hitting songwriting, as well as a cast of respected features that add unique elements throughout.
Bowen continues to perform more than 200 dates a year across the U.S., solidifying his dedication to connecting with fans through his live performances. There is no slowing down for the road warrior either, with a steady stream of festivals and tour dates lined up for 2024, including a special run in his hometown of New Braunfels, TX alongside long-time friend and collaborator, Miranda Lambert.
A philanthropist at heart, Bowen founded the Bowen Family Foundation, which has helped children and families in and around central Texas by raising more than $6 million for beneficiaries including March of Dimes Waco, CASA of McLennan and Hill Counties, City of West Disaster Relief, Boys & Girls Clubs of Waco, Inspiración, The Mentoring Alliance, and more.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240409T210847Z SEQUENCE:2841772 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2165 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-03-08 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240601T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240601T210000 UID:D97000BD-334C-4BEE-BD2C-60DFC5C60CA5 SUMMARY:Whitey Morgan and The 78's CREATED:20240411T175238Z DTSTAMP:20240411T175238Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/whitey-morgan-and-the-78s DESCRIPTION:In a career spanning 15 years, Morgan has released five studio albums and a live recording from his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Additionally, he has toured relentlessly averaging over 125 shows annually. Rolling Stone has described him as a "Waylon Jennings acolyte.. modern day outlaw [with a] hard hitting blue-collar brand of music" while NPR Music hailed, "Staying close to the sound and subject matter of classic outlaw artists like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe, Morgan is poised to lead this hand-worn brand of country to the next generation." His most recent LP, Sonic Ranch (2015), was released to critical acclaim and praised by Detroit Free Press as, "a bold well-crafted album that doesn't forsake the gritty undercurrent running through Morgan's stuff."Whitey Morgan and the 78's anticipated new album, self-produced by Morgan, was recorded in the Neve Room at famed Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas. Featured on the record are collaborations with acclaimed songwriters Travis Meadows and Ward Davis plus a cover of ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid." Alongside Morgan, the 78's consist of Brett Robinson (pedal steel guitar), Joey Spina (guitar), Alex Lyon (bass) and Eric Savage (drums).\NOf the recording, Morgan shares, "It's not like my vision happened overnight. I've been chipping away at it forever. It's slowly evolving and it's going in a little bit different direction. It's not so straightforward anymore. This record definitely has a wider path, it's broader, but it still sounds like a Whitey Morgan record." With grandparents from Tennessee and Kentucky and hometown roots in Flint, Michigan, Morgan's family geography has factored into his approach to music. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:In a career spanning 15 years, Morgan has released five studio albums and a live recording from his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Additionally, he has toured relentlessly averaging over 125 shows annually. Rolling Stone has described him as a "Waylon Jennings acolyte.. modern day outlaw [with a] hard hitting blue-collar brand of music" while NPR Music hailed, "Staying close to the sound and subject matter of classic outlaw artists like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe, Morgan is poised to lead this hand-worn brand of country to the next generation." His most recent LP, Sonic Ranch (2015), was released to critical acclaim and praised by Detroit Free Press as, "a bold well-crafted album that doesn't forsake the gritty undercurrent running through Morgan's stuff."
Whitey Morgan and the 78's anticipated new album, self-produced by Morgan, was recorded in the Neve Room at famed Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas. Featured on the record are collaborations with acclaimed songwriters Travis Meadows and Ward Davis plus a cover of ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid." Alongside Morgan, the 78's consist of Brett Robinson (pedal steel guitar), Joey Spina (guitar), Alex Lyon (bass) and Eric Savage (drums).
Of the recording, Morgan shares, "It's not like my vision happened overnight. I've been chipping away at it forever. It's slowly evolving and it's going in a little bit different direction. It's not so straightforward anymore. This record definitely has a wider path, it's broader, but it still sounds like a Whitey Morgan record." With grandparents from Tennessee and Kentucky and hometown roots in Flint, Michigan, Morgan's family geography has factored into his approach to music.
Cody Canada first rose to fame as the leader of the rabble-rousing alt-country act Cross Canadian Ragweed, and later launched a solo career that found him following a similar formula of barnstorming rock & roll with strong country and blues influences. Canada's work with Cross Canadian Ragweed took the influences of the Southwestern Red Dirt music community and paired them with solid, high-spirited musicianship and rowdy but literate songs, and the prolific band (ten albums between 2001 and 2009) was at the peak of their strength when Canada headed out as a solo artist. On his own, he debuted with 2011's This Is Indian Land, a tribute to Oklahoma songwriters who inspired him, while his subsequent releases ranged from the beefy hard rock of 2015's Hippielovepunk to the more contemplative singer/songwriter vibe of 2018's 3.
Cody Canada was born in Pampa, Texas in 1976 and first developed a passion for music when his folks took him to a George Strait concert when he was just five years old. At the age of eight, Canada started playing guitar, and by the time he was a teenager, his family had relocated to Yukon, Oklahoma, where he became friends with a handful of guys who shared his love of outlaw country (Steve Earle, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson are cited as special favorites) and hard-edged rock & roll (anything from classic Southern rock to '90s grunge).
With drummer Randy Ragsdale, guitarist Grady Cross, and bassist Matt Wiedemann, Canada formed the band Cross Canadian Ragweedin 1994 (they came up with the name by putting together elements of their names), and they soon relocated to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where they fell in with the thriving local musical community, particularly the Americana-friendly Red Dirt scene. In Stillwater, Jeremy Plato took over for Wiedemann on bass, and Cross Canadian Ragweed began touring frequently through Oklahoma and Texas. In 1998 they recorded their first album, Carney, released through their own Underground Sound label, and in 2001 they signed a deal with Universal South; Highway 377 was their first major-label release. Thanks to a busy touring schedule and a growing and devoted fan base, Cross Canadian Ragweed became one of the most successful acts from the Red Dirt community, and during his downtime from the band, Canada was eager to help other artists he admired, appearing on albums by Ray Wylie Hubbard, Mike McClure, Stephanie Briggs, and Stoney LaRue.
In 2010 Cross Canadian Ragweed announced they were going on an extended hiatus, a time-out that became permanent the following year when Ragsdale and Cross amicably resigned to spend more time off the road and with their families. Canada recruited Plato to play in his new project, Cody Canada & the Departed, featuring Seth James on guitar, Steve Littleton on keyboards, and Dave Bowen on drums. Canada's first album with the Departed, This Is Indian Land, was released through Underground Sound in the summer of 2011. Adventūs (credited just to the Departed, though Canada appeared on the album) arrived in 2012, followed by the hard rockin' HippieLovePunk in 2015, with Canada once again taking star billing over the band. Canada took a slight creative detour with 2015's Chip & Ray, Together Again for the First Time, a live album that documented a concert he performed in tandem with fellow songwriter Mike McClure. Canada turned down his rock influences just a bit on his next album with the Departed, 2018's 3, a more thoughtful collection that included guest appearances from Robert Earl Keen and Danny Barnes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
LAST-MODIFIED:20240517T204026Z SEQUENCE:776 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2684 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240625T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240625T210000 UID:A4A0FD89-8137-4CA2-82FB-2C0CFD21D554 SUMMARY:James McMurtry CREATED:20240311T232446Z DTSTAMP:20240311T232446Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/james-mcmurtry-3 DESCRIPTION:In James McMurtry’s new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance (“Canola Fields”) and endless energy (“If It Don’t Bleed”). This first collection in seven years, due August 20 on New West Records, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection (“Vaquero”) and revelation ( closer “Blackberry Winter”). Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.”The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (Ozzy Osbourne, John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb’ Mo’) at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster’s in Santa Monica, California, a world class studio that has housed such legends as Bob Dylan (2012’s Tempest) and David Crosby (2016’s Lighthouse) as well as Browne himself for I’m Alive (1993) and New Found Glory, Coming Home (2006). McMurtry and Hogarth first worked together 30 years ago, when Hogarth was a recording engineer in the employ of John Mellencamp at Mellencamp’s own Belmont Studios near Bloomington, Indiana.\NHogarth recorded McMurtry’s first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland and Candyland, for Columbia Records and later mixed McMurtry’s first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods, for Sugar Hill Records. Another veteran of those three releases, guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks), returns with some of his finest work.Accordingly, the new collection marks another upward trajectory: The Horses and the Hounds will be McMurtry’s debut album on genre-defining Americana record label New West Records (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Buddy Miller, dozens more).“I first became aware of James McMurtry’s formidable songwriting prowess while working at Bug Music Publishing in the ’90s,” says New West president John Allen. “He’s a true talent. All of us at New West are excited at the prospect of championing the next phase of James’ already successful and respected career.” \NMcMurtry perfectly fits a label housing “artists who perform real music for real people.” After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter’s most recent collection, Complicated Game: “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry — who’s not prone to autobiographical tales — credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio says. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.”His lauded storytelling — check out songs such as “Operation Never Mind” and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” on The Horse and the Hounds— consistently has turned heads for decades now. “James writes like he’s lived a lifetime,” said John Mellencamp back in 1989, when Too Long in the Wasteland hit the Billboard 200. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he’s working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don’t think anybody writes better lyrics.” McMurtry’s albums Just Us Kids (2008) and Childish Things (2005) back the claim, each scoring endless critical praise. The former earned McMurtry his highest Billboard 200 chart position in two decades (since eclipsed by Complicated Game) and notched Americana Music Award nominations. Childish Things spent six full weeks topping the Americana Music Radio chart in 2005 and 2006, and won the Americana Music Association’s Album of the Year, with “We Can’t Make It Here” named the organization’s Song of the Year.\N Other accolades include a 1996 Grammy nomination for Long Form Music Video for Where’d You Hide the Body and an American Indie Award for Best Americana Album for It Had to Happen (1997). McMurtry tours year-round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances, reflected in the release of two live discs: the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records, and 2009’s Live in Europe, which captured the McMurtry band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, Live in Europe features special guests Ian McLagan (Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). (Video of the performance is available on the included DVD.) X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:In James McMurtry’s new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance (“Canola Fields”) and endless energy (“If It Don’t Bleed”). This first collection in seven years, due August 20 on New West Records, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection (“Vaquero”) and revelation ( closer “Blackberry Winter”). Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.”The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (Ozzy Osbourne, John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb’ Mo’) at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster’s in Santa Monica, California, a world class studio that has housed such legends as Bob Dylan (2012’s Tempest) and David Crosby (2016’s Lighthouse) as well as Browne himself for I’m Alive (1993) and New Found Glory, Coming Home (2006). McMurtry and Hogarth first worked together 30 years ago, when Hogarth was a recording engineer in the employ of John Mellencamp at Mellencamp’s own Belmont Studios near Bloomington, Indiana.
Hogarth recorded McMurtry’s first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland and Candyland, for Columbia Records and later mixed McMurtry’s first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods, for Sugar Hill Records. Another veteran of those three releases, guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks), returns with some of his finest work.Accordingly, the new collection marks another upward trajectory: The Horses and the Hounds will be McMurtry’s debut album on genre-defining Americana record label New West Records (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Buddy Miller, dozens more).“I first became aware of James McMurtry’s formidable songwriting prowess while working at Bug Music Publishing in the ’90s,” says New West president John Allen. “He’s a true talent. All of us at New West are excited at the prospect of championing the next phase of James’ already successful and respected career.”
McMurtry perfectly fits a label housing “artists who perform real music for real people.” After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter’s most recent collection, Complicated Game: “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry — who’s not prone to autobiographical tales — credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio says. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.”His lauded storytelling — check out songs such as “Operation Never Mind” and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” on The Horse and the Hounds— consistently has turned heads for decades now. “James writes like he’s lived a lifetime,” said John Mellencamp back in 1989, when Too Long in the Wasteland hit the Billboard 200. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he’s working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don’t think anybody writes better lyrics.” McMurtry’s albums Just Us Kids (2008) and Childish Things (2005) back the claim, each scoring endless critical praise. The former earned McMurtry his highest Billboard 200 chart position in two decades (since eclipsed by Complicated Game) and notched Americana Music Award nominations. Childish Things spent six full weeks topping the Americana Music Radio chart in 2005 and 2006, and won the Americana Music Association’s Album of the Year, with “We Can’t Make It Here” named the organization’s Song of the Year.
Other accolades include a 1996 Grammy nomination for Long Form Music Video for Where’d You Hide the Body and an American Indie Award for Best Americana Album for It Had to Happen (1997). McMurtry tours year-round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances, reflected in the release of two live discs: the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records, and 2009’s Live in Europe, which captured the McMurtry band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, Live in Europe features special guests Ian McLagan (Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). (Video of the performance is available on the included DVD.)
LAST-MODIFIED:20240617T225726Z SEQUENCE:8465560 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:4348 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-03-12 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240628T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240628T210000 UID:97A1CE89-19A8-4FCD-B609-EF9883A0C578 SUMMARY:Murder By Death CREATED:20240221T170308Z DTSTAMP:20240221T170308Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/murder-by-death DESCRIPTION:As trailblazers of the early 2000s indie-Americana style, the Louisville, KY-based quintet finds a way of taking tried & true rock-and-roll and knocking it slightly off axis, into tottering revolutions of something eerie, emotional, immediate, lush, and uniquely theirs. \NOn the surface, Murder By Death is a Louisville, KY sextet with a wry, ominous name. But behind the geography and moniker is a band of meticulous and literary songwriters matched by a specific brand of brooding, anthem-riding balladry and orchestral indie rock.\NMurder By Death's path began in the early 2000s as most Midwestern college-town groups do, by playing to small crowds at ratty venues and frenzied house parties. While many of their formative-year scene-mates failed to make it much further than campustown's borders, Murder By Death translated their anonymous beginnings into a 20+ year career founded on a bedrock of eight full-length albums, tireless D.I.Y. touring and performing ethics, and, most importantly, a dedicated, cult-like fanbase. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:As trailblazers of the early 2000s indie-Americana style, the Louisville, KY-based quintet finds a way of taking tried & true rock-and-roll and knocking it slightly off axis, into tottering revolutions of something eerie, emotional, immediate, lush, and uniquely theirs.
On the surface, Murder By Death is a Louisville, KY sextet with a wry, ominous name. But behind the geography and moniker is a band of meticulous and literary songwriters matched by a specific brand of brooding, anthem-riding balladry and orchestral indie rock.
Murder By Death's path began in the early 2000s as most Midwestern college-town groups do, by playing to small crowds at ratty venues and frenzied house parties. While many of their formative-year scene-mates failed to make it much further than campustown's borders, Murder By Death translated their anonymous beginnings into a 20+ year career founded on a bedrock of eight full-length albums, tireless D.I.Y. touring and performing ethics, and, most importantly, a dedicated, cult-like fanbase.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240409T210332Z SEQUENCE:4161624 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3094 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240730T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240730T210000 UID:95092FBF-E001-4E8B-8EB8-CC7F0A8751A5 SUMMARY:Rayland Baxter CREATED:20240423T170330Z DTSTAMP:20240423T170330Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/rayland-baxter-2 DESCRIPTION:For the making of his fourth album If I Were a Butterfly, Rayland Baxter holed up for over a year at a former rubber-band factory turned studio in the Kentucky countryside—a seemingly humble environment that proved to be something of a wonderland. “I spent that year living in a barn with the squirrels and the birds, on my own most of the time, and I discovered so much about music and how to create it,” says the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter. “Instead of going into a studio with a producer for two weeks, I just waited for the record to build itself. I’d get up and go outside, see a butterfly and connect that with some impulsive thought I’d had three months ago, and suddenly a song I’d been working on would make sense. That’s how the whole album came to be.”\NThe follow-up to 2018’s critically acclaimed Wide Awake, If I Were a Butterfly finds Baxter co-producing alongside Tim O’Sullivan (Grace Potter, The Head and the Heart) and Kai Welch (Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull), slowly piecing together the album’s patchwork of lush psychedelia and Beatlesesque pop. In addition to working at Thunder Sound (the Kentucky studio he called home for months on end), Baxter recorded in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington, enlisting a remarkable lineup of musicians: Shakey Graves, Lennon Stella, several members of Cage the Elephant, Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes, Morning Teleportation’s Travis Goodwin, and legendary Motown drummer Bobbye Jean Hall, among many others. In an especially meaningful turn, two of the album’s tracks feature the elegant pedal steel work of his father, Bucky Baxter (a musician who performed with Bob Dylan and who passed away in May 2020). Thanks to the extraordinary care and ingenuity behind its creation, If I Were a Butterfly arrives as a work of rarefied magic, capable of stirring up immense feeling while leaving the listener happily wonderstruck.\NBaxter’s debut release as a producer, If I Were a Butterfly bears a dazzling unpredictability that has much to do with his limitless imagination as a collector and collagist of sound. “Sometimes the bullfrogs in the pond outside would pulse in a certain tempo and I’d apply that to a song, or I’d hear a bird chirping and it would inspire me to add harmonica in a particular place,” he says. “I could be walking around this massive building in the middle of the night and the air-conditioning would turn on, and it’d give me the idea to include a synth part that holds a similar note. I’d wait for those moments to happen and whenever I tried to force anything, the music usually rejected it.” \NA perfect introduction to If I Were a Butterfly’s elaborate sonic world, the album-opening title track begins with a recording of a Baxter singing at age four, then drifts into a delicately sprawling reverie ornamented with so many lovely details (lavish flute and cello melodies, radiant horns, the hypnotic harmonies of Lennon Stella and Baxter’s girlfriend, Sophia Rose). “I liked the idea of the first voice on the record being me as a little kid, not knowing where I’d be today,” notes Baxter, who embedded newly unearthed audio clips of himself and his older sister Brooke all throughout the album. Graced with the combustible guitar work of his bandmate Barney Cortez, “Billy Goat” kicks up a potent tension with its restless grooves and hot-tempered gang vocals. “It’s a breakup song about being with someone who’s on a different life path—one side wants to influence the other, and inevitably you part ways,” says Baxter. From there, the album takes on a feverish momentum with “Rubberband Man,” a delightfully frenzied track channeling a wild and giddy freedom. “There’s rubber bands all over the property at Thunder Sound—in the earth, in the concrete, used as insulation for the studio,” says Baxter. “I took a mishmash of images in my head and it turned into a song about staying flexible, rolling with the punches.” \NIn its searching reflection on love and loss and striving for transcendence, If I Were a Butterfly reaches a quietly glorious intensity on “Tadpole”: a piano ballad threaded with childhood memories at turns oddly tender (catching frogs and crawfish in a nearby toxic creek) and nightmarish (hearing the gunshot when an across-the-street neighbor took her own life). And on “My Argentina,” If I Were a Butterfly closes out with a piano-driven and painfully raw outpouring, its starkness intermittently broken by soulful strings and gospel-esque harmonies. “One time at the studio I stayed up all night and played that song maybe 100 times; we ended up using the last take, which was recorded at about five in the morning,” says Baxter. “It’s a song that represents the thoughts one might have about a perfect love life, and I love how it ends the album in a big angelic cloud of reverb.” \NFor Baxter, the act of self-producing such a sonically and emotionally expansive body of work proved both exhilarating and arduous. “It really wore me out to spend all that time alone at the studio, editing the hell out of this record; my heart definitely suffered,” he says. “But I also had the guidance of my dad, who was in my dreams all the time—if I was moving too fast, I’d hear him telling me to slow down.” Another profound influence on the album-making process: the 2018 deaths of Baxter’s close friends Billy Swayze (a musician whose parents owned the rubber band company that became Thunder Sound) and Tiger Merritt (the vocalist/guitarist for Morning Teleportation, who worked with Swayze in constructing the studio). “Billy and Tiger had been going up there since 2015, and finally they turned it into a legit recording studio,” he says. “It’s a very special place to me, so they’re two of the four angels I decided to dedicate this record to.”\NEven in its most somber moments, If I Were a Butterfly wholly fulfills Baxter’s mission of imparting a certain purposeful joy. “It’s been a weird few years, but I think the big picture is for us to just exist and find love and be loved, and try to see that all the daily bullshit is simply bugs on the windshield,” says Baxter. “I hope that this album makes people feel the way I do whenever I listen to my favorite records, and that it gives them a platform to dream on.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:For the making of his fourth album If I Were a Butterfly, Rayland Baxter holed up for over a year at a former rubber-band factory turned studio in the Kentucky countryside—a seemingly humble environment that proved to be something of a wonderland. “I spent that year living in a barn with the squirrels and the birds, on my own most of the time, and I discovered so much about music and how to create it,” says the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter. “Instead of going into a studio with a producer for two weeks, I just waited for the record to build itself. I’d get up and go outside, see a butterfly and connect that with some impulsive thought I’d had three months ago, and suddenly a song I’d been working on would make sense. That’s how the whole album came to be.”
The follow-up to 2018’s critically acclaimed Wide Awake, If I Were a Butterfly finds Baxter co-producing alongside Tim O’Sullivan (Grace Potter, The Head and the Heart) and Kai Welch (Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull), slowly piecing together the album’s patchwork of lush psychedelia and Beatlesesque pop. In addition to working at Thunder Sound (the Kentucky studio he called home for months on end), Baxter recorded in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington, enlisting a remarkable lineup of musicians: Shakey Graves, Lennon Stella, several members of Cage the Elephant, Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes, Morning Teleportation’s Travis Goodwin, and legendary Motown drummer Bobbye Jean Hall, among many others. In an especially meaningful turn, two of the album’s tracks feature the elegant pedal steel work of his father, Bucky Baxter (a musician who performed with Bob Dylan and who passed away in May 2020). Thanks to the extraordinary care and ingenuity behind its creation, If I Were a Butterfly arrives as a work of rarefied magic, capable of stirring up immense feeling while leaving the listener happily wonderstruck.
Baxter’s debut release as a producer, If I Were a Butterfly bears a dazzling unpredictability that has much to do with his limitless imagination as a collector and collagist of sound. “Sometimes the bullfrogs in the pond outside would pulse in a certain tempo and I’d apply that to a song, or I’d hear a bird chirping and it would inspire me to add harmonica in a particular place,” he says. “I could be walking around this massive building in the middle of the night and the air-conditioning would turn on, and it’d give me the idea to include a synth part that holds a similar note. I’d wait for those moments to happen and whenever I tried to force anything, the music usually rejected it.”
A perfect introduction to If I Were a Butterfly’s elaborate sonic world, the album-opening title track begins with a recording of a Baxter singing at age four, then drifts into a delicately sprawling reverie ornamented with so many lovely details (lavish flute and cello melodies, radiant horns, the hypnotic harmonies of Lennon Stella and Baxter’s girlfriend, Sophia Rose). “I liked the idea of the first voice on the record being me as a little kid, not knowing where I’d be today,” notes Baxter, who embedded newly unearthed audio clips of himself and his older sister Brooke all throughout the album. Graced with the combustible guitar work of his bandmate Barney Cortez, “Billy Goat” kicks up a potent tension with its restless grooves and hot-tempered gang vocals. “It’s a breakup song about being with someone who’s on a different life path—one side wants to influence the other, and inevitably you part ways,” says Baxter. From there, the album takes on a feverish momentum with “Rubberband Man,” a delightfully frenzied track channeling a wild and giddy freedom. “There’s rubber bands all over the property at Thunder Sound—in the earth, in the concrete, used as insulation for the studio,” says Baxter. “I took a mishmash of images in my head and it turned into a song about staying flexible, rolling with the punches.”
In its searching reflection on love and loss and striving for transcendence, If I Were a Butterfly reaches a quietly glorious intensity on “Tadpole”: a piano ballad threaded with childhood memories at turns oddly tender (catching frogs and crawfish in a nearby toxic creek) and nightmarish (hearing the gunshot when an across-the-street neighbor took her own life). And on “My Argentina,” If I Were a Butterfly closes out with a piano-driven and painfully raw outpouring, its starkness intermittently broken by soulful strings and gospel-esque harmonies. “One time at the studio I stayed up all night and played that song maybe 100 times; we ended up using the last take, which was recorded at about five in the morning,” says Baxter. “It’s a song that represents the thoughts one might have about a perfect love life, and I love how it ends the album in a big angelic cloud of reverb.”
For Baxter, the act of self-producing such a sonically and emotionally expansive body of work proved both exhilarating and arduous. “It really wore me out to spend all that time alone at the studio, editing the hell out of this record; my heart definitely suffered,” he says. “But I also had the guidance of my dad, who was in my dreams all the time—if I was moving too fast, I’d hear him telling me to slow down.” Another profound influence on the album-making process: the 2018 deaths of Baxter’s close friends Billy Swayze (a musician whose parents owned the rubber band company that became Thunder Sound) and Tiger Merritt (the vocalist/guitarist for Morning Teleportation, who worked with Swayze in constructing the studio). “Billy and Tiger had been going up there since 2015, and finally they turned it into a legit recording studio,” he says. “It’s a very special place to me, so they’re two of the four angels I decided to dedicate this record to.”
Even in its most somber moments, If I Were a Butterfly wholly fulfills Baxter’s mission of imparting a certain purposeful joy. “It’s been a weird few years, but I think the big picture is for us to just exist and find love and be loved, and try to see that all the daily bullshit is simply bugs on the windshield,” says Baxter. “I hope that this album makes people feel the way I do whenever I listen to my favorite records, and that it gives them a platform to dream on.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20240701T164614Z SEQUENCE:5960564 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:4823 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240803T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240803T210000 UID:14A44BEB-A7D4-4706-8112-07615E6E135F SUMMARY:Tito Puente Jr. CREATED:20240408T233454Z DTSTAMP:20240408T233454Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/tito-puente-jr DESCRIPTION:The comparison is inevitable. How could it be otherwise? Tito Puente Jr. carries his father with him – imprinted on his physical being and locked in his soul. It’s in his looks, his joy, and his music. Tito, Jr. is on a passionate mission. The younger Puente is determined to nurture the musical legacy left by his father. He refuses to let his father become a distant memory. “He was just too vibrant, too exciting. There was magic in the music my father made. It made people happy all over the world.” He has found captive audiences who echo his passion. Crowds lured to a venue by the father are returning to see the son -- and to once again participate in the high voltage celebration that takes place on stage. Tito Puente, Jr. has become an audience favorite in casinos, performing arts centers, symphony halls and jazz festivals worldwide, performing more than 300 shows over the past 5 years. His 2004 album, “In My Father’s Shoes” featured the classic Puente titles and was spun into a BET Jazz television special of the same name. He was seen in a tribute to his father’s music on NBC’s two hour special--“The Apollo at 70: A Hot Night in Harlem.” He has also appeared on the ABC soap opera hit “One Life to Live” in performance with his big band. Symphony appearances include Dallas, San Antonio, Colorado, South Bend, and upcoming performances with the Palm Desert Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. Tito, Jr.’s new CD release, “Got Mambo?” is a mixture of the old and the new as he takes a musical departure into some powerful new music he can truly call his own. Guest artists Bobby Cruz and Hansel & Raul help make this a coming of age project for Puente, Jr. and the album is receiving heavy praise from Tropical and Latin Jazz critics alike. Tito Jr. reveres the magnificent, lasting impact his father had on our musical lives. “People who don’t know anything about Latin music know my father and people always, always smile when they say my father’s name,” he confides. “That is a very special gift I have been given.” Tito, Jr. lives in South Florida and has two children, Miranda and Antonio. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The comparison is inevitable. How could it be otherwise? Tito Puente Jr. carries his father with him – imprinted on his physical being and locked in his soul. It’s in his looks, his joy, and his music. Tito, Jr. is on a passionate mission. The younger Puente is determined to nurture the musical legacy left by his father. He refuses to let his father become a distant memory. “He was just too vibrant, too exciting. There was magic in the music my father made. It made people happy all over the world.” He has found captive audiences who echo his passion. Crowds lured to a venue by the father are returning to see the son -- and to once again participate in the high voltage celebration that takes place on stage. Tito Puente, Jr. has become an audience favorite in casinos, performing arts centers, symphony halls and jazz festivals worldwide, performing more than 300 shows over the past 5 years. His 2004 album, “In My Father’s Shoes” featured the classic Puente titles and was spun into a BET Jazz television special of the same name. He was seen in a tribute to his father’s music on NBC’s two hour special--“The Apollo at 70: A Hot Night in Harlem.” He has also appeared on the ABC soap opera hit “One Life to Live” in performance with his big band. Symphony appearances include Dallas, San Antonio, Colorado, South Bend, and upcoming performances with the Palm Desert Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. Tito, Jr.’s new CD release, “Got Mambo?” is a mixture of the old and the new as he takes a musical departure into some powerful new music he can truly call his own. Guest artists Bobby Cruz and Hansel & Raul help make this a coming of age project for Puente, Jr. and the album is receiving heavy praise from Tropical and Latin Jazz critics alike. Tito Jr. reveres the magnificent, lasting impact his father had on our musical lives. “People who don’t know anything about Latin music know my father and people always, always smile when they say my father’s name,” he confides. “That is a very special gift I have been given.” Tito, Jr. lives in South Florida and has two children, Miranda and Antonio.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240731T160927Z SEQUENCE:9822873 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2304 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-05-14 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240821T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240821T210000 UID:4338788D-1033-4301-AA5C-EC8FFF98CFDA SUMMARY:Lettuce CREATED:20240716T161723Z DTSTAMP:20240716T161723Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/lettuce-3 DESCRIPTION:LETTUCE is (a) the prime ingredient in a salad, (b) a slang for cash, (c) a green herb that can be smoked, (d) a genre-busting six-member musical collective formed in 1992 by four alumni of the prestigious Berklee College Of Music, or (e) all of the above. If you answered “e,” then you’re in on the sheer magic of a band that both feeds the rich history of funk and combines it with strains of hip-hop, rock, psychedelia, jazz, soul, jam, go-go, and the avant-garde.\NThe GRAMMY® Award-nominated six-piece is comprised of Adam Deitch [drums, percussion, arrangement], Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff [guitar], Erick “Jesus” Coomes [bass], Ryan Zoidis [alto, baritone, tenor sax, Korg X-911], Eric “Benny” Bloom [trumpet, horns], and Nigel Hall [vocals, Hammond B-3, Rhodes, clavinet, keyboards]. To date, their discography includes Outta Here [2002], Rage! [2008], Fly [2012], Crush [2015], the EP Mt. Crushmore [2016], the live album Witches Stew [2017], Elevate [2019], Resonate [2020], Unify [2022], and now VIBE – a single 48 minute continuous session of pure, free-flowing improvisation, available digitally for the first time.\NWith VIBE, Lettuce cement their status as boundary-pushing innovators three decades into their lauded career, blurring lines and smashing up jazz chords, psychedelic passages, big horns, strains of soul and go-go, hip-hop elements for an uplifting, improvisational sound all their own. Ryan Zoidis explains, “we got into a vibe and hit record. 48 minutes went by like a blink of an eye. This is our first purely improvised recording. Nothing planned, nothing edited or overdubbed. This is a true spontaneous musical expression captured in its entirety.”"\NAll together now… Lett us VIBE. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:LETTUCE is (a) the prime ingredient in a salad, (b) a slang for cash, (c) a green herb that can be smoked, (d) a genre-busting six-member musical collective formed in 1992 by four alumni of the prestigious Berklee College Of Music, or (e) all of the above. If you answered “e,” then you’re in on the sheer magic of a band that both feeds the rich history of funk and combines it with strains of hip-hop, rock, psychedelia, jazz, soul, jam, go-go, and the avant-garde.
The GRAMMY® Award-nominated six-piece is comprised of Adam Deitch [drums, percussion, arrangement], Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff [guitar], Erick “Jesus” Coomes [bass], Ryan Zoidis [alto, baritone, tenor sax, Korg X-911], Eric “Benny” Bloom [trumpet, horns], and Nigel Hall [vocals, Hammond B-3, Rhodes, clavinet, keyboards]. To date, their discography includes Outta Here [2002], Rage! [2008], Fly [2012], Crush [2015], the EP Mt. Crushmore [2016], the live album Witches Stew [2017], Elevate [2019], Resonate [2020], Unify [2022], and now VIBE – a single 48 minute continuous session of pure, free-flowing improvisation, available digitally for the first time.
With VIBE, Lettuce cement their status as boundary-pushing innovators three decades into their lauded career, blurring lines and smashing up jazz chords, psychedelic passages, big horns, strains of soul and go-go, hip-hop elements for an uplifting, improvisational sound all their own. Ryan Zoidis explains, “we got into a vibe and hit record. 48 minutes went by like a blink of an eye. This is our first purely improvised recording. Nothing planned, nothing edited or overdubbed. This is a true spontaneous musical expression captured in its entirety.”"
All together now… Lett us VIBE.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240821T210947Z SEQUENCE:3127944 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2514 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240823T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240823T210000 UID:51E80051-5475-49AF-A58A-5B416E9B342C SUMMARY:The Pour, J-Rad Cooley, The Plastic Cherries CREATED:20240726T174926Z DTSTAMP:20240726T174926Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/grid-city-fest-night-1 DESCRIPTION:August 23rd - 25th, 2024 Grid City Music Fest is back for its third year and there is a lot more going on. 62 world class murals, 54 local bands, 7 different stages, 3 days of music and 1 really cool local music fest. \NOnce again our friends at the South Salt Lake Arts Council have sponsored a FREE FUN BUS where you can travel in style all day long, from stage to stage, throughout the Creative Industries Zone. Just take the train down to central point station and hop on! Be sure to grab a festival pass port on Saturday. If you get a stamp at 5 of the 7 venues you can earn yourself a free festival glass. Be sure to check out the map to see all of our stages.\NThanks to our other amazing sponsor’s, and their generosity, Free music will be dispersed throughout “The Zone” on multiple stages for all three days. Super Bubble will no on the roof at Grid City Beer Works and Terence Hansen will be at Pat’s Bbq kicking us off on Friday Night, 30 bands all day Saturday with all 7 stages hosting them and a newly added Sunday Brunch where all 5 of our stages will be offering $3.00 pint specials. 85% of these sets are free to the public, just be sure to check which venues are 21+ \NThe only ticked events are our ultimate after-partys. Please be sure to join us at The Commonwealth Room Friday and Saturday night for a carnival like atmosphere with Food, Games, Vendors, some of salt lakes best bands and lots of Dancing. \NIf you’re into punk rock, we’ve also added another night to our free late night punk party at salt fire brewing, where they will showcase amazing punk bands from The state of Utah. \NThis year our goal is to activate the community of south salt lake. If you aren’t familiar with the creative businesses that make up “The Zone,” there will be no better way than this year’s Fest to get to know them!\NMore info: https://gridcitymusicfest.com\N \NThe Pour\NSalt Lake City based band The Pour offers up their unique recipe of rock, funk, and soul with influences ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Pink Floyd and Miles Davis to Radiohead.\NWith nearly a decade of songwriting under their belts, lead guitarist Jeremy Whitesides and vocalist/bassist Matt Calder lead the creative charge. Colorfully accompanied on keys is Jesse Howerton, and driven by Nate Barkdull on the drums. Carefully crafted, tightly executed original songs provide the foundation for a live show full of deep grooves, tasteful solos, and open-ended improvisation. With their recent EP release “1984,” The Pour are undoubtedly on the move.\NMembers of The Pour have had the privilege of opening for and sharing the stage with John Popper and Blues Traveler, Karl Denson, John Medeski, Stockholm Syndrome, Steve Miller, Eric McFadden, Orgone, Big Head Todd, MonoNeon, Steve Molitz, and DJ Logic.\N X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:August 23rd - 25th, 2024 Grid City Music Fest is back for its third year and there is a lot more going on. 62 world class murals, 54 local bands, 7 different stages, 3 days of music and 1 really cool local music fest.
Once again our friends at the South Salt Lake Arts Council have sponsored a FREE FUN BUS where you can travel in style all day long, from stage to stage, throughout the Creative Industries Zone. Just take the train down to central point station and hop on! Be sure to grab a festival pass port on Saturday. If you get a stamp at 5 of the 7 venues you can earn yourself a free festival glass. Be sure to check out the map to see all of our stages.
Thanks to our other amazing sponsor’s, and their generosity, Free music will be dispersed throughout “The Zone” on multiple stages for all three days. Super Bubble will no on the roof at Grid City Beer Works and Terence Hansen will be at Pat’s Bbq kicking us off on Friday Night, 30 bands all day Saturday with all 7 stages hosting them and a newly added Sunday Brunch where all 5 of our stages will be offering $3.00 pint specials. 85% of these sets are free to the public, just be sure to check which venues are 21+
The only ticked events are our ultimate after-partys. Please be sure to join us at The Commonwealth Room Friday and Saturday night for a carnival like atmosphere with Food, Games, Vendors, some of salt lakes best bands and lots of Dancing.
If you’re into punk rock, we’ve also added another night to our free late night punk party at salt fire brewing, where they will showcase amazing punk bands from The state of Utah.
This year our goal is to activate the community of south salt lake. If you aren’t familiar with the creative businesses that make up “The Zone,” there will be no better way than this year’s Fest to get to know them!
More info: https://gridcitymusicfest.com
Salt Lake City based band The Pour offers up their unique recipe of rock, funk, and soul with influences ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Pink Floyd and Miles Davis to Radiohead.
With nearly a decade of songwriting under their belts, lead guitarist Jeremy Whitesides and vocalist/bassist Matt Calder lead the creative charge. Colorfully accompanied on keys is Jesse Howerton, and driven by Nate Barkdull on the drums. Carefully crafted, tightly executed original songs provide the foundation for a live show full of deep grooves, tasteful solos, and open-ended improvisation. With their recent EP release “1984,” The Pour are undoubtedly on the move.
Members of The Pour have had the privilege of opening for and sharing the stage with John Popper and Blues Traveler, Karl Denson, John Medeski, Stockholm Syndrome, Steve Miller, Eric McFadden, Orgone, Big Head Todd, MonoNeon, Steve Molitz, and DJ Logic.
August 23rd - 25th, 2024 Grid City Music Fest is back for its third year and there is a lot more going on. 62 world class murals, 54 local bands, 7 different stages, 3 days of music and 1 really cool local music fest.
Once again our friends at the South Salt Lake Arts Council have sponsored a FREE FUN BUS where you can travel in style all day long, from stage to stage, throughout the Creative Industries Zone. Just take the train down to central point station and hop on! Be sure to grab a festival pass port on Saturday. If you get a stamp at 5 of the 7 venues you can earn yourself a free festival glass. Be sure to check out the map to see all of our stages.
Thanks to our other amazing sponsor’s, and their generosity, Free music will be dispersed throughout “The Zone” on multiple stages for all three days. Super Bubble will no on the roof at Grid City Beer Works and Terence Hansen will be at Pat’s Bbq kicking us off on Friday Night, 30 bands all day Saturday with all 7 stages hosting them and a newly added Sunday Brunch where all 5 of our stages will be offering $3.00 pint specials. 85% of these sets are free to the public, just be sure to check which venues are 21+
The only ticked events are our ultimate after-partys. Please be sure to join us at The Commonwealth Room Friday and Saturday night for a carnival like atmosphere with Food, Games, Vendors, some of salt lakes best bands and lots of Dancing.
If you’re into punk rock, we’ve also added another night to our free late night punk party at salt fire brewing, where they will showcase amazing punk bands from The state of Utah.
This year our goal is to activate the community of south salt lake. If you aren’t familiar with the creative businesses that make up “The Zone,” there will be no better way than this year’s Fest to get to know them!
More info: https://gridcitymusicfest.com
Existing somewhere between country, folk, and roots rock, Triggers & Slips have been making music blurring the lines of genre for over a decade. Breaking these rules and proverbial boundaries has resulted in a fiercely loyal following akin to other genre-benders like Lucero and Frank Turner in their hometown of Salt Lake City. With their 2012 debut EP and two albums under their belt, the band is now set to share their most fully-formed and emotionally mature work to date, What Do You Feed Your Darkness?
While the music is unabashedly honky-tonk in its origins—piano, twangy electric/acoustic guitar work, and lead singer/songwriter Morgan Snow’s country drawl that belies his roots as a sixth-generation Utah native—the songs themselves subvert classic country storylines of love, loss, and substance abuse by viewing them through a gritty, real-world lens. Snow has lived every line and every phrase within.
There's a lot of heartache in country music, and Triggers & Slips aren’t afraid to lean into those traditional themes in their songwriting. What sets them apart is their ability to find hope and resilience in their work, rather than a punchline (as so much modern country music does). It’s meant to be a light in the darkness. In fact, Snow credits his foray into songwriting and performing as the very thing that saved him from himself over a decade ago, and it remains the rock on which he leans—the band’s name itself being a reminder of the constant struggles we all face as individuals.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240823T184123Z SEQUENCE:2422317 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:943 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240906T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240906T210000 UID:2489C3E9-6DFC-4A91-93F2-524B2BECA100 SUMMARY:Trash Moon Collective Hootenanny CREATED:20240718T224319Z DTSTAMP:20240718T224319Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/trash-moon-collective-hootenanny DESCRIPTION:The Cosmic Hootenanny II is a wildly fun, theatrical variety show featuring over 24 local musicians decked out in cosmic cowboy gear. We’re talking Darth Vader burlesque, an otherworldly banjo orchestra, new takes on 80s classics, and a whole new perspective on acoustic music.\NStaple bands of the SLC scene— The Hot House West Septet, Josie-O and the Big Six, Pompe ’n Honey, the Elderblossoms, and Theoretical Blonde—will be performing along with bonus friends in a variety of arrangements. All of the members of these bands are core constituents of Hot House West 501(c)(3), a local nonprofit that is dedicated to creating experiences of connectedness, learning, and joy through the language of acoustic music.\NWe are producing this over-the-top, ridiculously fun, and high-energy evening to support Hot House West, including its program the Trash Moon Collective, in expanding its community offerings and educational materials. Consider this a gala for the people; we’re putting the ‘fun’ back in fundraising. Maybe you love banjos, think Billy Strings is really cool, or you’re a regular at one of our jams or workshops; maybe you’re slingin’ the fiddle across your back and biking to your bud’s house for porch jams, or your mom is and she needs help to play less lame. Well, think about supporting us in transforming Salt Lake City into the best music scene in the whole frickin’ world by coming to our party. Step aside Nashville! The Trash Moon has risen. \NHot House West is an organization devoted to growing and supporting Utah’s acoustic music community. We believe that acoustic music—from bluegrass to old time, and swing—brings people together and creates opportunities for connectedness, learning, and joy. We host weekly jams and workshops, regular square and swing dances, honky tonks, curate a weekly bluegrass night, run a record label, book musicians at a variety of local haunts, write music books, and promote local shows and unique events within our community. That’s a lot of good sh*t!\NInspired by our first smashingly successful Cosmic Hootenanny last February which raised funds for a dear friend in medical need, the Cosmic Hootenanny II is our opportunity to support the larger music community. All ticket sales, swanky and special merch, and items sold at our silent auction will go directly towards supporting Hot House West 501(c)(3) programs, events, educational materials, and other general costs. You want more Fiddle Tunes Books? More workshops and intimate shows with Nationally Renowned Artists? More acoustic-oriented events and dances that are actually well promoted? Well here’s your chance to help us turn Salt Lake’s local scene into a more vibrant and fun place by gathering all your friends and having an over-the-top good time with us at our Cosmic Hootenanny II. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:
The Cosmic Hootenanny II is a wildly fun, theatrical variety show featuring over 24 local musicians decked out in cosmic cowboy gear. We’re talking Darth Vader burlesque, an otherworldly banjo orchestra, new takes on 80s classics, and a whole new perspective on acoustic music.
Staple bands of the SLC scene— The Hot House West Septet, Josie-O and the Big Six, Pompe ’n Honey, the Elderblossoms, and Theoretical Blonde—will be performing along with bonus friends in a variety of arrangements. All of the members of these bands are core constituents of Hot House West 501(c)(3), a local nonprofit that is dedicated to creating experiences of connectedness, learning, and joy through the language of acoustic music.
We are producing this over-the-top, ridiculously fun, and high-energy evening to support Hot House West, including its program the Trash Moon Collective, in expanding its community offerings and educational materials. Consider this a gala for the people; we’re putting the ‘fun’ back in fundraising. Maybe you love banjos, think Billy Strings is really cool, or you’re a regular at one of our jams or workshops; maybe you’re slingin’ the fiddle across your back and biking to your bud’s house for porch jams, or your mom is and she needs help to play less lame. Well, think about supporting us in transforming Salt Lake City into the best music scene in the whole frickin’ world by coming to our party. Step aside Nashville! The Trash Moon has risen.
Hot House West is an organization devoted to growing and supporting Utah’s acoustic music community. We believe that acoustic music—from bluegrass to old time, and swing—brings people together and creates opportunities for connectedness, learning, and joy. We host weekly jams and workshops, regular square and swing dances, honky tonks, curate a weekly bluegrass night, run a record label, book musicians at a variety of local haunts, write music books, and promote local shows and unique events within our community. That’s a lot of good sh*t!
Inspired by our first smashingly successful Cosmic Hootenanny last February which raised funds for a dear friend in medical need, the Cosmic Hootenanny II is our opportunity to support the larger music community. All ticket sales, swanky and special merch, and items sold at our silent auction will go directly towards supporting Hot House West 501(c)(3) programs, events, educational materials, and other general costs. You want more Fiddle Tunes Books? More workshops and intimate shows with Nationally Renowned Artists? More acoustic-oriented events and dances that are actually well promoted? Well here’s your chance to help us turn Salt Lake’s local scene into a more vibrant and fun place by gathering all your friends and having an over-the-top good time with us at our Cosmic Hootenanny II.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240722T181705Z SEQUENCE:329626 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2574 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-07-19 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240907T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240907T210000 UID:495DDFB7-618C-4928-9370-5191A1742455 SUMMARY:Neal Francis CREATED:20240529T155726Z DTSTAMP:20240529T155726Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/neal-francis DESCRIPTION:On his new album In Plain Sight, Neal Francis offers up a body of work both strangely enchanted and painfully self-aware, unfolding in songs sparked from Greek myths and frenzied dreams and late-night drives in the depths of summer delirium. True to its charmed complexity, the singer/songwriter/pianist’s second full-length came to life over the course of a tumultuous year spent living in a possibly haunted church in Chicago. The result: a portrait of profound upheaval and weary resilience, presented in a kaleidoscopic sound that’s endlessly absorbing. \NThe follow-up to Francis’s 2019 debut Changes—a New Orleans-R&B-leaning effort that landed on best-of-the-year lists from the likes of KCRW, KEXP, and The Current, and saw him hailed as “the reincarnation of Allen Toussaint” by BBC Radio 6—In Plain Sight was written and recorded almost entirely at the church, a now-defunct congregation called St. Peter’s UCC. Despite not identifying as religious, Francis took a music-ministry job at the church in 2017 at the suggestion of a friend. After breaking up with his longtime girlfriend while on tour in fall 2019, he returned to his hometown and found himself with no place to stay, then headed to St. Peter’s and asked to move into the parsonage. \N“I thought I’d only stay a few months but it turned into over a year, and I knew I had to do something to take advantage of this miraculous gift of a situation,” he says. \NMixed by Grammy Award-winner Dave Fridmann (HAIM, Spoon, The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala), In Plain Sight finds Francis again joining forces with Changes producer and analog obsessive Sergio Rios (a guitarist/engineer known for his work with CeeLo Green and Alicia Keys). Like its predecessor, the album spotlights Francis’s refined yet free-spirited performance on piano, an instrument he took up at the age of four. “From a very early age, I was playing late into the night in a very stream-of-consciousness kind of way,” he says, naming everything from ragtime to gospel soul to The Who among his formative influences. With a prodigy-like gift for piano, Francis sat in with a dozen different blues acts in Chicago clubs as a teenager, and helmed a widely beloved instrumental funk band called The Heard before going solo. Along with earning lavish acclaim (including a glowing review from Bob Lefsetz, who declared: “THIS IS THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS!”), Changes led to such triumphs as performing live on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” sharing the stage with members of The Meters at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and touring with such acts as Lee Fields & The Expressions and Black Pumas. \NRecorded entirely on tape with his bandmates Kellen Boersma (guitar), Mike Starr (bass), and Collin O’Brien (drums), In Plain Sight bears a lush and dreamlike quality, thanks in large part to Francis’s restless experimentation with a stash of analog synths lent by his friends in his early days at the church. “My sleep schedule flipped and I’d stay up all night working on songs in this very feverish way,” he says. “I just needed so badly to get completely lost in something.” In a move partly inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, In Plain Sight takes its title from a track Francis ended up scrapping from the album. “It’s a song about my breakup and the circumstances that led to me living in the church, where I’m owning up to all my problems within my relationships and my sobriety,” says Francis, whose first full-length chronicles his struggles with addiction. “It felt like the right title for this record, since so much of it is about coming to the understanding that I continue to suffer because of those problems. It’s about acknowledging that and putting it out in the open in order to mitigate the suffering and try to work on it, instead of trying to hide everything.” \NThe opulent opening track to In Plain Sight, “Alameda Apartments” makes for a majestic introduction to the album’s unveiling of Francis’s inner demons. “I started writing that song maybe six years ago, before I got sober,” he says. “I was going through another breakup and getting kicked out of my place, and I had a nightmare about moving into an art-deco apartment that was haunted, where the walls were all shifting around.” A prime showcase for Francis’s piano work, “Alameda Apartments” simulates that dream state in its untethered melodies, luminous grooves, and lyrics that drift from despair to detached curiosity (e.g., “It remains to be seen if the ghosts are all right”). “The craziest thing is that I’d never encountered the name ‘Alameda’ in any time in my life prior to that dream,” says Francis. “It’s bizarre that I even remembered it, especially since you don’t dream very often when you’re getting fucked up.” \NOn “Problems,” In Plain Sight eases into a brighter and breezier mood, with Francis mining inspiration from early-’70s Sly & the Family Stone and the glistening soft rock of Mirage-era Fleetwood Mac. But in a stark contrast to the track’s radiant synth and rapturous harmonies, “Problems” centers on Francis’s exacting introspection. “It’s about being half-in and half-out of a relationship, and how untenable that is,” he says. “I wrote it at a time when I really couldn’t maintain a relationship, because I had too many issues with myself that needed to be addressed.” \NGraced with a smoldering slide-guitar solo from the legendary Derek Trucks, “Can’t Stop the Rain” arrives as the first unabashedly hopeful moment on In Plain Sight. “I wrote that with my buddy David Shaw, who came up with the refrain and this idea that even though life’s going to throw all this shit at you, there’s still so many things to be grateful for,” says Francis. Propelled by the track’s cascading piano lines and wildly soaring vocals, that refrain takes on an unlikely anthemic power as Francis shares a bit of gently expressed encouragement: “You can’t stop the rain/It’s always coming down/It’s always gonna fall/But you’re not gonna drown.” \NOn the guitar-heavy and glorious “Prometheus,” Francis nods to the Greek myth of the Titan god who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to the humans. As punishment, Prometheus spent eternity chained to a rock as an eagle visited each day to peck out his liver—which then grew back overnight, only to be eaten again the following day in a never ending cycle of torment. “That song came from the lowest ebb of quarantine, when Chicago was literally on fire,” Francis says. “It came to me while I was driving around all these abandoned streets in the middle of the night, and turned into a song about facing my problems with addiction and feeling like I’m chained to this set of compulsions.” Threaded with plain spoken confession (“It’s not in my nature to try to do better”), the track features a sprawling synth arrangement informed by the many hours Francis spent playing the St. Peter’s pipe organ. “I call that section of the song ‘The Pope,’” he says. “It’s this grand, powerful entry that’s sort of sinister, and then it just drops away.” \NBy the end of his surreal and sometimes eerie experience of living at the church—“I’m convinced that the stairway leading to the choir loft where I used to practice is haunted,” he notes—Francis had found his musicality undeniably elevated. “Because I was forced into this almost monastic existence and was alone so much of the time, I could play as often and as long as I wanted,” he says. “I ended up becoming such a better pianist, a better writer, a better reader of music.” Dedicated to a woman named Lil (the de facto leader of the St. Peter’s congregation), In Plain Sight ultimately reveals the possibility of redemption and transformation even as your world falls apart. \N“When I started the process of writing these songs, I was so emotionally out-of-sorts and really kind of hopeless that I’d be able to come up with anything,” says Francis. “But then I sat down and started working, and embraced whatever inspiration came my way. Sometimes it felt like beating my head against a wall, but I tried to trust that it would lead somewhere. The whole thing was like a weird dream—this very strange time of terrible, wonderful isolation.”\NIn Plain Sight has received critical praise from KCRW (“an unapologetically joyful, electric feel”), Rolling Stone (“Neal Francis is making piano rock cool again”), SPIN (“one of the year's best releases”), and more. Both radio singles from the album—“Can’t Stop The Rain” and “Problems”—charted on AAA and Americana radio, with “Can’t Stop The Rain” going as high as #3 on the Americana charts. Francis has toured relentlessly to support the album, playing to thousands with sold out headline dates at legendary venues in Chicago, San Francisco, Nashville, Denver, London, and many more. \NIn November 2022 Francis released the EP Sentimental Garbage (ATO Records) which includes a number of standout tracks recorded during the original album sessions at St. Peter’s. “Sentimental Garbage was the working title of our last LP,” Francis says, “which includes the track of the same name. We ended up calling that record In Plain Sight while removing the title track from the sequence. I knew this was my last chance to slap ‘Sentimental Garbage’ on a record jacket, the thought of which always brought me great joy. It also works because this record is compiled of bittersweet scraps.” Francis also found time to release a live record in November 2023 entitled Francis Comes Alive. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:On his new album In Plain Sight, Neal Francis offers up a body of work both strangely enchanted and painfully self-aware, unfolding in songs sparked from Greek myths and frenzied dreams and late-night drives in the depths of summer delirium. True to its charmed complexity, the singer/songwriter/pianist’s second full-length came to life over the course of a tumultuous year spent living in a possibly haunted church in Chicago. The result: a portrait of profound upheaval and weary resilience, presented in a kaleidoscopic sound that’s endlessly absorbing.
The follow-up to Francis’s 2019 debut Changes—a New Orleans-R&B-leaning effort that landed on best-of-the-year lists from the likes of KCRW, KEXP, and The Current, and saw him hailed as “the reincarnation of Allen Toussaint” by BBC Radio 6—In Plain Sight was written and recorded almost entirely at the church, a now-defunct congregation called St. Peter’s UCC. Despite not identifying as religious, Francis took a music-ministry job at the church in 2017 at the suggestion of a friend. After breaking up with his longtime girlfriend while on tour in fall 2019, he returned to his hometown and found himself with no place to stay, then headed to St. Peter’s and asked to move into the parsonage.
“I thought I’d only stay a few months but it turned into over a year, and I knew I had to do something to take advantage of this miraculous gift of a situation,” he says.
Mixed by Grammy Award-winner Dave Fridmann (HAIM, Spoon, The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala), In Plain Sight finds Francis again joining forces with Changes producer and analog obsessive Sergio Rios (a guitarist/engineer known for his work with CeeLo Green and Alicia Keys). Like its predecessor, the album spotlights Francis’s refined yet free-spirited performance on piano, an instrument he took up at the age of four. “From a very early age, I was playing late into the night in a very stream-of-consciousness kind of way,” he says, naming everything from ragtime to gospel soul to The Who among his formative influences. With a prodigy-like gift for piano, Francis sat in with a dozen different blues acts in Chicago clubs as a teenager, and helmed a widely beloved instrumental funk band called The Heard before going solo. Along with earning lavish acclaim (including a glowing review from Bob Lefsetz, who declared: “THIS IS THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS!”), Changes led to such triumphs as performing live on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” sharing the stage with members of The Meters at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and touring with such acts as Lee Fields & The Expressions and Black Pumas.
Recorded entirely on tape with his bandmates Kellen Boersma (guitar), Mike Starr (bass), and Collin O’Brien (drums), In Plain Sight bears a lush and dreamlike quality, thanks in large part to Francis’s restless experimentation with a stash of analog synths lent by his friends in his early days at the church. “My sleep schedule flipped and I’d stay up all night working on songs in this very feverish way,” he says. “I just needed so badly to get completely lost in something.” In a move partly inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, In Plain Sight takes its title from a track Francis ended up scrapping from the album. “It’s a song about my breakup and the circumstances that led to me living in the church, where I’m owning up to all my problems within my relationships and my sobriety,” says Francis, whose first full-length chronicles his struggles with addiction. “It felt like the right title for this record, since so much of it is about coming to the understanding that I continue to suffer because of those problems. It’s about acknowledging that and putting it out in the open in order to mitigate the suffering and try to work on it, instead of trying to hide everything.”
The opulent opening track to In Plain Sight, “Alameda Apartments” makes for a majestic introduction to the album’s unveiling of Francis’s inner demons. “I started writing that song maybe six years ago, before I got sober,” he says. “I was going through another breakup and getting kicked out of my place, and I had a nightmare about moving into an art-deco apartment that was haunted, where the walls were all shifting around.” A prime showcase for Francis’s piano work, “Alameda Apartments” simulates that dream state in its untethered melodies, luminous grooves, and lyrics that drift from despair to detached curiosity (e.g., “It remains to be seen if the ghosts are all right”). “The craziest thing is that I’d never encountered the name ‘Alameda’ in any time in my life prior to that dream,” says Francis. “It’s bizarre that I even remembered it, especially since you don’t dream very often when you’re getting fucked up.”
On “Problems,” In Plain Sight eases into a brighter and breezier mood, with Francis mining inspiration from early-’70s Sly & the Family Stone and the glistening soft rock of Mirage-era Fleetwood Mac. But in a stark contrast to the track’s radiant synth and rapturous harmonies, “Problems” centers on Francis’s exacting introspection. “It’s about being half-in and half-out of a relationship, and how untenable that is,” he says. “I wrote it at a time when I really couldn’t maintain a relationship, because I had too many issues with myself that needed to be addressed.”
Graced with a smoldering slide-guitar solo from the legendary Derek Trucks, “Can’t Stop the Rain” arrives as the first unabashedly hopeful moment on In Plain Sight. “I wrote that with my buddy David Shaw, who came up with the refrain and this idea that even though life’s going to throw all this shit at you, there’s still so many things to be grateful for,” says Francis. Propelled by the track’s cascading piano lines and wildly soaring vocals, that refrain takes on an unlikely anthemic power as Francis shares a bit of gently expressed encouragement: “You can’t stop the rain/It’s always coming down/It’s always gonna fall/But you’re not gonna drown.”
On the guitar-heavy and glorious “Prometheus,” Francis nods to the Greek myth of the Titan god who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to the humans. As punishment, Prometheus spent eternity chained to a rock as an eagle visited each day to peck out his liver—which then grew back overnight, only to be eaten again the following day in a never ending cycle of torment. “That song came from the lowest ebb of quarantine, when Chicago was literally on fire,” Francis says. “It came to me while I was driving around all these abandoned streets in the middle of the night, and turned into a song about facing my problems with addiction and feeling like I’m chained to this set of compulsions.” Threaded with plain spoken confession (“It’s not in my nature to try to do better”), the track features a sprawling synth arrangement informed by the many hours Francis spent playing the St. Peter’s pipe organ. “I call that section of the song ‘The Pope,’” he says. “It’s this grand, powerful entry that’s sort of sinister, and then it just drops away.”
By the end of his surreal and sometimes eerie experience of living at the church—“I’m convinced that the stairway leading to the choir loft where I used to practice is haunted,” he notes—Francis had found his musicality undeniably elevated. “Because I was forced into this almost monastic existence and was alone so much of the time, I could play as often and as long as I wanted,” he says. “I ended up becoming such a better pianist, a better writer, a better reader of music.” Dedicated to a woman named Lil (the de facto leader of the St. Peter’s congregation), In Plain Sight ultimately reveals the possibility of redemption and transformation even as your world falls apart.
“When I started the process of writing these songs, I was so emotionally out-of-sorts and really kind of hopeless that I’d be able to come up with anything,” says Francis. “But then I sat down and started working, and embraced whatever inspiration came my way. Sometimes it felt like beating my head against a wall, but I tried to trust that it would lead somewhere. The whole thing was like a weird dream—this very strange time of terrible, wonderful isolation.”
In Plain Sight has received critical praise from KCRW (“an unapologetically joyful, electric feel”), Rolling Stone (“Neal Francis is making piano rock cool again”), SPIN (“one of the year's best releases”), and more. Both radio singles from the album—“Can’t Stop The Rain” and “Problems”—charted on AAA and Americana radio, with “Can’t Stop The Rain” going as high as #3 on the Americana charts. Francis has toured relentlessly to support the album, playing to thousands with sold out headline dates at legendary venues in Chicago, San Francisco, Nashville, Denver, London, and many more.
In November 2022 Francis released the EP Sentimental Garbage (ATO Records) which includes a number of standout tracks recorded during the original album sessions at St. Peter’s. “Sentimental Garbage was the working title of our last LP,” Francis says, “which includes the track of the same name. We ended up calling that record In Plain Sight while removing the title track from the sequence. I knew this was my last chance to slap ‘Sentimental Garbage’ on a record jacket, the thought of which always brought me great joy. It also works because this record is compiled of bittersweet scraps.” Francis also found time to release a live record in November 2023 entitled Francis Comes Alive.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240627T212328Z SEQUENCE:2525162 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3095 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-05-29 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240915T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240915T210000 UID:7CE7FB19-EBA9-4C92-8417-DF98B6D68A64 SUMMARY:Hayes Carll x Band of Heathens CREATED:20240515T155249Z DTSTAMP:20240515T155249Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/hayes-carll-x-band-of-heathens DESCRIPTION:“Hayes & The Heathens” does not mean Hayes Carll with “opening act” The Band of Heathens or the other way around. It means ONE hellaciously talent-stacked band from downbeat to encore, fronted by three acclaimed singer-songwriters (Carll and The Heathens’ Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist), armed to the teeth with guitars, swagger, and some of the most irresistible American rock ’n’ roll, folk, country, and soulful blues anthems of the last two decades. \NFar from coming out of nowhere, Hayes & The Heathens is a union born out of years from mutual respect. Their respective award-winning careers have run parallel and criss-crossed many times, most recently back in October of 2023, when Carll and The Heathens shared a freewheeling family jam in Luckenbach, Texas. \N“We had such a blast collaborating and playing together out in Luckenbach, that we wanted to take this on the road and share it with more people,” says Quist. \NWhether through combining their celebrated catalogs, writing and recording new music, or reinterpreting their favorite musical works by others…There’s a whole lotta roots-rocking funky coolness coming your way. The kind gets exponentially cooler when two of the scrappiest and most respected acts to ever tumble out of Texas — Hayes Carll and The Band of Heathens — join forces.\N“We’ve played a lot of music together over the last 10 years,” says Carll, “and our creative relationship continues to evolve into its own thing. Hayes & The Heathens is that thing.” \N“This sort of medicine show, revival, rock and roll circus is a unique presentation of our music,” adds Jurdi. “I think anyone who loves the spontaneity and chemistry of a live performance is going to be in for a magical evening. I know we’re going to have a good time!”\NAnd whether that magical good-time lasts for one quick fling or continues to evolve into who knows what more down the road, this much is a given: The collective stomp and holler of Hayes & The Heathens is gonna be righteous. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:“Hayes & The Heathens” does not mean Hayes Carll with “opening act” The Band of Heathens or the other way around. It means ONE hellaciously talent-stacked band from downbeat to encore, fronted by three acclaimed singer-songwriters (Carll and The Heathens’ Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist), armed to the teeth with guitars, swagger, and some of the most irresistible American rock ’n’ roll, folk, country, and soulful blues anthems of the last two decades.
Far from coming out of nowhere, Hayes & The Heathens is a union born out of years from mutual respect. Their respective award-winning careers have run parallel and criss-crossed many times, most recently back in October of 2023, when Carll and The Heathens shared a freewheeling family jam in Luckenbach, Texas.
“We had such a blast collaborating and playing together out in Luckenbach, that we wanted to take this on the road and share it with more people,” says Quist.
Whether through combining their celebrated catalogs, writing and recording new music, or reinterpreting their favorite musical works by others…There’s a whole lotta roots-rocking funky coolness coming your way. The kind gets exponentially cooler when two of the scrappiest and most respected acts to ever tumble out of Texas — Hayes Carll and The Band of Heathens — join forces.
“We’ve played a lot of music together over the last 10 years,” says Carll, “and our creative relationship continues to evolve into its own thing. Hayes & The Heathens is that thing.”
“This sort of medicine show, revival, rock and roll circus is a unique presentation of our music,” adds Jurdi. “I think anyone who loves the spontaneity and chemistry of a live performance is going to be in for a magical evening. I know we’re going to have a good time!”
And whether that magical good-time lasts for one quick fling or continues to evolve into who knows what more down the road, this much is a given: The collective stomp and holler of Hayes & The Heathens is gonna be righteous.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240521T195932Z SEQUENCE:533203 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2864 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-05-15 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240920T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240920T100000 UID:72EE6136-8888-4EBA-A2AC-0B17DE944F58 SUMMARY:Hell's Belles CREATED:20240802T155018Z DTSTAMP:20240802T155018Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/hells-belles-2 DESCRIPTION:HELL'S BELLES are first and foremost dedicated AC/DC fanatics. This is what we all have in common. We're all part of a huge community of devotees to one of the greatest rock-n-roll bands in the world. This is who we all are, and this is what HELL'S BELLES strives to deliver with mechanical precision and passionate fury. Endorsed by Angus Young himself (Blender Magazine, 2003), HELL'S BELLES are the closest one can get without actually moving to Australia and joining AC/DC's road crew.\NHELL'S BELLES are indeed ALL female, all the way to their rock-n-roll cores, all the time and without exception. Representing for a whole new generation of women that won't be intimidated, HELL'S BELLES actively encourage our legions of lady fans to stand up and be counted, and collaborate with women musicians and causes as a part of the mission towards rock and roll inclusion. Not some down-your-throat feminism, but a proactive support and action spirit towards the continued march towards balancing of the gender scales.\NThe thousands of shows HELL'S BELLES have played around the world, including Jordan, Singapore, Japan, Canada, and the good ol' USA (including Alaska), have become legendary nights of epic proportions. Consistently sexy and sold-out shows - there's not a HELL'S BELLES audience that hasn't been blown away by the raw power, attention to AC/DC details, and undeniable appeal that these bad ass belles deliver with undying devotion. From the Angus stripping “Bad Boy Boogie" to “Dirty Deeds" to "TNT", not to mention AC/DC's landmark hits "Highway to Hell", "Thunderstruck", and "Back in Black". The marathon set lists change to include a fresh variety of classics, but the perfection and passion of the show never dies.\NIt's an all out rock-n-roll assault that leaves you both satisfied and begging for more. And, more you'll get as HELL'S BELLES keep conquering new cities, new states, and new countries. They'll be in your back yard bringing AC/DC in sound and spirit to you with their recording VOL. II, so you can always count on taking a little piece of HELL'S BELLES home with ya.\NHELL'S BELLES - committed, ferocious, meticulous women rock musicians delivering authentic AC/DC to the unbelievably supportive and wicked awesome fans. All day and all night long, all over the world, pitch perfect AC/ DC delivered with a highly charged vigor.\NLet there be rock! X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:HELL'S BELLES are first and foremost dedicated AC/DC fanatics. This is what we all have in common. We're all part of a huge community of devotees to one of the greatest rock-n-roll bands in the world. This is who we all are, and this is what HELL'S BELLES strives to deliver with mechanical precision and passionate fury. Endorsed by Angus Young himself (Blender Magazine, 2003), HELL'S BELLES are the closest one can get without actually moving to Australia and joining AC/DC's road crew.
HELL'S BELLES are indeed ALL female, all the way to their rock-n-roll cores, all the time and without exception. Representing for a whole new generation of women that won't be intimidated, HELL'S BELLES actively encourage our legions of lady fans to stand up and be counted, and collaborate with women musicians and causes as a part of the mission towards rock and roll inclusion. Not some down-your-throat feminism, but a proactive support and action spirit towards the continued march towards balancing of the gender scales.
The thousands of shows HELL'S BELLES have played around the world, including Jordan, Singapore, Japan, Canada, and the good ol' USA (including Alaska), have become legendary nights of epic proportions. Consistently sexy and sold-out shows - there's not a HELL'S BELLES audience that hasn't been blown away by the raw power, attention to AC/DC details, and undeniable appeal that these bad ass belles deliver with undying devotion. From the Angus stripping “Bad Boy Boogie" to “Dirty Deeds" to "TNT", not to mention AC/DC's landmark hits "Highway to Hell", "Thunderstruck", and "Back in Black". The marathon set lists change to include a fresh variety of classics, but the perfection and passion of the show never dies.
It's an all out rock-n-roll assault that leaves you both satisfied and begging for more. And, more you'll get as HELL'S BELLES keep conquering new cities, new states, and new countries. They'll be in your back yard bringing AC/DC in sound and spirit to you with their recording VOL. II, so you can always count on taking a little piece of HELL'S BELLES home with ya.
HELL'S BELLES - committed, ferocious, meticulous women rock musicians delivering authentic AC/DC to the unbelievably supportive and wicked awesome fans. All day and all night long, all over the world, pitch perfect AC/ DC delivered with a highly charged vigor.
Let there be rock!
LAST-MODIFIED:20240819T173625Z SEQUENCE:1475167 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3018 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-08-02 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240925T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240925T210000 UID:4E61A4BE-CC09-4C83-B421-5A38BCF80E6E SUMMARY:John Vincent III CREATED:20240311T155653Z DTSTAMP:20240311T155653Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/john-vincent-iii DESCRIPTION:After touring his acclaimed, self-released 2019 debut album, Songs From the Valley, John Vincent III was ready for a bit of a break. Nearly four years later, the 27-year-old Nashville/Houston-based folk troubadour has distilled that once-in-a-lifetime experience into his beautiful and evocative sophomore full-length, Songs for the Canyon.\NCo-produced by Vincent with Tom Elmhirst (Adele, David Bowie), and featuring additional production from Tony Berg and Ryan Hadlock, Songs for the Canyon is a massive leap forward from a proudly DIY artist who has already built a diehard fan base on the strength of his heartfelt, stripped-down, classic folk sound. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:After touring his acclaimed, self-released 2019 debut album, Songs From the Valley, John Vincent III was ready for a bit of a break. Nearly four years later, the 27-year-old Nashville/Houston-based folk troubadour has distilled that once-in-a-lifetime experience into his beautiful and evocative sophomore full-length, Songs for the Canyon.
Co-produced by Vincent with Tom Elmhirst (Adele, David Bowie), and featuring additional production from Tony Berg and Ryan Hadlock, Songs for the Canyon is a massive leap forward from a proudly DIY artist who has already built a diehard fan base on the strength of his heartfelt, stripped-down, classic folk sound.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240923T183831Z SEQUENCE:16944098 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3598 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-03-11 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241001T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241001T210000 UID:009EC0D6-97F7-4F12-9AB0-13F5B81850BC SUMMARY: Thee Sinseers x The Altons CREATED:20240611T181855Z DTSTAMP:20240611T181855Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/thee-sinseers-x-the-alton DESCRIPTION:Thee Sinseers are a powerhouse of soul and R&B; evocative of their hometown of EastL.A.'s Friday evening cruises, Saturday night backyard boogies, and Sunday afternoonbarbecues that helped shape a resurgence and interest in this modern wave of soulmusic. Led by multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter JosephQuiñones, Thee Sinseers features a full band that includes a 3 piece horn section (EricJohnson [Tenor Sax] Steve Surman [Baritone Sax] and Joseluis Jimenez [Trombone]),sweet vocal harmonies (Adriana Flores, Bryan Ponce, Luis Carpio), and a tight rhythmsection (Christopher Manjarrez [bass], Francisco Flores [guitar], Bryan Ponce [guitar],and Luis Carpio [drums]). Thee Sinseers worked with Colemine Records in 2019 torelease a 7" single (It Was Only a Dream/I Don't Mind) and are currently working withthe label on a full length LP, expected in 2023. The band also released a 7" single oftheir viral hit "Seems Like'' with the renowned Brooklyn based label, Daptone records,under their Penrose Records imprint. The single was later included on the "PenroseRecords Vol. 1" compilation released in early 2022. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Thee Sinseers are a powerhouse of soul and R&B; evocative of their hometown of EastL.A.'s Friday evening cruises, Saturday night backyard boogies, and Sunday afternoonbarbecues that helped shape a resurgence and interest in this modern wave of soulmusic. Led by multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter JosephQuiñones, Thee Sinseers features a full band that includes a 3 piece horn section (EricJohnson [Tenor Sax] Steve Surman [Baritone Sax] and Joseluis Jimenez [Trombone]),sweet vocal harmonies (Adriana Flores, Bryan Ponce, Luis Carpio), and a tight rhythmsection (Christopher Manjarrez [bass], Francisco Flores [guitar], Bryan Ponce [guitar],and Luis Carpio [drums]). Thee Sinseers worked with Colemine Records in 2019 torelease a 7" single (It Was Only a Dream/I Don't Mind) and are currently working withthe label on a full length LP, expected in 2023. The band also released a 7" single oftheir viral hit "Seems Like'' with the renowned Brooklyn based label, Daptone records,under their Penrose Records imprint. The single was later included on the "PenroseRecords Vol. 1" compilation released in early 2022.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240923T212200Z SEQUENCE:8996585 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2427 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241002T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241002T210000 UID:9D73C41F-4B43-440F-9686-DB4CC07E737E SUMMARY:David Cross (CANCELLED) CREATED:20240506T183150Z DTSTAMP:20240506T183150Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/david-cross DESCRIPTION:Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screen.\NIn November, Cross taped a comedy special to be released in 2022. He makes guest appearances in the new, critically-acclaimed HBO Max miniseries, Station Eleven, which premiered on December 16, and in the HBO Max film, 8-Bit Christmas, which premiered in November. In March, Cross starred in the National Geographic series, Genius: Aretha, portraying famed music producer, Jerry Wexler opposite Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin.\NCross received rave reviews for his starring role in the dramatic film, The Dark Divide. Based on the beloved book, “Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide,” by Robert Pyle, one of America's premiere nature writers, the film recreates Pyle’s perilous 1995 journey across one of America’s largest undeveloped wildlands.\NCross’ last special, Oh Come On, is now available on Amazon Prime and Peacock. The special was originally released on May 10, 2019, simultaneously in a 10-city theatrical run. The Oh, Come Onspecial was filmed in August 2018 at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. The album version of Oh, Come On was recorded in November 2018 in Birmingham, AL and is available on iTunes, Spotify, Sirius XM, Google Play and at physical retailers.\NCross’ Oh Come On international tour visited theatres in more than 70 cities including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, Amsterdam and cities across North America. Named one of the Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All Time, Cross’ 2016 Making America Great Again! tour included Cross’ first European dates outside of England and produced the Netflix special of the same name and the Grammy nominated CD, …America…Great.\NCross voiced roles in Boots Riley’s film, Sorry To Bother You, and the Netflix animated film, Next Gen. He stars in the 5th season of Arrested Development, which premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2018, reprising his beloved role as Dr. Tobias Fünke. During its original critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning run on FOX, Cross was twice-nominated as part of the ensemble cast for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Cross can also be seen in a recurring role in the second season of the Amazon series, Goliath, starring Billy Bob Thornton, which premiered on June 15, 2018.\NIn January 2018, Cross was part of the ensemble cast with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in Steven Spielberg’s The Post. His series, Bliss, which he wrote, directed and produced, starring Stephen Mangan, premiered on Sky TV in the UK in February 2018. The inventive series is about a bigamist travel writer who has two families, neither of whom knows of the others existence.\NIn January of 2016, IFC premiered the long-awaited third season of Todd Margaret, created by and starring Cross as an ill-equipped American who finds himself running the London sales office of the energy drink company for which he works. The original iteration, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, aired on IFC and Channel 4 in the U.K. from 2010 to 2012.\NCross toured in 2009 with a solo stand-up show in support of his New York Times Bestseller, I Drink for a Reason. That hugely successful comedy show was filmed at Boston's Wilbur Theater for a special, entitled Bigger and Blackerer, which premiered on EPIX in April 2010 before being released on CD and DVD by Sub Pop. His previous comedy special, David Cross: The Pride is Back, aired on HBO in 1999, and was named one of the 25 best stand-up comedy specials and concert films of all time by Rolling Stone in July 2015.\NCross has released two other comedy albums – the Grammy nominated, Shut Up You Fucking Baby, and It's Not Funny. In 2003 he released the DVD, Let America Laugh, a documentary film of his groundbreaking stand up tour of alternative, indie rock clubs.\NCross reteamed with his Mr. Show with Bob and David collaborator and co-creator, Bob Odenkirk, to create With Bob and David, a four-episode revamp of the iconic sketch comedy series, which premiered November 2015 on Netflix. The original Mr. Show with Bob and David received three Emmy Award nominations for both Writing and Music & Lyrics. Cross also had a guest arc on the Netflix breakout comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as lawyer Russ Snyder, who finds himself in an unlikely relationship with fallen socialite Jacqueline White (Jane Krakowski).\NIn September 2013, David Cross and Bob Odenkirk released the book, “Hollywood Said No! Orphaned Film Scripts, Bastard Scenes, and Abandoned Darlings from the Creators of Mr. Show.” Written with friend and fellow Mr. Show alum Brian Posehn, Hollywood Said No! is a collection of never-before-seen scripts for both sketch and film. In support of the book, Cross and Odenkirk embarked on a multi-city tour, performing their first official stand-up comedy shows together since their sold-out national tour in 2002.\NIn 2014, Cross released the indie film Hits, which he wrote and directed. A black comedy about the nature of fame in the YouTube era, the film is set in a small town in upstate New York and stars Matt Walsh and Meredith Hagner. It first premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and then helped raise funds for its theatrical distribution via a successful Kickstarter campaign. In addition to a traditional theatrical release, the film was also available to fans across the nation on BitTorrent, where they were able to pay what they wanted to view it.\NOn the big screen, Cross appeared in the independent features, Kill Your Darlings alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Michael C. Hall, and the dramedy It's a Disaster, opposite Julia Stiles and America Ferrera. Other film credits include Year One, Christopher Guest’s Waiting for Guffman, Men in Black and Men in Black II, Ghost World, Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Pitch Perfect 2, I’m Not There, and provided his vocal talents for several animated films, including Megamind, the Kung Fu Panda franchise and Curious George.\NCross’s introduction to the TV scene came with The Ben Stiller Show, where Cross honed his comedy writing skills and shared a 1993 Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program.\NCross served as a writer and contributor for Tenacious D. He also wrote, produced and starred in the Comedy Central animated series Freak Show, which he co-created with H. Jon Benjamin.\NMore about this show:\NCHARITY FEE: The $2.00 charity fee will go to the Check My Ads (https://checkmyads.org/about/). Check My Ads works to build a safer, more permanent future for democracy. Their team works closely with consumers, brands, and regulators to defend your freedom from the industry’s most shameful, irresponsible advertising practices. https://checkmyads.org/about/ Tax ID/EIN: 87-1895699 (Check My Ads is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization)\NPhone-Free Event: This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of cellphones, smart watches, smart accessories, cameras or recording devices will not be permitted in the performance space. Anyone seen using a cellphone or recording device during the performance will be immediately escorted out of the venue. We appreciate your cooperation in creating a phone-free viewing experience (please note: this is NOT a Yondr event.)\NDavid Cross owns all rights in the content and materials, including any jokes and sketches (the “Materials”), delivered during his performance. The Materials may not be copied, translated, transmitted, displayed, distributed, or reproduced verbatim (the “Use”), in whole or in part, in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed, without the express prior written consent of David Cross. Any Use of the Materials without the express prior written consent of David Cross is strictly prohibited and shall be subject to all available legal remedies, whether in equity or at law at the cost of anyone who violates this prohibition. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screen.
In November, Cross taped a comedy special to be released in 2022. He makes guest appearances in the new, critically-acclaimed HBO Max miniseries, Station Eleven, which premiered on December 16, and in the HBO Max film, 8-Bit Christmas, which premiered in November. In March, Cross starred in the National Geographic series, Genius: Aretha, portraying famed music producer, Jerry Wexler opposite Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin.
Cross received rave reviews for his starring role in the dramatic film, The Dark Divide. Based on the beloved book, “Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide,” by Robert Pyle, one of America's premiere nature writers, the film recreates Pyle’s perilous 1995 journey across one of America’s largest undeveloped wildlands.
Cross’ last special, Oh Come On, is now available on Amazon Prime and Peacock. The special was originally released on May 10, 2019, simultaneously in a 10-city theatrical run. The Oh, Come Onspecial was filmed in August 2018 at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. The album version of Oh, Come On was recorded in November 2018 in Birmingham, AL and is available on iTunes, Spotify, Sirius XM, Google Play and at physical retailers.
Cross’ Oh Come On international tour visited theatres in more than 70 cities including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, Amsterdam and cities across North America. Named one of the Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All Time, Cross’ 2016 Making America Great Again! tour included Cross’ first European dates outside of England and produced the Netflix special of the same name and the Grammy nominated CD, …America…Great.
Cross voiced roles in Boots Riley’s film, Sorry To Bother You, and the Netflix animated film, Next Gen. He stars in the 5th season of Arrested Development, which premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2018, reprising his beloved role as Dr. Tobias Fünke. During its original critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning run on FOX, Cross was twice-nominated as part of the ensemble cast for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Cross can also be seen in a recurring role in the second season of the Amazon series, Goliath, starring Billy Bob Thornton, which premiered on June 15, 2018.
In January 2018, Cross was part of the ensemble cast with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in Steven Spielberg’s The Post. His series, Bliss, which he wrote, directed and produced, starring Stephen Mangan, premiered on Sky TV in the UK in February 2018. The inventive series is about a bigamist travel writer who has two families, neither of whom knows of the others existence.
In January of 2016, IFC premiered the long-awaited third season of Todd Margaret, created by and starring Cross as an ill-equipped American who finds himself running the London sales office of the energy drink company for which he works. The original iteration, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, aired on IFC and Channel 4 in the U.K. from 2010 to 2012.
Cross toured in 2009 with a solo stand-up show in support of his New York Times Bestseller, I Drink for a Reason. That hugely successful comedy show was filmed at Boston's Wilbur Theater for a special, entitled Bigger and Blackerer, which premiered on EPIX in April 2010 before being released on CD and DVD by Sub Pop. His previous comedy special, David Cross: The Pride is Back, aired on HBO in 1999, and was named one of the 25 best stand-up comedy specials and concert films of all time by Rolling Stone in July 2015.
Cross has released two other comedy albums – the Grammy nominated, Shut Up You Fucking Baby, and It's Not Funny. In 2003 he released the DVD, Let America Laugh, a documentary film of his groundbreaking stand up tour of alternative, indie rock clubs.
Cross reteamed with his Mr. Show with Bob and David collaborator and co-creator, Bob Odenkirk, to create With Bob and David, a four-episode revamp of the iconic sketch comedy series, which premiered November 2015 on Netflix. The original Mr. Show with Bob and David received three Emmy Award nominations for both Writing and Music & Lyrics. Cross also had a guest arc on the Netflix breakout comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as lawyer Russ Snyder, who finds himself in an unlikely relationship with fallen socialite Jacqueline White (Jane Krakowski).
In September 2013, David Cross and Bob Odenkirk released the book, “Hollywood Said No! Orphaned Film Scripts, Bastard Scenes, and Abandoned Darlings from the Creators of Mr. Show.” Written with friend and fellow Mr. Show alum Brian Posehn, Hollywood Said No! is a collection of never-before-seen scripts for both sketch and film. In support of the book, Cross and Odenkirk embarked on a multi-city tour, performing their first official stand-up comedy shows together since their sold-out national tour in 2002.
In 2014, Cross released the indie film Hits, which he wrote and directed. A black comedy about the nature of fame in the YouTube era, the film is set in a small town in upstate New York and stars Matt Walsh and Meredith Hagner. It first premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and then helped raise funds for its theatrical distribution via a successful Kickstarter campaign. In addition to a traditional theatrical release, the film was also available to fans across the nation on BitTorrent, where they were able to pay what they wanted to view it.
On the big screen, Cross appeared in the independent features, Kill Your Darlings alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Michael C. Hall, and the dramedy It's a Disaster, opposite Julia Stiles and America Ferrera. Other film credits include Year One, Christopher Guest’s Waiting for Guffman, Men in Black and Men in Black II, Ghost World, Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Pitch Perfect 2, I’m Not There, and provided his vocal talents for several animated films, including Megamind, the Kung Fu Panda franchise and Curious George.
Cross’s introduction to the TV scene came with The Ben Stiller Show, where Cross honed his comedy writing skills and shared a 1993 Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program.
Cross served as a writer and contributor for Tenacious D. He also wrote, produced and starred in the Comedy Central animated series Freak Show, which he co-created with H. Jon Benjamin.
More about this show:
CHARITY FEE: The $2.00 charity fee will go to the Check My Ads (https://checkmyads.org/about/). Check My Ads works to build a safer, more permanent future for democracy. Their team works closely with consumers, brands, and regulators to defend your freedom from the industry’s most shameful, irresponsible advertising practices. https://checkmyads.org/about/ Tax ID/EIN: 87-1895699 (Check My Ads is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization)
Phone-Free Event: This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of cellphones, smart watches, smart accessories, cameras or recording devices will not be permitted in the performance space. Anyone seen using a cellphone or recording device during the performance will be immediately escorted out of the venue. We appreciate your cooperation in creating a phone-free viewing experience (please note: this is NOT a Yondr event.)
David Cross owns all rights in the content and materials, including any jokes and sketches (the “Materials”), delivered during his performance. The Materials may not be copied, translated, transmitted, displayed, distributed, or reproduced verbatim (the “Use”), in whole or in part, in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed, without the express prior written consent of David Cross. Any Use of the Materials without the express prior written consent of David Cross is strictly prohibited and shall be subject to all available legal remedies, whether in equity or at law at the cost of anyone who violates this prohibition.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241002T182306Z SEQUENCE:12873076 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3848 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-05-07 14:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241003T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241003T210000 UID:4F3AACAD-74A7-427B-8494-698C15AABE5D SUMMARY:BoomBox CREATED:20240618T170748Z DTSTAMP:20240618T170748Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/boombox-2 DESCRIPTION:Electronic rock duo BoomBox, consisting of brothers Zion Rock Godchaux and Kinsman MacKay bring heavy organic grooves and soulful beats that penetrate through the dancefloor, and on to all facets of the human experience.\NFounded in Muscle Shoals, AL in 2004 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Zion Rock Godchaux, BoomBox has grown and evolved alongside loyal fans across the globe. At the same time, the San Francisco Bay Area native stays true to the vibrations that have been moving bodies on the dancefloor since the beginning.\NBoomBox has a signature type of groove rooted in a back-beat driven style, wrapped around smooth vocals and original lyrics. BoomBox songs also pull from a wide range of genres to cultivate a fusion of music that appeals to a broad audience. “The sound is about pulling from anything that you’d hear coming out of a boombox, and distilling into a distinctive style,” explains Godchaux. It’s this formula that gives BoomBox the unique ability to connect with any crowd regardless of age or origin.\N“There’s a special kind of chemistry between two brothers playing music together,” says Godchaux. BoomBox shows are characterized by a mixture of drum machines and live-mixed computer beats laid down by Mackay, which create the foundation for Godchaux’s electric guitar riffs and soulful vocals to layer on top of.\NIn addition to touring with their live sets, the duo can also be found dropping down and dirty DJ sets at special club and festival appearances. Regardless of which form of BoomBox you may encounter, be prepared to be getting down like there’s no tomorrow. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Electronic rock duo BoomBox, consisting of brothers Zion Rock Godchaux and Kinsman MacKay bring heavy organic grooves and soulful beats that penetrate through the dancefloor, and on to all facets of the human experience.
Founded in Muscle Shoals, AL in 2004 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Zion Rock Godchaux, BoomBox has grown and evolved alongside loyal fans across the globe. At the same time, the San Francisco Bay Area native stays true to the vibrations that have been moving bodies on the dancefloor since the beginning.
BoomBox has a signature type of groove rooted in a back-beat driven style, wrapped around smooth vocals and original lyrics. BoomBox songs also pull from a wide range of genres to cultivate a fusion of music that appeals to a broad audience. “The sound is about pulling from anything that you’d hear coming out of a boombox, and distilling into a distinctive style,” explains Godchaux. It’s this formula that gives BoomBox the unique ability to connect with any crowd regardless of age or origin.
“There’s a special kind of chemistry between two brothers playing music together,” says Godchaux. BoomBox shows are characterized by a mixture of drum machines and live-mixed computer beats laid down by Mackay, which create the foundation for Godchaux’s electric guitar riffs and soulful vocals to layer on top of.
In addition to touring with their live sets, the duo can also be found dropping down and dirty DJ sets at special club and festival appearances. Regardless of which form of BoomBox you may encounter, be prepared to be getting down like there’s no tomorrow.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241003T184120Z SEQUENCE:9250412 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1928 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241004T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241004T210000 UID:116511ED-36EC-47B4-9F68-A23479F7C221 SUMMARY:The Mother Hips CREATED:20240624T215154Z DTSTAMP:20240624T215154Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-mother-hips-3 DESCRIPTION:San Francisco, CA: The Mother Hips are back with a new album, When We Disappear, a compelling new studio album set for release January 27, 2023 on Blue Rose. Based in Northern California, the Hips headed to New Mexico, spending time at Ghost Ranch before settling in at Jono Manson's Kitchen Sink studio in Sante Fe in late 2021 for the sessions. Self-produced, When We Disappear features nine new tracks co-written by co-founders Tim Bluhm and Greg Loiacono — a collection of lit-psych rock songs Inspired by psychology and literature — as well as a raw, garagey cover of Buffy St. Marie’s 1964 addiction song “Codine.” \NHailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “one of the Bay Area’s most beloved live outfits,” The Mother Hips' headline and festival performances have became the stuff of legend, finding them sharing stages with everyone from Johnny Cash and Wilco to Lucinda Williams and The Black Crowes. Rolling Stone called the band “divinely inspired,” while Pitchfork praised their “rootsy mix of 70’s rock and power pop,” and The New Yorker lauded their ability to “sing it sweet and play it dirty.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:San Francisco, CA: The Mother Hips are back with a new album, When We Disappear, a compelling new studio album set for release January 27, 2023 on Blue Rose. Based in Northern California, the Hips headed to New Mexico, spending time at Ghost Ranch before settling in at Jono Manson's Kitchen Sink studio in Sante Fe in late 2021 for the sessions. Self-produced, When We Disappear features nine new tracks co-written by co-founders Tim Bluhm and Greg Loiacono — a collection of lit-psych rock songs Inspired by psychology and literature — as well as a raw, garagey cover of Buffy St. Marie’s 1964 addiction song “Codine.”
Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “one of the Bay Area’s most beloved live outfits,” The Mother Hips' headline and festival performances have became the stuff of legend, finding them sharing stages with everyone from Johnny Cash and Wilco to Lucinda Williams and The Black Crowes. Rolling Stone called the band “divinely inspired,” while Pitchfork praised their “rootsy mix of 70’s rock and power pop,” and The New Yorker lauded their ability to “sing it sweet and play it dirty.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20240723T151158Z SEQUENCE:2481604 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2406 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-06-25 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241005T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241005T210000 UID:09B71659-1231-44E5-9999-301E28D4B09B SUMMARY:Wilderado CREATED:20240513T220006Z DTSTAMP:20240513T220006Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/wilderado DESCRIPTION:Tulsa, Oklahoma band Wilderado have been steadily building a passionate fan base since first forming in the California mountains in 2015. When they initially came together, Max Rainer (lead vocals, guitar), Tyler Wimpee (guitar, vocals) and Justin Kila (drums) spent a summer in Latigo Canyon, a secluded part of Malibu, with longtime Sufjan Stevens collaborator James McAlister, immersing themselves in writing and recording. Those songs went on to form early EP releases with tastemaker indie labels IAMSOUND and National Anthem, garnering tens of millions of streams and providing the backbone to years of touring. \NFollowing early recording sessions at their one-time home and creative space named “The Misty Shrub” (the title of the first EP) in Latigo Canyon (the title of the second EP), the band returned to Tulsa to base themselves from their hometown while touring the US extensively both as headliner and direct support. During some time off from the road in 2020, Wilderado was able to focus on completing their self-titled debut LP. \NWilderado was released in October 2021 via Bright Antenna. As with the EPs, the band worked with producer and friend James McAlister (The National, Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift) who was joined this time by Chad Copelin (Broncho, LANY) and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon). The album went on to produce two top 10 Alternative Radio singles – “Head Right” and “Surefire” – and led to Wilderado’s national and late-night debut TV performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and an AM debut TV performance on CBS Saturday Morning. \NIn April 2023, Wilderado released their first ever live album Wilderado Live. The 12-track LP featured career spanning songs including hit singles “Surefire” and “Head Right” along with several older songs including “Wheat” and “Morning Light” as well as fan favorite “Rubble to Rubble.” They followed this with their first new music of 2023, the “In Between” single. Produced by McAlister and Copelin and released in August, the song was followed by a live version featuring a few fellow Oklahomans including the folk/Americana artist Ken Pomeroy on vocal and guitar and Muskrat Jones (Colter Wall) on pedal steel and then in October the band released a new version of “In Between” featuring Matt Berninger of The National. \NSince first forming, Wilderado crisscrossed the USA a half dozen times playing with artists as diverse as Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, My Morning Jacket, Mt. Joy, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and have performed on the main stage at such festivals as Lollapalooza, Bottlerock, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. They also joined alt-J for a successful UK tour in Spring 2022 which quickly led to the band booking their first-ever UK headline tour less than six months later, selling out rooms across England, Scotland, and beyond. In addition, they have accrued 175+ MILLION streams and 3+ MILLION monthly listeners across platforms. \NWilderado is playing the long game. “We want to put out lots of different songs, to spread the spectrum of what our music sounds like, that’s going to give us longevity. We want a career based off of a catalog of great music. A career that we’ve developed through hard work.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Tulsa, Oklahoma band Wilderado have been steadily building a passionate fan base since first forming in the California mountains in 2015. When they initially came together, Max Rainer (lead vocals, guitar), Tyler Wimpee (guitar, vocals) and Justin Kila (drums) spent a summer in Latigo Canyon, a secluded part of Malibu, with longtime Sufjan Stevens collaborator James McAlister, immersing themselves in writing and recording. Those songs went on to form early EP releases with tastemaker indie labels IAMSOUND and National Anthem, garnering tens of millions of streams and providing the backbone to years of touring.
Following early recording sessions at their one-time home and creative space named “The Misty Shrub” (the title of the first EP) in Latigo Canyon (the title of the second EP), the band returned to Tulsa to base themselves from their hometown while touring the US extensively both as headliner and direct support. During some time off from the road in 2020, Wilderado was able to focus on completing their self-titled debut LP.
Wilderado was released in October 2021 via Bright Antenna. As with the EPs, the band worked with producer and friend James McAlister (The National, Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift) who was joined this time by Chad Copelin (Broncho, LANY) and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon). The album went on to produce two top 10 Alternative Radio singles – “Head Right” and “Surefire” – and led to Wilderado’s national and late-night debut TV performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and an AM debut TV performance on CBS Saturday Morning.
In April 2023, Wilderado released their first ever live album Wilderado Live. The 12-track LP featured career spanning songs including hit singles “Surefire” and “Head Right” along with several older songs including “Wheat” and “Morning Light” as well as fan favorite “Rubble to Rubble.” They followed this with their first new music of 2023, the “In Between” single. Produced by McAlister and Copelin and released in August, the song was followed by a live version featuring a few fellow Oklahomans including the folk/Americana artist Ken Pomeroy on vocal and guitar and Muskrat Jones (Colter Wall) on pedal steel and then in October the band released a new version of “In Between” featuring Matt Berninger of The National.
Since first forming, Wilderado crisscrossed the USA a half dozen times playing with artists as diverse as Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, My Morning Jacket, Mt. Joy, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and have performed on the main stage at such festivals as Lollapalooza, Bottlerock, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. They also joined alt-J for a successful UK tour in Spring 2022 which quickly led to the band booking their first-ever UK headline tour less than six months later, selling out rooms across England, Scotland, and beyond. In addition, they have accrued 175+ MILLION streams and 3+ MILLION monthly listeners across platforms.
Wilderado is playing the long game. “We want to put out lots of different songs, to spread the spectrum of what our music sounds like, that’s going to give us longevity. We want a career based off of a catalog of great music. A career that we’ve developed through hard work.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20240521T200224Z SEQUENCE:684138 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2793 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-05-14 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241008T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241008T210000 UID:2F55F1D3-DB8F-4FE0-A983-019331C883AA SUMMARY:Highly Suspect CREATED:20240716T162238Z DTSTAMP:20240716T162238Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/highly-suspect-2 DESCRIPTION:Never content to follow, Highly Suspect push rock music forward by trusting their instincts and raising a middle finger to everything else. The multi-GRAMMY® Award-nominated and gold-certified band - Johnny Stevens [vocals, guitar], Ryan Meyer [drums, vocals], Rich Meyer [bass, vocals], Matt Kofos [guitar] and Mark Schwartz [keyboards/guitars] - don’t just talk about burning the rules and breaking the mold; they actually do so. The band’s chemically imbalanced mix of gritty guitars, haunting piano, off-kilter synths, hip-hop production, cinematic vision, and beautifully possessed vocals transformed them into a phenomenon beloved by a diehard global fanbase known as “MCID” [My Crew Is Dope]. After grinding it out as an underground curiosity, they scraped a path to mainstream infamousness with their 2015 full-length debut, Mister Asylum. It earned a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of “Best Rock Album” as the single “Lydia” received a nomination for “Best Rock Song” was certified gold by the RIAA. The 2016 follow-up The Boy Who Died Wolf roared to life with the gold-selling “My Name Is Human,” which catapulted to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and garnered a GRAMMY® Nomination for “Best Rock Song.” 2019’s MCID affirmed them as the rare outfit who could collaborate with Young Thug and Gojira on the same album. Loudwire hailed the latter among the “50 Best Rock Albums of 2019.” With hundreds of millions of streams and sold out shows on multiple continents, Highly Suspect charged ahead of the pack again on 2022’s The Midnight Demon Club with no compromises and no apologies as they challenged rock to be dangerous and maybe even life-changing again. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Never content to follow, Highly Suspect push rock music forward by trusting their instincts and raising a middle finger to everything else. The multi-GRAMMY® Award-nominated and gold-certified band - Johnny Stevens [vocals, guitar], Ryan Meyer [drums, vocals], Rich Meyer [bass, vocals], Matt Kofos [guitar] and Mark Schwartz [keyboards/guitars] - don’t just talk about burning the rules and breaking the mold; they actually do so. The band’s chemically imbalanced mix of gritty guitars, haunting piano, off-kilter synths, hip-hop production, cinematic vision, and beautifully possessed vocals transformed them into a phenomenon beloved by a diehard global fanbase known as “MCID” [My Crew Is Dope]. After grinding it out as an underground curiosity, they scraped a path to mainstream infamousness with their 2015 full-length debut, Mister Asylum. It earned a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of “Best Rock Album” as the single “Lydia” received a nomination for “Best Rock Song” was certified gold by the RIAA. The 2016 follow-up The Boy Who Died Wolf roared to life with the gold-selling “My Name Is Human,” which catapulted to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and garnered a GRAMMY® Nomination for “Best Rock Song.” 2019’s MCID affirmed them as the rare outfit who could collaborate with Young Thug and Gojira on the same album. Loudwire hailed the latter among the “50 Best Rock Albums of 2019.” With hundreds of millions of streams and sold out shows on multiple continents, Highly Suspect charged ahead of the pack again on 2022’s The Midnight Demon Club with no compromises and no apologies as they challenged rock to be dangerous and maybe even life-changing again.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240719T162723Z SEQUENCE:259485 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2250 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241011T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241011T210000 UID:38A646CA-4514-4808-8E7E-F349565A216D SUMMARY:All Them Witches CREATED:20240723T162741Z DTSTAMP:20240723T162741Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/all-them-witches DESCRIPTION:Versatile hard rock quartet, All Them Witches, thrive on contrast. Now six records deep into a tenure that began in 2012, Ben McLeod (guitarist,) Charles Michael Parks, Jr. (bass/vocals,) Robby Staebler (drums,) and Allan Van Cleave (keys) are unremittingly forward-looking. There is a ferocious energy and rhythmic nuance to the band that delivers devastating guitar riffs in a raw blend of progressive, bluesy, neo-psychedelic rock. \NThe band has relentlessly toured since inception, performing at festivals including Voodoo Music & Arts, Bonnaroo, Forecastle Festival, and Pukkelpop; while also sharing tours with acts such as Mastodon, Ghost, and Primus. \NAll Them Witches hone their unique meld of crafted songwriting and spacious grooves on the road. They have deep musical roots and grow a heavy, visceral sound, with sheer dexterity delivered in every song. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Versatile hard rock quartet, All Them Witches, thrive on contrast. Now six records deep into a tenure that began in 2012, Ben McLeod (guitarist,) Charles Michael Parks, Jr. (bass/vocals,) Robby Staebler (drums,) and Allan Van Cleave (keys) are unremittingly forward-looking. There is a ferocious energy and rhythmic nuance to the band that delivers devastating guitar riffs in a raw blend of progressive, bluesy, neo-psychedelic rock.
The band has relentlessly toured since inception, performing at festivals including Voodoo Music & Arts, Bonnaroo, Forecastle Festival, and Pukkelpop; while also sharing tours with acts such as Mastodon, Ghost, and Primus.
All Them Witches hone their unique meld of crafted songwriting and spacious grooves on the road. They have deep musical roots and grow a heavy, visceral sound, with sheer dexterity delivered in every song.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241009T203406Z SEQUENCE:6753985 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:4474 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-07-23 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241014T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241014T210000 UID:DA21B141-725B-492A-8B6C-23921FC9FA2A SUMMARY:Ocie Elliott CREATED:20240318T155635Z DTSTAMP:20240318T155635Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/ocie-elliot DESCRIPTION:Ocie Elliott is musical duo Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy from Victoria, B.C., Canada. The two have come a long way in a short time since a chance encounter in a Salt Spring Island café led to a spark, collaboration, and their ultimate partnership in music and beyond. That was hardly two years ago, and Ocie has been busy, releasing both an EP and their debut full-length album We Fall In (Nettwerk Music Group), playing with the likes of Mason Jennings, Sons of the East, Kim Churchill, Roo Panes, Current Swell and Joseph, touring Canada, US, and Europe and having their song “Run To You” featured on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. \NIn the challenging internet age of streaming music, Sierra and Jon have cultivated a fast-growing following by releasing a captivating series of live acoustic videos on Facebook recorded in the cozy confines of the couple’s Honda CR-V (which, Sierra explains, offers “organically well-rounded and self-contained” acoustics which lend an intimacy to their intricate harmonies). The novel approach has paid off, with a million streams of their most popular tracks on Spotify and Apple Music, as well as sold-out shows.\NWith gentle acoustic chords layered over gorgeously complementary voices, which intertwine in gentle harmonies, Sierra and Jon’s beautifully written songs explore, of all things, love and connection. The duo has been aptly described by one reviewer as “...the aural equivalent of indigo painted skies and the first summer stars." X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Ocie Elliott is musical duo Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy from Victoria, B.C., Canada. The two have come a long way in a short time since a chance encounter in a Salt Spring Island café led to a spark, collaboration, and their ultimate partnership in music and beyond. That was hardly two years ago, and Ocie has been busy, releasing both an EP and their debut full-length album We Fall In (Nettwerk Music Group), playing with the likes of Mason Jennings, Sons of the East, Kim Churchill, Roo Panes, Current Swell and Joseph, touring Canada, US, and Europe and having their song “Run To You” featured on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
In the challenging internet age of streaming music, Sierra and Jon have cultivated a fast-growing following by releasing a captivating series of live acoustic videos on Facebook recorded in the cozy confines of the couple’s Honda CR-V (which, Sierra explains, offers “organically well-rounded and self-contained” acoustics which lend an intimacy to their intricate harmonies). The novel approach has paid off, with a million streams of their most popular tracks on Spotify and Apple Music, as well as sold-out shows.
With gentle acoustic chords layered over gorgeously complementary voices, which intertwine in gentle harmonies, Sierra and Jon’s beautifully written songs explore, of all things, love and connection. The duo has been aptly described by one reviewer as “...the aural equivalent of indigo painted skies and the first summer stars."
LAST-MODIFIED:20241003T215458Z SEQUENCE:17215103 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:5093 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-03-18 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241102T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241102T210000 UID:EF7F5FB3-1A1E-4968-9E6D-7500825E5003 SUMMARY:Wild Child x Susto CREATED:20240723T171145Z DTSTAMP:20240723T171145Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/wild-child-2 DESCRIPTION:End of the World, the new album from acclaimed Austin songwriting duo Wild Child (Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins), wasn’t supposed to happen. In 2018, Wilson joined the singer-songwriter supergroup Glorietta and debuted her critically acclaimed, genre-bending, Motown-influenced solo project Sir Woman. Meanwhile, Beggins unveiled his musical alter-ego, CoCo Zandi, with the release of his first solo album, As Simple as a Dream. Then, in 2019, after more than a decade of non-stop touring, the indie band that was unexpectedly conceived in the back seat of someone else's tour van stopped booking or playing shows altogether. Exploring different sonic directions, Wilson and Beggins didn't know if they would ever make another Wild Child record until what felt like the "end of the world" hit Austin and brought them back together.\NPandemic lockdowns closed stages and drained bank accounts. In Austin, the "Live Music Capital of the World," local bands took their shows online. Wild Child was no different. With an unexpected abundance of free time on their hands, Wilson and Beggins got together to practice for a series of online performances for devout fans. Within 30 minutes of rejoining forces, they’d written the first single for what would accidentally become Wild Child's fifth album. "Photographs" is a soulful, brass-filled outing that “offers something familiar for Wild Child fans who have stuck with them over the years," Wilson says. “‘Photographs’ was inspired by a picture of my dad, Buddy Wilson, who passed away in February. And in a way, it's a tribute to old Wild Child songs. A bittersweet story, a ukulele, and both of us singing. It's a special gift to Wild Child fans."\NAnd it couldn't have happened at a more difficult time. Take Day 3 of the 2021 Texas Big Freeze, for instance, when 13 displaced Austin pals had taken refuge at Wilson's house. There was no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and no end in sight. When Wilson couldn't take it anymore, one of the fateful 13, singer-songwriter John Calvin Abney, ripped a 90s-alternative riff on an acoustic guitar that would eventually turn into the album's title track. "I just started singing about things that were freaking me out. Wearing a mask for a year. Global warming. There's no heat, no water,” explains Wilson. “It was like a dirge to begin with. But by the end, we were all screaming and laughing that, yes, this might be the end of the world, but we're all together right now, making music in my living room by candlelight. It's all okay."\NThe next morning, during a lull in the storm, the Wild Child caravan — including drummer and guitarist Tom Meyers, guitarist Cody Ackors, and bassist and piano player Taylor Craft (Sir Woman) — braved icy roads to recording engineer Matt Pence's The Echo Lab studios outside Denton, Texas. They didn't even stop to shower before recording an unwashed rendition of "End of the World," flush with in-the-moment angst. "There's no ukulele. I'm singing differently than I ever have before. You can hear my voice crack and all the energy behind everyone playing," Wilson said. "That set the tone. There were no boundaries. We're back to how it was on Day One. We were making this music because we really needed to make it for ourselves."\NAbney tagged along and became the first songwriter to collaborate with Beggins and Wilson on a Wild Child album. His contributions to their songwriting process came as an unexpected blessing amid so much impending doom. "John was dating one of Kelsey's roommates when we met. The first time we played together, we just fell in love with each other," Beggins says. "When you have a musical partnership, like Kelsey and I have had for a decade, it's strange to change the formula of writing. But we found someone we both trust and like working with." "Wearing Blue" started with a guitar riff Abney played before an early recording session. "While everyone was setting up their instruments, John Calvin started playing and singing. In 30 minutes, a song was written. That was a holy-shit moment. And it set the tone of the record," Wilson shares.\NThe Wild Child family is also excited to announce the birth of Reba’s Ranch Records, a long-time vision of creating their own record label imprint to highlight some of the amazing music coming out of Austin, TX. The label was born after years of conversations within the band about the importance of controlling one’s own destiny and art. The imprint will be home to the Wild Child catalog, as well as Kelsey’s Sir Woman and Alexander's CoCo Zandi recordings, and is a partnership with Secretly Distribution.\NEnd of the World was mixed by Matt Pence (Jason Isbell, Elle King) and includes guitarist Charlie Wiles (Paul Cauthen, John Moreland, Orville Peck). X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:End of the World, the new album from acclaimed Austin songwriting duo Wild Child (Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins), wasn’t supposed to happen. In 2018, Wilson joined the singer-songwriter supergroup Glorietta and debuted her critically acclaimed, genre-bending, Motown-influenced solo project Sir Woman. Meanwhile, Beggins unveiled his musical alter-ego, CoCo Zandi, with the release of his first solo album, As Simple as a Dream. Then, in 2019, after more than a decade of non-stop touring, the indie band that was unexpectedly conceived in the back seat of someone else's tour van stopped booking or playing shows altogether. Exploring different sonic directions, Wilson and Beggins didn't know if they would ever make another Wild Child record until what felt like the "end of the world" hit Austin and brought them back together.
Pandemic lockdowns closed stages and drained bank accounts. In Austin, the "Live Music Capital of the World," local bands took their shows online. Wild Child was no different. With an unexpected abundance of free time on their hands, Wilson and Beggins got together to practice for a series of online performances for devout fans. Within 30 minutes of rejoining forces, they’d written the first single for what would accidentally become Wild Child's fifth album. "Photographs" is a soulful, brass-filled outing that “offers something familiar for Wild Child fans who have stuck with them over the years," Wilson says. “‘Photographs’ was inspired by a picture of my dad, Buddy Wilson, who passed away in February. And in a way, it's a tribute to old Wild Child songs. A bittersweet story, a ukulele, and both of us singing. It's a special gift to Wild Child fans."
And it couldn't have happened at a more difficult time. Take Day 3 of the 2021 Texas Big Freeze, for instance, when 13 displaced Austin pals had taken refuge at Wilson's house. There was no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and no end in sight. When Wilson couldn't take it anymore, one of the fateful 13, singer-songwriter John Calvin Abney, ripped a 90s-alternative riff on an acoustic guitar that would eventually turn into the album's title track. "I just started singing about things that were freaking me out. Wearing a mask for a year. Global warming. There's no heat, no water,” explains Wilson. “It was like a dirge to begin with. But by the end, we were all screaming and laughing that, yes, this might be the end of the world, but we're all together right now, making music in my living room by candlelight. It's all okay."
The next morning, during a lull in the storm, the Wild Child caravan — including drummer and guitarist Tom Meyers, guitarist Cody Ackors, and bassist and piano player Taylor Craft (Sir Woman) — braved icy roads to recording engineer Matt Pence's The Echo Lab studios outside Denton, Texas. They didn't even stop to shower before recording an unwashed rendition of "End of the World," flush with in-the-moment angst. "There's no ukulele. I'm singing differently than I ever have before. You can hear my voice crack and all the energy behind everyone playing," Wilson said. "That set the tone. There were no boundaries. We're back to how it was on Day One. We were making this music because we really needed to make it for ourselves."
Abney tagged along and became the first songwriter to collaborate with Beggins and Wilson on a Wild Child album. His contributions to their songwriting process came as an unexpected blessing amid so much impending doom. "John was dating one of Kelsey's roommates when we met. The first time we played together, we just fell in love with each other," Beggins says. "When you have a musical partnership, like Kelsey and I have had for a decade, it's strange to change the formula of writing. But we found someone we both trust and like working with." "Wearing Blue" started with a guitar riff Abney played before an early recording session. "While everyone was setting up their instruments, John Calvin started playing and singing. In 30 minutes, a song was written. That was a holy-shit moment. And it set the tone of the record," Wilson shares.
The Wild Child family is also excited to announce the birth of Reba’s Ranch Records, a long-time vision of creating their own record label imprint to highlight some of the amazing music coming out of Austin, TX. The label was born after years of conversations within the band about the importance of controlling one’s own destiny and art. The imprint will be home to the Wild Child catalog, as well as Kelsey’s Sir Woman and Alexander's CoCo Zandi recordings, and is a partnership with Secretly Distribution.
End of the World was mixed by Matt Pence (Jason Isbell, Elle King) and includes guitarist Charlie Wiles (Paul Cauthen, John Moreland, Orville Peck).
LAST-MODIFIED:20241009T221300Z SEQUENCE:6757275 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2849 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241104T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241104T210000 UID:1AD8F591-3B79-428D-B057-7DE58D6C2270 SUMMARY:Ron Pope x Joshua Radin CREATED:20240422T154110Z DTSTAMP:20240422T154110Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/ron-pope-x-joshua-radin DESCRIPTION:In the months following the release of his critically acclaimed album “Bone Structure,” Nashville-based singer-songwriter, Ron Pope, felt lost. A hometown tornado and a pandemic will do that to a person. Unfortunately for Pope, tangled amongst the rubble was an album release and months of touring that abruptly came to a halt. For an album that he penned while reflecting on his own mortality, it seemed almost apropos. \NWhile his career was put on pause, he effectively became a stay-at-home dad. Slowly, his priorities shifted as he realized that not only could this time be looked at as a gift, but it could be used as an opportunity to reimagine what his life could look like in the future. Why sit in the same formulaic cycle? Why seek validation from places that didn’t care to give it? \NIn asking these questions of himself, he realized that the community his music created was also seeking answers to similar questions. Weekly online shows allowed free conversations and inspired creativity. Pulling from unreleased songs and reimagined fan favorites, Pope decided to embark on a year of connecting and leaning into the community that has supported him all along.\NIt was time to let go of preconceived notions about what was expected of him. It was time to take a step back and focus on what really mattered. It was time to rebuild. \NAfter completely scrapping early recording sessions for his album Bone Structure (March 6, 2020), Pope set out on a new path, crafting incredibly candid songs directed squarely at his newborn daughter. Some songs speak to her directly and muse on the experience of fatherhood, while others reflect on a personal experience that has a lesson or a moral. Pope's 2017 release, "Work," drew comparisons to Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, while also refusing to put him squarely into one category. Uncompromising and relentless, Pope has evolved into one of the top grossing independent acts in the business while garnering a legion of devoted fans the world over. Taking the industry-road-less-traveled and holding fiercely to his independence has proven fruitful for Pope; to date, he has sold out shows on three continents and in more than 20 countries, sold over 2 million digital tracks, has nearly half a billion streams on Spotify, 880 million plays on Pandora, 150 million views on Youtube, and has generally crushed every metric used to measure what is possible for most independent artists. \NPope is currently in the studio recording his next album, which is set to be released in the spring of 2022. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:In the months following the release of his critically acclaimed album “Bone Structure,” Nashville-based singer-songwriter, Ron Pope, felt lost. A hometown tornado and a pandemic will do that to a person. Unfortunately for Pope, tangled amongst the rubble was an album release and months of touring that abruptly came to a halt. For an album that he penned while reflecting on his own mortality, it seemed almost apropos.
While his career was put on pause, he effectively became a stay-at-home dad. Slowly, his priorities shifted as he realized that not only could this time be looked at as a gift, but it could be used as an opportunity to reimagine what his life could look like in the future. Why sit in the same formulaic cycle? Why seek validation from places that didn’t care to give it?
In asking these questions of himself, he realized that the community his music created was also seeking answers to similar questions. Weekly online shows allowed free conversations and inspired creativity. Pulling from unreleased songs and reimagined fan favorites, Pope decided to embark on a year of connecting and leaning into the community that has supported him all along.
It was time to let go of preconceived notions about what was expected of him. It was time to take a step back and focus on what really mattered. It was time to rebuild.
After completely scrapping early recording sessions for his album Bone Structure (March 6, 2020), Pope set out on a new path, crafting incredibly candid songs directed squarely at his newborn daughter. Some songs speak to her directly and muse on the experience of fatherhood, while others reflect on a personal experience that has a lesson or a moral. Pope's 2017 release, "Work," drew comparisons to Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, while also refusing to put him squarely into one category. Uncompromising and relentless, Pope has evolved into one of the top grossing independent acts in the business while garnering a legion of devoted fans the world over. Taking the industry-road-less-traveled and holding fiercely to his independence has proven fruitful for Pope; to date, he has sold out shows on three continents and in more than 20 countries, sold over 2 million digital tracks, has nearly half a billion streams on Spotify, 880 million plays on Pandora, 150 million views on Youtube, and has generally crushed every metric used to measure what is possible for most independent artists.
Pope is currently in the studio recording his next album, which is set to be released in the spring of 2022.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241024T170927Z SEQUENCE:15989297 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2741 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241108T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241108T210000 UID:50BC6E4F-DDB3-4691-93D8-EFD064607283 SUMMARY:Lucero CREATED:20240717T161032Z DTSTAMP:20240717T161032Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/lucero-2 DESCRIPTION:The search for one’s identity is a lifelong process that every individual must go through. Who someone is today, is not the person they were yesterday nor who they may be tomorrow. Despite those changes, there is a general idea of a defined sense of self. No matter what happens, it is that small yet solid and grounding definition of self that continues to drive us forward in our search for identity and whatever may come with it. \NIt would be difficult to find any artist who understands that better than the band Lucero. \NSince forming in Memphis in the late 90’s, Lucero’s base musical hallmarks have remained similar to the band’s initial sound established with their first record The Attic Tapes. In the history of their expansive discography, Lucero has evolved and embraced everything from southern rock to Stax-inspired Memphis soul, whilst simultaneously maintaining their distinctive sonic foundations. Over 20 years later, dedicated fans of the group still flock to hear the band’s punchy driving rhythms, punk-rooted guitar licks, and lyrics that evoke the whiskey drenched sentimentality of Americana singer-songwriters. As expected of any band built to survive, Lucero has welcomed change over the course of their career, but it has always been on their terms. \NThe band’s twelfth album, Should’ve Learned by Now, began its life as hardly more than some rough demos and lingering guitar parts. These pieces that were left behind from the band’s previous albums, Among the Ghosts (2018) and When You Found Me (2021) were deemed too uptempo and capering for the prior records’ darker themes. \N \N“I had a particular sound I was looking for on each record and there was no room for any goofy rock & roll or cute witticisms or even simply upbeat songs,” said primary lyricist and frontman, Ben Nichols. “But now finally, it was time to revisit all of that stuff and get it out in the world. That’s how we got to the appropriately-for-us-titled album Should’ve Learned by Now. The album is basically about how we know we are fuckups and I guess we are ok with that.” \NThe band, comprised of all its original members (which in addition to Ben Nichols, includes Brian Venable on guitar, Roy Berry on drums, John C. Stubblefield on bass, and Rick Steff on keys) teamed up for a third time with producer and Grammy Award-winning engineer and mixer, Matt Ross-Spang. Lucero began the recording process in Sam Phillips Recording Service before transitioning and finishing the record in Ross-Spang’s newly opened Southern Grooves Productions in Memphis, TN. Ross-Spang appears to have settled in with the band’s more trademark sound whilst very much making his touch known to listeners.\N “He knows how to take the sounds we’re making on our own and just kind of polish them up in the right way. Or dirty it up in the right way. Whatever it takes, he just kind of does it,” says Nichols. \NThe first track from the album “One Last F.U.” is a punchy and somewhat combative song which was one of the original remnants of Among the Ghosts. Despite its title, “One Last F.U.” is less about standoffishness and more a self-reflection on the kind of people we are capable of being in difficult situations. According to Nichols “The rest of the song was simply about wanting to be left alone while I drank at the bar. That could be taken in a kind of grumpy/antagonistic way, but I feel ok singing the song because I’ve been both characters in the song at different times. Sometimes I’m the one wanting to be left alone and sometimes I’m the drunk one blabbing all night to someone that just wants to be left alone.” Right off the bat, Nichols’ vocals are awash in rock and roll slap-back reverb. The effect pushes Nichols' naturally upfront vocals wider, so they fill the space in a manner more akin to a live performance. It’s one of a few new production effects that extend throughout the record and add a new level of presence and attitude to the band’s sound. \NThe second track, “Macon if We Make It”, was inspired by the band having to traverse through Georgia during a hurricane. When asked where the next stop on the tour was, the band responded with, “Macon, if we make it.” Continuing to be reminiscent of older works, “Macon if We Make It” has echoes of the band’s 2009 album 1372 Overton Park. The song is really driven by guitarist Brian Venable’s formidable electric guitar. The lyrics seem at first to be mostly preoccupied with a literal storm situation at hand but turn out to be more about a troubled relationship back home. The proverbial dam breaks when the narrator sings “I don’t know if we were in love. I just know it wasn’t enough. Got caught in the storm and the water it’s rising…” The song gives way to a powerful drum lead up by Roy Berry and the listener is carried out, like a raft, on a ripping guitar solo. \NThe pushes and pulls, builds and breakdowns are all over the album’s subsequent tracks, but it isn’t all hard-edged rock and roll all the time. “She Leads Me”, is inspired somewhat by the classic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, and delves into a softer and more nostalgic sound. With backing vocals supplied by Jesse Davis and Cory Branan, it’s a song that lyrically rests on the concept that we sometimes need to recognize and acknowledge our past for a gentle enough reassurance to move forward. \NThe rest of the album dives right back into its more rock and roll songs with “At the Show” and “Nothing’s Alright”, both of which examine the highs and lows of remembering old loves, reminiscing on the old days, and contented introspection. Aspects which finally come to a head in the album’s title track “Should’ve Learned by Now”, a rough and edgy song that tackles the fact that all the lessons, though clearly recognized, have yet to sink in. Quite poetically, the song is set to a tune that may be the greatest call back to Lucero’s punk upbringing. \NFrom its original Ben Nichols-designed cover art to its credits, the album is a reflection of a band that knows itself. Should’ve Learned by Now bridges the gap musically between “old Lucero” and “new Lucero” in a manner which affixes the band’s position as the perfect intersection of punk initiative with hard-earned artistry. It’s an album that recognizes the past in its sound and content, but leaves the door wide open to the future and for the lessons still in store. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The search for one’s identity is a lifelong process that every individual must go through. Who someone is today, is not the person they were yesterday nor who they may be tomorrow. Despite those changes, there is a general idea of a defined sense of self. No matter what happens, it is that small yet solid and grounding definition of self that continues to drive us forward in our search for identity and whatever may come with it.
It would be difficult to find any artist who understands that better than the band Lucero.
Since forming in Memphis in the late 90’s, Lucero’s base musical hallmarks have remained similar to the band’s initial sound established with their first record The Attic Tapes. In the history of their expansive discography, Lucero has evolved and embraced everything from southern rock to Stax-inspired Memphis soul, whilst simultaneously maintaining their distinctive sonic foundations. Over 20 years later, dedicated fans of the group still flock to hear the band’s punchy driving rhythms, punk-rooted guitar licks, and lyrics that evoke the whiskey drenched sentimentality of Americana singer-songwriters. As expected of any band built to survive, Lucero has welcomed change over the course of their career, but it has always been on their terms.
The band’s twelfth album, Should’ve Learned by Now, began its life as hardly more than some rough demos and lingering guitar parts. These pieces that were left behind from the band’s previous albums, Among the Ghosts (2018) and When You Found Me (2021) were deemed too uptempo and capering for the prior records’ darker themes.
“I had a particular sound I was looking for on each record and there was no room for any goofy rock & roll or cute witticisms or even simply upbeat songs,” said primary lyricist and frontman, Ben Nichols. “But now finally, it was time to revisit all of that stuff and get it out in the world. That’s how we got to the appropriately-for-us-titled album Should’ve Learned by Now. The album is basically about how we know we are fuckups and I guess we are ok with that.”
The band, comprised of all its original members (which in addition to Ben Nichols, includes Brian Venable on guitar, Roy Berry on drums, John C. Stubblefield on bass, and Rick Steff on keys) teamed up for a third time with producer and Grammy Award-winning engineer and mixer, Matt Ross-Spang. Lucero began the recording process in Sam Phillips Recording Service before transitioning and finishing the record in Ross-Spang’s newly opened Southern Grooves Productions in Memphis, TN. Ross-Spang appears to have settled in with the band’s more trademark sound whilst very much making his touch known to listeners.
“He knows how to take the sounds we’re making on our own and just kind of polish them up in the right way. Or dirty it up in the right way. Whatever it takes, he just kind of does it,” says Nichols.
The first track from the album “One Last F.U.” is a punchy and somewhat combative song which was one of the original remnants of Among the Ghosts. Despite its title, “One Last F.U.” is less about standoffishness and more a self-reflection on the kind of people we are capable of being in difficult situations. According to Nichols “The rest of the song was simply about wanting to be left alone while I drank at the bar. That could be taken in a kind of grumpy/antagonistic way, but I feel ok singing the song because I’ve been both characters in the song at different times. Sometimes I’m the one wanting to be left alone and sometimes I’m the drunk one blabbing all night to someone that just wants to be left alone.” Right off the bat, Nichols’ vocals are awash in rock and roll slap-back reverb. The effect pushes Nichols' naturally upfront vocals wider, so they fill the space in a manner more akin to a live performance. It’s one of a few new production effects that extend throughout the record and add a new level of presence and attitude to the band’s sound.
The second track, “Macon if We Make It”, was inspired by the band having to traverse through Georgia during a hurricane. When asked where the next stop on the tour was, the band responded with, “Macon, if we make it.” Continuing to be reminiscent of older works, “Macon if We Make It” has echoes of the band’s 2009 album 1372 Overton Park. The song is really driven by guitarist Brian Venable’s formidable electric guitar. The lyrics seem at first to be mostly preoccupied with a literal storm situation at hand but turn out to be more about a troubled relationship back home. The proverbial dam breaks when the narrator sings “I don’t know if we were in love. I just know it wasn’t enough. Got caught in the storm and the water it’s rising…” The song gives way to a powerful drum lead up by Roy Berry and the listener is carried out, like a raft, on a ripping guitar solo.
The pushes and pulls, builds and breakdowns are all over the album’s subsequent tracks, but it isn’t all hard-edged rock and roll all the time. “She Leads Me”, is inspired somewhat by the classic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, and delves into a softer and more nostalgic sound. With backing vocals supplied by Jesse Davis and Cory Branan, it’s a song that lyrically rests on the concept that we sometimes need to recognize and acknowledge our past for a gentle enough reassurance to move forward.
The rest of the album dives right back into its more rock and roll songs with “At the Show” and “Nothing’s Alright”, both of which examine the highs and lows of remembering old loves, reminiscing on the old days, and contented introspection. Aspects which finally come to a head in the album’s title track “Should’ve Learned by Now”, a rough and edgy song that tackles the fact that all the lessons, though clearly recognized, have yet to sink in. Quite poetically, the song is set to a tune that may be the greatest call back to Lucero’s punk upbringing.
From its original Ben Nichols-designed cover art to its credits, the album is a reflection of a band that knows itself. Should’ve Learned by Now bridges the gap musically between “old Lucero” and “new Lucero” in a manner which affixes the band’s position as the perfect intersection of punk initiative with hard-earned artistry. It’s an album that recognizes the past in its sound and content, but leaves the door wide open to the future and for the lessons still in store.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240809T160823Z SEQUENCE:1987071 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3411 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241113T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241113T210000 UID:0A04C529-D995-49AC-9F50-84F167F81298 SUMMARY:Aimee Mann CREATED:20240611T181421Z DTSTAMP:20240611T181421Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/aimee-mann DESCRIPTION:Aimee Mann’s first new solo album in five years arrives with a title loaded with possible meanings and intent. For her, its provocative branding comes down to something akin to truth in advertising. “It came from a friend of mine asking me what the record was about,” she explains. “And I said, ‘Oh, you know me — the usual songs about mental illness.’ He said, ‘You should call it Mental Illness!’ I said, ‘I think I will.’” And thus, over the course of a few short seconds, was a classic album title born. “I always probably have a little bit of gallows humor,” Mann says, “and I would hope that people see there’s a little bit of that interspersed in there. I mean, calling it Mental Illnessmakes me laugh, because it is true, but it’s so blunt that it’s funny.”\NWhat kind of pre-existing conditions come with Mental Illness? Some fans will see the album as a return to more musically familiar territory. After a couple of records that saw Mann leaning toward the rockier side (her last solo album, 2012’s Charmer, followed by her 2014 duo project with Ted Leo, The Both), this new one finds the woman who gave the world “Wise Up” again deciding to slow up. If you fell in love with earlier albums like Bachelor No. 2 and the Magnolia soundtrack, the gorgeous melodies and deliberate gait of this return to contemplative form will seem deliciously familiar.\NAt the same time, the arrangements mark a break from anything she’s done before, even those aforementioned landmark albums. Gone are the Mellotrons and some of the other distinctive signature sounds of yore. Although there are some electric instruments and occasional drums in the mix, Mental Illness is built for really the first time in her career around acoustic guitar and piano… and then, in another first, augmented astoundingly by starkly beautiful string arrangements. Spines will tingle, and softness and bluntness will find a happy marriage in songs that make up in haunting splendor for whatever they might lack in ebullience. \NThe album’s rich, incisive, and occasionally wry melancholia started with a mission statement of sorts, prompted by Mann’s own slightly tongue-in-cheek take on her own image. “I assume the brief on me is that people think that I write these really depressing songs,” Mann says. “I don’t know — people may have a different viewpoint — but that’s my own interpretation of the cliché about me. So if they thought that my songs were very down-tempo, very depressing, very sad, and very acoustic, I just gave myself permission to write the saddest, slowest, most acoustic, if-they’re-all-waltzes-so-be-it record I could,” she laughs. \NThat’s admittedly a pendulum swing away from Charmer and The Both, which found her gravitating toward the sounds or energy level associated with her tenure in ‘Til Tuesday in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. “Since the last project was with Ted Leo, and he certainly has a lot of classic rock, post-punk influences, I tried to meet him in the middle,” she says. “Touring and playing in smaller rock clubs with The Both as a trio, with me playing bass, was a real rock band experience.” Now, on the heels of delivering fans a power trio experience, “I think they might be ready for something super-sad and soft,” Mann says, hinting at a smile as she considers the path that brought her to being a one-woman delivery system for mellow gold in 2017.\NThe S-word, obviously, is no pejorative here. “I was listening to a lot of really soft ‘70s rock, like Bread and Dan Fogelberg,” Mann points out, offering up a couple of acts so far off the indie cred scale they seem like prime candidates for indie cred. (Completely coincidentally, she was recently asked to cover a Carpenters hit for the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s ‘70s-set HBO series, Vinyl.) But “there were other touchstones that we kept in mind,” a key one possibly being longtime producer Paul Bryan’s love for Nick Drake. “It always takes its own form. I just wanted to have finger-picky stuff, kind of like Leonard Cohen back in the folk-rock days. I haven’t ever made a record this stripped down before. Some drums wound up on there here and there, but I really tried to rein it in.” \NDespite her best efforts to hold back the tide of extraneous instrumentation, there was an extravagance Mann couldn’t pass up, as the string arrangements Bryan was writing for a couple of songs proved so lovely that they began extending them to more of the tracks. The end result is “not as simple as my original concept,” she says, “but it’s just really hard to go into the studio and not have ideas for things, and it’s so fun and interesting to record real strings. That definitely makes things bigger and more fleshed out, but I hope that the basic acoustic elements still come across as distinct and simple.”\NBesides Bryan, the players include other familiar cohorts, like Jonathan Coulton, who has his own album coming on Mann’s Superego label, and who’ll be her opening act on tour this year, doing some of the more detailed finger-picking. Other musicians include Jay Bellerose on drums, Jamie Edwards on piano, John Roderick as a co-writer, and erstwhile duet partner Leo as a background singer.\NShe has a little to live up to with Mental Illness, having long since transitioned from an MTV staple in her Til Tuesday years to becoming known as “one of the finest songwriters of her generation,” as the New York Times proclaimed her. NPR Music named her “one of the top 10 living songwriters” alongside the likes of Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Her last solo album won her some of the best reviews of a storied career. Paste opined: “She is innately tuned into our fragility and resilience. Like the Velvet Underground’s Nico, she’s our mirror. Through her songs, she reflects life as it so often is—a contorted, gasping mess—but somehow she still finds beauty in its imperfection.” Britain’s Independent called Charmer “another sweet viper's bite of post-Freudian dyspepsia from the singer-songwriter who loves to mistrust.” Or, as the New York Times wrote, “The sugarcoated poison pill is a reliable device for Aimee Mann, a singer-songwriter given to ravaging implication and dispassionate affect... That it all goes down so easily seems like a sneaky way to make a point.” Charmed, they’re sure.\NValidation came not just from the Grammys, but the Oscars, as she earned Academy Award as well as Golden Globe nominations for best original song for “Save Me,” part of an acclaimed song score for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia that ensured her voice would carry to entirely new audiences. Before her contributions to Magnolia, she made a quick, quirky screen appearance in The Big Lebowski as a German nihilist/kidnapper. Further up the typecasting scale, she played herself — albeit, a fictionalized, comically down-on-her-luck version of herself — on a classic Season 1 episode of her friend Fred Armisen’s series, Portlandia. She’s witty enough to have been named one of The Huffington Post’s “13 Funny Musicians You Should Be Following On Twitter” and serious enough to have been invited to perform for President Obama and the First Lady, sharing the bill with Common at a private, poetry-themed White House gig.\NSpeaking of presidents… In 2016, when Dave Eggers started a project to enlist 30 artists to write 30 songs about Donald Trump prior to the election, the first person he enlisted was Mann, who contributed an attention-grabbing tune with the chorus, “I don’t want this job/My God, can’t you tell/I’m unwell?”\N After that, you might want to jump to the conclusion that an album with a title like Mental Illness might have a political component. It’s not quite that topical, but really represents classic Mann, in songs that mostly describe the obsessions and moderately aberrant behavioral patterns that have been the hallmark of thwarted romance from time immemorial. A few do deal with run-ins she and her friends have had with liars pathological enough that they might live up to the clinical condition of the title.\N“There’s still a stigma to a certain kind of mental illness,” she says. “I feel like it’s a world I’m kind of familiar with, not only from my own experience, but just people I know who are just trying to work out their stuff. I certainly do think everybody’s got their thing. I wouldn’t go so far as to say everybody’s mentally ill. I’ve seen a lot of talk about Trump having narcissistic personality disorder, which I one-hundred-percent agree with, but I don’t even know if that qualifies as a mental illness. I think another way to look at that is, people are trapped in compulsive behavior. There are definitely a couple of songs on the album about a person I knew who probably is a sociopath, but even then, I’ve kind of realized that sociopathy is a combination of things. And I’m very fascinated by codependency, or people who enable other people’s bad behavior or addictions — I mean, I’m certainly no stranger to it.”\NNot every song on the album is about such alarming behavior. The first single, “Goose Snow Cone,” may be its sweetest, least barbed, and most autobiographical, simply because it describes feeling disconnected out as a touring artist on the road, as accentuated by photos of a certain someone back home. "I was in Ireland and it was snowing, at the end of a tour, and I was feeling exhausted and homesick,” explains Mann. "My friends have this cat named Goose, and they posted a picture of Goose’s little face on Instagram — she’s got white fur, and it really looked like a snowcone ball. So I start writing this song. It’s really more about being homesick and lonely than it is about the cute little kitty, but that’s the way it came out.”\NThe sickness gets less benign on other tracks. Being one of the songs about a sociopath that crossed her path, “Lies of Summer” is about the not-so-instant replay you might do in your head “once you realize that somebody’s a pathological liar. Then you scroll back through all the encounters that have just been slightly off, and you see those in a different light.” The song “Rollercoasters” describes “the feeling of being addicted to extreme emotional states — high is great, but low will do when high is not present—and how easy it is to lose yourself in drama because it’s so perfectly distracting.” “Knock It Off” is an advisory to a guy whose lying caused a breakup, but who the lyrics describe as “just stand(ing) there on her front lawn,” like Lloyd Dobler, but not as cute. “That intersects with what people think of it as the sort of cinematic/romantic moment, hoisting the boom box over your head. It’s crazy behavior! It’s not taking no for an answer, which is not a great trait in a relationship.”\NThe theme of not being able to break bad patterns pops up recurringly in the lyrics of Mental Illness. Isn’t the clichéd meaning of insanity doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results? It’s the human condition, to an extent, but Mann is more hopeful about breaking these cycles than some of the still-fogged-in narrators of her songs, like the woman in the final number, “Poor Judge,” who “can see a light on… calling me back to the same mistake.”\N“The general topic of mental illness is something I’m interested in because there are ways in which it’s like addiction, in that parts of it are compulsive and seem beyond your control,” says Mann. “But there’s always something that you can do or try to help yourself to better the situation, even if it’s just taking your medicine or exercising if you’re depressed. And I guess I find that encouraging, even if it’s a small chink in that armor. You know, I never think it’s completely hopeless. And I think that’s the good news about personal responsibility — that there’s always something you can control.”\NAnd if her songs aren’t nearly so solution-oriented as all that? After all, the song “Simple Fix” suggests there’s no such thing, with Mann sounding a bit fatalistic when she describes us all as “babies passing for adults/Who’ve loaded up their catapults/And can’t believe the end results/So here we go again.” But, says Mann, “I think that the most interesting point at which is a song gets written is the lament before the solution is either thought of or implemented. The hope in the songs is probably just in talking about it. Sometimes there’s a benefit in just saying, ‘I give up, I can’t go on,’ and then having that moment before then you go on. \NSome might think Mann just a little bit crazy — for lack of a more sensitive word — for making a record this soft-spoken in a climate where everyone has to yell ever-louder to get attention. Or for almost boasting about its anti-cheeriness at a time when the social clock of half the nation is already stuck at approximately half-past-wristcutting. But to her, it’s really upbeat, if only to help listeners feel like they’ve found their tribe: “I think people like to think somebody understands the more difficult things that they go through.”\NAnd as for the literally downbeat aspects of putting out an album this slow and stolidly beautiful in the age of BPM and clanging: “Part of that is like, why not? Because there’s a certain liberated feeling — if the death of the music business is nearly complete, you can really do whatever the fuck you want!” Saner words may never have been spoken. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Aimee Mann’s first new solo album in five years arrives with a title loaded with possible meanings and intent. For her, its provocative branding comes down to something akin to truth in advertising. “It came from a friend of mine asking me what the record was about,” she explains. “And I said, ‘Oh, you know me — the usual songs about mental illness.’ He said, ‘You should call it Mental Illness!’ I said, ‘I think I will.’” And thus, over the course of a few short seconds, was a classic album title born. “I always probably have a little bit of gallows humor,” Mann says, “and I would hope that people see there’s a little bit of that interspersed in there. I mean, calling it Mental Illnessmakes me laugh, because it is true, but it’s so blunt that it’s funny.”
What kind of pre-existing conditions come with Mental Illness? Some fans will see the album as a return to more musically familiar territory. After a couple of records that saw Mann leaning toward the rockier side (her last solo album, 2012’s Charmer, followed by her 2014 duo project with Ted Leo, The Both), this new one finds the woman who gave the world “Wise Up” again deciding to slow up. If you fell in love with earlier albums like Bachelor No. 2 and the Magnolia soundtrack, the gorgeous melodies and deliberate gait of this return to contemplative form will seem deliciously familiar.
At the same time, the arrangements mark a break from anything she’s done before, even those aforementioned landmark albums. Gone are the Mellotrons and some of the other distinctive signature sounds of yore. Although there are some electric instruments and occasional drums in the mix, Mental Illness is built for really the first time in her career around acoustic guitar and piano… and then, in another first, augmented astoundingly by starkly beautiful string arrangements. Spines will tingle, and softness and bluntness will find a happy marriage in songs that make up in haunting splendor for whatever they might lack in ebullience.
The album’s rich, incisive, and occasionally wry melancholia started with a mission statement of sorts, prompted by Mann’s own slightly tongue-in-cheek take on her own image. “I assume the brief on me is that people think that I write these really depressing songs,” Mann says. “I don’t know — people may have a different viewpoint — but that’s my own interpretation of the cliché about me. So if they thought that my songs were very down-tempo, very depressing, very sad, and very acoustic, I just gave myself permission to write the saddest, slowest, most acoustic, if-they’re-all-waltzes-so-be-it record I could,” she laughs.
That’s admittedly a pendulum swing away from Charmer and The Both, which found her gravitating toward the sounds or energy level associated with her tenure in ‘Til Tuesday in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. “Since the last project was with Ted Leo, and he certainly has a lot of classic rock, post-punk influences, I tried to meet him in the middle,” she says. “Touring and playing in smaller rock clubs with The Both as a trio, with me playing bass, was a real rock band experience.” Now, on the heels of delivering fans a power trio experience, “I think they might be ready for something super-sad and soft,” Mann says, hinting at a smile as she considers the path that brought her to being a one-woman delivery system for mellow gold in 2017.
The S-word, obviously, is no pejorative here. “I was listening to a lot of really soft ‘70s rock, like Bread and Dan Fogelberg,” Mann points out, offering up a couple of acts so far off the indie cred scale they seem like prime candidates for indie cred. (Completely coincidentally, she was recently asked to cover a Carpenters hit for the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s ‘70s-set HBO series, Vinyl.) But “there were other touchstones that we kept in mind,” a key one possibly being longtime producer Paul Bryan’s love for Nick Drake. “It always takes its own form. I just wanted to have finger-picky stuff, kind of like Leonard Cohen back in the folk-rock days. I haven’t ever made a record this stripped down before. Some drums wound up on there here and there, but I really tried to rein it in.”
Despite her best efforts to hold back the tide of extraneous instrumentation, there was an extravagance Mann couldn’t pass up, as the string arrangements Bryan was writing for a couple of songs proved so lovely that they began extending them to more of the tracks. The end result is “not as simple as my original concept,” she says, “but it’s just really hard to go into the studio and not have ideas for things, and it’s so fun and interesting to record real strings. That definitely makes things bigger and more fleshed out, but I hope that the basic acoustic elements still come across as distinct and simple.”
Besides Bryan, the players include other familiar cohorts, like Jonathan Coulton, who has his own album coming on Mann’s Superego label, and who’ll be her opening act on tour this year, doing some of the more detailed finger-picking. Other musicians include Jay Bellerose on drums, Jamie Edwards on piano, John Roderick as a co-writer, and erstwhile duet partner Leo as a background singer.
She has a little to live up to with Mental Illness, having long since transitioned from an MTV staple in her Til Tuesday years to becoming known as “one of the finest songwriters of her generation,” as the New York Times proclaimed her. NPR Music named her “one of the top 10 living songwriters” alongside the likes of Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Her last solo album won her some of the best reviews of a storied career. Paste opined: “She is innately tuned into our fragility and resilience. Like the Velvet Underground’s Nico, she’s our mirror. Through her songs, she reflects life as it so often is—a contorted, gasping mess—but somehow she still finds beauty in its imperfection.” Britain’s Independent called Charmer “another sweet viper's bite of post-Freudian dyspepsia from the singer-songwriter who loves to mistrust.” Or, as the New York Times wrote, “The sugarcoated poison pill is a reliable device for Aimee Mann, a singer-songwriter given to ravaging implication and dispassionate affect... That it all goes down so easily seems like a sneaky way to make a point.” Charmed, they’re sure.
Validation came not just from the Grammys, but the Oscars, as she earned Academy Award as well as Golden Globe nominations for best original song for “Save Me,” part of an acclaimed song score for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia that ensured her voice would carry to entirely new audiences. Before her contributions to Magnolia, she made a quick, quirky screen appearance in The Big Lebowski as a German nihilist/kidnapper. Further up the typecasting scale, she played herself — albeit, a fictionalized, comically down-on-her-luck version of herself — on a classic Season 1 episode of her friend Fred Armisen’s series, Portlandia. She’s witty enough to have been named one of The Huffington Post’s “13 Funny Musicians You Should Be Following On Twitter” and serious enough to have been invited to perform for President Obama and the First Lady, sharing the bill with Common at a private, poetry-themed White House gig.
Speaking of presidents… In 2016, when Dave Eggers started a project to enlist 30 artists to write 30 songs about Donald Trump prior to the election, the first person he enlisted was Mann, who contributed an attention-grabbing tune with the chorus, “I don’t want this job/My God, can’t you tell/I’m unwell?”
After that, you might want to jump to the conclusion that an album with a title like Mental Illness might have a political component. It’s not quite that topical, but really represents classic Mann, in songs that mostly describe the obsessions and moderately aberrant behavioral patterns that have been the hallmark of thwarted romance from time immemorial. A few do deal with run-ins she and her friends have had with liars pathological enough that they might live up to the clinical condition of the title.
“There’s still a stigma to a certain kind of mental illness,” she says. “I feel like it’s a world I’m kind of familiar with, not only from my own experience, but just people I know who are just trying to work out their stuff. I certainly do think everybody’s got their thing. I wouldn’t go so far as to say everybody’s mentally ill. I’ve seen a lot of talk about Trump having narcissistic personality disorder, which I one-hundred-percent agree with, but I don’t even know if that qualifies as a mental illness. I think another way to look at that is, people are trapped in compulsive behavior. There are definitely a couple of songs on the album about a person I knew who probably is a sociopath, but even then, I’ve kind of realized that sociopathy is a combination of things. And I’m very fascinated by codependency, or people who enable other people’s bad behavior or addictions — I mean, I’m certainly no stranger to it.”
Not every song on the album is about such alarming behavior. The first single, “Goose Snow Cone,” may be its sweetest, least barbed, and most autobiographical, simply because it describes feeling disconnected out as a touring artist on the road, as accentuated by photos of a certain someone back home. "I was in Ireland and it was snowing, at the end of a tour, and I was feeling exhausted and homesick,” explains Mann. "My friends have this cat named Goose, and they posted a picture of Goose’s little face on Instagram — she’s got white fur, and it really looked like a snowcone ball. So I start writing this song. It’s really more about being homesick and lonely than it is about the cute little kitty, but that’s the way it came out.”
The sickness gets less benign on other tracks. Being one of the songs about a sociopath that crossed her path, “Lies of Summer” is about the not-so-instant replay you might do in your head “once you realize that somebody’s a pathological liar. Then you scroll back through all the encounters that have just been slightly off, and you see those in a different light.” The song “Rollercoasters” describes “the feeling of being addicted to extreme emotional states — high is great, but low will do when high is not present—and how easy it is to lose yourself in drama because it’s so perfectly distracting.” “Knock It Off” is an advisory to a guy whose lying caused a breakup, but who the lyrics describe as “just stand(ing) there on her front lawn,” like Lloyd Dobler, but not as cute. “That intersects with what people think of it as the sort of cinematic/romantic moment, hoisting the boom box over your head. It’s crazy behavior! It’s not taking no for an answer, which is not a great trait in a relationship.”
The theme of not being able to break bad patterns pops up recurringly in the lyrics of Mental Illness. Isn’t the clichéd meaning of insanity doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results? It’s the human condition, to an extent, but Mann is more hopeful about breaking these cycles than some of the still-fogged-in narrators of her songs, like the woman in the final number, “Poor Judge,” who “can see a light on… calling me back to the same mistake.”
“The general topic of mental illness is something I’m interested in because there are ways in which it’s like addiction, in that parts of it are compulsive and seem beyond your control,” says Mann. “But there’s always something that you can do or try to help yourself to better the situation, even if it’s just taking your medicine or exercising if you’re depressed. And I guess I find that encouraging, even if it’s a small chink in that armor. You know, I never think it’s completely hopeless. And I think that’s the good news about personal responsibility — that there’s always something you can control.”
And if her songs aren’t nearly so solution-oriented as all that? After all, the song “Simple Fix” suggests there’s no such thing, with Mann sounding a bit fatalistic when she describes us all as “babies passing for adults/Who’ve loaded up their catapults/And can’t believe the end results/So here we go again.” But, says Mann, “I think that the most interesting point at which is a song gets written is the lament before the solution is either thought of or implemented. The hope in the songs is probably just in talking about it. Sometimes there’s a benefit in just saying, ‘I give up, I can’t go on,’ and then having that moment before then you go on.
Some might think Mann just a little bit crazy — for lack of a more sensitive word — for making a record this soft-spoken in a climate where everyone has to yell ever-louder to get attention. Or for almost boasting about its anti-cheeriness at a time when the social clock of half the nation is already stuck at approximately half-past-wristcutting. But to her, it’s really upbeat, if only to help listeners feel like they’ve found their tribe: “I think people like to think somebody understands the more difficult things that they go through.”
And as for the literally downbeat aspects of putting out an album this slow and stolidly beautiful in the age of BPM and clanging: “Part of that is like, why not? Because there’s a certain liberated feeling — if the death of the music business is nearly complete, you can really do whatever the fuck you want!” Saner words may never have been spoken.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240627T160817Z SEQUENCE:1374836 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:10307 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241114T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241114T210000 UID:294D71C8-BF83-4491-97C8-BB70A2BCCB7E SUMMARY:The Dip CREATED:20240408T221716Z DTSTAMP:20240408T221716Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-dip-2 DESCRIPTION:The Dip is a Seattle-based Rhythm and Blues band that is known for its poignant songwriting, detailed arrangements, and vintage sound. Featuring a three-piece horn section, the group’s music harkens back to earlier soul and funk influences while hinting at the jazz foundations that brought the band’s members together. Along with singer and guitarist Tom Eddy, bassist Mark Hunter and drummer Jarred Katz are equally at home in a tight-pocketed groove as they are spacious free-improvisation. Trumpet player Brennan Carter joined by saxophonists Evan Smith and Levi Gillis serve as the band’s melodic counterpoint, playing off Eddy’s vocals to create a distinct sonic character that has drawn in millions of listeners to date. \N'Love Direction', the follow-up to 2022’s 'Sticking With It' (which landed at #1 on the Billboard Current R&B Albums Chart) is the band’s fourth full-length studio album and second for Dualtone Records, due out 7/12/24. This new record is the sound of the band taking their next step forward. The interplay of old and new is on full display throughout the album; and, the group augments their classic sound with an expanded instrumentation throughout. Eddy says of the album’s inspiration: “As you get further along in a relationship, sometimes you lose your way. The things that came easily in the beginning get hard. The love is still there, it’s just that people and life are complicated. Sometimes you don’t have the tools in the toolbox to figure out what you need to do to support the other person, so you have to get help and ask for directions.”\NStill, despite the title, this latest record isn’t a collection of straightforward love songs, but an investigation into the different angles and challenges that relationships can bring. Expanding on the album’s theme, Eddy further notes “These aren’t ‘Love Songs’ in the most obvious sense. They deal with the middle stages, the hinterlands of love and life together - figuring someone out and what they need, learning how to communicate, and examining your own faults. We set out to write music that felt more grown, a little wiser. The songs that emerged all pointed in the Love Direction.”\NTheir last album cycle saw the band headline and sell-out shows at iconic venues across the country. They have also had the opportunity to support new friends like Lake Street Dive and The Black Pumas, while also appearing at major festivals including Bonnaroo and Outside Lands. No strangers to the road, this new album represents a reflection on the band’s touring gravitas as well as the promise of a new destination appearing on the horizon. Directions now in hand, The Dip is looking forward to furthering this exploration into all matters of the heart by bringing this expansive and detailed new recording to life in their next travels together. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The Dip is a Seattle-based Rhythm and Blues band that is known for its poignant songwriting, detailed arrangements, and vintage sound. Featuring a three-piece horn section, the group’s music harkens back to earlier soul and funk influences while hinting at the jazz foundations that brought the band’s members together. Along with singer and guitarist Tom Eddy, bassist Mark Hunter and drummer Jarred Katz are equally at home in a tight-pocketed groove as they are spacious free-improvisation. Trumpet player Brennan Carter joined by saxophonists Evan Smith and Levi Gillis serve as the band’s melodic counterpoint, playing off Eddy’s vocals to create a distinct sonic character that has drawn in millions of listeners to date.
'Love Direction', the follow-up to 2022’s 'Sticking With It' (which landed at #1 on the Billboard Current R&B Albums Chart) is the band’s fourth full-length studio album and second for Dualtone Records, due out 7/12/24. This new record is the sound of the band taking their next step forward. The interplay of old and new is on full display throughout the album; and, the group augments their classic sound with an expanded instrumentation throughout. Eddy says of the album’s inspiration: “As you get further along in a relationship, sometimes you lose your way. The things that came easily in the beginning get hard. The love is still there, it’s just that people and life are complicated. Sometimes you don’t have the tools in the toolbox to figure out what you need to do to support the other person, so you have to get help and ask for directions.”
Still, despite the title, this latest record isn’t a collection of straightforward love songs, but an investigation into the different angles and challenges that relationships can bring. Expanding on the album’s theme, Eddy further notes “These aren’t ‘Love Songs’ in the most obvious sense. They deal with the middle stages, the hinterlands of love and life together - figuring someone out and what they need, learning how to communicate, and examining your own faults. We set out to write music that felt more grown, a little wiser. The songs that emerged all pointed in the Love Direction.”
Their last album cycle saw the band headline and sell-out shows at iconic venues across the country. They have also had the opportunity to support new friends like Lake Street Dive and The Black Pumas, while also appearing at major festivals including Bonnaroo and Outside Lands. No strangers to the road, this new album represents a reflection on the band’s touring gravitas as well as the promise of a new destination appearing on the horizon. Directions now in hand, The Dip is looking forward to furthering this exploration into all matters of the heart by bringing this expansive and detailed new recording to life in their next travels together.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241031T223526Z SEQUENCE:17799490 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:4530 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-04-09 15:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241116T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241116T210000 UID:54B3DAD0-7AB0-4DCE-8BC3-9F07A50D3179 SUMMARY:The Brothers Comatose CREATED:20240716T162700Z DTSTAMP:20240716T162700Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-brothers-comatose-3 DESCRIPTION:Whether traveling to gigs on horseback or by tour bus, Americana mavens The Brothers Comatose forge their own path with raucous West Coast renderings of traditional bluegrass, country and rock ‘n’ roll music. The five-piece string band is anything but a traditional acoustic outfit with their fierce musicianship and rowdy, rock concert-like shows.\NThe Brothers Comatose is comprised of brothers Ben Morrison (guitar, vocals) and Alex Morrison (banjo, vocals), Steve Height (bass), Philip Brezina (violin), and Greg Fleischut (mandolin, vocals). When they’re not headlining The Fillmore for a sold-out show or appearing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the band is out on the road performing across America, Canada, Australia, and hosting their very own music festival, Comatopia, in the Sierra foothills. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Whether traveling to gigs on horseback or by tour bus, Americana mavens The Brothers Comatose forge their own path with raucous West Coast renderings of traditional bluegrass, country and rock ‘n’ roll music. The five-piece string band is anything but a traditional acoustic outfit with their fierce musicianship and rowdy, rock concert-like shows.
The Brothers Comatose is comprised of brothers Ben Morrison (guitar, vocals) and Alex Morrison (banjo, vocals), Steve Height (bass), Philip Brezina (violin), and Greg Fleischut (mandolin, vocals). When they’re not headlining The Fillmore for a sold-out show or appearing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the band is out on the road performing across America, Canada, Australia, and hosting their very own music festival, Comatopia, in the Sierra foothills.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241113T222338Z SEQUENCE:10389398 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3540 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241121T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241121T210000 UID:CCE2BEF8-22FB-4602-97FE-E9CEE727B92E SUMMARY:JD McPherson CREATED:20240626T161913Z DTSTAMP:20240626T161913Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/jd-mcpherson-2 DESCRIPTION:Over the course of 12 years, four studio albums, and two EPs, JD McPherson has blazed a singular musical trail, one steeped in a deep affinity for foundational rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, and R&B (among other mid-century American-made sounds), and filtered through a unique and alluringly idiosyncratic songwriting sensibility. While the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native testifies that he “really loves those classic styles, and the driving force of those old songs,” he also affirms that he doesn’t approach his music like a museum piece. Rather, McPherson says, “I think about it like, ‘Why not throw some of those rhythms and sounds into a blender and see what comes out?’”\NWhy not, indeed. And to be sure, what has emerged from JD’s musical blender this time out is something unlike anything in his catalog. The new Nite Owls, his fifth studio full-length, shows McPherson further sharpening his songcraft in the service of ten tight, dynamic, and hard-hitting rock ‘n’ roll tunes. At the same time, he also reached deeper into his stylistic toolbox to incorporate elements of glam, new wave, post-punk, surf rock, and other sounds into the mix. “To me, the thread between Duane Eddy and Depeche Mode is that single-note, reverb-y guitar style,” McPherson says about connecting some of these sonic dots. “So it felt natural to blend that kind of big-string guitar thing with the classic stuff and a dash of surf. It made sense.”\NHe laughs. “Although I have sent this record out to some friends, and a couple of ’em were like, ‘What are you doing?’”\NWe’re here to say: relax, friends. JD’s got it handled. Nite Owls kicks off with one of McPherson’s most infectious tracks to date – “Sunshine Getaway,” a blast of beaming, T. Rex-y glam rock that, despite its title and, yes, sunny musical demeanor, has a darker sentiment at its core. “I wrote it with my good friends Jack and Page from the Cactus Blossoms,” JD recounts. “They’re from Minneapolis, and we were talking about how the cold is really a problem there. I remember Jack saying, ‘If you drink too much and you come home and you can't find your keys, you can die on your porch in the wintertime.’ That’s serious. But then that conversation turned into a song about being kind of stuck in place and dreaming about beautiful sunny skies.”\NMusically, “Sunshine Getaway” is “a real ‘stroller,’” JD continues. “And I couldn’t believe how huge it sounded when we got it back from the mixing sessions – it blew my head off. Everybody was like, ‘This has to be the first single!’”\NFrom there, we move into “I Can’t Go Anywhere With You,” a tightly wound R&B rave-up in which McPherson chronicles the fabricated plights of Tony Mandatori and Eddie Rockefeller, “a filthy type o’ fella” (“it’s very Leiber-and-Stoller, tongue-in-cheek humor,” he explains), before landing on the gorgeous “Just Like Summer,” a slice of melancholic, new-wave-tinged dream-pop that finds JD reminiscing about the type of long-lost love that can “burn you like the bright, blue summer” (“a little high-school story”), as dew-drop guitar notes and gently warped chords fill in the sonic space around him.\NElsewhere, McPherson conjures a vivid, detailed story-scene in the evocative title track (“it sort of makes me laugh because of how wordy it is,” he says); invokes a Beach Boys-esque vibe, replete with chiming bells and exquisite vocal harmonies, on “That’s What a Love Song Does to You,” and teams up with Ryan Lindsay, of Oklahoma indie rockers Broncho (“one of my favorite bands, ever”), on the breezy love – or is it lust? – song, “Shining Like Gold.”\NThroughout Nite Owls there are also a handful of tracks that longtime McPherson fans may recognize as more characteristically JD – the twangy “The Rock and Roll Girls,” for one; the garage-rock groover “Baby Blues,” for another; the Shadows-like instrumental barnburner, “The Phantom Lover of New Rochelle,” for a definite third. But, really, it's all of a piece. “There's no saxophones this time, there's no R&B piano, but it’s a rock ‘n’ roll record,” JD says of Nite Owls. “To me, it’s the next logical step from my last one, Undivided Heart & Soul.”\NThat album, it’s worth noting, was released back in 2017. And while McPherson did issue one more record of original material, 2018’s SOCKS, that one was comprised of holiday-themed songs, making Undivided Heart & Soul “the last non-seasonally-sensitive record I’ve made,” he says with a laugh. “And that was now seven years ago.”\NWhich is not to say he hasn’t been busy. In 2023 JD released the Warm Covers 2 EP, featuring his interpretations of songs by five artists, spanning from Oklahoma R&B and country legend Big Al Downing to Iggy Pop to the Pixies. And he has also spent the last few years on the road with two other American roots music enthusiasts, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, serving as the support act on the duo’s ongoing joint tour – and also, incredibly, as a guitarist in their backing band. “The first year, I was holding on for dear life, just trying to keep up with Robert and Alison and the band,” JD admits. “But once I got over that, I learned so much. And I am continuing to learn so much from playing with those folks.”\NThese experiences, JD says, helped him through a particularly difficult period in his personal and professional life – one that also coincided with the Covid lockdown. “I actually recorded a version of Nite Owls several years ago in L.A., but the environment within my band just wasn’t working at all,” JD reveals. “It was a painful time. And then the pandemic hit, and I went pretty dark. I thought it was all over for me in the music world – my band was gone, I wasn’t playing shows... it took me a long time to get back into enjoying it.”\NWhat changed? “Joining the Plant-Krauss band was a big part of it,” he says. “And then meeting some other musicians and going in and doing the Warm Covers project was a hugely important thing, because that was pure fun. These were steps towards healing a little bit. And now we have this record.”\NTo make the version of Nite Owls that we have before us, McPherson retreated to familiar environs, Reliable Recorders in Chicago, with a core group of musicians that have been in his orbit for years – guitarist and “auxiliary” player Douglas Corcoran, bassist and “good friend” Beau Sample, and drummer (and Reliable proprietor) Alex Hall. “I went back to where I made my first record, and it was a wonderful experience,” JD says. “We pretty much did everything in-house, and we recorded the thing quick and fast and live.”\NThat electricity and immediacy is baked into every groove of Nite Owls. “I’m just trying to share an infectious enthusiasm,” JD says about his musical intentions. “That's something that's missing in a lot of bands. Like, everybody's so sullen and serious! But me, I want to enjoy myself and make the music I want to make, and I’m so full of gratitude that I get to make it for a living.” He pauses. “I guess you could say I’m kind of a professional enthusiast, you know?” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Over the course of 12 years, four studio albums, and two EPs, JD McPherson has blazed a singular musical trail, one steeped in a deep affinity for foundational rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, and R&B (among other mid-century American-made sounds), and filtered through a unique and alluringly idiosyncratic songwriting sensibility. While the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native testifies that he “really loves those classic styles, and the driving force of those old songs,” he also affirms that he doesn’t approach his music like a museum piece. Rather, McPherson says, “I think about it like, ‘Why not throw some of those rhythms and sounds into a blender and see what comes out?’”
Why not, indeed. And to be sure, what has emerged from JD’s musical blender this time out is something unlike anything in his catalog. The new Nite Owls, his fifth studio full-length, shows McPherson further sharpening his songcraft in the service of ten tight, dynamic, and hard-hitting rock ‘n’ roll tunes. At the same time, he also reached deeper into his stylistic toolbox to incorporate elements of glam, new wave, post-punk, surf rock, and other sounds into the mix. “To me, the thread between Duane Eddy and Depeche Mode is that single-note, reverb-y guitar style,” McPherson says about connecting some of these sonic dots. “So it felt natural to blend that kind of big-string guitar thing with the classic stuff and a dash of surf. It made sense.”
He laughs. “Although I have sent this record out to some friends, and a couple of ’em were like, ‘What are you doing?’”
We’re here to say: relax, friends. JD’s got it handled. Nite Owls kicks off with one of McPherson’s most infectious tracks to date – “Sunshine Getaway,” a blast of beaming, T. Rex-y glam rock that, despite its title and, yes, sunny musical demeanor, has a darker sentiment at its core. “I wrote it with my good friends Jack and Page from the Cactus Blossoms,” JD recounts. “They’re from Minneapolis, and we were talking about how the cold is really a problem there. I remember Jack saying, ‘If you drink too much and you come home and you can't find your keys, you can die on your porch in the wintertime.’ That’s serious. But then that conversation turned into a song about being kind of stuck in place and dreaming about beautiful sunny skies.”
Musically, “Sunshine Getaway” is “a real ‘stroller,’” JD continues. “And I couldn’t believe how huge it sounded when we got it back from the mixing sessions – it blew my head off. Everybody was like, ‘This has to be the first single!’”
From there, we move into “I Can’t Go Anywhere With You,” a tightly wound R&B rave-up in which McPherson chronicles the fabricated plights of Tony Mandatori and Eddie Rockefeller, “a filthy type o’ fella” (“it’s very Leiber-and-Stoller, tongue-in-cheek humor,” he explains), before landing on the gorgeous “Just Like Summer,” a slice of melancholic, new-wave-tinged dream-pop that finds JD reminiscing about the type of long-lost love that can “burn you like the bright, blue summer” (“a little high-school story”), as dew-drop guitar notes and gently warped chords fill in the sonic space around him.
Elsewhere, McPherson conjures a vivid, detailed story-scene in the evocative title track (“it sort of makes me laugh because of how wordy it is,” he says); invokes a Beach Boys-esque vibe, replete with chiming bells and exquisite vocal harmonies, on “That’s What a Love Song Does to You,” and teams up with Ryan Lindsay, of Oklahoma indie rockers Broncho (“one of my favorite bands, ever”), on the breezy love – or is it lust? – song, “Shining Like Gold.”
Throughout Nite Owls there are also a handful of tracks that longtime McPherson fans may recognize as more characteristically JD – the twangy “The Rock and Roll Girls,” for one; the garage-rock groover “Baby Blues,” for another; the Shadows-like instrumental barnburner, “The Phantom Lover of New Rochelle,” for a definite third. But, really, it's all of a piece. “There's no saxophones this time, there's no R&B piano, but it’s a rock ‘n’ roll record,” JD says of Nite Owls. “To me, it’s the next logical step from my last one, Undivided Heart & Soul.”
That album, it’s worth noting, was released back in 2017. And while McPherson did issue one more record of original material, 2018’s SOCKS, that one was comprised of holiday-themed songs, making Undivided Heart & Soul “the last non-seasonally-sensitive record I’ve made,” he says with a laugh. “And that was now seven years ago.”
Which is not to say he hasn’t been busy. In 2023 JD released the Warm Covers 2 EP, featuring his interpretations of songs by five artists, spanning from Oklahoma R&B and country legend Big Al Downing to Iggy Pop to the Pixies. And he has also spent the last few years on the road with two other American roots music enthusiasts, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, serving as the support act on the duo’s ongoing joint tour – and also, incredibly, as a guitarist in their backing band. “The first year, I was holding on for dear life, just trying to keep up with Robert and Alison and the band,” JD admits. “But once I got over that, I learned so much. And I am continuing to learn so much from playing with those folks.”
These experiences, JD says, helped him through a particularly difficult period in his personal and professional life – one that also coincided with the Covid lockdown. “I actually recorded a version of Nite Owls several years ago in L.A., but the environment within my band just wasn’t working at all,” JD reveals. “It was a painful time. And then the pandemic hit, and I went pretty dark. I thought it was all over for me in the music world – my band was gone, I wasn’t playing shows... it took me a long time to get back into enjoying it.”
What changed? “Joining the Plant-Krauss band was a big part of it,” he says. “And then meeting some other musicians and going in and doing the Warm Covers project was a hugely important thing, because that was pure fun. These were steps towards healing a little bit. And now we have this record.”
To make the version of Nite Owls that we have before us, McPherson retreated to familiar environs, Reliable Recorders in Chicago, with a core group of musicians that have been in his orbit for years – guitarist and “auxiliary” player Douglas Corcoran, bassist and “good friend” Beau Sample, and drummer (and Reliable proprietor) Alex Hall. “I went back to where I made my first record, and it was a wonderful experience,” JD says. “We pretty much did everything in-house, and we recorded the thing quick and fast and live.”
That electricity and immediacy is baked into every groove of Nite Owls. “I’m just trying to share an infectious enthusiasm,” JD says about his musical intentions. “That's something that's missing in a lot of bands. Like, everybody's so sullen and serious! But me, I want to enjoy myself and make the music I want to make, and I’m so full of gratitude that I get to make it for a living.” He pauses. “I guess you could say I’m kind of a professional enthusiast, you know?”
LAST-MODIFIED:20240701T155913Z SEQUENCE:430800 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2558 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241123T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241123T233000 UID:C72BD350-E507-411E-95C8-526678597DB3 SUMMARY:KRCL's 45th Anniversary Party CREATED:20241015T225323Z DTSTAMP:20241015T225323Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/krcls-45th-anniversary-party DESCRIPTION:Listeners Community Radio of Utah - KRCL has been spinning since December 3, 1979 and continues to bring together music lovers from near and far, connecting this beautifully diverse community. Celebrate 45 years of community radio at KRCL’s 45th Anniversary Party on Saturday, November 23 at The Commonwealth Room with a night of live music, special drinks, signature beers, food trucks, a photo booth, and birthday cupcakes for all!\NStart the evening with a “History of KRCL” panel discussion hosted by RadioACTive’s Lara Jones at 6pm. Music starts at 7pm with an all vinyl set from DJ Rockin’ Robin. And groove to live music from some Utah favorites: shimmery psych rockers The Mellons, Dead-inspired jam band The Pranksters, and close out the evening with Talia Keys and the Love performing a rare full-band show.\NAll proceeds benefit KRCL, keeping independent media accessible to all. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Listeners Community Radio of Utah - KRCL has been spinning since December 3, 1979 and continues to bring together music lovers from near and far, connecting this beautifully diverse community. Celebrate 45 years of community radio at KRCL’s 45th Anniversary Party on Saturday, November 23 at The Commonwealth Room with a night of live music, special drinks, signature beers, food trucks, a photo booth, and birthday cupcakes for all!
Start the evening with a “History of KRCL” panel discussion hosted by RadioACTive’s Lara Jones at 6pm. Music starts at 7pm with an all vinyl set from DJ Rockin’ Robin. And groove to live music from some Utah favorites: shimmery psych rockers The Mellons, Dead-inspired jam band The Pranksters, and close out the evening with Talia Keys and the Love performing a rare full-band show.
All proceeds benefit KRCL, keeping independent media accessible to all.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241123T215406Z SEQUENCE:3366043 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1843 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-10-16 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241124T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241124T210000 UID:F5B1289A-6B74-4B7B-8C16-7F4161B5C995 SUMMARY:Blind Pilot CREATED:20240618T164140Z DTSTAMP:20240618T164140Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/blind-pilot DESCRIPTION:The past isn’t finished with us yet. Love can be like that, too. A couple of years ago I found love in different forms leaving my life at once. In a single month I lost my closest group of friends, my 13 year relationship ended, and my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I had just stopped touring to write the next Blind Pilot album, but instead I was watching each of my plans unthread as a new season pulled forward relentlessly.\NAvoiding suffering, is avoiding real happiness too. My reason to tell this story isn’t because it broke me and pinned me breathless. There was suffering, but those two years, as I moved to my hometown to help my parents through my dad’s sickness and eventually his death, also brought me true closeness, a deeper will to care and hope, and many moments of beauty I can barely describe.\NThis album came from love for my family, my town, my friends, my community. We don’t have to be so afraid of loss. We can speak and share its name, knowing we are together in it. If these songs are invitations to talk about loss and death, the invitation is to talk closely of the courage we find when we face loss honestly, cracked open and unsure of what we will become. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The past isn’t finished with us yet. Love can be like that, too. A couple of years ago I found love in different forms leaving my life at once. In a single month I lost my closest group of friends, my 13 year relationship ended, and my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I had just stopped touring to write the next Blind Pilot album, but instead I was watching each of my plans unthread as a new season pulled forward relentlessly.
Avoiding suffering, is avoiding real happiness too. My reason to tell this story isn’t because it broke me and pinned me breathless. There was suffering, but those two years, as I moved to my hometown to help my parents through my dad’s sickness and eventually his death, also brought me true closeness, a deeper will to care and hope, and many moments of beauty I can barely describe.
This album came from love for my family, my town, my friends, my community. We don’t have to be so afraid of loss. We can speak and share its name, knowing we are together in it. If these songs are invitations to talk about loss and death, the invitation is to talk closely of the courage we find when we face loss honestly, cracked open and unsure of what we will become.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241112T233830Z SEQUENCE:12725810 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3429 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-06-18 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241207T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241207T200000 UID:75D231FA-3D3F-49C2-8722-6F685C90F8AD SUMMARY:SLAMROCKS! CREATED:20241018T211728Z DTSTAMP:20241018T211728Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/slamrocks DESCRIPTION:2024 SLAMROCKS! is SLAM's annual benefit concert when our students show off the best rock, metal, jazz, punk, pop, funk, and soul music of the year on the big Commonwealth Room stage! We invite you to support the majesty and power of youth and music with SLC’s future rock stars!\NMark your calendars for Saturday December 7, 2024\N$10 - Youth General Admission$20 - Adult General Admission$50 - Adult Reserved Seating Section (only 50 available)\NTickets go on sale October 15, 2024\NThe Salt Lake Academy of Music is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that gives hundreds of K-12 youth free-to-fee access to high quality musical instruments, instruction, programs in classical, rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass and electronic music. SLAM is best known for providing performance opportunities for its students at festivals and special events, statewide. Parents choose SLAM because it is a safe, inclusive, equitable, and fun place where young people thrive among like-minded youth X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:2024 SLAMROCKS! is SLAM's annual benefit concert when our students show off the best rock, metal, jazz, punk, pop, funk, and soul music of the year on the big Commonwealth Room stage! We invite you to support the majesty and power of youth and music with SLC’s future rock stars!
Mark your calendars for Saturday December 7, 2024
$10 - Youth General Admission
$20 - Adult General Admission
$50 - Adult Reserved Seating Section (only 50 available)
Tickets go on sale October 15, 2024
The Salt Lake Academy of Music is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that gives hundreds of K-12 youth free-to-fee access to high quality musical instruments, instruction, programs in classical, rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass and electronic music. SLAM is best known for providing performance opportunities for its students at festivals and special events, statewide. Parents choose SLAM because it is a safe, inclusive, equitable, and fun place where young people thrive among like-minded youth
LAST-MODIFIED:20241113T005948Z SEQUENCE:2173340 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1786 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241212T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241212T210000 UID:276036D8-F60B-47A7-9C82-F1745712DE41 SUMMARY:Shovels & Rope CREATED:20240531T220200Z DTSTAMP:20240531T220200Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/shovels-rope DESCRIPTION:One night in the middle of the night there were a series of noises coming from above which lead to a series of thoughts. It sounded like something was working. Building something… A nest for its family? A trap for its prey? This led to more thoughts about unseen things at work. A God? A voice in your head? It all feels kind of made up until someone responds to it. \NLess means more. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us. This time the rules were simple: we can only use what we work with live and whatever we put down on tape must be accomplishable on a stage in a live setting. That’s always seemed to be when we’re at our best. Or most twitchy. Many times we’ve made records that we loved and then, after figuring out how we’d perform it live, we end up falling in love with the live arrangement because being a 2 piece band, it took some real risk and struggle which led to innovation, which gave it a whole new life. (Consider the tortured grape.) So with this one we just started there and worked backwards. The result encapsulates, more than anything we’ve done before, the sound of our live performance. Resulting in what one might consider by definition, a definitive album. \NThe summer and fall leading up to recording we spent writing songs, hanging out with family in Colorado, and playing shows opening for The Wood Brothers and Gregory Alan Isakov, both of whom have large audiences. So each night we were playing in front of a lot of people, many of whom had never heard of us. We decided to take those opportunities to rattle our comfort zone cage and try out a bunch of brand new, just written songs and basically learn how to play them in front a few thousand people. The songs would grow and change show to show, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Maybe we go down in flames? Maybe something beautiful happens while it’s burning? We happily embraced the chaos. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us. \NWe had a new song that initially neither of us thought that much of called ‘Love Song From A Dog.” During one of the first nights of the Isakov run, we decided on stage, mid set, to try it out because the show was going well and the audience was warm. And it kind of killed. People honestly wouldn’t shut up about it. Not a brag more like a phenomenon or a weird dream. It became a fan favorite moment of our set each night and honestly in all the years of doing this we’ve never had so many people send us messages or reach out about any one specific song as they did this one. It just goes to show us that we don’t know anything. When it came time to record it we thought it’d be fitting and a nice touch to have Greg sing on it since it was his audience who basically fostered it into being by giving us the confidence and encouragement we needed to see it the way they did. He generously obliged and the song was instantly elevated by the sincerity and richness of mood that colors his voice. \NThe two of us can’t help but be obsessed with duality. The song ‘Two Wolves’ is a meditation about two conflicting energies competing for power. The first time we ever played it was on New Years Eve in an arena opening for Tyler Childers in front of 15k or so country music fans who surely were like “what the hell is this,” but to us it seemed 100 percent appropriate because it just feels like an arena type song. A fuzzy, thick riffed stomper with a meditative head bob refrain. So we opened with it because, well.. it felt like we had to. \NFor those who are new here we’ve spent the last decade or so bouncing around in the ‘Americana’ realm quite a bit. Getting branded into that world was admittedly a bit of a head scratcher for us as we’ve always identified as more of a rock band (though we do think of ourselves as folk songwriters and yarn spinners, and we do harmonize well together) but the people were paying attention and we were building a fan base so we kind of felt like “who were we to tell them who we weren’t?” But when you go all the way to Europe and are standing on a stage in front of a few hundred Scandinavians who are dressed in head to toe denim and cowboy hats, we can’t help but feel like we’re about to confuse some people. We will often find ourselves playing an outdoor, ‘free in the park’ type of concert series where a Male and Female with 2 guitars and beautiful harmonies will be booked as the opener, and then we’ll take the stage and proceed to be a little louder and maybe a little more brash than was anticipated. It’s always kind of been this way with us. The joke in our camp when this happens goes something like: And for tonight’s entertainment, we have for you “The What We Thought They Were’s” followed by the “Louder Than We Thoughts”! Recently we did a gig where the spokesperson said to us just before we went on, ‘so maybe don’t come out with your heaviest guitar stuff and your 808 bass bullshit right off the rip…there are kids and old people here and they’ll leave” (he was trying to be helpful). We politely told him “Don’t worry, we have a plan”.. .and then again opened with ‘Two Wolves,’ with it’s loud guitar stuff and it’s 808 bullshit, followed by a dynamic set where we touched on all the different things we do and everyone proceeded to have a great time. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us. \N“Something Is Working Up Above My Head” is a catalog of vulnerable characters with sweet and sordid narratives.\N‘Colorado River’ is a song about a boy and his Dad disposing of bodies in various ways as the water level recedes and dark surprises surface. The hot dog bun line was initially supposed to be a place holder because it sounded funny and it rhymed, but then we sang it so many times over the summer that it built a little hot dog shack and moved in forever. I still think it’s kind of dumb but it’s also kind of great. For those who pay attention, it's a pretty obvious John Prine nod. I’d like to think he handed us the hot dog bun like a relay baton on his way to the great mystery. Macabre pairs well with a side of humor. \N‘Piranhanana’ is about a boy growing up in a house of sex workers and being fine with it with a little meditation, while his sister struggles to find her zen. ‘I’d Be Lying’ is about navigating a crisis with a long time friend. ‘Double Lines’ follows the journey of a young woman thru pregnancy tests, covid tests, and various other forms of duality and two-ness. \N‘Something is Working’ and ‘Dass Hymn’ (referring to Ram Dass) were the last 2 songs written and added to the collection of songs. They book end the record with questions about what, if anything, is pulling the strings? In the closing moments of the last song, 3 generations of our family all sing together about how nobody knows what happens at the end. And in all the not knowing, it’s comforting to sing with your family. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:One night in the middle of the night there were a series of noises coming from above which lead to a series of thoughts. It sounded like something was working. Building something… A nest for its family? A trap for its prey? This led to more thoughts about unseen things at work. A God? A voice in your head? It all feels kind of made up until someone responds to it.
Less means more. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us. This time the rules were simple: we can only use what we work with live and whatever we put down on tape must be accomplishable on a stage in a live setting. That’s always seemed to be when we’re at our best. Or most twitchy. Many times we’ve made records that we loved and then, after figuring out how we’d perform it live, we end up falling in love with the live arrangement because being a 2 piece band, it took some real risk and struggle which led to innovation, which gave it a whole new life. (Consider the tortured grape.) So with this one we just started there and worked backwards. The result encapsulates, more than anything we’ve done before, the sound of our live performance. Resulting in what one might consider by definition, a definitive album.
The summer and fall leading up to recording we spent writing songs, hanging out with family in Colorado, and playing shows opening for The Wood Brothers and Gregory Alan Isakov, both of whom have large audiences. So each night we were playing in front of a lot of people, many of whom had never heard of us. We decided to take those opportunities to rattle our comfort zone cage and try out a bunch of brand new, just written songs and basically learn how to play them in front a few thousand people. The songs would grow and change show to show, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Maybe we go down in flames? Maybe something beautiful happens while it’s burning? We happily embraced the chaos. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us.
We had a new song that initially neither of us thought that much of called ‘Love Song From A Dog.” During one of the first nights of the Isakov run, we decided on stage, mid set, to try it out because the show was going well and the audience was warm. And it kind of killed. People honestly wouldn’t shut up about it. Not a brag more like a phenomenon or a weird dream. It became a fan favorite moment of our set each night and honestly in all the years of doing this we’ve never had so many people send us messages or reach out about any one specific song as they did this one. It just goes to show us that we don’t know anything. When it came time to record it we thought it’d be fitting and a nice touch to have Greg sing on it since it was his audience who basically fostered it into being by giving us the confidence and encouragement we needed to see it the way they did. He generously obliged and the song was instantly elevated by the sincerity and richness of mood that colors his voice.
The two of us can’t help but be obsessed with duality. The song ‘Two Wolves’ is a meditation about two conflicting energies competing for power. The first time we ever played it was on New Years Eve in an arena opening for Tyler Childers in front of 15k or so country music fans who surely were like “what the hell is this,” but to us it seemed 100 percent appropriate because it just feels like an arena type song. A fuzzy, thick riffed stomper with a meditative head bob refrain. So we opened with it because, well.. it felt like we had to.
For those who are new here we’ve spent the last decade or so bouncing around in the ‘Americana’ realm quite a bit. Getting branded into that world was admittedly a bit of a head scratcher for us as we’ve always identified as more of a rock band (though we do think of ourselves as folk songwriters and yarn spinners, and we do harmonize well together) but the people were paying attention and we were building a fan base so we kind of felt like “who were we to tell them who we weren’t?” But when you go all the way to Europe and are standing on a stage in front of a few hundred Scandinavians who are dressed in head to toe denim and cowboy hats, we can’t help but feel like we’re about to confuse some people. We will often find ourselves playing an outdoor, ‘free in the park’ type of concert series where a Male and Female with 2 guitars and beautiful harmonies will be booked as the opener, and then we’ll take the stage and proceed to be a little louder and maybe a little more brash than was anticipated. It’s always kind of been this way with us. The joke in our camp when this happens goes something like: And for tonight’s entertainment, we have for you “The What We Thought They Were’s” followed by the “Louder Than We Thoughts”! Recently we did a gig where the spokesperson said to us just before we went on, ‘so maybe don’t come out with your heaviest guitar stuff and your 808 bass bullshit right off the rip…there are kids and old people here and they’ll leave” (he was trying to be helpful). We politely told him “Don’t worry, we have a plan”.. .and then again opened with ‘Two Wolves,’ with it’s loud guitar stuff and it’s 808 bullshit, followed by a dynamic set where we touched on all the different things we do and everyone proceeded to have a great time. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us.
“Something Is Working Up Above My Head” is a catalog of vulnerable characters with sweet and sordid narratives.
‘Colorado River’ is a song about a boy and his Dad disposing of bodies in various ways as the water level recedes and dark surprises surface. The hot dog bun line was initially supposed to be a place holder because it sounded funny and it rhymed, but then we sang it so many times over the summer that it built a little hot dog shack and moved in forever. I still think it’s kind of dumb but it’s also kind of great. For those who pay attention, it's a pretty obvious John Prine nod. I’d like to think he handed us the hot dog bun like a relay baton on his way to the great mystery. Macabre pairs well with a side of humor.
‘Piranhanana’ is about a boy growing up in a house of sex workers and being fine with it with a little meditation, while his sister struggles to find her zen. ‘I’d Be Lying’ is about navigating a crisis with a long time friend. ‘Double Lines’ follows the journey of a young woman thru pregnancy tests, covid tests, and various other forms of duality and two-ness.
‘Something is Working’ and ‘Dass Hymn’ (referring to Ram Dass) were the last 2 songs written and added to the collection of songs. They book end the record with questions about what, if anything, is pulling the strings? In the closing moments of the last song, 3 generations of our family all sing together about how nobody knows what happens at the end. And in all the not knowing, it’s comforting to sing with your family.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241112T233624Z SEQUENCE:14261664 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:5637 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-06-04 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241214T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241214T233000 UID:ED1396AD-5E92-42E3-844C-F8CFCA902B1C SUMMARY:Christmas Jam CREATED:20241031T180740Z DTSTAMP:20241031T180740Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/christmas-jam DESCRIPTION:Save the date and plan on being a part of Utah's most rockin' Holiday celebration! Christmas Jam began in 2010 as an all ages, holiday themed rock concert meant to bring the local music scene in the Salt Lake City, Utah area together to celebrate the season and serve the less fortunate through the gift of music. What happened that first year was nothing short of miraculous and we have enjoyed overwhelming growth in both attendance and participation with each passing season. We are excited about continuing to support community resources serving those experiencing homelessness. Proceeds from this year will once again be donated to our friends at The INN Between!" Doors at 6 - Show at 7 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Save the date and plan on being a part of Utah's most rockin' Holiday celebration! Christmas Jam began in 2010 as an all ages, holiday themed rock concert meant to bring the local music scene in the Salt Lake City, Utah area together to celebrate the season and serve the less fortunate through the gift of music. What happened that first year was nothing short of miraculous and we have enjoyed overwhelming growth in both attendance and participation with each passing season. We are excited about continuing to support community resources serving those experiencing homelessness. Proceeds from this year will once again be donated to our friends at The INN Between!"
Doors at 6 - Show at 7
Pink Talking Fish is a Hybrid Tribute Fusion Act that takes the music from three of the world's most beloved bands and creates a special treat for fans of the music.
Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Phish are all more than just bands...they are Phenomenons. Their creations have artistically inspired people and their mind-blowing live performances have brought people together to form a special sense of community around the love for their favorite band.
Although the music from each act is different, Pink Talking Fish has discovered that fusing the material together creates an amazing story. The epic emotion of Pink Floyd... The funky, danceable layerings of The Talking Heads... The multitude of styles, unique compositional structures and pure fun of Phish... to merge these three into one gives music lovers a special experience.
Discovering connections is part of the fun: Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" seamlessly fitting in the middle of the composition of Phish's "You Enjoy Myself". Perfectly placing Phish's "Sand" into the groove of The Talking Heads "Slippery People". Segued collections from all three acts such as Run Like Hell > Making Flippy Floppy > Piper > Run Like Hell or Mike's Song > Have A Cigar > Once In A Lifetime > Weekapaug Groove. These ideas are the spirit behind Pink Talking Fish.
The story is ever evolving. The experience is always exciting. Come join Pink Talking Fish for the ultimate fusion tribute and celebrate the love of this music in unique fashion.
LAST-MODIFIED:20240920T202818Z SEQUENCE:792481 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3160 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241231T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241231T210000 UID:BB701685-D57A-42B2-ACFC-32279495FEAC SUMMARY:Pixie & The Partygrass Boys CREATED:20241009T223357Z DTSTAMP:20241009T223357Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/pixie-the-partygrass-boys-2 DESCRIPTION:Hailed as "the hottest band in the Wasatch" by the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys create a uniquely American sound that can turn a room into a ruckus, while also offering a full variety of dynamics. They approach bluegrass and folk with classical and jazz backgrounds, incorporating elements of Broadway, pop-punk, and an unabashed love for having a damn good time. The band has been steadily gaining a nationwide fanbase, touring and playing festivals such as High Sierra, Delfest, Peachfest, Jamcruise, and WinterWonderGrass. They've shared the stage with artists like Lake Street Dive, Billy Strings, Grace Potter, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, and The Brothers Comatose. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Hailed as "the hottest band in the Wasatch" by the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys create a uniquely American sound that can turn a room into a ruckus, while also offering a full variety of dynamics. They approach bluegrass and folk with classical and jazz backgrounds, incorporating elements of Broadway, pop-punk, and an unabashed love for having a damn good time. The band has been steadily gaining a nationwide fanbase, touring and playing festivals such as High Sierra, Delfest, Peachfest, Jamcruise, and WinterWonderGrass. They've shared the stage with artists like Lake Street Dive, Billy Strings, Grace Potter, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, and The Brothers Comatose.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241231T231749Z SEQUENCE:7173832 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3436 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-10-10 15:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250118T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250118T233000 UID:98AE06FA-3EAA-4ECD-8784-F73AEAE14419 SUMMARY:Tank and the Bangas CREATED:20241015T161627Z DTSTAMP:20241015T161627Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/tank-and-the-bangas DESCRIPTION:Tank and the Bangas explore the most tender and true parts of life’s journey. Unique and with a vibrance that could only come from New Orleans, the lead vocalist, Tank has stretched her vocals over quirky raps, poetry, and rich melodies since the release of their first album, Think Tank in 2013. Four years later, they had a viral breakthrough as the winners of the NPR Tiny Desk Contest — an eclectic performance that has since been praised by musicians like Miguel and Anthony Hamilton and has now amassed over 14 million views on YouTube. Now, Tank and the Bangas arrive with a new 3-part album The Heart, The Mind, and The Soul. With this offering, Tank opens up about the wisdom she’s gained from new beginnings, endings, and in-betweens.\NThe concept of an album series came to Tank two years ago while traveling on a train with her group members. Its structure makes it different from the rest of the catalog, and so does the special emphasis Tank has put on her poetry, collaborators, and its cohesive sound. “It explores self-discovery, the journey to confidence, believing in your ability, matters of the heart, the mind, and just free thought flowing,” Tank says about the album.\NOn The Heart, the first part to be released and produced by James Poyser, Tank flows back and forth between poetry and a velvety alto that deepens every thoughtful word as she riffs about her deepest sentiments on life. The opening track, “A Poem Is” boasts a feature from Jill Scott — an appearance that Tank is thrilled about especially because her mission with this release is to magnify poetry as a music genre.\N“I want for poetry to get that much more respect and for even more young people to get into the expression of poetry,” Tank expresses. “I want it to be seen as even more cool again.”\NTank created a different soundscape with each collaborator for each part of the project. Producer Iman Omari, known for his lo-fi dreamy loops, paid attention to every detail of each beat and brought out a more “vibey” side of Tank on The Mind. She built The Soul with producer and jazz musician Robert Glasper, who led free-formed recording sessions that made room for Tank to discover the melodies and let ideas flow.\NWith The Heart, The Mind, and The Soul, Tank and the Bangas affirm the thoughts, feelings, and complexities of these key parts of self. ”I’m writing about my experience and feeling more open, free, and much more confident,” Tank says. “Before, even though I had such a big voice, sometimes I felt quieted. It feels good to stretch on my own terms.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Tank and the Bangas explore the most tender and true parts of life’s journey. Unique and with a vibrance that could only come from New Orleans, the lead vocalist, Tank has stretched her vocals over quirky raps, poetry, and rich melodies since the release of their first album, Think Tank in 2013. Four years later, they had a viral breakthrough as the winners of the NPR Tiny Desk Contest — an eclectic performance that has since been praised by musicians like Miguel and Anthony Hamilton and has now amassed over 14 million views on YouTube. Now, Tank and the Bangas arrive with a new 3-part album The Heart, The Mind, and The Soul. With this offering, Tank opens up about the wisdom she’s gained from new beginnings, endings, and in-betweens.
The concept of an album series came to Tank two years ago while traveling on a train with her group members. Its structure makes it different from the rest of the catalog, and so does the special emphasis Tank has put on her poetry, collaborators, and its cohesive sound. “It explores self-discovery, the journey to confidence, believing in your ability, matters of the heart, the mind, and just free thought flowing,” Tank says about the album.
On The Heart, the first part to be released and produced by James Poyser, Tank flows back and forth between poetry and a velvety alto that deepens every thoughtful word as she riffs about her deepest sentiments on life. The opening track, “A Poem Is” boasts a feature from Jill Scott — an appearance that Tank is thrilled about especially because her mission with this release is to magnify poetry as a music genre.
“I want for poetry to get that much more respect and for even more young people to get into the expression of poetry,” Tank expresses. “I want it to be seen as even more cool again.”
Tank created a different soundscape with each collaborator for each part of the project. Producer Iman Omari, known for his lo-fi dreamy loops, paid attention to every detail of each beat and brought out a more “vibey” side of Tank on The Mind. She built The Soul with producer and jazz musician Robert Glasper, who led free-formed recording sessions that made room for Tank to discover the melodies and let ideas flow.
With The Heart, The Mind, and The Soul, Tank and the Bangas affirm the thoughts, feelings, and complexities of these key parts of self. ”I’m writing about my experience and feeling more open, free, and much more confident,” Tank says. “Before, even though I had such a big voice, sometimes I felt quieted. It feels good to stretch on my own terms.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20241217T185835Z SEQUENCE:5452928 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3503 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-10-15 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250124T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250124T233000 UID:4E8DEC57-F244-450B-9CA2-EA114D889D6F SUMMARY:Kitchen Dwellers CREATED:20241112T174648Z DTSTAMP:20241112T174648Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/kitchen-dwellers-3 DESCRIPTION:In Dante’s Inferno, the author grapples with sin, its various manifestations, and its consequences. This time ultimately traces a trajectory of self-realization, acceptance, and accountability. Kitchen Dwellers embark on a similar odyssey over the course of their fourth full-length offering, Seven Devils. The Montana quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [Banjo], Joe Funk [Upright Bass], and Max Davies [Acoustic Guitar]—thread together an immersive and inimitable conceptual arc inspired by Dante’s Inferno and set to a soundtrack of folk-infused bluegrass spiked with psychedelic vision and rock energy. \NContinuing their own journey as brothers, they deliver their most ambitious and anthemic body of work yet.\N“These tunes deal with the human experience, and Torrin initially drew a parallel between the music and Dante,” Max states. “We explored the connection by correlating each song with a sin. Some of these connections are only apparent if you dive deep into the lyrics. Our goal is to essentially take the listener through our own interpretation of the Inferno story.” \N“We didn’t go into the studio with the intent of making a concept album,” recalls Torrin. “I was driving around listening to everything, and I noticed these parallels. To dive deeper, we’re discussing topics like mental health, the human condition, and what we go through on the road. In life and music, everything is recurring and universal. I was reading Dante at the time, and it naturally fit.”\NIt proved to be a logical next step as well…\NThus far, Kitchen Dwellers have engaged and enraptured listeners with albums such as Ghost In The Bottle [2017], Muir Maid [2019], Live from the Wilma [2021], and Wise River [2022]. Of the latter, Holler. praised how “Kitchen Dwellers have preserved their sense of youthful experimentation,” and Relix proclaimed, “The songs on the new record build on this range, while also reflecting on the group’s Bozeman, Montana home.” Between tallying millions of streams, the band ignited hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and graced the bills of Telluride Bluegrass, Northwest String Summit, WinterWonderGrass, and beyond. \NIn order to bring Seven Devils to life, the musicians opted to work with producer Glenn Brown. It would not only mark their first time collaborating with the producer, but it also would be the first time they decamped to Michigan in order to record.\N“The studio itself definitely impacted the vibe,” Torrin notes. “It’s a tiny workspace, but it’s full of old recording equipment with legendary stories attached to it. For almost the entire time, we were forced to congregate in this room together. The process was ever-evolving, because ideas kept flowing.”\NFittingly, “Seven Devils (Limbo)” opens the album and serves as the first single. Nimbly picked banjo and upbeat acoustic guitar set the pace as the regretful chorus bemoans, “Am I supposed to hop the next train? Or stand here drowning in the Oregon rain?” A guitar-driven bridge dips in and out of effects-laden echoes and stark strumming. Coming full circle, a ten-minute version of “Seven Devils” later bookends the record with an epic finale.\N“I incorporated some elements of grunge in terms of the chords, which are a little dissonant,” Torrin elaborates. “Thematically, it’s the descent into Hell. First, Dante goes through limbo before reaching any of the circles where the cardinal sins are addressed. ‘Seven Devils’ evokes the feeling of being in limbo.”\N“It also signifies you’re embarking on some type of journey,” Max agrees. “By the end of the LP, you know the protagonist isn’t going to be the same person.”\NThen, there’s “The Crow and The Raven (III).” The track’s emotionally charged vocals seesaw on top of strings in a moment of terse reflection. “I went through a horrible breakup in 2018 when I wrote the first version,” Shawn remembers. “‘The Crow and The Raven (III)’ sat in my notebook for a half-decade before we revamped it. Now, it’s a sad, slower lament about enduring the loss of a relationship.”\N“Pendulum” rushes towards a mournful refrain offset by a plucky crescendo. “It’s about dealing with an addiction in your life and how it affects relationships,” Joe says. “People often trade one addiction for another, whether positive or detrimental to their life, as a means to satisfy their baseline addictive tendencies.”\NOn the other end of the spectrum, “Here We Go (VI)” laments the epidemic of shootings in America with unfiltered frustration projected through a powerful ebb and flow punctuated by a cameo from Lindsay Lou.\N“I was riding a Greyhound from Seattle to Missoula in 2012,” Max goes on. “There had just been another school shooting. It’s terrible to think of how many shootings have happened since. Why is this happening? The chorus shifts gears to miscommunication between two parties in a relationship. Those are the two driving forces.”\NAn electric guitar lead heralds the onset of “Unwind (Paradiso),” building towards one climactic moment of catharsis.\N“A psychedelic experience and life-changing ego death changed my outlook on many things,” Torrin admits. “‘Unwind (Paradiso)’ was one of those moments where you surrender and let it take you. You’re letting go of the human things in your brain that make you want to fight or cause you to be afraid. It also came together in the studio as a band, which was super cool.”\NIn the end, Kitchen Dwellers may just leave you changed with Seven Devils.\N“The record is a trip inward within the self,” Torrin concludes. “It tackles a lot of things in the world people try not to think about. The reality is we’re only truly happy when happiness comes from within. That’s the message.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:In Dante’s Inferno, the author grapples with sin, its various manifestations, and its consequences. This time ultimately traces a trajectory of self-realization, acceptance, and accountability. Kitchen Dwellers embark on a similar odyssey over the course of their fourth full-length offering, Seven Devils. The Montana quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [Banjo], Joe Funk [Upright Bass], and Max Davies [Acoustic Guitar]—thread together an immersive and inimitable conceptual arc inspired by Dante’s Inferno and set to a soundtrack of folk-infused bluegrass spiked with psychedelic vision and rock energy.
Continuing their own journey as brothers, they deliver their most ambitious and anthemic body of work yet.
“These tunes deal with the human experience, and Torrin initially drew a parallel between the music and Dante,” Max states. “We explored the connection by correlating each song with a sin. Some of these connections are only apparent if you dive deep into the lyrics. Our goal is to essentially take the listener through our own interpretation of the Inferno story.”
“We didn’t go into the studio with the intent of making a concept album,” recalls Torrin. “I was driving around listening to everything, and I noticed these parallels. To dive deeper, we’re discussing topics like mental health, the human condition, and what we go through on the road. In life and music, everything is recurring and universal. I was reading Dante at the time, and it naturally fit.”
It proved to be a logical next step as well…
Thus far, Kitchen Dwellers have engaged and enraptured listeners with albums such as Ghost In The Bottle [2017], Muir Maid [2019], Live from the Wilma [2021], and Wise River [2022]. Of the latter, Holler. praised how “Kitchen Dwellers have preserved their sense of youthful experimentation,” and Relix proclaimed, “The songs on the new record build on this range, while also reflecting on the group’s Bozeman, Montana home.” Between tallying millions of streams, the band ignited hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and graced the bills of Telluride Bluegrass, Northwest String Summit, WinterWonderGrass, and beyond.
In order to bring Seven Devils to life, the musicians opted to work with producer Glenn Brown. It would not only mark their first time collaborating with the producer, but it also would be the first time they decamped to Michigan in order to record.
“The studio itself definitely impacted the vibe,” Torrin notes. “It’s a tiny workspace, but it’s full of old recording equipment with legendary stories attached to it. For almost the entire time, we were forced to congregate in this room together. The process was ever-evolving, because ideas kept flowing.”
Fittingly, “Seven Devils (Limbo)” opens the album and serves as the first single. Nimbly picked banjo and upbeat acoustic guitar set the pace as the regretful chorus bemoans, “Am I supposed to hop the next train? Or stand here drowning in the Oregon rain?” A guitar-driven bridge dips in and out of effects-laden echoes and stark strumming. Coming full circle, a ten-minute version of “Seven Devils” later bookends the record with an epic finale.
“I incorporated some elements of grunge in terms of the chords, which are a little dissonant,” Torrin elaborates. “Thematically, it’s the descent into Hell. First, Dante goes through limbo before reaching any of the circles where the cardinal sins are addressed. ‘Seven Devils’ evokes the feeling of being in limbo.”
“It also signifies you’re embarking on some type of journey,” Max agrees. “By the end of the LP, you know the protagonist isn’t going to be the same person.”
Then, there’s “The Crow and The Raven (III).” The track’s emotionally charged vocals seesaw on top of strings in a moment of terse reflection. “I went through a horrible breakup in 2018 when I wrote the first version,” Shawn remembers. “‘The Crow and The Raven (III)’ sat in my notebook for a half-decade before we revamped it. Now, it’s a sad, slower lament about enduring the loss of a relationship.”
“Pendulum” rushes towards a mournful refrain offset by a plucky crescendo. “It’s about dealing with an addiction in your life and how it affects relationships,” Joe says. “People often trade one addiction for another, whether positive or detrimental to their life, as a means to satisfy their baseline addictive tendencies.”
On the other end of the spectrum, “Here We Go (VI)” laments the epidemic of shootings in America with unfiltered frustration projected through a powerful ebb and flow punctuated by a cameo from Lindsay Lou.
“I was riding a Greyhound from Seattle to Missoula in 2012,” Max goes on. “There had just been another school shooting. It’s terrible to think of how many shootings have happened since. Why is this happening? The chorus shifts gears to miscommunication between two parties in a relationship. Those are the two driving forces.”
An electric guitar lead heralds the onset of “Unwind (Paradiso),” building towards one climactic moment of catharsis.
“A psychedelic experience and life-changing ego death changed my outlook on many things,” Torrin admits. “‘Unwind (Paradiso)’ was one of those moments where you surrender and let it take you. You’re letting go of the human things in your brain that make you want to fight or cause you to be afraid. It also came together in the studio as a band, which was super cool.”
In the end, Kitchen Dwellers may just leave you changed with Seven Devils.
“The record is a trip inward within the self,” Torrin concludes. “It tackles a lot of things in the world people try not to think about. The reality is we’re only truly happy when happiness comes from within. That’s the message.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250124T172235Z SEQUENCE:6305747 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2923 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-11-12 19:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250125T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250125T210000 UID:433BF7AF-04CB-4D68-8380-3DEA8E9C7C55 SUMMARY:Futurebirds CREATED:20241025T210601Z DTSTAMP:20241025T210601Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/futurebirds-2 DESCRIPTION:"I'm movin' on," Daniel Womack sings during the first minute of Easy Company, an album that finds Futurebirds — once the best-kept secret of Athens, GA's music scene, now a beloved act on a national scale — back in the driver's seat, speeding together toward some new horizon.\NMomentum. Evolution. Expansion. Those are important traits for a critically-acclaimed group that recently celebrated its 15-year anniversary. "When you've been a band for as long as we have, there's a lot of moving on," says Thomas Johnson. "We just keep going, because that's how you keep things fresh. That's how you keep the spark." By matching the sharply-written songs of three distinct frontmen with a progressive mix of rock & roll, electrified folk, and cosmic American roots music, Futurebirds have built an audience that's as wide as the band's own sound. With Easy Company, Futurebirds' fifth studio album, that sound reaches a new peak.\NFeaturing four songs apiece from singer/songwriters Womack, Johnson, and Carter King, Easy Company feels like a celebration of the tight-knit bonds that have held Futurebirds aloft since 2008. Back then, the guys were college students at the University of Georgia, building a buzz around town with shows at fraternity houses and local bars. Years later, they've become headliners at bucket-list venues like The Ryman and The Fillmore, collaborating with fellow genre benders like My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel along the way. They team up with new partners on Easy Company, which was recorded with producer Brad Cook in the border town of Tornillo, TX. The guest list includes Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield, who trades verses with King on the album's title track, and Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson, who delivers a spoken-word monologue during "Soft Drugs." A brass section even makes a brief appearance. The result is a bold blend of old and new, delivered by a band of brothers who've never sounded so invigorated. Easy company, indeed.\N"We've made a concerted effort to challenge ourselves, always finding new angles to look at this thing we've been doing for more than 15 years," says King. "What hasn't changed is the core of this band. We still have three songwriters. We still have our original bass player, Brannen Miles. When you come this far together, your walls come down and you realize that these friends know exactly who you are, and you know exactly who they are, and it's such a relief when everyone can just be themselves. It's great company to be in, and it's so much better for the art."\NFuturebirds kickstarted Easy Company's creation with a week's worth of live-in-the-studio performances. For a group of road warriors who'd already logged thousands of hours onstage, this was an opportunity to capture the sheer energy of a Futurebirds show — the same show that prompted Rolling Stone to dub the band "the most captivating rock act touring today" — on tape. "People sometimes see us live and say, 'It sounds so energetic, big, and full onstage, but some of your earlier records don't really capture that,'" King explains. "That was something we talked to Brad Cook about. We wanted to find that live magic in the recording studio. We wanted to move fast and stay in the moment."\NThe results speak for themselves. Praised by USA Today for "mixing Neil & Crazy Horse with My Morning Jacket" on their previous records, Futurebirds defy comparisons altogether with Easy Company. "Colorados" pays tribute to the Centennial State with sunny vocal harmonies and Kiffy Myers's searing pedal steel. "Bloom" begins with a solitary acoustic guitar, then gives way to thick, reverb-soaked soundscapes. Drummer Tom Myers take a bow during "Solitaires," a song driven forward by deep, Deadhead-worthy grooves, while keyboardist Spencer Thomas adds gauzy atmosphere to tracks like "Feel Less Bad." It's easy to imagine those songs becoming highlights of the band's concerts, joining audience favorites like "Trippin'" as setlist staples, but Easy Company wears its studio-album status proudly. It also marks the first time Futurebirds have handed over the reins to an outside producer. Free to focus exclusively on the music itself, they've never sounded so dynamic. The loudest moments reach a new peak of big-budget crescendo. The softer moments evoke cozy campfires and front-porch guitar pulls. Brad Cook captures the full range of those performances, but it's the bandmates themselves who make Easy Company sound, well, easy.\N"We've never thought of ourselves as one particular kind of band," says Womack. "That's important for longevity, because we're always recreating ourselves and finding ourselves all over again. I don't think we're done with that process. We're always ready for more."\NFor Futurebirds, the road goes on forever. Easy Company is the latest stop on a journey that's still unfolding, winding its own path through American rock & roll, giving Futurebirds and the grassroots community they've created — the Birdfam — a new place to land. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:"I'm movin' on," Daniel Womack sings during the first minute of Easy Company, an album that finds Futurebirds — once the best-kept secret of Athens, GA's music scene, now a beloved act on a national scale — back in the driver's seat, speeding together toward some new horizon.
Momentum. Evolution. Expansion. Those are important traits for a critically-acclaimed group that recently celebrated its 15-year anniversary. "When you've been a band for as long as we have, there's a lot of moving on," says Thomas Johnson. "We just keep going, because that's how you keep things fresh. That's how you keep the spark." By matching the sharply-written songs of three distinct frontmen with a progressive mix of rock & roll, electrified folk, and cosmic American roots music, Futurebirds have built an audience that's as wide as the band's own sound. With Easy Company, Futurebirds' fifth studio album, that sound reaches a new peak.
Featuring four songs apiece from singer/songwriters Womack, Johnson, and Carter King, Easy Company feels like a celebration of the tight-knit bonds that have held Futurebirds aloft since 2008. Back then, the guys were college students at the University of Georgia, building a buzz around town with shows at fraternity houses and local bars. Years later, they've become headliners at bucket-list venues like The Ryman and The Fillmore, collaborating with fellow genre benders like My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel along the way. They team up with new partners on Easy Company, which was recorded with producer Brad Cook in the border town of Tornillo, TX. The guest list includes Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield, who trades verses with King on the album's title track, and Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson, who delivers a spoken-word monologue during "Soft Drugs." A brass section even makes a brief appearance. The result is a bold blend of old and new, delivered by a band of brothers who've never sounded so invigorated. Easy company, indeed.
"We've made a concerted effort to challenge ourselves, always finding new angles to look at this thing we've been doing for more than 15 years," says King. "What hasn't changed is the core of this band. We still have three songwriters. We still have our original bass player, Brannen Miles. When you come this far together, your walls come down and you realize that these friends know exactly who you are, and you know exactly who they are, and it's such a relief when everyone can just be themselves. It's great company to be in, and it's so much better for the art."
Futurebirds kickstarted Easy Company's creation with a week's worth of live-in-the-studio performances. For a group of road warriors who'd already logged thousands of hours onstage, this was an opportunity to capture the sheer energy of a Futurebirds show — the same show that prompted Rolling Stone to dub the band "the most captivating rock act touring today" — on tape. "People sometimes see us live and say, 'It sounds so energetic, big, and full onstage, but some of your earlier records don't really capture that,'" King explains. "That was something we talked to Brad Cook about. We wanted to find that live magic in the recording studio. We wanted to move fast and stay in the moment."
The results speak for themselves. Praised by USA Today for "mixing Neil & Crazy Horse with My Morning Jacket" on their previous records, Futurebirds defy comparisons altogether with Easy Company. "Colorados" pays tribute to the Centennial State with sunny vocal harmonies and Kiffy Myers's searing pedal steel. "Bloom" begins with a solitary acoustic guitar, then gives way to thick, reverb-soaked soundscapes. Drummer Tom Myers take a bow during "Solitaires," a song driven forward by deep, Deadhead-worthy grooves, while keyboardist Spencer Thomas adds gauzy atmosphere to tracks like "Feel Less Bad." It's easy to imagine those songs becoming highlights of the band's concerts, joining audience favorites like "Trippin'" as setlist staples, but Easy Company wears its studio-album status proudly. It also marks the first time Futurebirds have handed over the reins to an outside producer. Free to focus exclusively on the music itself, they've never sounded so dynamic. The loudest moments reach a new peak of big-budget crescendo. The softer moments evoke cozy campfires and front-porch guitar pulls. Brad Cook captures the full range of those performances, but it's the bandmates themselves who make Easy Company sound, well, easy.
"We've never thought of ourselves as one particular kind of band," says Womack. "That's important for longevity, because we're always recreating ourselves and finding ourselves all over again. I don't think we're done with that process. We're always ready for more."
For Futurebirds, the road goes on forever. Easy Company is the latest stop on a journey that's still unfolding, winding its own path through American rock & roll, giving Futurebirds and the grassroots community they've created — the Birdfam — a new place to land.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241218T174019Z SEQUENCE:4653258 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2745 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-10-28 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250208T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250208T233000 UID:FFF971CC-86E3-4947-96D6-314FC18AA57A SUMMARY:The Motet CREATED:20241111T225503Z DTSTAMP:20241111T225503Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-motet-4 DESCRIPTION:Formed over two decades ago, the funk six-piece The Motet have learned to work as an interlocking unit, with each member bolstering one another towards the best creative output. This symbiosis has led to a unique style and cohesive musical chemistry, as seen in the band's immaculate live performances and seamless blend of funk, soul, jazz, and rock. With a fervent fanbase in tow, The Motet have sold out shows across the nation, performed six headlining slots at Red Rocks and sets at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Electric Forest, Bumbershoot, Summer Camp, and High Sierra. \NBut even after their 20+ years of accolades and recognition, the legendary outfit - composed of Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (keys), Garrett Sayers (bass), Drew Sayers (keys and saxophone), Ryan Jalbert (guitar), and new singer Sarah Clarke - are still exploring new sonic ideas and finding new ways to showcase each other’s skill sets. \NThe band released All Day in 2023 - an eclectic instrumental voyage threaded by the infectious grooves and immaculate, layered arrangements that The Motet have become known for.\NNow with vocal powerhouse Sarah Clarke in tow, the band continues their journey with their highly anticipated 10th studio album Love Time, out November 15, 2024. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Formed over two decades ago, the funk six-piece The Motet have learned to work as an interlocking unit, with each member bolstering one another towards the best creative output. This symbiosis has led to a unique style and cohesive musical chemistry, as seen in the band's immaculate live performances and seamless blend of funk, soul, jazz, and rock. With a fervent fanbase in tow, The Motet have sold out shows across the nation, performed six headlining slots at Red Rocks and sets at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Electric Forest, Bumbershoot, Summer Camp, and High Sierra.
But even after their 20+ years of accolades and recognition, the legendary outfit - composed of Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (keys), Garrett Sayers (bass), Drew Sayers (keys and saxophone), Ryan Jalbert (guitar), and new singer Sarah Clarke - are still exploring new sonic ideas and finding new ways to showcase each other’s skill sets.
The band released All Day in 2023 - an eclectic instrumental voyage threaded by the infectious grooves and immaculate, layered arrangements that The Motet have become known for.
Now with vocal powerhouse Sarah Clarke in tow, the band continues their journey with their highly anticipated 10th studio album Love Time, out November 15, 2024.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250201T002119Z SEQUENCE:7003576 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2430 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-11-12 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250211T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250211T203000 UID:BA08F527-8DBA-400C-8152-58B865E8577C SUMMARY:moe. CREATED:20241111T173636Z DTSTAMP:20241111T173636Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/moe-2 DESCRIPTION:Al Schnier (guitars, vocals) * Chuck Garvey (guitars, vocals) * Rob Derhak (bass, vocals) * Jim Loughlin (percussion, vibes) * Vinnie Amico (drums)\NHailed by American Songwriter for their "mind-bending musicality," moe. is treasured for their mesmerizing musical synergy, unfettered showmanship, and smart, resonant songcraft. For three decades, the band has corralled myriad musical forms on a truly original journey rich with crafty, clever songwriting and astonishing resourcefulness. Fueled by an impassioned fan base, moe. has spent much of those thirty years on the road, encompassing countless live performances marked by eclectic wit, deep friendship, and exploratory invention. Having built an enduring legacy with hard work and a confirmed commitment to creativity and community, moe. seem as surprised as anyone to find themselves at such a significant landmark.\N"The career just very subtly unfolded," says co-founding bassist-singer-songwriter Rob Derhak, "without any of us noticing it actually happened."\NAl Schnier (guitars, vocals), Chuck Garvey (guitars, vocals), and Derhak first came together at the University of Buffalo in 1990, musician-friends uniting to play for the sheer fun of it. The band followed a handful of cassette-only releases with 1992's FATBOY, recorded in an apartment studio above Buffalo's Top Shelf Guitars with a bird's eye view of Mighty Taco.\N"We liked music, we liked to party, and we wanted to put those two things together," says Derhak. "We wanted to do what seemed like the coolest thing we could possibly do and not have to work a regular job. It didn't even seem like a decision had to be made. It's was like, this is what we're doing and it's happening. The idea that thirty years later I would be a dad, paying a mortgage and earning a living, based on our band, with the same guys no less, that never even crossed my mind."\NFinding themselves with an increasingly avid local following, moe. ventured forth, now with master rhythmatist Jim Loughlin among their ranks. The more the band traveled, the more they grew creatively, evincing a remarkable willingness to progress as they went along. moe. quickly became part of a burgeoning scene centered around NYC's Wetlands, a grassroots revolution that embraced freewheeling genre fusion -- spanning funk and free jazz, country and classic rock, prog, new wave, calypso, pop and everything else under the sun -- fan interaction, and unrestrained improvisation.\N"We adapted," Derhak says. "Initially we didn't have quite as much of the same ideal at first. We didn't jam or have long extended solos. But as we went from being an opening act to being a headliner, we didn't have enough material to do two long sets. We needed more material so our songs started to stretch themselves out. We became a jam band."\Nmoe. widened its reach across America, earning new fans and national attention with their ingeniously imaginative interplay and a regularly growing catalogue. The band spent almost as much time in the studio as they did on the road, mastering their delightfully vibrant blend of inventive musicality and genre-blurring reach on now-classic LPs like 1998's TIN CANS & CAR TIRES, 2004's WORMWOOD, 2007's THE CONCH (which reached #1 on Billboard's "Heatseekers" chart), and 2012's critically acclaimed WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LA LAS. As if all that weren't enough, the moe. canon -- released largely through their own Fatboy Records, as well as via two label deals, one major, the other independent -- further includes a wide range of archival live releases (including 2000's L), a Christmas album, even a re-recorded collection of greatest hits.\N2020's THIS IS NOT, WE ARE -- the band's 12th studio album and first since 2014's NO GUTS, NO GLORY -- includes eight new songs, most of which were road tested over the past two years of touring. In addition, the LP features one song making its first appearance anywhere, the Garvey-penned "Undertone." Self-produced by the band, THIS IS NOT, WE ARE sees moe. once again pushing their music forward while simultaneously rifling through their back pages on songs like Derhak's nostalgic "Skitchin' Buffalo" and the Al Schnier composition, "Crushing."\N"Our musical paths have diverged so many times," Derhak says. "All of our original influences became part of what we were at the time and then as we played, our sound kind of just grew. It changed with the landscape of the music business and it changed with what we were listening to. For example, some of our albums further down the road reflect a much stronger Americana influence. It's like, all of the things that we've learned in the past thirty years, all the things that we've done, have sort of come full circle."\N"We're a better band now," Amico -- who came aboard in 1996 and has remained behind the kit ever since -- says. "The reality is, you spent thirty years with people doing what you do, you get better. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. Your ears get more trained, your playing gets better and better, your ability to communicate with each other better."\NThat preternatural interplay was of course honed through night after night, week after week, of on-stage togetherness. moe. is truly a live band, rightly adored by a fervent following for their epic concert performances, each one imaginatively improvisational, rhythmically audacious, and utterly unique. Indeed, the band has spent much of its 30-year career on the road, including innumerable headline tours, international festival sets from Bonnaroo to Japan's famed Fuji Rock, music-themed cruises, and sold-out shows alongside such like-minded acts as the Allman Brothers Band, Robert Plant, members of the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, The Who, Gov't Mule, and Blues Traveler, to name but a few. As if that weren't enough, moe. has both promoted and headlined at multiple festivals of their own, including snoe.down and moe.down.\N"We built our own career," Amico says, "where we are able to play places like Radio City or the Fox Theater in Atlanta, playing SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center), my hometown venue where I saw concerts as a kid. We've played Red Rocks eight times or nine times or however many times we've played it. The fact that we built a career that we've played these places and have sustained playing these places, it's huge."\NThat illustrious career path has been supported and nourished by the band's ever-growing legion of devoted fans and followers, known lovingly as moe.rons. With their astonishing prolificacy and awe-inspiring longevity, moe. is among the rare bands that somehow manage to transcend time and trend to be passed down from one generation to the next.\N"We've never been the kind of band where you're one-and-done," Amico says. "People have gotten married and had kids, now those kids are listening to us."\N"There are people who have been with us right from the beginning in Buffalo," Derhak says. "Which is insane. But the thing is, we pick up people along the road. There are people who say, I've resisted listening to this band for years and then I finally did -- I can't believe I've wasted my time not listening to them for so long. Now they're like, I need more albums, I need more shows."\NImpossible to pigeonhole as anything other than simply moe., this one-of-a-kind band has never been easily categorized, their sonic adventurousness and tongue-in-cheek humor distinctly and undeniably their own. Despite current circumstances, moe. is celebrating their milestone anniversary with characteristic self-deprecation and wistful optimism. Here's to the next thirty.\N"Thirty years is a long run," Derhak says, "to be with the same guys. I haven't even been married for thirty years."\N"You just don't think about thirty years down the line when you're starting out," Amico says. "I mean, you kind of do because that's what you want to be doing for the rest of your life. Here we are, thirty years later -- I've had this job longer than I probably would've had any job in the real world." X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Al Schnier (guitars, vocals) * Chuck Garvey (guitars, vocals) * Rob Derhak (bass, vocals) * Jim Loughlin (percussion, vibes) * Vinnie Amico (drums)
Hailed by American Songwriter for their "mind-bending musicality," moe. is treasured for their mesmerizing musical synergy, unfettered showmanship, and smart, resonant songcraft. For three decades, the band has corralled myriad musical forms on a truly original journey rich with crafty, clever songwriting and astonishing resourcefulness. Fueled by an impassioned fan base, moe. has spent much of those thirty years on the road, encompassing countless live performances marked by eclectic wit, deep friendship, and exploratory invention. Having built an enduring legacy with hard work and a confirmed commitment to creativity and community, moe. seem as surprised as anyone to find themselves at such a significant landmark.
"The career just very subtly unfolded," says co-founding bassist-singer-songwriter Rob Derhak, "without any of us noticing it actually happened."
Al Schnier (guitars, vocals), Chuck Garvey (guitars, vocals), and Derhak first came together at the University of Buffalo in 1990, musician-friends uniting to play for the sheer fun of it. The band followed a handful of cassette-only releases with 1992's FATBOY, recorded in an apartment studio above Buffalo's Top Shelf Guitars with a bird's eye view of Mighty Taco.
"We liked music, we liked to party, and we wanted to put those two things together," says Derhak. "We wanted to do what seemed like the coolest thing we could possibly do and not have to work a regular job. It didn't even seem like a decision had to be made. It's was like, this is what we're doing and it's happening. The idea that thirty years later I would be a dad, paying a mortgage and earning a living, based on our band, with the same guys no less, that never even crossed my mind."
Finding themselves with an increasingly avid local following, moe. ventured forth, now with master rhythmatist Jim Loughlin among their ranks. The more the band traveled, the more they grew creatively, evincing a remarkable willingness to progress as they went along. moe. quickly became part of a burgeoning scene centered around NYC's Wetlands, a grassroots revolution that embraced freewheeling genre fusion -- spanning funk and free jazz, country and classic rock, prog, new wave, calypso, pop and everything else under the sun -- fan interaction, and unrestrained improvisation.
"We adapted," Derhak says. "Initially we didn't have quite as much of the same ideal at first. We didn't jam or have long extended solos. But as we went from being an opening act to being a headliner, we didn't have enough material to do two long sets. We needed more material so our songs started to stretch themselves out. We became a jam band."
moe. widened its reach across America, earning new fans and national attention with their ingeniously imaginative interplay and a regularly growing catalogue. The band spent almost as much time in the studio as they did on the road, mastering their delightfully vibrant blend of inventive musicality and genre-blurring reach on now-classic LPs like 1998's TIN CANS & CAR TIRES, 2004's WORMWOOD, 2007's THE CONCH (which reached #1 on Billboard's "Heatseekers" chart), and 2012's critically acclaimed WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LA LAS. As if all that weren't enough, the moe. canon -- released largely through their own Fatboy Records, as well as via two label deals, one major, the other independent -- further includes a wide range of archival live releases (including 2000's L), a Christmas album, even a re-recorded collection of greatest hits.
2020's THIS IS NOT, WE ARE -- the band's 12th studio album and first since 2014's NO GUTS, NO GLORY -- includes eight new songs, most of which were road tested over the past two years of touring. In addition, the LP features one song making its first appearance anywhere, the Garvey-penned "Undertone." Self-produced by the band, THIS IS NOT, WE ARE sees moe. once again pushing their music forward while simultaneously rifling through their back pages on songs like Derhak's nostalgic "Skitchin' Buffalo" and the Al Schnier composition, "Crushing."
"Our musical paths have diverged so many times," Derhak says. "All of our original influences became part of what we were at the time and then as we played, our sound kind of just grew. It changed with the landscape of the music business and it changed with what we were listening to. For example, some of our albums further down the road reflect a much stronger Americana influence. It's like, all of the things that we've learned in the past thirty years, all the things that we've done, have sort of come full circle."
"We're a better band now," Amico -- who came aboard in 1996 and has remained behind the kit ever since -- says. "The reality is, you spent thirty years with people doing what you do, you get better. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. Your ears get more trained, your playing gets better and better, your ability to communicate with each other better."
That preternatural interplay was of course honed through night after night, week after week, of on-stage togetherness. moe. is truly a live band, rightly adored by a fervent following for their epic concert performances, each one imaginatively improvisational, rhythmically audacious, and utterly unique. Indeed, the band has spent much of its 30-year career on the road, including innumerable headline tours, international festival sets from Bonnaroo to Japan's famed Fuji Rock, music-themed cruises, and sold-out shows alongside such like-minded acts as the Allman Brothers Band, Robert Plant, members of the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, The Who, Gov't Mule, and Blues Traveler, to name but a few. As if that weren't enough, moe. has both promoted and headlined at multiple festivals of their own, including snoe.down and moe.down.
"We built our own career," Amico says, "where we are able to play places like Radio City or the Fox Theater in Atlanta, playing SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center), my hometown venue where I saw concerts as a kid. We've played Red Rocks eight times or nine times or however many times we've played it. The fact that we built a career that we've played these places and have sustained playing these places, it's huge."
That illustrious career path has been supported and nourished by the band's ever-growing legion of devoted fans and followers, known lovingly as moe.rons. With their astonishing prolificacy and awe-inspiring longevity, moe. is among the rare bands that somehow manage to transcend time and trend to be passed down from one generation to the next.
"We've never been the kind of band where you're one-and-done," Amico says. "People have gotten married and had kids, now those kids are listening to us."
"There are people who have been with us right from the beginning in Buffalo," Derhak says. "Which is insane. But the thing is, we pick up people along the road. There are people who say, I've resisted listening to this band for years and then I finally did -- I can't believe I've wasted my time not listening to them for so long. Now they're like, I need more albums, I need more shows."
Impossible to pigeonhole as anything other than simply moe., this one-of-a-kind band has never been easily categorized, their sonic adventurousness and tongue-in-cheek humor distinctly and undeniably their own. Despite current circumstances, moe. is celebrating their milestone anniversary with characteristic self-deprecation and wistful optimism. Here's to the next thirty.
"Thirty years is a long run," Derhak says, "to be with the same guys. I haven't even been married for thirty years."
"You just don't think about thirty years down the line when you're starting out," Amico says. "I mean, you kind of do because that's what you want to be doing for the rest of your life. Here we are, thirty years later -- I've had this job longer than I probably would've had any job in the real world."
LAST-MODIFIED:20241115T171808Z SEQUENCE:344492 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3376 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-11-11 18:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250216T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250216T210000 UID:3974F91F-90F3-4974-9B0B-F0016C55CE05 SUMMARY:Magic City Hippies CREATED:20241001T163058Z DTSTAMP:20241001T163058Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/magic-city-hippies-3 DESCRIPTION:Imagine, the memorable clink of ice hitting a rocks glass, the scent of muddled limes and mint, the faint crackle as the tipple is poured, the effervescent fizz of soda about to broach the rim, the straw insertion and swirl, the first sip of vacation...Life would be miserable without these gifts, and life would most certainly suck without the perfect soundtrack to the first cocktail of some much needed time off. Pop the cork on some Magic City Hippies.MCH initially floated onto the scene as Robby Hunter Band, but stumbled into their true identity in 2015 when their album Magic City Hippies gave them a fresh sound and a new name. Fusing Miami’s sunshine-soaked funk with an after-hours swagger, they’ve since captivated audiences worldwide, from intimate clubs to the stages of Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Lollapalooza.\NTheir Hippie Castle EP (2015) was just the tip of the proverbial ice cube in a cocktail glass of hippie sass, blending poolside melodies and three-day weekend grooves. By the time Modern Animal (2019) arrived,Magic City Hippies had taken listeners beachside, layering even more sultry swank onto their already laid-back vibe. A few years later, Water Your Garden (2022) brought a shimmering, joyous soundtrack to a world emerging from isolation, celebrating both solo and shared moments of dance. In 2024, the band continued their evolution with vibrant singles like the disco-funk “Givin’ Up On Lovin’” and the psych-pop, acid-house blend of “I Can’t Let You Go,” teasing a larger project on the horizon and solidifying their eclectic, ever-expanding sonic mosaic.\NWhile their studio albums have garnered both fan and critical acclaim, it's the band's electrifying live shows that truly set them apart. Their unapologetically high-energy performances have a way of breaking even the most reluctant attendees, pulling them into a groove that feels as irresistible as it is spontaneous. First-time attendees often walk away as devoted fans, a near-ritualistic transformation that's become a signature of the Magic City Hippies' live experience. Whether this sunshine funk is all up inside your alley, or even if pink neon signs flashing the words SENSUAL AUDIBLE MASSAGE just have you curious, Magic City Hippies deliver a rare blend of musical talent and touring tenacity, offering up funky sweaty smiles aplenty. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Imagine, the memorable clink of ice hitting a rocks glass, the scent of muddled limes and mint, the faint crackle as the tipple is poured, the effervescent fizz of soda about to broach the rim, the straw insertion and swirl, the first sip of vacation...Life would be miserable without these gifts, and life would most certainly suck without the perfect soundtrack to the first cocktail of some much needed time off. Pop the cork on some Magic City Hippies.MCH initially floated onto the scene as Robby Hunter Band, but stumbled into their true identity in 2015 when their album Magic City Hippies gave them a fresh sound and a new name. Fusing Miami’s sunshine-soaked funk with an after-hours swagger, they’ve since captivated audiences worldwide, from intimate clubs to the stages of Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Lollapalooza.
Their Hippie Castle EP (2015) was just the tip of the proverbial ice cube in a cocktail glass of hippie sass, blending poolside melodies and three-day weekend grooves. By the time Modern Animal (2019) arrived,Magic City Hippies had taken listeners beachside, layering even more sultry swank onto their already laid-back vibe. A few years later, Water Your Garden (2022) brought a shimmering, joyous soundtrack to a world emerging from isolation, celebrating both solo and shared moments of dance. In 2024, the band continued their evolution with vibrant singles like the disco-funk “Givin’ Up On Lovin’” and the psych-pop, acid-house blend of “I Can’t Let You Go,” teasing a larger project on the horizon and solidifying their eclectic, ever-expanding sonic mosaic.
While their studio albums have garnered both fan and critical acclaim, it's the band's electrifying live shows that truly set them apart. Their unapologetically high-energy performances have a way of breaking even the most reluctant attendees, pulling them into a groove that feels as irresistible as it is spontaneous. First-time attendees often walk away as devoted fans, a near-ritualistic transformation that's become a signature of the Magic City Hippies' live experience. Whether this sunshine funk is all up inside your alley, or even if pink neon signs flashing the words SENSUAL AUDIBLE MASSAGE just have you curious, Magic City Hippies deliver a rare blend of musical talent and touring tenacity, offering up funky sweaty smiles aplenty.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T214753Z SEQUENCE:11596615 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3386 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250222T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250222T233000 UID:4F958B13-D84E-4ADC-9AB1-A0D79AF0C590 SUMMARY:Morgan Wade CREATED:20241003T171701Z DTSTAMP:20241003T171701Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/morgan-wade-3 DESCRIPTION:Morgan Wade was feeling the urge to simplify. The Virginia-born singer-songwriter was on a roll, having exploded onto the scene with her debut album Reckless and nabbing nominations from the Academy of Country Music and the Americana Music Association as her song “Wilder Days” became a hit. At the same time, she was reaching a point of exhaustion from nonstop touring and having to deal with a barrage of intense media scrutiny. She wondered if it was all worth it. \N“I had all this stuff coming up, and it was such a weird, dark time that I was going through,” says Wade. “Then I sat down with a guitar and started writing songs. They were just coming to me left and right.”\NThis bountiful period of creation is captured on Obsessed, Wade’s third full-length album and the follow-up to Psychopath, which arrived less than a year ago in August 2023. Produced by Wade’s touring guitarist Clint Wells with every song penned by Wade, the 14-track project pares things back to the essence of who she is as a musician, storyteller, and human. It’s Wade at her rawest and most vulnerable, the way she started out, and a convincing statement that she’s one of country music’s most distinctive talents.\N“I really wanted to get back to doing what I used to do,” she says. “Just make this whatever the fuck I wanted it to be. For me, it’s a miracle record, which makes sense with where I was at mentally.”\NWade’s career taking off with Reckless was nothing short of a dream come true, the result of years of hard work. She was suddenly going all over the world and playing her music for fans in places she’d never had a chance to visit, but there were hidden costs as well. She often found herself missing home and her loved ones. She poured those feelings into several songs on Obsessed, including the album’s guitar-driven opening track “Total Control.” “I might crush your bones with the power I feel running through,” she sings in the swooning chorus.\N“The whole idea of that song was like, ‘I’m out here and I love it, but I’m tired and I want to come home and I want to be with you,’” she says. “’I just want to hold you and I don’t wanna let go.’ You get home and it’s like word vomit — you’ve got so many things to talk about.”\NA similar feeling courses through “2AM in London,” a ballad that expresses the singular kind of ache one might feel with an ocean separating them from home. “There’s this part of me that struggles with it,” Wade admits. “I’m also a recovering alcoholic. If you find yourself up that late, there’s generally nothing good going on. You really feel that temptation to go to a bar.” \NThere are also open-hearted declarations of love on Obsessed. “Moth to a Flame” notes how she used to sing about the ones who got away, but now she finds herself singing about one who stayed. The album’s title track hints at a dangerous preoccupation, but it’s also about getting to experience someone’s hidden side and falling even deeper for them. “It’s like being with that person whose family and friends don’t really know them,” Wade says. “You get to see the part of them that no one else gets to see.”\NWade puts an intriguing spin on a literary love story in the apprehensive “Juliet,” imagining one of Shakespeare’s tragic characters as being secretly in love with another woman. “Juliet don’t keep me hidden/I’m aware that I’m forbidden,” Wade sings, wrestling with the idea of societal taboos and how difficult (and liberating) it can be to embrace new feelings. “What if Romeo wasn’t who she needed?,” Wade says of the song, which she penned more than three years ago. “I’m picturing this woman stuck in an abusive relationship with this man and she’s found love with this woman. The main character is saying, ‘We can run away, I can protect you.’”\NIn addition to yearning for home, Wade does some clear-eyed reckoning with the past. “Department Store” looks back on the evolution of a free-spirited outcast who’s drifted far from home. “Your parents were gospel, they gave birth to rock & roll,” she sings, nodding to her own circuitous journey. “Hansel and Gretel” depicts a relationship that’s strayed way off course, never to return. Meanwhile, “Spin” and “Halloween” examine the end of relationships, opting for the unvarnished truth even when it’s less than flattering. \N“There’s the line in ‘Spin’: ‘The grass ain’t greener over here, it’s all dead,’” she says. “You always think there’s something better. As you grow up, you experience a lot of heartbreak and you have to sit with it. That’s what a lot of these songs were. You have to take ownership. I look back and I’m like, you did stupid stuff and you messed up and you were not a great person to be with or be around. That’s why this album feels like a lot of growth.”\NSimilarly, the mournful ballad “Walked on Water” has Wade singing about costly mistakes and dawning self-awareness. “People like me, we don’t do well at sea, because I thought I walked on water,” she sings. Pop star Kesha joins Wade on the track, marking the first time that she’s featured a guest on one of her recordings. A devoted student of pop, country, and rock & roll, Wade’s fandom of Kesha goes back years. “I’ve been the biggest Kesha fan since she came on the scene — I was obsessed with her,” Wade says. “A lot of people associate Kesha with ‘Tik Tok’ and her other bangers, but she’s such a ballad singer and she’s got an insanely powerful voice. I know it’s my own song so I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I’m like, ‘Fuck, we killed it!’”\NObsessed closes with “Deconstruction,” which imagines two people’s walls starting to crumble and worldviews shifting as they courageously open up to one another. It starts gently but quickly builds to a cathartic climax of rumbling piano and thunderous drums as Wade sings, “Where have you been?” It’s a fitting ending for a turbulent time in Wade’s life, from trying to maintain the space for recharging her batteries, to reckoning with how far she’s come, and even to the physical effects of recuperating from major surgery. She’s emerged on the other side in a much better place.\N“This whole sequence of songs covering the last two years of my life has been a deconstruction for me,” Wade says. “With my mental health, with my body, with what I believe, coming to terms with who I’ve been and who I am now. It’s a total deconstruction of my life. I am a different person than I was even six months ago.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Morgan Wade was feeling the urge to simplify. The Virginia-born singer-songwriter was on a roll, having exploded onto the scene with her debut album Reckless and nabbing nominations from the Academy of Country Music and the Americana Music Association as her song “Wilder Days” became a hit. At the same time, she was reaching a point of exhaustion from nonstop touring and having to deal with a barrage of intense media scrutiny. She wondered if it was all worth it.
“I had all this stuff coming up, and it was such a weird, dark time that I was going through,” says Wade. “Then I sat down with a guitar and started writing songs. They were just coming to me left and right.”
This bountiful period of creation is captured on Obsessed, Wade’s third full-length album and the follow-up to Psychopath, which arrived less than a year ago in August 2023. Produced by Wade’s touring guitarist Clint Wells with every song penned by Wade, the 14-track project pares things back to the essence of who she is as a musician, storyteller, and human. It’s Wade at her rawest and most vulnerable, the way she started out, and a convincing statement that she’s one of country music’s most distinctive talents.
“I really wanted to get back to doing what I used to do,” she says. “Just make this whatever the fuck I wanted it to be. For me, it’s a miracle record, which makes sense with where I was at mentally.”
Wade’s career taking off with Reckless was nothing short of a dream come true, the result of years of hard work. She was suddenly going all over the world and playing her music for fans in places she’d never had a chance to visit, but there were hidden costs as well. She often found herself missing home and her loved ones. She poured those feelings into several songs on Obsessed, including the album’s guitar-driven opening track “Total Control.” “I might crush your bones with the power I feel running through,” she sings in the swooning chorus.
“The whole idea of that song was like, ‘I’m out here and I love it, but I’m tired and I want to come home and I want to be with you,’” she says. “’I just want to hold you and I don’t wanna let go.’ You get home and it’s like word vomit — you’ve got so many things to talk about.”
A similar feeling courses through “2AM in London,” a ballad that expresses the singular kind of ache one might feel with an ocean separating them from home. “There’s this part of me that struggles with it,” Wade admits. “I’m also a recovering alcoholic. If you find yourself up that late, there’s generally nothing good going on. You really feel that temptation to go to a bar.”
There are also open-hearted declarations of love on Obsessed. “Moth to a Flame” notes how she used to sing about the ones who got away, but now she finds herself singing about one who stayed. The album’s title track hints at a dangerous preoccupation, but it’s also about getting to experience someone’s hidden side and falling even deeper for them. “It’s like being with that person whose family and friends don’t really know them,” Wade says. “You get to see the part of them that no one else gets to see.”
Wade puts an intriguing spin on a literary love story in the apprehensive “Juliet,” imagining one of Shakespeare’s tragic characters as being secretly in love with another woman. “Juliet don’t keep me hidden/I’m aware that I’m forbidden,” Wade sings, wrestling with the idea of societal taboos and how difficult (and liberating) it can be to embrace new feelings. “What if Romeo wasn’t who she needed?,” Wade says of the song, which she penned more than three years ago. “I’m picturing this woman stuck in an abusive relationship with this man and she’s found love with this woman. The main character is saying, ‘We can run away, I can protect you.’”
In addition to yearning for home, Wade does some clear-eyed reckoning with the past. “Department Store” looks back on the evolution of a free-spirited outcast who’s drifted far from home. “Your parents were gospel, they gave birth to rock & roll,” she sings, nodding to her own circuitous journey. “Hansel and Gretel” depicts a relationship that’s strayed way off course, never to return. Meanwhile, “Spin” and “Halloween” examine the end of relationships, opting for the unvarnished truth even when it’s less than flattering.
“There’s the line in ‘Spin’: ‘The grass ain’t greener over here, it’s all dead,’” she says. “You always think there’s something better. As you grow up, you experience a lot of heartbreak and you have to sit with it. That’s what a lot of these songs were. You have to take ownership. I look back and I’m like, you did stupid stuff and you messed up and you were not a great person to be with or be around. That’s why this album feels like a lot of growth.”
Similarly, the mournful ballad “Walked on Water” has Wade singing about costly mistakes and dawning self-awareness. “People like me, we don’t do well at sea, because I thought I walked on water,” she sings. Pop star Kesha joins Wade on the track, marking the first time that she’s featured a guest on one of her recordings. A devoted student of pop, country, and rock & roll, Wade’s fandom of Kesha goes back years. “I’ve been the biggest Kesha fan since she came on the scene — I was obsessed with her,” Wade says. “A lot of people associate Kesha with ‘Tik Tok’ and her other bangers, but she’s such a ballad singer and she’s got an insanely powerful voice. I know it’s my own song so I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I’m like, ‘Fuck, we killed it!’”
Obsessed closes with “Deconstruction,” which imagines two people’s walls starting to crumble and worldviews shifting as they courageously open up to one another. It starts gently but quickly builds to a cathartic climax of rumbling piano and thunderous drums as Wade sings, “Where have you been?” It’s a fitting ending for a turbulent time in Wade’s life, from trying to maintain the space for recharging her batteries, to reckoning with how far she’s come, and even to the physical effects of recuperating from major surgery. She’s emerged on the other side in a much better place.
“This whole sequence of songs covering the last two years of my life has been a deconstruction for me,” Wade says. “With my mental health, with my body, with what I believe, coming to terms with who I’ve been and who I am now. It’s a total deconstruction of my life. I am a different person than I was even six months ago.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250127T184831Z SEQUENCE:10027890 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3325 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250301T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250301T233000 UID:CADA070C-62FC-4CD0-9984-33A4A1A000A0 SUMMARY:Railroad Earth CREATED:20241117T211741Z DTSTAMP:20241117T211741Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/railroad-earth-2 DESCRIPTION:A brother leaves this world too soon. A trip down U.S. Highway 61 ends in a deluge of biblical proportions. A retreat to the Big Easy results in its own flood of inspiration. A new chapter begins. These moments and many more fade in and out of focus on Railroad Earth’s seventh full-length album, All For The Song. \NThe celebrated New Jersey septet — Todd Sheaffer [lead vocals, acoustic guitar], Tim Carbone [violins, electric guitar, vocals], John Skehan [mandolin, bouzouki, piano, vocals], Carey Harmon [drums, percussion, vocals], Dave Speranza[upright & electric bass], Matt Slocum (organ and piano), and Mike Robinson (banjo, guitar, steel) chronicle the twists and turns of this journey through eloquent songcraft, bluegrass soul, and rock ‘n’ roll spirit.\N“Perhaps, it represents the journey we’ve been on for twenty years as a band and as a family,” observes Carey.\N“What threads the record together?” ponders Todd. “Nostalgia, sadness, and a lot of great moments to sing along to.”\NFor over two decades, Railroad Earth has captivated audiences with gleefully unpredictable live shows and eloquent and elevated studio output. The group introduced its signature sound on 2001’s The Black Bear Sessions. Between selling out hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, they’ve launched the longstanding annual Hangtown Music Festival in Placerville, CA and Hillberry: The Harvest Moon Festival in Ozark, AR—both running for a decade-plus. Sought after by legends, the John Denver Estate tapped them to put lyrics penned by the late John Denver to music on the 2019 vinyl EP, Railroad Earth: The John Denver Letters. Beyond tallying tens of millions of streams, the collective have earned widespread critical acclaim from David Fricke of Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Glide Magazine, and NPR who assured, “Well-versed in rambling around, as you might expect from a band named after a Jack Kerouac poem, the New Jersey-built jam-grass engine Railroad Earth has let no moss grow under its rustic wheels.” \NIn 2018, Railroad Earth bid farewell to founding member Andy Goessling who passed away from cancer. His shadow loomed over the process as the guys retreated to New Orleans for the first time to record.\N“From the beginning, the vision was more than just the music,” states Todd. “We looked at this like a ‘destination’ record. Our past records were all made close to home or, in fact, at home. Andy’s passing was very much in the center of our thoughts and our hearts in the writing and recording of this album. Things were so shaken up that we thought it’d be a benefit to go away from all of the distractions and be together. In New Orleans, there is great food and there are great spirits to be shared. I’ll leave the music part of the equation for others to judge, but we surely succeeded in making the bonding part of the vision come to fruition!”\NAnother first, they recorded with Anders Osborne behind the board as producer. It might’ve been the gumbo, but the guys seamlessly absorbed the homegrown flavors of the Big Easy by osmosis, incorporating horns, blues harmonica, and the producer’s own perspective and guitar playing.\N“His enthusiasm is contagious,” exclaims Carey. “There are five producers in this band, so a strong-willed voice from the outside is usually pretty essential. Anders was the voice.”\NTodd agrees, “He brought a pure and striving soul, unforgettable laugh, rich palette of emotion, a great stash of guitars and amps, philosophical driftings, freedom, unguarded honesty, warmth, and love.”\NThe band paved the way for the album with “The Great Divide,” “It’s So Good,” and “Runnin’ Wild.” Beyond those initial singles, the record picks up steam on “Blues Highway.” Over dusty acoustic guitar, hummable fiddle, and a banjo pluck, Todd recounts a particular road trip down Rte. 61, which ended in “the most downpour of rain I’ve ever experienced.”\N“We had a show in Natchez, so I decided to make my own adventure out of the trip,” he recalls. “I flew to New Orleans, rented a car, and drove up the Blues Highway like a tourist, stopping and touring the old plantations and blues honky-tonks. I was smelling the river and the refineries. On my return to New Orleans, I drove into what might’ve been a hurricane with intense and terrifying lightning to boot. In the dead of night, I gave up trying to inch down the road, pulled over, and waited it out. The trip seemed like a parallel for my life at the time and inspired the song.”\NThe epic “Driftin’ The Bardo” hinges on one of the final recordings of Andy on ukulele and high-strung guitar. It slips into a poignant piano-driven crescendo punctuated by cinematic strings.\N“As we were recording it, ‘The Bardo’ came to represent Andy’s transition,” reveals Tim. “It was an emotional experience.”\NClocking over eight minutes, “Showers of Rain” unfurls as a “psychedelic excursion” complete with an improvised jam, guitar solo by Anders, a dreamy string section, and imagery “inspired by a strange 19th century novel called Green Mansions.”\N“We all have those moments when we feel visitations and remember loved ones we’ve lost,” Todd observes. “In New Orleans, Andrew shared with us the night previous he’d had a visit from Andy in his sleep. At my house, we have a cardinal who taps on the window, and my wife think It’s her mom. These are the thoughts in the middle of the song where I ask, ‘Was that really you?’”\NThe album culminates on the wistful “All For The Song” as the final refrain, “All of the heartache, all that’s gone wrong, all for the moment, all for the song,” rings out before a harmonica passage.\N“It’s a bit painful to contemplate or talk about, to be honest—as are a couple other tunes on this record,” confesses Todd. “The song says way more than enough, I believe.”\NIn the end, Railroad Earth brings listeners closer than ever on All For The Song.\N“We want audiences to connect to the album,” Carey leaves off. “We hope they’re as moved by the music as we were making it.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:A brother leaves this world too soon. A trip down U.S. Highway 61 ends in a deluge of biblical proportions. A retreat to the Big Easy results in its own flood of inspiration. A new chapter begins. These moments and many more fade in and out of focus on Railroad Earth’s seventh full-length album, All For The Song.
The celebrated New Jersey septet — Todd Sheaffer [lead vocals, acoustic guitar], Tim Carbone [violins, electric guitar, vocals], John Skehan [mandolin, bouzouki, piano, vocals], Carey Harmon [drums, percussion, vocals], Dave Speranza[upright & electric bass], Matt Slocum (organ and piano), and Mike Robinson (banjo, guitar, steel) chronicle the twists and turns of this journey through eloquent songcraft, bluegrass soul, and rock ‘n’ roll spirit.
“Perhaps, it represents the journey we’ve been on for twenty years as a band and as a family,” observes Carey.
“What threads the record together?” ponders Todd. “Nostalgia, sadness, and a lot of great moments to sing along to.”
For over two decades, Railroad Earth has captivated audiences with gleefully unpredictable live shows and eloquent and elevated studio output. The group introduced its signature sound on 2001’s The Black Bear Sessions. Between selling out hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, they’ve launched the longstanding annual Hangtown Music Festival in Placerville, CA and Hillberry: The Harvest Moon Festival in Ozark, AR—both running for a decade-plus. Sought after by legends, the John Denver Estate tapped them to put lyrics penned by the late John Denver to music on the 2019 vinyl EP, Railroad Earth: The John Denver Letters. Beyond tallying tens of millions of streams, the collective have earned widespread critical acclaim from David Fricke of Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Glide Magazine, and NPR who assured, “Well-versed in rambling around, as you might expect from a band named after a Jack Kerouac poem, the New Jersey-built jam-grass engine Railroad Earth has let no moss grow under its rustic wheels.”
In 2018, Railroad Earth bid farewell to founding member Andy Goessling who passed away from cancer. His shadow loomed over the process as the guys retreated to New Orleans for the first time to record.
“From the beginning, the vision was more than just the music,” states Todd. “We looked at this like a ‘destination’ record. Our past records were all made close to home or, in fact, at home. Andy’s passing was very much in the center of our thoughts and our hearts in the writing and recording of this album. Things were so shaken up that we thought it’d be a benefit to go away from all of the distractions and be together. In New Orleans, there is great food and there are great spirits to be shared. I’ll leave the music part of the equation for others to judge, but we surely succeeded in making the bonding part of the vision come to fruition!”
Another first, they recorded with Anders Osborne behind the board as producer. It might’ve been the gumbo, but the guys seamlessly absorbed the homegrown flavors of the Big Easy by osmosis, incorporating horns, blues harmonica, and the producer’s own perspective and guitar playing.
“His enthusiasm is contagious,” exclaims Carey. “There are five producers in this band, so a strong-willed voice from the outside is usually pretty essential. Anders was the voice.”
Todd agrees, “He brought a pure and striving soul, unforgettable laugh, rich palette of emotion, a great stash of guitars and amps, philosophical driftings, freedom, unguarded honesty, warmth, and love.”
The band paved the way for the album with “The Great Divide,” “It’s So Good,” and “Runnin’ Wild.” Beyond those initial singles, the record picks up steam on “Blues Highway.” Over dusty acoustic guitar, hummable fiddle, and a banjo pluck, Todd recounts a particular road trip down Rte. 61, which ended in “the most downpour of rain I’ve ever experienced.”
“We had a show in Natchez, so I decided to make my own adventure out of the trip,” he recalls. “I flew to New Orleans, rented a car, and drove up the Blues Highway like a tourist, stopping and touring the old plantations and blues honky-tonks. I was smelling the river and the refineries. On my return to New Orleans, I drove into what might’ve been a hurricane with intense and terrifying lightning to boot. In the dead of night, I gave up trying to inch down the road, pulled over, and waited it out. The trip seemed like a parallel for my life at the time and inspired the song.”
The epic “Driftin’ The Bardo” hinges on one of the final recordings of Andy on ukulele and high-strung guitar. It slips into a poignant piano-driven crescendo punctuated by cinematic strings.
“As we were recording it, ‘The Bardo’ came to represent Andy’s transition,” reveals Tim. “It was an emotional experience.”
Clocking over eight minutes, “Showers of Rain” unfurls as a “psychedelic excursion” complete with an improvised jam, guitar solo by Anders, a dreamy string section, and imagery “inspired by a strange 19th century novel called Green Mansions.”
“We all have those moments when we feel visitations and remember loved ones we’ve lost,” Todd observes. “In New Orleans, Andrew shared with us the night previous he’d had a visit from Andy in his sleep. At my house, we have a cardinal who taps on the window, and my wife think It’s her mom. These are the thoughts in the middle of the song where I ask, ‘Was that really you?’”
The album culminates on the wistful “All For The Song” as the final refrain, “All of the heartache, all that’s gone wrong, all for the moment, all for the song,” rings out before a harmonica passage.
“It’s a bit painful to contemplate or talk about, to be honest—as are a couple other tunes on this record,” confesses Todd. “The song says way more than enough, I believe.”
In the end, Railroad Earth brings listeners closer than ever on All For The Song.
“We want audiences to connect to the album,” Carey leaves off. “We hope they’re as moved by the music as we were making it.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T181010Z SEQUENCE:8887949 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3969 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-11-18 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250304T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250304T233000 UID:7F687FE8-B59B-483C-A515-C0E7BBBCDB40 SUMMARY:Pokey LaFarge CREATED:20241119T171727Z DTSTAMP:20241119T171727Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/pokey-lafarge DESCRIPTION:After crisscrossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, Pokey LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. On his new album Rhumba Country, LaFarge reveals his newly heightened devotion to making music that channels pure joy. “There was a time when I glorified sadness because I lost sight of who I was, but now I understand that creating and expressing joy is my gift, and gifts are meant to be shared,” he says. Reclaiming his voice, LaFarge has recorded his boldest album yet. \NRhumba Country was initially shaped from material that emerged while LaFarge was deep in work on the farm. “I’d be pushing a plow or scattering seeds, and the songs would just come to me,” he recalls. “It was tremendously inspirational and made me realize that apart from singing, farming is perhaps the oldest human art form.” But as he moved forward with his songwriting, something felt undeniably amiss. LaFarge then spoke with fellow Midwestern transplant Elliot Bergman (Wild Belle), who suggested he return to city life in Los Angeles for a season so that the two musicians could work together—a collaboration that soon brought the rhumba to LaFarge’s country. As he immersed himself in the album’s creation, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicália, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. Co-produced along with Chris Seefried and Bergman and recorded in L.A., the resulting Rhumba Country is an invitation to come together to celebrate life and love. “The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head—they’re all very colorful,” says LaFarge. “I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor.” \NOn the album-opening “One You, One Me,” LaFarge offers a retreat into the charmed and rhapsodic world of Rhumba Country, sharing a breezy love song rendered with radiant simplicity. “The same way Picasso worked his whole life to paint like a child, I’ve been more focused on simplifying my music over the years,” he says. “The fewer the chord movements and simpler the lyrics, the clearer the message. It’s about trying to get\Nto the point where the songs are almost like prayers.” In the case of “One You, One Me,” that benediction centers on LaFarge’s belief in “evolving and working hard to love and be loved because that’s what we’re here to do.” And like all of Rhumba Country, “One You, One Me” serves as a prime showcase for LaFarge’s unforgettably distinct voice and ineffable charisma—an element he’s also continually brought to his work as an actor, including recent endeavors like his turn as Hank Snow on CMT’s Sun Records, as well as roles in the Southern Gothic thriller The Devil All the Time and the forthcoming rock opera O’Dessa. \NLaFarge pares his songs down to the essential throughout Rhumba Country, ornamenting each track with subtle details that immediately delight the listener. On “Run Run Run,” for instance, layered percussion and distorted guitar tones converge in what he describes as a “tropical-gospel song.” Graced with the heavenly harmonies of his wife, Addie Hamilton (a singer/songwriter in her own right), “Run Run Run” ultimately delivers an exultant call to overcome the obstacles and distractions that keep us from pursuing our calling. “That’s based on the words of Paul the Apostle, who said to run the race set before you,” LaFarge explains. \NOver the course of Rhumba Country’s ten effusive tracks, LaFarge dispenses hard-won wisdom in a way that’s never heavy-handed, often imbuing his songwriting with all the guileless magic of a fable or folktale. A perfect example of that dynamic, the ’60s-R&B-influenced “Sister André” was inspired by the true story of the French nun who recently passed away at the age of 118. “She lived through both world wars, the flu epidemic, all the way down the line through Covid,” says LaFarge. “After I heard her story, I started singing about a character who’s got a lot of sage advice to share, and it turned into a song of encouragement for those who are lonely and hoping for love.” \NOn “So Long Chicago,” LaFarge slips into lighthearted storytelling as he muses on the cultural phenomenon of those in colder climates heading south for winter. Co-written with Hamilton, the playfully cheeky snowbird ode mines inspiration from ’70s-era Chuck Berry, unfolding in freewheeling guitar work and fiercely stomping rhythms. A bona fide musical eccentric, LaFarge further flaunts his idiosyncratic sensibilities on the magnificently loopy “Like a Sailor,” a dance-ready and dreamlike number that speaks to the inevitability of struggle on one’s path. \NAs he documents his tireless journey toward finding his true home, LaFarge also reimagines a tune from reggae legend Ken Boothe. Spotlighting his supreme talents as a song interpreter, his take on “Home, Home, Home” infuses a heartfelt longing into every moment and, in turn, breathes new life into the late-’60s rocksteady classic. “The more you listen to music from around the world, you realize everybody’s got their form of country music,” says LaFarge. “It goes back to why I named the album Rhumba Country\Nin the first place: it’s poking fun at the futility of boxing everything into but a few genres, ‘What is folk music? What is country or soul?’ I’ve always bucked at all those boundaries and found it much more exciting to create my own genre.” \NLaFarge’s boundless curiosity for music from other cultures played a vital part in shaping the album’s instantly captivating sound. “Listening to a lot of music from around the world helped simplify my approach,” he notes, naming Brazilian singer/composer Jorge Ben among his key inspirations on Rhumba Country. “When you scale back the chord progressions and get a good rhythm going, the musicians have more freedom to play anything or nothing at all. There’s so much space everywhere, and as a singer, it allows me to be that lead instrument and weave in and out however I want.” At the same time, LaFarge brought a more intense and focused rigor to his songwriting process. “I need to trust in what feels good to me, but I also have to ask myself, ‘Is the message coming through? Am I stimulating thought in a way that might shift someone’s perspective? Am I being honest in telling my story, and am I doing it in love?’” he says. \NReflecting on the origins of Rhumba Country, LaFarge points to one of the most crucial revelations he experienced while farming: a newfound understanding of the uniquely human potential to be “conduits of continuous creation.” To that end, his effort to provide listeners with “medicine for the soul” has led LaFarge toward a deeper level of dedication when it comes to nurturing his own spirit. “You have to live the life you’re singing in your songs—no matter what you’re going through,” he says. “Everything will come out in your music whether you want it to or not. I’ve realized that the more I can pursue goodness and live in peace, the more I can make the music I was put here to make.” And by living with intention and fully connecting with his truest purpose, LaFarge might finally be ready to lay his head in a place he calls home. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:After crisscrossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, Pokey LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. On his new album Rhumba Country, LaFarge reveals his newly heightened devotion to making music that channels pure joy. “There was a time when I glorified sadness because I lost sight of who I was, but now I understand that creating and expressing joy is my gift, and gifts are meant to be shared,” he says. Reclaiming his voice, LaFarge has recorded his boldest album yet.
Rhumba Country was initially shaped from material that emerged while LaFarge was deep in work on the farm. “I’d be pushing a plow or scattering seeds, and the songs would just come to me,” he recalls. “It was tremendously inspirational and made me realize that apart from singing, farming is perhaps the oldest human art form.” But as he moved forward with his songwriting, something felt undeniably amiss. LaFarge then spoke with fellow Midwestern transplant Elliot Bergman (Wild Belle), who suggested he return to city life in Los Angeles for a season so that the two musicians could work together—a collaboration that soon brought the rhumba to LaFarge’s country. As he immersed himself in the album’s creation, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicália, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. Co-produced along with Chris Seefried and Bergman and recorded in L.A., the resulting Rhumba Country is an invitation to come together to celebrate life and love. “The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head—they’re all very colorful,” says LaFarge. “I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor.”
On the album-opening “One You, One Me,” LaFarge offers a retreat into the charmed and rhapsodic world of Rhumba Country, sharing a breezy love song rendered with radiant simplicity. “The same way Picasso worked his whole life to paint like a child, I’ve been more focused on simplifying my music over the years,” he says. “The fewer the chord movements and simpler the lyrics, the clearer the message. It’s about trying to get
to the point where the songs are almost like prayers.” In the case of “One You, One Me,” that benediction centers on LaFarge’s belief in “evolving and working hard to love and be loved because that’s what we’re here to do.” And like all of Rhumba Country, “One You, One Me” serves as a prime showcase for LaFarge’s unforgettably distinct voice and ineffable charisma—an element he’s also continually brought to his work as an actor, including recent endeavors like his turn as Hank Snow on CMT’s Sun Records, as well as roles in the Southern Gothic thriller The Devil All the Time and the forthcoming rock opera O’Dessa.
LaFarge pares his songs down to the essential throughout Rhumba Country, ornamenting each track with subtle details that immediately delight the listener. On “Run Run Run,” for instance, layered percussion and distorted guitar tones converge in what he describes as a “tropical-gospel song.” Graced with the heavenly harmonies of his wife, Addie Hamilton (a singer/songwriter in her own right), “Run Run Run” ultimately delivers an exultant call to overcome the obstacles and distractions that keep us from pursuing our calling. “That’s based on the words of Paul the Apostle, who said to run the race set before you,” LaFarge explains.
Over the course of Rhumba Country’s ten effusive tracks, LaFarge dispenses hard-won wisdom in a way that’s never heavy-handed, often imbuing his songwriting with all the guileless magic of a fable or folktale. A perfect example of that dynamic, the ’60s-R&B-influenced “Sister André” was inspired by the true story of the French nun who recently passed away at the age of 118. “She lived through both world wars, the flu epidemic, all the way down the line through Covid,” says LaFarge. “After I heard her story, I started singing about a character who’s got a lot of sage advice to share, and it turned into a song of encouragement for those who are lonely and hoping for love.”
On “So Long Chicago,” LaFarge slips into lighthearted storytelling as he muses on the cultural phenomenon of those in colder climates heading south for winter. Co-written with Hamilton, the playfully cheeky snowbird ode mines inspiration from ’70s-era Chuck Berry, unfolding in freewheeling guitar work and fiercely stomping rhythms. A bona fide musical eccentric, LaFarge further flaunts his idiosyncratic sensibilities on the magnificently loopy “Like a Sailor,” a dance-ready and dreamlike number that speaks to the inevitability of struggle on one’s path.
As he documents his tireless journey toward finding his true home, LaFarge also reimagines a tune from reggae legend Ken Boothe. Spotlighting his supreme talents as a song interpreter, his take on “Home, Home, Home” infuses a heartfelt longing into every moment and, in turn, breathes new life into the late-’60s rocksteady classic. “The more you listen to music from around the world, you realize everybody’s got their form of country music,” says LaFarge. “It goes back to why I named the album Rhumba Country
in the first place: it’s poking fun at the futility of boxing everything into but a few genres, ‘What is folk music? What is country or soul?’ I’ve always bucked at all those boundaries and found it much more exciting to create my own genre.”
LaFarge’s boundless curiosity for music from other cultures played a vital part in shaping the album’s instantly captivating sound. “Listening to a lot of music from around the world helped simplify my approach,” he notes, naming Brazilian singer/composer Jorge Ben among his key inspirations on Rhumba Country. “When you scale back the chord progressions and get a good rhythm going, the musicians have more freedom to play anything or nothing at all. There’s so much space everywhere, and as a singer, it allows me to be that lead instrument and weave in and out however I want.” At the same time, LaFarge brought a more intense and focused rigor to his songwriting process. “I need to trust in what feels good to me, but I also have to ask myself, ‘Is the message coming through? Am I stimulating thought in a way that might shift someone’s perspective? Am I being honest in telling my story, and am I doing it in love?’” he says.
Reflecting on the origins of Rhumba Country, LaFarge points to one of the most crucial revelations he experienced while farming: a newfound understanding of the uniquely human potential to be “conduits of continuous creation.” To that end, his effort to provide listeners with “medicine for the soul” has led LaFarge toward a deeper level of dedication when it comes to nurturing his own spirit. “You have to live the life you’re singing in your songs—no matter what you’re going through,” he says. “Everything will come out in your music whether you want it to or not. I’ve realized that the more I can pursue goodness and live in peace, the more I can make the music I was put here to make.” And by living with intention and fully connecting with his truest purpose, LaFarge might finally be ready to lay his head in a place he calls home.
LAST-MODIFIED:20241122T180054Z SEQUENCE:261807 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2911 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250308T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250308T233000 UID:0B22609C-7B44-4C12-9B0B-A11A479CA2CC SUMMARY:The Masquerade Party CREATED:20250308T194458Z DTSTAMP:20250308T194458Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-masquerade-party DESCRIPTION:Our friends at the Utah Arts Festival are hosting their annual Masquerade Party at The Commonwealth Room on Saturday, March 8, 2025. \NThis speakeasy-style celebration features an electrifying lineup of entertainment: the jazz stylings of Flamingo, captivating dancers from 1520 Arts, and dazzling burlesque performances by Violet Ends, Eliana, and Miss Meg. Keep the energy flowing all night with beats from DJ Chu and DJ Pepe!\NYour $65 ticket includes complimentary food, non-alcoholic beverages, a drink voucher, and gaming points. Oh, and the password to get in! X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Our friends at the Utah Arts Festival are hosting their annual Masquerade Party at The Commonwealth Room on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
This speakeasy-style celebration features an electrifying lineup of entertainment: the jazz stylings of Flamingo, captivating dancers from 1520 Arts, and dazzling burlesque performances by Violet Ends, Eliana, and Miss Meg. Keep the energy flowing all night with beats from DJ Chu and DJ Pepe!
Your $65 ticket includes complimentary food, non-alcoholic beverages, a drink voucher, and gaming points. Oh, and the password to get in!
LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T195909Z SEQUENCE:851 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:507 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250311T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250311T233000 UID:917378BB-6931-4078-9011-CCFAA0709847 SUMMARY:Pigeons Playing Ping Pong CREATED:20241112T171848Z DTSTAMP:20241112T171848Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/pigeons-playing-ping-pong-3 DESCRIPTION:If you ever wondered what “seizing the moment” sounds like personified, look no further than Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, the four-piece musical powerhouse known for their head-turning high-energy psychedelic funk shows. Infectious energy is an understatement.\NThe Maryland quartet — “Scrambled Greg” Ormont [vocals, guitar], Jeremy Schon [guitar, vocals], Ben [bass, vocals], and Alex “Gator” Petropulos [drums, vocals]—not only squeezes the juice out of every second, but they harness life’s energy within their hypnotic hybrid of funk, rock and psychedelic groove.\NWith a devout audience, affectionately known as “The Flock,” and a trail of sold-out tours behind them, the band takes a major step forward once again on their seventh full-length offering, Day In Time, released on April 26, 2024.\N“This album is a snapshot of our band as a group and as individuals,” notes Greg. “The title serves as a reminder that life moves fast, so we better make the most of each day, make each second count. 15 years as a band have flown by. We started in college and now we’re all growing up, most of us have even become dads recently, so we’re evolving both personally and musically, and we’re happily embracing those changes. That said, we still feel like kids when we’re getting wild on stage and know we always will.”\NThis forward motion has only accelerated over the years for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Renowned as a live tour de force, PPPP has tallied tens of millions of streams and performed to impassioned crowds everywhere from Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Capitol Theatre to festivals such as Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Jam Cruise, and more. Most recently, they earned widespread acclaim for 2022’s Perspective, a 12-track “funk-filled odyssey” as described by Relix. However, Day In Time saw them realize another level of cohesion in the studio.\N“This album is the most cohesive group of songs we’ve ever had in the studio,” says Jeremy. “On our previous albums, there were usually older songs mixed in with our newer material. However, all the tracks on ‘Day In Time’ really represent our current writing style and where we are as a band today.”\NA bevy of friends also joined the party. On the boisterous “Let The Boogie Out,” Here Come The Mummies’ horn section added healthy doses of funk and “truly decided to let the boogie out,” according to Jeremy. Ben “Smiley” Silverstein (The Main Squeeze; Smile High) shines on the titular “Day In Time” with a raucous keyboard solo, while keyboardists Joey Porter (The Motet) and Alric “A.C.” Carter (Tauk) join forces on the soulful “Overtime.” Carter also adds rich depth with keys on “Beneath The Surface,” while Jon O’Hallaron (Chalk Dinosaur) infuses rhythmic keys and electronic flavor on the instrumental standout, “Skinner.” Another first, all four members of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong take inspired solos on the same record.\N“With this being our seventh full-length album, we’re more comfortable in the studio than ever, which has given us the freedom to take some bigger swings reminiscent of our live shows.” notes Greg.\NIn the end, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are certainly making the most of the moment, and they might just inspire you to do the same. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:If you ever wondered what “seizing the moment” sounds like personified, look no further than Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, the four-piece musical powerhouse known for their head-turning high-energy psychedelic funk shows. Infectious energy is an understatement.
The Maryland quartet — “Scrambled Greg” Ormont [vocals, guitar], Jeremy Schon [guitar, vocals], Ben [bass, vocals], and Alex “Gator” Petropulos [drums, vocals]—not only squeezes the juice out of every second, but they harness life’s energy within their hypnotic hybrid of funk, rock and psychedelic groove.
With a devout audience, affectionately known as “The Flock,” and a trail of sold-out tours behind them, the band takes a major step forward once again on their seventh full-length offering, Day In Time, released on April 26, 2024.
“This album is a snapshot of our band as a group and as individuals,” notes Greg. “The title serves as a reminder that life moves fast, so we better make the most of each day, make each second count. 15 years as a band have flown by. We started in college and now we’re all growing up, most of us have even become dads recently, so we’re evolving both personally and musically, and we’re happily embracing those changes. That said, we still feel like kids when we’re getting wild on stage and know we always will.”
This forward motion has only accelerated over the years for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Renowned as a live tour de force, PPPP has tallied tens of millions of streams and performed to impassioned crowds everywhere from Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Capitol Theatre to festivals such as Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Jam Cruise, and more. Most recently, they earned widespread acclaim for 2022’s Perspective, a 12-track “funk-filled odyssey” as described by Relix. However, Day In Time saw them realize another level of cohesion in the studio.
“This album is the most cohesive group of songs we’ve ever had in the studio,” says Jeremy. “On our previous albums, there were usually older songs mixed in with our newer material. However, all the tracks on ‘Day In Time’ really represent our current writing style and where we are as a band today.”
A bevy of friends also joined the party. On the boisterous “Let The Boogie Out,” Here Come The Mummies’ horn section added healthy doses of funk and “truly decided to let the boogie out,” according to Jeremy. Ben “Smiley” Silverstein (The Main Squeeze; Smile High) shines on the titular “Day In Time” with a raucous keyboard solo, while keyboardists Joey Porter (The Motet) and Alric “A.C.” Carter (Tauk) join forces on the soulful “Overtime.” Carter also adds rich depth with keys on “Beneath The Surface,” while Jon O’Hallaron (Chalk Dinosaur) infuses rhythmic keys and electronic flavor on the instrumental standout, “Skinner.” Another first, all four members of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong take inspired solos on the same record.
“With this being our seventh full-length album, we’re more comfortable in the studio than ever, which has given us the freedom to take some bigger swings reminiscent of our live shows.” notes Greg.
In the end, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are certainly making the most of the moment, and they might just inspire you to do the same.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250303T221507Z SEQUENCE:9608179 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3626 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-11-12 18:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250319T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250319T233000 UID:E80B388F-0435-46D5-A1DC-C7053598492A SUMMARY:Rachel Platten CREATED:20250107T220711Z DTSTAMP:20250107T220711Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/rachel-platten DESCRIPTION:When the world first met Emmy Award-winning multi-platinum artist, singer, songwriter, Rachel Platten, it came in the form of a proclamation of self. An anthem for those who needed it and those who didn’t even know they needed it alike, “Fight Song” became a global sensation, an inescapable battle cry that’s now been streamed more than a billion times and is as inextricable to modern culture as any one song could be.\NBut “Fight Song” was just one song, oneself, and Rachel Platten had so much more to say, and so many more selves to show. These days, if you dive headfirst into Rachel’s rich and growing catalogue, your odds are as strong to land on a thundering anthem like her biggest hit as they are to hit a soul-searching, scar-bearing, lyrically textured stunner about motherhood, guilt, mourning, expectations, rebirth, mental health, and the support systems we all need to guide us through life’s most earth-shaking curveballs.\NYou’ll find all that and so much more on Rachel Platten’s upcoming studio album I Am Rachel Platten, a body of work over five years in the making. I Am Rachel Platten is an artistic journey through life’s peaks and valleys. It’s a record about grief as much as it is using darkness to help better shape and contextualize the light. “For so long, I wasn’t dealing with what was underneath the surface,” Rachel says. “I wasn’t in touch with the darkness. I hadn’t gone to therapy. I’d achieved my dreams but inside, I was dealing with anxiety and depression that I didn't know or acknowledge was there.”\NWith songs written during sharply defined periods of her life – including the pregnancy and ensuing postpartum depression following the birth of her first daughter, Violet; as ways of searching for answers, relief, and hope throughout a prolonged mental health struggle during the pandemic; in response to her partner’s own fight to stay afloat while she was pregnant with their second daughter, Sophie; and, finally, on the other side of all that turmoil, with some clarity and hindsight to help her pick up all her pieces – Rachel felt ready to follow up 2017’s Waves with an unflinching and honest album that told her story truthfully and transparently, no matter how frightening that felt in the process of making it. “I started therapy and I started looking at myself and realizing how much I was spiritually bypassing,” she says. “The world has only seen this one side of me, this strength – empowering, positive, loving, warm, everything's okay,– and it wasn't fake by any means, but it was just only one part of me.”\NEmotions like rage and exhaustion bubbled to the surface; old wounds and new alike rose up, catching Rachel’s breath in her throat, surprising her in their intensity and insistence on being heard and turned into lyrics. “For a while I’d gotten so used to dimming my light for other people, but on this album, I got to heal by using music as my outlet,” she says. Some nights – her hardest nights – lyrics would hit her like a ton of bricks; she’d run to the piano in her home studio and seek relief in songwriting. The process yielded “Mercy,” one of the album’s rawest and emotion-baring moments, a song that “proved there’s a purpose for your pain,” Rachel says. “There is always a purpose for what you're going through. It showed me I can make meaning out of it.”\N“When I first moved into this house,” she adds, twirling her camera around the room, “I was laying out in the backyard looking up at these massive sycamore trees, and I was like, ‘I wonder what I'm going to write next.’ And I heard this voice, which I took to be my higher self, say, ‘Oh, you're going to write the most powerful music of your life.’”\NYou’ll find special spiritual meaning made throughout I Am Rachel Platten. “A lot of this music was me developing my relationship with my creator and with God,” she says. Tracks like “I Know” and “Mercy” and “Surrender” make up an “unintentional” holy trilogy of faith-seeking and healing songs, “a hero's journey of someone wrestling with their demons,” as she puts it. Her voice and pen became a conduit, Rachel says, a vessel for the lyrics and messages handed down to her from a higher place.\NEarly songs like “I Know” (written during the pandemic’s earliest and most uncertain moments as a message of peace to herself) and “I’ll Be Her” (a premonition of a stronger Rachel yet to come) broke the dam. With the songs beginning to flow through her –– she knew she needed producing partners who could help her holistically complete the project from start to finish. One-off pairings wouldn’t work for this record, she says; it needed to be one vision, aligned with hers, who she could walk down the road with hand-in-hand. Thus, it was fate, she says, that after an impromptu set at the famed Los Angeles venue The Hotel Café in 2022, Rachel’s longtime friend and producer Jason Evigan joined her backstage with fellow producer Gian Stone; they asked her to produce “Mercy,” a song from I Am Rachel Platten which she’d debuted live as part of her set. \N“I countered with, “No, but you can produce the whole album,’” she remembers with a grin. Though the pair turned down the offer, a month later, they called her with a pitch. “I remember they sounded so excited, and they told me they had the whole thing mapped out: a studio in Nashville, all these studio musicians they’d hand-selected – people who’d worked on albums like Kacey Musgraves’s Golden Hour – and a timeframe. They said they believed in me, they believed in the album, and they wanted to plunge into it headfirst with me.”\NOver the course of two separate marathon sessions in Nashville, Rachel and her producers and session players crafted a body of material as sonically rich, enveloping, and impactful as it is lyrically tender, personal, and intimate. I Am Rachel Platten could only exist in its mastery because “I know myself now,” she says, a fire glowing in her eyes. “I am a mother. I am 42. I am fully in touch with myself. I've integrated the dark and the light in me. Now I can hold space for all of what the fuck I’m feeling now. It was too much for me before – I was just a kid. But now I have the maturity and the wisdom and my own connection to now invite my listeners in to feel their own connection, whatever that looks like, not what I think it should look like. I call it God. You can call it whatever you want, whatever is you getting back to your identity. I feel why I'm on this earth is reconnecting people to their identity, their truth, to their purpose, to their power.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:When the world first met Emmy Award-winning multi-platinum artist, singer, songwriter, Rachel Platten, it came in the form of a proclamation of self. An anthem for those who needed it and those who didn’t even know they needed it alike, “Fight Song” became a global sensation, an inescapable battle cry that’s now been streamed more than a billion times and is as inextricable to modern culture as any one song could be.
But “Fight Song” was just one song, oneself, and Rachel Platten had so much more to say, and so many more selves to show. These days, if you dive headfirst into Rachel’s rich and growing catalogue, your odds are as strong to land on a thundering anthem like her biggest hit as they are to hit a soul-searching, scar-bearing, lyrically textured stunner about motherhood, guilt, mourning, expectations, rebirth, mental health, and the support systems we all need to guide us through life’s most earth-shaking curveballs.
You’ll find all that and so much more on Rachel Platten’s upcoming studio album I Am Rachel Platten, a body of work over five years in the making. I Am Rachel Platten is an artistic journey through life’s peaks and valleys. It’s a record about grief as much as it is using darkness to help better shape and contextualize the light. “For so long, I wasn’t dealing with what was underneath the surface,” Rachel says. “I wasn’t in touch with the darkness. I hadn’t gone to therapy. I’d achieved my dreams but inside, I was dealing with anxiety and depression that I didn't know or acknowledge was there.”
With songs written during sharply defined periods of her life – including the pregnancy and ensuing postpartum depression following the birth of her first daughter, Violet; as ways of searching for answers, relief, and hope throughout a prolonged mental health struggle during the pandemic; in response to her partner’s own fight to stay afloat while she was pregnant with their second daughter, Sophie; and, finally, on the other side of all that turmoil, with some clarity and hindsight to help her pick up all her pieces – Rachel felt ready to follow up 2017’s Waves with an unflinching and honest album that told her story truthfully and transparently, no matter how frightening that felt in the process of making it. “I started therapy and I started looking at myself and realizing how much I was spiritually bypassing,” she says. “The world has only seen this one side of me, this strength – empowering, positive, loving, warm, everything's okay,– and it wasn't fake by any means, but it was just only one part of me.”
Emotions like rage and exhaustion bubbled to the surface; old wounds and new alike rose up, catching Rachel’s breath in her throat, surprising her in their intensity and insistence on being heard and turned into lyrics. “For a while I’d gotten so used to dimming my light for other people, but on this album, I got to heal by using music as my outlet,” she says. Some nights – her hardest nights – lyrics would hit her like a ton of bricks; she’d run to the piano in her home studio and seek relief in songwriting. The process yielded “Mercy,” one of the album’s rawest and emotion-baring moments, a song that “proved there’s a purpose for your pain,” Rachel says. “There is always a purpose for what you're going through. It showed me I can make meaning out of it.”
“When I first moved into this house,” she adds, twirling her camera around the room, “I was laying out in the backyard looking up at these massive sycamore trees, and I was like, ‘I wonder what I'm going to write next.’ And I heard this voice, which I took to be my higher self, say, ‘Oh, you're going to write the most powerful music of your life.’”
You’ll find special spiritual meaning made throughout I Am Rachel Platten. “A lot of this music was me developing my relationship with my creator and with God,” she says. Tracks like “I Know” and “Mercy” and “Surrender” make up an “unintentional” holy trilogy of faith-seeking and healing songs, “a hero's journey of someone wrestling with their demons,” as she puts it. Her voice and pen became a conduit, Rachel says, a vessel for the lyrics and messages handed down to her from a higher place.
Early songs like “I Know” (written during the pandemic’s earliest and most uncertain moments as a message of peace to herself) and “I’ll Be Her” (a premonition of a stronger Rachel yet to come) broke the dam. With the songs beginning to flow through her –– she knew she needed producing partners who could help her holistically complete the project from start to finish. One-off pairings wouldn’t work for this record, she says; it needed to be one vision, aligned with hers, who she could walk down the road with hand-in-hand. Thus, it was fate, she says, that after an impromptu set at the famed Los Angeles venue The Hotel Café in 2022, Rachel’s longtime friend and producer Jason Evigan joined her backstage with fellow producer Gian Stone; they asked her to produce “Mercy,” a song from I Am Rachel Platten which she’d debuted live as part of her set.
“I countered with, “No, but you can produce the whole album,’” she remembers with a grin. Though the pair turned down the offer, a month later, they called her with a pitch. “I remember they sounded so excited, and they told me they had the whole thing mapped out: a studio in Nashville, all these studio musicians they’d hand-selected – people who’d worked on albums like Kacey Musgraves’s Golden Hour – and a timeframe. They said they believed in me, they believed in the album, and they wanted to plunge into it headfirst with me.”
Over the course of two separate marathon sessions in Nashville, Rachel and her producers and session players crafted a body of material as sonically rich, enveloping, and impactful as it is lyrically tender, personal, and intimate. I Am Rachel Platten could only exist in its mastery because “I know myself now,” she says, a fire glowing in her eyes. “I am a mother. I am 42. I am fully in touch with myself. I've integrated the dark and the light in me. Now I can hold space for all of what the fuck I’m feeling now. It was too much for me before – I was just a kid. But now I have the maturity and the wisdom and my own connection to now invite my listeners in to feel their own connection, whatever that looks like, not what I think it should look like. I call it God. You can call it whatever you want, whatever is you getting back to your identity. I feel why I'm on this earth is reconnecting people to their identity, their truth, to their purpose, to their power.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250318T231434Z SEQUENCE:6052043 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2522 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-01-10 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250328T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250328T210000 UID:681AB84C-B8FF-473A-80BB-3F244E585D38 SUMMARY:Matt Nathanson CREATED:20241001T161914Z DTSTAMP:20241001T161914Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/matt-nathanson-3 DESCRIPTION:Over his almost 30 year career, Matt Nathanson has evolved into one of the most applauded songwriters and engaging performers on the music scene today. His sixth studio album, Some Mad Hope, yielded his breakthrough multi-platinum hit "Come on Get Higher.” He followed up with Modern Love, a critically acclaimed album (PopMatters called it "the closest a pop album comes to perfection this year”) that garnered Nathanson two RIAA Gold Certified singles, “Faster” & “Run (featuring Sugarland)”. His 2013 release, Last of The Great Pretenders, debuted at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 while hitting #1 on iTunes' Alternative Albums chart. His most recent album, Sings His Sad Heart spawned the hit single “Used To Be” which was a chart climber - hitting top 20 at Adult Top 40. Throughout his career, Nathanson has been known to cover songs and artists that inspire him. His Def Leppard approved cover album of their iconic Pyromania called Pyromattia shot to #1 on iTunes Alternative chart and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott called the album “an amazing reinterpretation” with “heart & soul.” Last year he covered U2’s Achtung Baby as a tribute to his all time favorite album. His holiday LP Farewell December, includes "Blue Christmas” to “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” — as well as his somber take on Joni Mitchell’s “River.” Nathanson has performed on The Howard Stern Show, Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Dancing with the Stars, Rachael Ray, and The CMA Awards to name a few. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Over his almost 30 year career, Matt Nathanson has evolved into one of the most applauded songwriters and engaging performers on the music scene today. His sixth studio album, Some Mad Hope, yielded his breakthrough multi-platinum hit "Come on Get Higher.” He followed up with Modern Love, a critically acclaimed album (PopMatters called it "the closest a pop album comes to perfection this year”) that garnered Nathanson two RIAA Gold Certified singles, “Faster” & “Run (featuring Sugarland)”. His 2013 release, Last of The Great Pretenders, debuted at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 while hitting #1 on iTunes' Alternative Albums chart. His most recent album, Sings His Sad Heart spawned the hit single “Used To Be” which was a chart climber - hitting top 20 at Adult Top 40. Throughout his career, Nathanson has been known to cover songs and artists that inspire him. His Def Leppard approved cover album of their iconic Pyromania called Pyromattia shot to #1 on iTunes Alternative chart and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott called the album “an amazing reinterpretation” with “heart & soul.” Last year he covered U2’s Achtung Baby as a tribute to his all time favorite album. His holiday LP Farewell December, includes "Blue Christmas” to “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” — as well as his somber take on Joni Mitchell’s “River.” Nathanson has performed on The Howard Stern Show, Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Dancing with the Stars, Rachael Ray, and The CMA Awards to name a few.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250326T173453Z SEQUENCE:15210939 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3123 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250329T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250329T233000 UID:81630A80-BFCD-40D5-BF67-33AE2B0D3FDC SUMMARY:Rubblebucket CREATED:20240924T162856Z DTSTAMP:20240924T162856Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/rubblebucket-2 DESCRIPTION:Rubblebucket’s seeds were sown when Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth, the group’s front persons, co-writers and co-producers, first began a friendship as jazz students at the University of Vermont. Soon after, they formed Rubblebucket, using the project to delve into pop, funk, dance and psychedelia; performances have spanned Bonnaroo to Glastonbury to their self-curated Dream Picnic Festival, and they’ve collaborated with kindred genre-blenders including Arcade Fire and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears. Their forthcoming full-length LP ‘Year of the Banana’ is perhaps their deepest and grooviest work yet. It speaks to the power of transforming and adapting relationships in a time when the world needs it most. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Rubblebucket’s seeds were sown when Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth, the group’s front persons, co-writers and co-producers, first began a friendship as jazz students at the University of Vermont. Soon after, they formed Rubblebucket, using the project to delve into pop, funk, dance and psychedelia; performances have spanned Bonnaroo to Glastonbury to their self-curated Dream Picnic Festival, and they’ve collaborated with kindred genre-blenders including Arcade Fire and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears. Their forthcoming full-length LP ‘Year of the Banana’ is perhaps their deepest and grooviest work yet. It speaks to the power of transforming and adapting relationships in a time when the world needs it most.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250304T171827Z SEQUENCE:13913371 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3360 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250404T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250404T233000 UID:7AD0395D-1B3B-49AF-A51C-C6463D129956 SUMMARY:JOHNNYSWIM CREATED:20240924T163202Z DTSTAMP:20240924T163202Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/johnnyswim-2 DESCRIPTION:JOHNNYSWIM, composed of the magnetic duo Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez, effortlessly enthralls audiences with their heartfelt melodies, intertwining personal experiences and imaginative tales. Their music is a vibrant tapestry woven with memories, emotions, and dreams, blending singer-songwriter tradition with alternative flair, rock vigor, and pop ambition. Through extensive touring, they've cultivated a devoted fanbase worldwide, connecting deeply with listeners.\NCritics from NPR, The New York Times, Huffington Post, Nylon, and Rolling Stone have hailed JOHNNYSWIM's blend of folk, pop, and blues as "captivating and unforgettable." Their electrifying performances on shows like The Today Showand The Tonight Show with Jay Leno have enchanted audiences, reinforcing their dynamic presence in the music realm.\NIn their upcoming album When The War Is Over, the band captures a profound journey through personal upheaval and resilience. Inspired by a season marked by intense challenges, Abner and Amanda vulnerably explore themes of physical and mental health, and self-realization. The album symbolizes their journey toward healing, serving as a declaration of moving forward. With raw honesty at its core, this collection of songs invites listeners to feel known and find moments of sweet release, creating a safe space for letting go and healing. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:JOHNNYSWIM, composed of the magnetic duo Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez, effortlessly enthralls audiences with their heartfelt melodies, intertwining personal experiences and imaginative tales. Their music is a vibrant tapestry woven with memories, emotions, and dreams, blending singer-songwriter tradition with alternative flair, rock vigor, and pop ambition. Through extensive touring, they've cultivated a devoted fanbase worldwide, connecting deeply with listeners.
Critics from NPR, The New York Times, Huffington Post, Nylon, and Rolling Stone have hailed JOHNNYSWIM's blend of folk, pop, and blues as "captivating and unforgettable." Their electrifying performances on shows like The Today Showand The Tonight Show with Jay Leno have enchanted audiences, reinforcing their dynamic presence in the music realm.
In their upcoming album When The War Is Over, the band captures a profound journey through personal upheaval and resilience. Inspired by a season marked by intense challenges, Abner and Amanda vulnerably explore themes of physical and mental health, and self-realization. The album symbolizes their journey toward healing, serving as a declaration of moving forward. With raw honesty at its core, this collection of songs invites listeners to feel known and find moments of sweet release, creating a safe space for letting go and healing.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250310T194454Z SEQUENCE:14440372 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1899 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250422T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250422T233000 UID:2095378B-77EB-4BFF-A12C-8B14F40D8BD0 SUMMARY:Mogwai CREATED:20240917T161303Z DTSTAMP:20240917T161303Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/mogwai DESCRIPTION:Nine studio albums, a live album and four compilations, four soundtracks, a record label, and a few blown PAs and dislodged pieces of ceiling over uncountable gigs. Over the 24 years since they formed with rehearsals rattling Stuart Braithwaite's living room, Mogwai might have become one of the most important groups of a fragmented but increasingly potent British musical underground, but they've refused to sit back and rest on their laurels. \NOver 24 years their one constant has been of a mastery of dynamics, an embracing both of power and minimalism, and a willingness to experiment with new instrumentations and technology. Within that though, one of the most recognisable sonic identities in contemporary music unites the songs as disparate of graceful sung moments like Travel Is Dangerous or epic Black Sabbath temper tantrum My Father My King, the shimmering, or the stately atmosphere of I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead... The Mogwai of 2020 is a very different group to the four kids who, in 1996, released their debut single to a musical climate suffering the appalling hangover of late Britpop. Since debut album Young Team the group have always kept their eyes on the future, playing different sets mostly of new material on each night of their never-ending tours. In a commercial climate that hardly favours independent artists operating outside the mainstream, Mogwai have always led by example, doing it themselves, where they can. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Nine studio albums, a live album and four compilations, four soundtracks, a record label, and a few blown PAs and dislodged pieces of ceiling over uncountable gigs. Over the 24 years since they formed with rehearsals rattling Stuart Braithwaite's living room, Mogwai might have become one of the most important groups of a fragmented but increasingly potent British musical underground, but they've refused to sit back and rest on their laurels.
Over 24 years their one constant has been of a mastery of dynamics, an embracing both of power and minimalism, and a willingness to experiment with new instrumentations and technology. Within that though, one of the most recognisable sonic identities in contemporary music unites the songs as disparate of graceful sung moments like Travel Is Dangerous or epic Black Sabbath temper tantrum My Father My King, the shimmering, or the stately atmosphere of I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead... The Mogwai of 2020 is a very different group to the four kids who, in 1996, released their debut single to a musical climate suffering the appalling hangover of late Britpop. Since debut album Young Team the group have always kept their eyes on the future, playing different sets mostly of new material on each night of their never-ending tours. In a commercial climate that hardly favours independent artists operating outside the mainstream, Mogwai have always led by example, doing it themselves, where they can.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T195624Z SEQUENCE:17725401 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3891 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250426T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250426T233000 UID:6A2791A3-E061-4EA9-A574-ED5FAB6557A7 SUMMARY:Fleetwood Mask CREATED:20241216T233000Z DTSTAMP:20241216T233000Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/fleetwood-mask-2 DESCRIPTION:Fleetwood Mask is the only tribute in the Americas endorsed by Fleetwood Mac founding member Mick Fleetwood.“This band does it right. I’m proud to know the music of Fleetwood Mac is in good hands indeed,” says Mick in his video endorsements of the group.\NFleetwood Mask was founded over a decade ago to tribute one of the world’s greatest rock and pop bands and has been touring the U.S. every year since. Fans flock to each show because they are yearning for the ultimate in realism, performance, and sound quality.\NFleetwood Mask has gone to unimaginable lengths to ensure each performer uses the correct and exact period-accurate equipment to deliver audiences with the most authentic tribute to Fleetwood Mac in the world. Some of Fleetwood Mask’s stage equipment is equipment that was used by, and toured with, Fleetwood Mac.\NEach performer’s wardrobe is further curated to era-specific specifications and most of the band’s wardrobe is bespoke, handmade by artisans who have studied each era of Fleetwood Mac’s stage wear in order to deliver stunning and detailed accuracy.\NThis level of execution allows Fleetwood Mask the ability to tribute the three most iconic Fleetwood Mac tours, each one known by Fleetwood Mac fans for having specific equipment, wardrobe, and set lists. Show attendees can expect to see either the Tusk tour (1980), the Mirage tour (1982), the Dance tour (1997), and/or a mix of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Historic Best Of’.\NNo one leaves a Fleetwood Mask concert without having a fully immersive Fleetwood Mac experience. An evening with Fleetwood Mask is like no other – two-set audiences are transported into the incredible illusion of attending an actual Fleetwood Mac concert as the band performs both tour-specific and ‘Historic Best Of’ sets, providing show attendees a “double serving” of the sights, sounds, and songs of Fleetwood Mac.\NAs Mick has always loved to quote Shakespeare... “then play on...” Fleetwood Mask is deeply honored to do so, keeping access to the Fleetwood Mac live concert experience available to all. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Fleetwood Mask is the only tribute in the Americas endorsed by Fleetwood Mac founding member Mick Fleetwood.“This band does it right. I’m proud to know the music of Fleetwood Mac is in good hands indeed,” says Mick in his video endorsements of the group.
Fleetwood Mask was founded over a decade ago to tribute one of the world’s greatest rock and pop bands and has been touring the U.S. every year since. Fans flock to each show because they are yearning for the ultimate in realism, performance, and sound quality.
Fleetwood Mask has gone to unimaginable lengths to ensure each performer uses the correct and exact period-accurate equipment to deliver audiences with the most authentic tribute to Fleetwood Mac in the world. Some of Fleetwood Mask’s stage equipment is equipment that was used by, and toured with, Fleetwood Mac.
Each performer’s wardrobe is further curated to era-specific specifications and most of the band’s wardrobe is bespoke, handmade by artisans who have studied each era of Fleetwood Mac’s stage wear in order to deliver stunning and detailed accuracy.
This level of execution allows Fleetwood Mask the ability to tribute the three most iconic Fleetwood Mac tours, each one known by Fleetwood Mac fans for having specific equipment, wardrobe, and set lists. Show attendees can expect to see either the Tusk tour (1980), the Mirage tour (1982), the Dance tour (1997), and/or a mix of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Historic Best Of’.
No one leaves a Fleetwood Mask concert without having a fully immersive Fleetwood Mac experience. An evening with Fleetwood Mask is like no other – two-set audiences are transported into the incredible illusion of attending an actual Fleetwood Mac concert as the band performs both tour-specific and ‘Historic Best Of’ sets, providing show attendees a “double serving” of the sights, sounds, and songs of Fleetwood Mac.
As Mick has always loved to quote Shakespeare... “then play on...” Fleetwood Mask is deeply honored to do so, keeping access to the Fleetwood Mac live concert experience available to all.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250102T200408Z SEQUENCE:1456448 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2859 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-12-17 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250501T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250501T233000 UID:6B5682A2-F8A4-4C1F-939D-844A5866E0FE SUMMARY:MarchFourth CREATED:20250310T161627Z DTSTAMP:20250310T161627Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/marchfourth-3 DESCRIPTION:MarchFourth is a kaleidoscope of musical and visual energy that inspires unabashed dancing and an atmosphere of celebration. Born in Portland 22 years ago on a Mardi Gras Day, MarchFourth’s collaborative roster has evolved through many musical generations. The M4 family now spans from Oregon and Seattle all the way down to New Orleans.\NCostumed as a psychedelic punk rock marching band circus troupe, M4’s show features electric bass, guitar, a 4-piece percussion corps, a 7-part horn section, dancers, acrobatics, stilt-walkers, a live visual artist, and a diverse musical repertoire. Far from a "marching band" in any traditional sense, they have been known to swagger through town playing a few tunes before taking the stage.\NMarchFourth travels in a 47 foot tour bus named The Highway Star, bringing their unique brand of party and good vibes wherever they go. Their show is a sonic journey with worldwide influences, echoing the deepest grooves of American funk, rock, and jazz boiled all together in cinematic fashion, with showmanship, flare, and BIG heart.\NThis genre-busting, joy-inducing, in-your-face experience is not to be missed! X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:MarchFourth is a kaleidoscope of musical and visual energy that inspires unabashed dancing and an atmosphere of celebration. Born in Portland 22 years ago on a Mardi Gras Day, MarchFourth’s collaborative roster has evolved through many musical generations. The M4 family now spans from Oregon and Seattle all the way down to New Orleans.
Costumed as a psychedelic punk rock marching band circus troupe, M4’s show features electric bass, guitar, a 4-piece percussion corps, a 7-part horn section, dancers, acrobatics, stilt-walkers, a live visual artist, and a diverse musical repertoire. Far from a "marching band" in any traditional sense, they have been known to swagger through town playing a few tunes before taking the stage.
MarchFourth travels in a 47 foot tour bus named The Highway Star, bringing their unique brand of party and good vibes wherever they go. Their show is a sonic journey with worldwide influences, echoing the deepest grooves of American funk, rock, and jazz boiled all together in cinematic fashion, with showmanship, flare, and BIG heart.
This genre-busting, joy-inducing, in-your-face experience is not to be missed!
LAST-MODIFIED:20250418T204147Z SEQUENCE:3385520 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2299 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-03-11 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250505T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250505T233000 UID:951A27C3-B7F6-479B-ADA6-9F33EFB2B604 SUMMARY:Victor Wooten & The Wooten Brothers CREATED:20250212T011349Z DTSTAMP:20250212T011349Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/victor-wooten-the-wooten-brothers-cwr-6th-anniversary DESCRIPTION:For over five decades the Wooten Brothers have been recognized as some of the most innovative musicians in existence and are collectively known as one of the most talented and dynamic band of brothers the world has ever known. A self-contained unit, the band consist of (from oldest to youngest) Regi on guitar/vocals; Roy on drums/vocals; Joseph on keyboards/vocals; and Victor on bass/vocals. The Wooten Brothers continue to honor their middle brother, Rudy, whose untimely passing in 2010 left the band without their one-man horn section. Since he was a child, Rudy played two saxophones at once, duplicating lines from popular horn bands such as Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears, and others.\NThe Wooten Brothers will be touring the world while simultaneously releasing a collection of newly recorded original music as well as original compositions recorded in the 1970s and ‘80s. The new music is a blend of influences from the past and present; Jazz, Funk, Soul, R&B, and more, woven together in a way that only the Brothers can produce. The old music, which was recently discovered in the brother’s archives, will display the young group’s advanced musicality, vocal ability, harmonies, and songwriting. These special compositions will allow the world to enjoy Rudy’s extraordinary saxophone virtuosity. You’ll quickly understand why the young brothers were often sought after to share the stage with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, WAR, The Temptations, Ramsey Lewis, Stephanie Mills, Franky Beverly and Maze, Mongo Santamaria, and others. In 1972, the Wooten Brothers were hired as the opening band for Curtis Mayfield‘s hugely successful Superfly Tour. The eldest Wooten Brother, Regi, was fourteen years old. Victor was only five.\NTogether The Wooten Brothers bring an uncanny level of experience, originality, and musical expertise to the stage. This will be the brother’s first record release and tour together as a band since Rudy’s untimely death a few years ago. Their shows will be a spirited, high-energy, super-funky, artistic blend of styles including original songs and classics. In short: these brothers are the real deal, and their shows are not to be missed.\N X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:For over five decades the Wooten Brothers have been recognized as some of the most innovative musicians in existence and are collectively known as one of the most talented and dynamic band of brothers the world has ever known. A self-contained unit, the band consist of (from oldest to youngest) Regi on guitar/vocals; Roy on drums/vocals; Joseph on keyboards/vocals; and Victor on bass/vocals. The Wooten Brothers continue to honor their middle brother, Rudy, whose untimely passing in 2010 left the band without their one-man horn section. Since he was a child, Rudy played two saxophones at once, duplicating lines from popular horn bands such as Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears, and others.
The Wooten Brothers will be touring the world while simultaneously releasing a collection of newly recorded original music as well as original compositions recorded in the 1970s and ‘80s. The new music is a blend of influences from the past and present; Jazz, Funk, Soul, R&B, and more, woven together in a way that only the Brothers can produce. The old music, which was recently discovered in the brother’s archives, will display the young group’s advanced musicality, vocal ability, harmonies, and songwriting. These special compositions will allow the world to enjoy Rudy’s extraordinary saxophone virtuosity. You’ll quickly understand why the young brothers were often sought after to share the stage with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, WAR, The Temptations, Ramsey Lewis, Stephanie Mills, Franky Beverly and Maze, Mongo Santamaria, and others. In 1972, the Wooten Brothers were hired as the opening band for Curtis Mayfield‘s hugely successful Superfly Tour. The eldest Wooten Brother, Regi, was fourteen years old. Victor was only five.
Together The Wooten Brothers bring an uncanny level of experience, originality, and musical expertise to the stage. This will be the brother’s first record release and tour together as a band since Rudy’s untimely death a few years ago. Their shows will be a spirited, high-energy, super-funky, artistic blend of styles including original songs and classics. In short: these brothers are the real deal, and their shows are not to be missed.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250423T202321Z SEQUENCE:6116972 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3028 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-02-12 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250512T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250512T233000 UID:414890CF-6206-4583-A546-51ABFCB90EB6 SUMMARY:Marc Scibilia CREATED:20241209T235717Z DTSTAMP:20241209T235717Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/marc-scibilia DESCRIPTION:The Buffalo-bred, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Marc Scibilia makes soulful music on his own terms, channeling the national mood. Finding inspiration in folk, country, alternative, and anthemic pop music, he has crafted a distinctly American sound that is rueful yet buoyed by hope. From his Gold-certified single ‘Unforgettable,’ which garnered over 100m streams and was a #1 radio hit in Germany, to his nostalgic viral single ‘Summer Clothes,’ Marc continues to take his listeners on a musical journey that crosses genres and knows no bounds.\NMarc’s latest album release, More to This, showcases his breadth of writing, musicality, and production talent. What started a year ago as creative experimentation from his East Nashville studio, turned into an incredible burst of original songs and mashups. The focus track, “More to This”, had an immediate emotional connection racking up 50 million views and over 10 million streams.\NAfter growing his social media platforms to over 1.5 million followers in just a year, Marc finished his first sold-out headline fall tour in late 2024, which included multiple nights in Chicago, Nashville, and NYC. Following the success of that run, Marc will headline his first world tour in the Spring of 2025.\NMarc’s songs have been featured in Shrinking (Apple TV), Peter Rabbit, Bones (FOX), About A Boy (NBC), JEEP Super Bowl ad, Chrysler, Samsung, Water.org, and more. In addition to his own music, Marc has extensive songwriting and producing credits, including Teddy Swims, Keith Urban, Robin Schulz, Quinn XCII, Claptone, Ingrid Andress, SEAL, Ben Rector, Lennon Stella, and more. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:
The Buffalo-bred, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Marc Scibilia makes soulful music on his own terms, channeling the national mood. Finding inspiration in folk, country, alternative, and anthemic pop music, he has crafted a distinctly American sound that is rueful yet buoyed by hope. From his Gold-certified single ‘Unforgettable,’ which garnered over 100m streams and was a #1 radio hit in Germany, to his nostalgic viral single ‘Summer Clothes,’ Marc continues to take his listeners on a musical journey that crosses genres and knows no bounds.
Marc’s latest album release, More to This, showcases his breadth of writing, musicality, and production talent. What started a year ago as creative experimentation from his East Nashville studio, turned into an incredible burst of original songs and mashups. The focus track, “More to This”, had an immediate emotional connection racking up 50 million views and over 10 million streams.
After growing his social media platforms to over 1.5 million followers in just a year, Marc finished his first sold-out headline fall tour in late 2024, which included multiple nights in Chicago, Nashville, and NYC. Following the success of that run, Marc will headline his first world tour in the Spring of 2025.
Marc’s songs have been featured in Shrinking (Apple TV), Peter Rabbit, Bones (FOX), About A Boy (NBC), JEEP Super Bowl ad, Chrysler, Samsung, Water.org, and more. In addition to his own music, Marc has extensive songwriting and producing credits, including Teddy Swims, Keith Urban, Robin Schulz, Quinn XCII, Claptone, Ingrid Andress, SEAL, Ben Rector, Lennon Stella, and more.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250507T172745Z SEQUENCE:12850228 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:4533 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-12-10 15:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250513T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250513T210000 UID:11F189B1-FF1B-41F2-95CA-6A1E7C878346 SUMMARY:Allison Russell CREATED:20240513T214518Z DTSTAMP:20240513T214518Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/allison-russell-2 DESCRIPTION:Grammy-winning artist Allison Russell is a weaver of stories and tales through the medium of music. Since the release of her first solo album three years ago, the self-taught singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist has redefined what artistry means in the 21st century. From her devastatingly moving celebration of survivors' joy through Outside Child to the body-shaking, mind-expanding, soulful expression of Black liberation that is The Returner, Russell’s music exceeds all reasonable (and unreasonable) expectations and affirms her place among today’s most vital artists.\NVarious honors include her Grammy win for Best American Roots Performance for the powerful single “Eve Was Black” alongside 7 additional nominations, the Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year, the Americana Music Association’s 2023 Spirit of Americana Award & 2022 Album of the Year Award, two International Folk Music Awards, three Canadian Folk Music Awards, and four UK Americana Music Awards.\NAlongside the Rainbow Coalition Band - a talented ensemble of Black and POC, queer, and historically marginalized musicians from across the U.S. - Russell uses the power of music in order to spread her message of the “Beloved Community” and is dedicated to lifting others upwards as her own star climbs higher. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Grammy-winning artist Allison Russell is a weaver of stories and tales through the medium of music. Since the release of her first solo album three years ago, the self-taught singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist has redefined what artistry means in the 21st century. From her devastatingly moving celebration of survivors' joy through Outside Child to the body-shaking, mind-expanding, soulful expression of Black liberation that is The Returner, Russell’s music exceeds all reasonable (and unreasonable) expectations and affirms her place among today’s most vital artists.
Various honors include her Grammy win for Best American Roots Performance for the powerful single “Eve Was Black” alongside 7 additional nominations, the Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year, the Americana Music Association’s 2023 Spirit of Americana Award & 2022 Album of the Year Award, two International Folk Music Awards, three Canadian Folk Music Awards, and four UK Americana Music Awards.
Alongside the Rainbow Coalition Band - a talented ensemble of Black and POC, queer, and historically marginalized musicians from across the U.S. - Russell uses the power of music in order to spread her message of the “Beloved Community” and is dedicated to lifting others upwards as her own star climbs higher.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250507T172713Z SEQUENCE:31002115 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:5209 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2024-05-14 14:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250606T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250606T233000 UID:0E11191E-71D4-4A11-9DF0-D3C574F03C32 SUMMARY:Avi Kaplan CREATED:20250317T171009Z DTSTAMP:20250317T171009Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/avi-kaplan-2 DESCRIPTION:Avi Kaplan lives deep in the forest near the Tennessee run of the Natchez Trace trail. His cabin is worlds away from Los Angeles, his hub for six years as he toured the world with Pentatonix. Now, surrounded by farms & forests just a stone’s throw from Nashville, the kid who grew up listening to folk music among the California Sequoias is content. “I’m finally writing the music that's in my heart,” Avi says.\NIn 2017, Avi stepped away from creating after years of rushing from stadium to stadium at a frenzied pace–an experience he calls “beautiful,” but one that also left him physically and artistically depleted. Since returning to music on his own terms, the songs have poured out of him, ready for foot-stomping music halls and serious listening rooms alike. He's also liberated his vocals, once known as the perfect power-bass, to reveal a nuanced voice, rich, tender and abounding. Surrounded by forest and newfound artistic clarity, the result has yielded dozens and dozens of new songs. Reveling in the simplicity, “I get on my porch with my guitar, look at my trees, and write a song,” he says.\NAvi has taken his time, and his future is wide open because of it. He has rediscovered his own musical roots and delved deeper into the folk he’s always loved–exploring a range of sounds from soul to bluegrass–he has reconnected with himself and found yet another way to connect beautifully with others. “I am so grateful I get to do this.” Avi says. “I’m truly excited for the future.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Avi Kaplan lives deep in the forest near the Tennessee run of the Natchez Trace trail. His cabin is worlds away from Los Angeles, his hub for six years as he toured the world with Pentatonix. Now, surrounded by farms & forests just a stone’s throw from Nashville, the kid who grew up listening to folk music among the California Sequoias is content. “I’m finally writing the music that's in my heart,” Avi says.
In 2017, Avi stepped away from creating after years of rushing from stadium to stadium at a frenzied pace–an experience he calls “beautiful,” but one that also left him physically and artistically depleted. Since returning to music on his own terms, the songs have poured out of him, ready for foot-stomping music halls and serious listening rooms alike. He's also liberated his vocals, once known as the perfect power-bass, to reveal a nuanced voice, rich, tender and abounding. Surrounded by forest and newfound artistic clarity, the result has yielded dozens and dozens of new songs. Reveling in the simplicity, “I get on my porch with my guitar, look at my trees, and write a song,” he says.
Avi has taken his time, and his future is wide open because of it. He has rediscovered his own musical roots and delved deeper into the folk he’s always loved–exploring a range of sounds from soul to bluegrass–he has reconnected with himself and found yet another way to connect beautifully with others. “I am so grateful I get to do this.” Avi says. “I’m truly excited for the future.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250417T160119Z SEQUENCE:2674270 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:4038 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-03-19 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250614T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250614T233000 UID:81A45ABA-7F4A-41C1-B310-D106CE7FC700 SUMMARY:The Kooks (CANCELLED) CREATED:20250603T212644Z DTSTAMP:20250603T212644Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-kooks DESCRIPTION:UPDATE: Regrettably, due to illness and acting on medical, we're forced to cancel our shows on June 13 at The Mission Ballroom in Denver and June 14 at The Commonwealth Room in Salt Lake City.This was a difficult decision and we're truly disappointed not to be playing these shows. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your understanding and continued support.All tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.\N______________________________After 18 years as a band, The Kooks decided the only way to move forward was to stop painting over the cracks and finally do a full “renovation” of the band. As they stripped things back, analysing their history of line-up changes, ego battles and sound shifts in the process, they were left with the foundations and the core of the band, described by Hugh Harris as “a shared vision to bring joy and love in music through well played, well-written pop. It’s that simple, almost childlike.”\NAfter a reflective analysis of who The Kooks are and what they want to make, the solution was to return to the spirit of the debut album, not in sound, but in energy and atmosphere. During the creation of their seventh album, Never Know, Pritchard told no one what they were doing, tricking the musicians into believing they were just making demos and capturing the band in a state described by Harris as “complete and utter ease” where there was space for experimentation, fun, and a degree of messiness. “I think we've been hiding from that a little bit and making it a bit too easy,” Pritchard said of their past records but here, carried by the studio’s spontaneous air and a renovated and reengaged dedication to their shared vision, The Kooks got back to their best by going back to basics. In Pritchard’s own words, “I really feel like we've got our swagger back by letting things be and not making everything too perfect.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:UPDATE: Regrettably, due to illness and acting on medical, we're forced to cancel our shows on June 13 at The Mission Ballroom in Denver and June 14 at The Commonwealth Room in Salt Lake City.This was a difficult decision and we're truly disappointed not to be playing these shows. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your understanding and continued support.All tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.
______________________________
After 18 years as a band, The Kooks decided the only way to move forward was to stop painting over the cracks and finally do a full “renovation” of the band. As they stripped things back, analysing their history of line-up changes, ego battles and sound shifts in the process, they were left with the foundations and the core of the band, described by Hugh Harris as “a shared vision to bring joy and love in music through well played, well-written pop. It’s that simple, almost childlike.”
After a reflective analysis of who The Kooks are and what they want to make, the solution was to return to the spirit of the debut album, not in sound, but in energy and atmosphere. During the creation of their seventh album, Never Know, Pritchard told no one what they were doing, tricking the musicians into believing they were just making demos and capturing the band in a state described by Harris as “complete and utter ease” where there was space for experimentation, fun, and a degree of messiness. “I think we've been hiding from that a little bit and making it a bit too easy,” Pritchard said of their past records but here, carried by the studio’s spontaneous air and a renovated and reengaged dedication to their shared vision, The Kooks got back to their best by going back to basics. In Pritchard’s own words, “I really feel like we've got our swagger back by letting things be and not making everything too perfect.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250613T160053Z SEQUENCE:844449 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1938 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-06-04 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250618T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250618T233000 UID:85AFC521-5DA6-4569-B96C-BC1794D526C6 SUMMARY:JOSEPH CREATED:20250303T174638Z DTSTAMP:20250303T174638Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/joseph-3 DESCRIPTION:Oregon-bred indie pop sister group Joseph first made waves with their widely lauded 2015 debut album I’m Alone, No You’re Not, which featured their hit song “White Flag.” They followed it up with 2019’s Good Luck, Kid, marking a bold departure from the dreamlike folk of their debut and landing them at #4 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. The band continued to push their musical boundaries on 2023’s The Sun, imbuing a thrilling new energy into each elegantly sculpted track. Over the years, JOSEPH has attracted the attention of artists such as Billie Eilish and toured with the likes of James Bay, Amos Lee, and The Shins, in addition to taking the stage at major festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Glastonbury, and more. With their signature blend of harmony-driven indie pop and bold experimentation, Joseph continues to evolve while staying true to the deeply personal themes that have defined their music. Now a duo, Joseph — Natalie Closner and Meegan Closner — are currently putting the final touches on their next album, with new music coming in Spring of 2025. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Oregon-bred indie pop sister group Joseph first made waves with their widely lauded 2015 debut album I’m Alone, No You’re Not, which featured their hit song “White Flag.” They followed it up with 2019’s Good Luck, Kid, marking a bold departure from the dreamlike folk of their debut and landing them at #4 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. The band continued to push their musical boundaries on 2023’s The Sun, imbuing a thrilling new energy into each elegantly sculpted track. Over the years, JOSEPH has attracted the attention of artists such as Billie Eilish and toured with the likes of James Bay, Amos Lee, and The Shins, in addition to taking the stage at major festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Glastonbury, and more. With their signature blend of harmony-driven indie pop and bold experimentation, Joseph continues to evolve while staying true to the deeply personal themes that have defined their music. Now a duo, Joseph — Natalie Closner and Meegan Closner — are currently putting the final touches on their next album, with new music coming in Spring of 2025.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250419T181737Z SEQUENCE:4062659 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2462 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-03-05 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250620T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250620T233000 UID:977A5CEE-CCA5-4ED6-8B39-3A4ED6F4A0CA SUMMARY:The Cat Empire CREATED:20241202T171655Z DTSTAMP:20241202T171655Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-cat-empire DESCRIPTION:Aussie icons The Cat Empire have had an illustrious career, spanning decades and genres. Illuminating stages across the globe, the band are a magnetic force that have captivated millions of adoring fans with their high energy performances and explosive sound and visuals. With the band’s infectious groove and vibrancy, audiences are guaranteed to shimmy, shake, and sing their way through a Cat Empire set. \NContinuing the legacy and the driving force behind a fresh new era for the band is Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill, two of the original three founding members of the group. Breathing energy into the band, the new project will showcase a wonderful collective of musicians who will make sure to retain the core DNA of The Cat Empire but include more collaborations, influences, and diverse artistry.\NLeaning into a sense of musical curiosity with boundless possibilities, this newfound spirit promises to shine an even brighter light on the band’s exuberant musicality, elevating their sound and broadening their influences.\NThe Cat Empire’s new show will celebrate movement, vibrancy, and playfulness – with a host of new material as well as the crowd-favourites. \NWith a history of multiple platinum records, awards, sold out tours and over 250 million streams – The Cat Empire have officially entered their golden era. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Aussie icons The Cat Empire have had an illustrious career, spanning decades and genres. Illuminating stages across the globe, the band are a magnetic force that have captivated millions of adoring fans with their high energy performances and explosive sound and visuals. With the band’s infectious groove and vibrancy, audiences are guaranteed to shimmy, shake, and sing their way through a Cat Empire set.
Continuing the legacy and the driving force behind a fresh new era for the band is Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill, two of the original three founding members of the group. Breathing energy into the band, the new project will showcase a wonderful collective of musicians who will make sure to retain the core DNA of The Cat Empire but include more collaborations, influences, and diverse artistry.
Leaning into a sense of musical curiosity with boundless possibilities, this newfound spirit promises to shine an even brighter light on the band’s exuberant musicality, elevating their sound and broadening their influences.
The Cat Empire’s new show will celebrate movement, vibrancy, and playfulness – with a host of new material as well as the crowd-favourites.
With a history of multiple platinum records, awards, sold out tours and over 250 million streams – The Cat Empire have officially entered their golden era.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250512T171239Z SEQUENCE:13910144 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2824 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250626T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250626T233000 UID:87ABB66A-60D4-4311-A255-CB27D12C0CD6 SUMMARY:James McMurtry CREATED:20250310T163238Z DTSTAMP:20250310T163238Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/james-mcmurtry-4 DESCRIPTION:A Lone Star sheriff hunts quail on horseback and keeps a secret second family. Amechanic lies among the spare parts on the floor of his garage and wonders if he canafford to keep his girlfriend. A troubled man sees hallucinations of a black dog and awandering boy and hums “Weird Al” songs in his head. These are some of the strangeand richly drawn characters who inhabit James McMurtry’s eleventh album, The BlackDog & the Wandering Boy. A supremely insightful and inventive storyteller, he teasesvivid worlds out of small details, setting them to arrangements that have the elements ofAmericana—rolling guitars, barroom harmonies, traces of banjo and harmonica—butsound too sly and smart for such a general category. Funny and sad often in the samebreath, the album adds a new chapter to a long career that has enjoyed a resurgence asyoung songwriters like Sarah Jarosz and Jason Isbell cite him as a formative influence.As varied as they are, these new story-songs find inspiration in scraps from his family’spast: a stray sketch, an old poem by a family friend, the hallucinations experienced byhis father, the writer Larry McMurtry. “It’s something I do all the time,” he says, “butusually I draw from my own scraps.” As any good writer will do, McMurtry collects littleideas and hangs on to them for years, sometimes even decades. “South Texas Lawman”grew out of a line from a poem by a friend of the McMurtry clan, T.D. Hobart. Driven bygravelly guitars and a loose rhythm section, it’s a careful study of a man whose feelingsof obsolescence motivate him to take drastic action in the final verse. “Dwight’d stay atour house way back in the ‘70s, when we lived in Virginia. During one visit he wrote thispoem about his father’s attitude toward South Texas. He wrote it down on cardboard,and I came across it recently. There was a line about hunting quail on horseback, andthat was the seed of the song. I’ve lost the poem since then.”The rumbling title track, a kind of squirrelly blues, features two mysterious figures whoappear only to those slipping from reality, yet it’s never grim nor especially despairing.Instead, McMurtry namechecks a “Weird Al” deep cut and depicts a tortured soul whodoesn’t have to work a nine-to-five. He finds a defiant humor in the situation at oddswith the gravity of the source material. “The title of the album and that song comes frommy stepmother, Faye. After my dad passed, she asked me if he ever talked to me abouthis hallucinations. He’d gone into dementia for a while before he died, but hadn’tmentioned to me anything about seeing things. She told me his favorite hallucinations\Nwere the black dog and the wandering boy. I took them and applied them to a fictionalcharacter.”Soon McMurtry had enough of these songs for a new record. “It happened like all myrecords happened. It’d been too long since I’d had a record that the press could writeabout and get people to come out to my shows. It was time.” What was different thistime was the presence of his old friend Don Dixon, who produced McMurtry’s thirdalbum, Where You’d Hide the Body?, back in 1995. “A couple of years ago I quitproducing myself. I felt like I was repeating myself methodologically and stylistically. Ineeded to go back to producer school, so I brought in CC Adcock for Complicated Game,and then Ross Hogarth did The Horses & the Hounds. It seemed natural to revisit Mr.Dixon’s homeroom. I wanted to learn some of what he’s learned over the last thirtyyears.” During sessions at Wire Recording in Austin, McMurtry observed firsthandDixon’s grasp of digital recording technology as well as his instinctual approach totracking. “What Don’s really good at is being able to sense when it’s happening. He canhear when it’s going down. If I’m producing myself and I don’t have him, I have to dothree takes and then go in and listen to them. Listening to those three takes can takeabout 15 minutes. So Dixon’s ability to know when it’s happening is crucial, because itcan cut 15 minutes out of the day. That can really save a session, because you only haveso many hours in the day and only so much energy.Working with McMurtry’s trusted backing band—Cornbread on bass, Tim Holt onguitar, Daren Hess on drums, BettySoo on backing vocals—they worked to createsomething that sounds spontaneous, as though he’s writing the songs as you hear them.They were open to odd experiments, weird whims, and happy accidents, such as thecover of Jon Dee Graham’s “Laredo” that opens the album. It’s an opioid blues:testimony from a part-time junkie losing a weekend to dope. “We were playing a benefitfor Jon Dee at the Hole in the Wall there in Austin, and we thought it’d be good if weplayed one of his songs. We rehearsed the song in the studio, and it sounded good. Thedrums were ready. We’d already got the sounds up. Might as well record it.”“Laredo” is one of a pair of covers that bookend The Black Dog & the Wandering Boy,the other being Kris Kristofferson’s “Broken Freedom Song.” “I did that one a few weeksafter our initial sessions. It was just me and BettySoo, then we added drums and basslater on. Kris had just passed not too long before we recorded it. I guess that’s why I wasthinking about him.” Like Hobart’s poem, it’s a bit of inspiration excavated from deepwithin his own life. “Kris was one of my major influences as a child. He was the firstperson that I recognized as a songwriter. I hadn’t really thought about where songscame from, but I started listening to Kristofferson as a songwriter and thinking, How doyou do this? He was actually the second concert I saw. I was nine. He and the band were\Nhaving such a good time, and that really solidified for me that this was what I wanted todo with my life.”Once the album was mixed, mastered, and sequenced, McMurtry recalled a rough pencilsketch he had found a few years earlier in his father’s effects. It seemed like it mightmake a good cover. “I knew it was of me, but I didn’t realize who drew it. I asked mymom and my stepdad, and finally I asked my stepmom, Faye, who said it looked likeKen Kesey’s work back in the ‘60s. She was married to Ken for forty years.” The MerryPrankster’s—Kesey’s roving band of hippie activists and creators—stopped by often tovisit Larry McMurtry and his family. “I don’t remember their first visit, the onedocumented in Tom Wolfe’s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I was too young, but I doremember a couple of Ken’s visits. I guess he drew it on one of those later stops. Iremembered it and thought it would be the perfect art, but I had to go back through thestorage locker. It’s a miracle that I found it again.”It's a fitting image for an album that scavenges personal history for inspiration. Even thesongwriter himself doesn’t always know what will happen or where the songs will takehim. “You follow the words where they lead. If you can get a character, maybe you canget a story. If you can set it to a verse-chorus structure, maybe you can get a song. Asong can come from anywhere, but the main inspiration is fear. Specifically, fear ofirrelevance. If you don’t have songs, you don’t have a record. If you don’t have a record,you don’t have a tour. You gotta keep putting out work.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:A Lone Star sheriff hunts quail on horseback and keeps a secret second family. Amechanic lies among the spare parts on the floor of his garage and wonders if he canafford to keep his girlfriend. A troubled man sees hallucinations of a black dog and awandering boy and hums “Weird Al” songs in his head. These are some of the strangeand richly drawn characters who inhabit James McMurtry’s eleventh album, The BlackDog & the Wandering Boy. A supremely insightful and inventive storyteller, he teasesvivid worlds out of small details, setting them to arrangements that have the elements ofAmericana—rolling guitars, barroom harmonies, traces of banjo and harmonica—butsound too sly and smart for such a general category. Funny and sad often in the samebreath, the album adds a new chapter to a long career that has enjoyed a resurgence asyoung songwriters like Sarah Jarosz and Jason Isbell cite him as a formative influence.As varied as they are, these new story-songs find inspiration in scraps from his family’spast: a stray sketch, an old poem by a family friend, the hallucinations experienced byhis father, the writer Larry McMurtry. “It’s something I do all the time,” he says, “butusually I draw from my own scraps.” As any good writer will do, McMurtry collects littleideas and hangs on to them for years, sometimes even decades. “South Texas Lawman”grew out of a line from a poem by a friend of the McMurtry clan, T.D. Hobart. Driven bygravelly guitars and a loose rhythm section, it’s a careful study of a man whose feelingsof obsolescence motivate him to take drastic action in the final verse. “Dwight’d stay atour house way back in the ‘70s, when we lived in Virginia. During one visit he wrote thispoem about his father’s attitude toward South Texas. He wrote it down on cardboard,and I came across it recently. There was a line about hunting quail on horseback, andthat was the seed of the song. I’ve lost the poem since then.”The rumbling title track, a kind of squirrelly blues, features two mysterious figures whoappear only to those slipping from reality, yet it’s never grim nor especially despairing.Instead, McMurtry namechecks a “Weird Al” deep cut and depicts a tortured soul whodoesn’t have to work a nine-to-five. He finds a defiant humor in the situation at oddswith the gravity of the source material. “The title of the album and that song comes frommy stepmother, Faye. After my dad passed, she asked me if he ever talked to me abouthis hallucinations. He’d gone into dementia for a while before he died, but hadn’tmentioned to me anything about seeing things. She told me his favorite hallucinations
were the black dog and the wandering boy. I took them and applied them to a fictionalcharacter.”Soon McMurtry had enough of these songs for a new record. “It happened like all myrecords happened. It’d been too long since I’d had a record that the press could writeabout and get people to come out to my shows. It was time.” What was different thistime was the presence of his old friend Don Dixon, who produced McMurtry’s thirdalbum, Where You’d Hide the Body?, back in 1995. “A couple of years ago I quitproducing myself. I felt like I was repeating myself methodologically and stylistically. Ineeded to go back to producer school, so I brought in CC Adcock for Complicated Game,and then Ross Hogarth did The Horses & the Hounds. It seemed natural to revisit Mr.Dixon’s homeroom. I wanted to learn some of what he’s learned over the last thirtyyears.” During sessions at Wire Recording in Austin, McMurtry observed firsthandDixon’s grasp of digital recording technology as well as his instinctual approach totracking. “What Don’s really good at is being able to sense when it’s happening. He canhear when it’s going down. If I’m producing myself and I don’t have him, I have to dothree takes and then go in and listen to them. Listening to those three takes can takeabout 15 minutes. So Dixon’s ability to know when it’s happening is crucial, because itcan cut 15 minutes out of the day. That can really save a session, because you only haveso many hours in the day and only so much energy.Working with McMurtry’s trusted backing band—Cornbread on bass, Tim Holt onguitar, Daren Hess on drums, BettySoo on backing vocals—they worked to createsomething that sounds spontaneous, as though he’s writing the songs as you hear them.They were open to odd experiments, weird whims, and happy accidents, such as thecover of Jon Dee Graham’s “Laredo” that opens the album. It’s an opioid blues:testimony from a part-time junkie losing a weekend to dope. “We were playing a benefitfor Jon Dee at the Hole in the Wall there in Austin, and we thought it’d be good if weplayed one of his songs. We rehearsed the song in the studio, and it sounded good. Thedrums were ready. We’d already got the sounds up. Might as well record it.”“Laredo” is one of a pair of covers that bookend The Black Dog & the Wandering Boy,the other being Kris Kristofferson’s “Broken Freedom Song.” “I did that one a few weeksafter our initial sessions. It was just me and BettySoo, then we added drums and basslater on. Kris had just passed not too long before we recorded it. I guess that’s why I wasthinking about him.” Like Hobart’s poem, it’s a bit of inspiration excavated from deepwithin his own life. “Kris was one of my major influences as a child. He was the firstperson that I recognized as a songwriter. I hadn’t really thought about where songscame from, but I started listening to Kristofferson as a songwriter and thinking, How doyou do this? He was actually the second concert I saw. I was nine. He and the band were
having such a good time, and that really solidified for me that this was what I wanted todo with my life.”Once the album was mixed, mastered, and sequenced, McMurtry recalled a rough pencilsketch he had found a few years earlier in his father’s effects. It seemed like it mightmake a good cover. “I knew it was of me, but I didn’t realize who drew it. I asked mymom and my stepdad, and finally I asked my stepmom, Faye, who said it looked likeKen Kesey’s work back in the ‘60s. She was married to Ken for forty years.” The MerryPrankster’s—Kesey’s roving band of hippie activists and creators—stopped by often tovisit Larry McMurtry and his family. “I don’t remember their first visit, the onedocumented in Tom Wolfe’s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I was too young, but I doremember a couple of Ken’s visits. I guess he drew it on one of those later stops. Iremembered it and thought it would be the perfect art, but I had to go back through thestorage locker. It’s a miracle that I found it again.”It's a fitting image for an album that scavenges personal history for inspiration. Even thesongwriter himself doesn’t always know what will happen or where the songs will takehim. “You follow the words where they lead. If you can get a character, maybe you canget a story. If you can set it to a verse-chorus structure, maybe you can get a song. Asong can come from anywhere, but the main inspiration is fear. Specifically, fear ofirrelevance. If you don’t have songs, you don’t have a record. If you don’t have a record,you don’t have a tour. You gotta keep putting out work.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T232734Z SEQUENCE:5554496 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2770 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-03-11 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250808T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250808T233000 UID:A336B044-39C8-423A-8BBC-2220299F5DDE SUMMARY:Rayland Baxter and Langhorne Slim CREATED:20250616T162129Z DTSTAMP:20250616T162129Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/rayland-baxter-and-langhorne-slim DESCRIPTION:For the making of his fourth album If I Were a Butterfly, Rayland Baxter holed up for over a year at a former rubber-band factory turned studio in the Kentucky countryside—a seemingly humble environment that proved to be something of a wonderland. “I spent that year living in a barn with the squirrels and the birds, on my own most of the time, and I discovered so much about music and how to create it,” says the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter. “Instead of going into a studio with a producer for two weeks, I just waited for the record to build itself. I’d get up and go outside, see a butterfly and connect that with some impulsive thought I’d had three months ago, and suddenly a song I’d been working on would make sense. That’s how the whole album came to be.”\NThe follow-up to 2018’s critically acclaimed Wide Awake, If I Were a Butterfly finds Baxter co-producing alongside Tim O’Sullivan (Grace Potter, The Head and the Heart) and Kai Welch (Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull), slowly piecing together the album’s patchwork of lush psychedelia and Beatlesesque pop. In addition to working at Thunder Sound (the Kentucky studio he called home for months on end), Baxter recorded in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington, enlisting a remarkable lineup of musicians: Shakey Graves, Lennon Stella, several members of Cage the Elephant, Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes, Morning Teleportation’s Travis Goodwin, and legendary Motown drummer Miss Bobbye Hall, among many others. In an especially meaningful turn, two of the album’s tracks feature the elegant pedal steel work of his father, Bucky Baxter (a musician who performed with Bob Dylan and who passed away in May 2020). Thanks to the extraordinary care and ingenuity behind its creation, If I Were a Butterfly arrives as a work of rarefied magic, capable of stirring up immense feeling while leaving the listener happily wonderstruck.\NBaxter’s debut release as a producer, If I Were a Butterfly bears a dazzling unpredictability that has much to do with his limitless imagination as a collector and collagist of sound. “Sometimes the bullfrogs in the pond outside would pulse in a certain tempo and I’d apply that to a song, or I’d hear a bird chirping and it would inspire me to add harmonica in a particular place,” he says. “I could be walking around this massive building in the middle of the night and the air-conditioning would turn on, and it’d give me the idea to include a synth part that holds a similar note. I’d wait for those moments to happen and whenever I tried to force anything, the music usually rejected it.”\NA perfect introduction to If I Were a Butterfly’s elaborate sonic world, the album-opening title track begins with a recording of a Baxter singing at age four, then drifts into a delicately sprawling reverie ornamented with so many lovely details (lavish flute and cello melodies, radiant horns, the hypnotic harmonies of Lennon Stella and Baxter’s girlfriend, Sophia Rose). “I liked the idea of the first voice on the record being me as a little kid, not knowing where I’d be today,” notes Baxter, who embedded newly unearthed audio clips of himself and his older sister Brooke all throughout the album. Graced with the combustible guitar work of his bandmate Barney Cortez, “Billy Goat” kicks up a potent tension with its restless grooves and hot-tempered gang vocals. “It’s a breakup song about being with someone who’s on a different life path—one side wants to influence the other, and inevitably you part ways,” says Baxter. From there, the album takes on a feverish momentum with “Rubberband Man,” a delightfully frenzied track channeling a wild and giddy freedom. “There’s rubber bands all over the property at Thunder Sound—in the earth, in the concrete, used as insulation for the studio,” says Baxter. “I took a mishmash of images in my head and it turned into a song about staying flexible, rolling with the punches.”\NIn its searching reflection on love and loss and striving for transcendence, If I Were a Butterfly reaches a quietly glorious intensity on “Tadpole”: a piano ballad threaded with childhood memories at turns oddly tender (catching frogs and crawfish in a nearby toxic creek) and nightmarish (hearing the gunshot when an across-the-street neighbor took her own life). And on “My Argentina,” If I Were a Butterfly closes out with a piano-driven and painfully raw outpouring, its starkness intermittently broken by soulful strings and gospel-esque harmonies. “One time at the studio I stayed up all night and played that song maybe 100 times; we ended up using the last take, which was recorded at about five in the morning,” says Baxter. “It’s a song that represents the thoughts one might have about a perfect love life, and I love how it ends the album in a big angelic cloud of reverb.”\NFor Baxter, the act of self-producing such a sonically and emotionally expansive body of work proved both exhilarating and arduous. “It really wore me out to spend all that time alone at the studio, editing the hell out of this record; my heart definitely suffered,” he says. “But I also had the guidance of my dad, who was in my dreams all the time—if I was moving too fast, I’d hear him telling me to slow down.” Another profound influence on the album-making process: the 2018 deaths of Baxter’s close friends Billy Swayze (a musician whose parents owned the rubber band company that became Thunder Sound) and Tiger Merritt (the vocalist/guitarist for Morning Teleportation, who worked with Swayze in constructing the studio). “Billy and Tiger had been going up there since 2015, and finally they turned it into a legit recording studio,” he says. “It’s a very special place to me, so they’re two of the four angels I decided to dedicate this record to.”\NEven in its most somber moments, If I Were a Butterfly wholly fulfills Baxter’s mission of imparting a certain purposeful joy. “It’s been a weird few years, but I think the big picture is for us to just exist and find love and be loved, and try to see that all the daily bullshit is simply bugs on the windshield,” says Baxter. “I hope that this album makes people feel the way I do whenever I listen to my favorite records, and that it gives them a platform to dream on.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:For the making of his fourth album If I Were a Butterfly, Rayland Baxter holed up for over a year at a former rubber-band factory turned studio in the Kentucky countryside—a seemingly humble environment that proved to be something of a wonderland. “I spent that year living in a barn with the squirrels and the birds, on my own most of the time, and I discovered so much about music and how to create it,” says the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter. “Instead of going into a studio with a producer for two weeks, I just waited for the record to build itself. I’d get up and go outside, see a butterfly and connect that with some impulsive thought I’d had three months ago, and suddenly a song I’d been working on would make sense. That’s how the whole album came to be.”
The follow-up to 2018’s critically acclaimed Wide Awake, If I Were a Butterfly finds Baxter co-producing alongside Tim O’Sullivan (Grace Potter, The Head and the Heart) and Kai Welch (Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull), slowly piecing together the album’s patchwork of lush psychedelia and Beatlesesque pop. In addition to working at Thunder Sound (the Kentucky studio he called home for months on end), Baxter recorded in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington, enlisting a remarkable lineup of musicians: Shakey Graves, Lennon Stella, several members of Cage the Elephant, Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes, Morning Teleportation’s Travis Goodwin, and legendary Motown drummer Miss Bobbye Hall, among many others. In an especially meaningful turn, two of the album’s tracks feature the elegant pedal steel work of his father, Bucky Baxter (a musician who performed with Bob Dylan and who passed away in May 2020). Thanks to the extraordinary care and ingenuity behind its creation, If I Were a Butterfly arrives as a work of rarefied magic, capable of stirring up immense feeling while leaving the listener happily wonderstruck.
Baxter’s debut release as a producer, If I Were a Butterfly bears a dazzling unpredictability that has much to do with his limitless imagination as a collector and collagist of sound. “Sometimes the bullfrogs in the pond outside would pulse in a certain tempo and I’d apply that to a song, or I’d hear a bird chirping and it would inspire me to add harmonica in a particular place,” he says. “I could be walking around this massive building in the middle of the night and the air-conditioning would turn on, and it’d give me the idea to include a synth part that holds a similar note. I’d wait for those moments to happen and whenever I tried to force anything, the music usually rejected it.”
A perfect introduction to If I Were a Butterfly’s elaborate sonic world, the album-opening title track begins with a recording of a Baxter singing at age four, then drifts into a delicately sprawling reverie ornamented with so many lovely details (lavish flute and cello melodies, radiant horns, the hypnotic harmonies of Lennon Stella and Baxter’s girlfriend, Sophia Rose). “I liked the idea of the first voice on the record being me as a little kid, not knowing where I’d be today,” notes Baxter, who embedded newly unearthed audio clips of himself and his older sister Brooke all throughout the album. Graced with the combustible guitar work of his bandmate Barney Cortez, “Billy Goat” kicks up a potent tension with its restless grooves and hot-tempered gang vocals. “It’s a breakup song about being with someone who’s on a different life path—one side wants to influence the other, and inevitably you part ways,” says Baxter. From there, the album takes on a feverish momentum with “Rubberband Man,” a delightfully frenzied track channeling a wild and giddy freedom. “There’s rubber bands all over the property at Thunder Sound—in the earth, in the concrete, used as insulation for the studio,” says Baxter. “I took a mishmash of images in my head and it turned into a song about staying flexible, rolling with the punches.”
In its searching reflection on love and loss and striving for transcendence, If I Were a Butterfly reaches a quietly glorious intensity on “Tadpole”: a piano ballad threaded with childhood memories at turns oddly tender (catching frogs and crawfish in a nearby toxic creek) and nightmarish (hearing the gunshot when an across-the-street neighbor took her own life). And on “My Argentina,” If I Were a Butterfly closes out with a piano-driven and painfully raw outpouring, its starkness intermittently broken by soulful strings and gospel-esque harmonies. “One time at the studio I stayed up all night and played that song maybe 100 times; we ended up using the last take, which was recorded at about five in the morning,” says Baxter. “It’s a song that represents the thoughts one might have about a perfect love life, and I love how it ends the album in a big angelic cloud of reverb.”
For Baxter, the act of self-producing such a sonically and emotionally expansive body of work proved both exhilarating and arduous. “It really wore me out to spend all that time alone at the studio, editing the hell out of this record; my heart definitely suffered,” he says. “But I also had the guidance of my dad, who was in my dreams all the time—if I was moving too fast, I’d hear him telling me to slow down.” Another profound influence on the album-making process: the 2018 deaths of Baxter’s close friends Billy Swayze (a musician whose parents owned the rubber band company that became Thunder Sound) and Tiger Merritt (the vocalist/guitarist for Morning Teleportation, who worked with Swayze in constructing the studio). “Billy and Tiger had been going up there since 2015, and finally they turned it into a legit recording studio,” he says. “It’s a very special place to me, so they’re two of the four angels I decided to dedicate this record to.”
Even in its most somber moments, If I Were a Butterfly wholly fulfills Baxter’s mission of imparting a certain purposeful joy. “It’s been a weird few years, but I think the big picture is for us to just exist and find love and be loved, and try to see that all the daily bullshit is simply bugs on the windshield,” says Baxter. “I hope that this album makes people feel the way I do whenever I listen to my favorite records, and that it gives them a platform to dream on.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250618T195229Z SEQUENCE:185460 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2399 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-06-17 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250822T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250824T210000 UID:7D0A1C7A-A375-46ED-BC85-C21DC25F6BBF SUMMARY:Grid City Music Fest CREATED:20250715T190233Z DTSTAMP:20250715T190233Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/grid-city-music-fest DESCRIPTION:MuralFest Bike Ride & Kick-Off Party Ticket 🎨 (Free)\NHop on your bike and join us for a guided ride through all 75 murals across South Salt Lake!\N🎶 DJ kicks things off at 6:00 PM\N🚲 Bike ride departs at 7:30 PM\NWe’ll meet at Space & Faders, roll through the city’s vibrant public art, and end the night at one of two destinations:\N🎯 The Commonwealth Room – for Music, Games, Vendors, and Community fun \N🔥 Saltfire – for a late-night punk rock party\N3-Day Fun Bus Pass + Kick-Off Party Ticket 🚌 (Free)\NSkip the parking and ride in style! With this pass, you can hop on and off the Fun Bus all weekend long as it loops along 9 host stages packed with live music, delicious food, and local libations.\NFun Bus Hours 🕓 \N\NFriday: 4 PM – 10 PM\NSaturday: 12 PM – 10 PM\NSunday: 12 PM – 6 PM\N\NEnjoy the full festival experience without missing a beat! X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:MuralFest Bike Ride & Kick-Off Party Ticket 🎨 (Free)
Hop on your bike and join us for a guided ride through all 75 murals across South Salt Lake!
🎶 DJ kicks things off at 6:00 PM
🚲 Bike ride departs at 7:30 PM
We’ll meet at Space & Faders, roll through the city’s vibrant public art, and end the night at one of two destinations:
🎯 The Commonwealth Room – for Music, Games, Vendors, and Community fun
🔥 Saltfire – for a late-night punk rock party
3-Day Fun Bus Pass + Kick-Off Party Ticket 🚌 (Free)
Skip the parking and ride in style! With this pass, you can hop on and off the Fun Bus all weekend long as it loops along 9 host stages packed with live music, delicious food, and local libations.
Fun Bus Hours 🕓
Enjoy the full festival experience without missing a beat!
LAST-MODIFIED:20250819T192520Z SEQUENCE:3025367 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1763 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250823T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250823T233000 UID:0E89F61D-4474-48E6-AAF3-D0FDCFB14AAE SUMMARY:The Wallflowers CREATED:20250609T145047Z DTSTAMP:20250609T145047Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-wallflowers DESCRIPTION:A band whose sound walked a tightrope between the rootsy and accessible end of alternative rock and the straightforward, arena-friendly sound of acts like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, the Wallflowers were the brainchild of guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Jakob Dylan. While he was initially best known for being the son of iconic singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, the Wallflowers made it clear that he had a sound and creative voice all his own, and he proved to be a strong bandleader who was capable of keeping the group's personality consistent despite frequent personnel changes through their history. The Wallflowers broke through with their sophomore album, 1996's multi-platinum Bringing Down the Horse, while 2005's Rebel, Sweetheart saw them adding extra muscle to their sound, and 2021's Exit Wounds was a confident comeback effort released after a nine-year hiatus from the studio.\NBorn in 1970, Jakob Dylan was raised in Los Angeles by his mother, Sara Lowndes, after his parents' divorce in 1977. He studied at private schools in L.A. and New York, and decided to follow in his father's footsteps by the late '80s. He formed the Wallflowers with guitarist Tobi Miller, keyboard player Rami Jaffee, bassist Barrie Maguire, and drummer Peter Yanowitz and signed to Virgin. Released in August 1992, the Wallflowers' self-titled debut album sold poorly, and Virgin soon dropped the band. Undaunted, Dylan assembled a new Wallflowers -- guitarist Michael Ward, bassist Greg Richling, and drummer Mario Calire -- keeping only Jaffee. The group signed to Interscope and recorded its second album with producer T-Bone Burnett, a longtime friend of the Dylan family. Bringing Down the Horse was released in May 1996, producing the alternative radio hit "6th Avenue Heartache." Late in 1996, the single "One Headlight" was released, and by the spring of 1997, it had become a Top Ten hit, pushing Bringing Down the Horse into the upper reaches of the charts, as well.\NBringing Down the Horse was a big seller throughout 1997, thanks to "6th Avenue Heartache," "One Headlight," and "The Difference," the third single pulled from the record. Early in 1998, "One Headlight" won Grammys for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. Settling down from the rush of success, the Wallflowers rightfully took a long four-year break from recording. The new millennium sparked new creativity, and the Wallflowers returned in October 2000 to release the excellent Breach. The album went largely ignored, leading to the more mainstream Red Letter Days the following year. After a two-year hiatus the band returned with Rebel, Sweetheart in 2005. The album peaked at 40 on the Billboard charts and the group didn't support the record with an extensive tour. The Wallflowers split from Interscope in 2006 and the following year the group played shows without keyboardist Jaffee, who had left the band, signaling a steady decline in activity for the group. Jakob Dylan released his solo debut Seeing Things in 2008 but the Wallflowers stayed active, releasing a compilation called Collected: 1996-2005 in 2009 and supporting it with a tour. Dylan released another solo album, Women + Country, in 2010 and early in 2012 he announced the Wallflowers were returning to active status by recording a new album with a new lineup featuring a returning Jaffee, bassist Greg Richling, guitarist Stuart Mathis (who joined in the wake of Jaffee's departure in 2007), and drummer Jack Irons, who previously played with Pearl Jam and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. This reunited Wallflowers released Glad All Over in the fall of 2012.\NThe group would continue to tour periodically, with a variety of musicians supporting Dylan, and he began dabbling in filmmaking, serving as executive producer for the documentary Echo in the Canyon, in which he also interviewed legendary musicians such as Brian Wilson and Roger McGuinn as well as covering 13 1960s folk-rock classics for the movie's soundtrack album. After parting ways with Columbia (which released Glad All Over), Dylan opted to finance another Wallflowers album himself and entered the studio with producer and multi-instrumentalist Butch Walker -- and a handful of session players-- to record a batch of songs. Exit Wounds was issued in July 2021 by New West Records, and included guest vocals on one song from Shelby Lynne. ~ John Bush & Mark Deming, Rovi X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:A band whose sound walked a tightrope between the rootsy and accessible end of alternative rock and the straightforward, arena-friendly sound of acts like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, the Wallflowers were the brainchild of guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Jakob Dylan. While he was initially best known for being the son of iconic singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, the Wallflowers made it clear that he had a sound and creative voice all his own, and he proved to be a strong bandleader who was capable of keeping the group's personality consistent despite frequent personnel changes through their history. The Wallflowers broke through with their sophomore album, 1996's multi-platinum Bringing Down the Horse, while 2005's Rebel, Sweetheart saw them adding extra muscle to their sound, and 2021's Exit Wounds was a confident comeback effort released after a nine-year hiatus from the studio.
Born in 1970, Jakob Dylan was raised in Los Angeles by his mother, Sara Lowndes, after his parents' divorce in 1977. He studied at private schools in L.A. and New York, and decided to follow in his father's footsteps by the late '80s. He formed the Wallflowers with guitarist Tobi Miller, keyboard player Rami Jaffee, bassist Barrie Maguire, and drummer Peter Yanowitz and signed to Virgin. Released in August 1992, the Wallflowers' self-titled debut album sold poorly, and Virgin soon dropped the band. Undaunted, Dylan assembled a new Wallflowers -- guitarist Michael Ward, bassist Greg Richling, and drummer Mario Calire -- keeping only Jaffee. The group signed to Interscope and recorded its second album with producer T-Bone Burnett, a longtime friend of the Dylan family. Bringing Down the Horse was released in May 1996, producing the alternative radio hit "6th Avenue Heartache." Late in 1996, the single "One Headlight" was released, and by the spring of 1997, it had become a Top Ten hit, pushing Bringing Down the Horse into the upper reaches of the charts, as well.
Bringing Down the Horse was a big seller throughout 1997, thanks to "6th Avenue Heartache," "One Headlight," and "The Difference," the third single pulled from the record. Early in 1998, "One Headlight" won Grammys for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. Settling down from the rush of success, the Wallflowers rightfully took a long four-year break from recording. The new millennium sparked new creativity, and the Wallflowers returned in October 2000 to release the excellent Breach. The album went largely ignored, leading to the more mainstream Red Letter Days the following year. After a two-year hiatus the band returned with Rebel, Sweetheart in 2005. The album peaked at 40 on the Billboard charts and the group didn't support the record with an extensive tour. The Wallflowers split from Interscope in 2006 and the following year the group played shows without keyboardist Jaffee, who had left the band, signaling a steady decline in activity for the group. Jakob Dylan released his solo debut Seeing Things in 2008 but the Wallflowers stayed active, releasing a compilation called Collected: 1996-2005 in 2009 and supporting it with a tour. Dylan released another solo album, Women + Country, in 2010 and early in 2012 he announced the Wallflowers were returning to active status by recording a new album with a new lineup featuring a returning Jaffee, bassist Greg Richling, guitarist Stuart Mathis (who joined in the wake of Jaffee's departure in 2007), and drummer Jack Irons, who previously played with Pearl Jam and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. This reunited Wallflowers released Glad All Over in the fall of 2012.
The group would continue to tour periodically, with a variety of musicians supporting Dylan, and he began dabbling in filmmaking, serving as executive producer for the documentary Echo in the Canyon, in which he also interviewed legendary musicians such as Brian Wilson and Roger McGuinn as well as covering 13 1960s folk-rock classics for the movie's soundtrack album. After parting ways with Columbia (which released Glad All Over), Dylan opted to finance another Wallflowers album himself and entered the studio with producer and multi-instrumentalist Butch Walker -- and a handful of session players-- to record a batch of songs. Exit Wounds was issued in July 2021 by New West Records, and included guest vocals on one song from Shelby Lynne. ~ John Bush & Mark Deming, Rovi
LAST-MODIFIED:20250617T162916Z SEQUENCE:697109 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:7112 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-06-10 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250905T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250905T233000 UID:29428D57-CE24-40B1-BB25-76793D5D0804 SUMMARY:Ondara Presents... The Jet Stone Conspiracy CREATED:20250715T154742Z DTSTAMP:20250715T154742Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/ondara-presents-the-jet-stone-conspiracy DESCRIPTION:After his Rebirth Tour, Ondara retreated into the world, wandering from continent to continent in search of who he might become in the wake of transformation. From that journey, he has emerged reborn—now blazing a new path as Jet Stone, backed by his newly-formed band, The Conspiracy. This fall, he will tour with The Conspiracy, performing songs from his acclaimed catalogue, alongside new material from his upcoming debut album as The Jet Stone Conspiracy. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:After his Rebirth Tour, Ondara retreated into the world, wandering from continent to continent in search of who he might become in the wake of transformation. From that journey, he has emerged reborn—now blazing a new path as Jet Stone, backed by his newly-formed band, The Conspiracy. This fall, he will tour with The Conspiracy, performing songs from his acclaimed catalogue, alongside new material from his upcoming debut album as The Jet Stone Conspiracy.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250807T170535Z SEQUENCE:1991873 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2007 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-07-15 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250906T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250906T233000 UID:9B745F69-6AEF-4580-896E-BABAF0FBB88E SUMMARY:Purna Rai & The Band (ALL AGES) CREATED:20250728T154314Z DTSTAMP:20250728T154314Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/purna-rai-the-band-all-ages DESCRIPTION:ALL AGES SHOW\NPurna Rai is a soulful Nepali singer-songwriter whose heartfelt music reflects real-life experiences and emotions. Born in Dharan and raised amidst music, he began his journey as a drummer in school and later found his voice through introspective songwriting. His minimalist yet powerful debut, "Ma" (2019), introduced a style defined by calming vocals, emotionally honest lyrics, and expressive melodies.\NDrawing from themes like love, heartbreak, hope, and belonging, Purna’s songs offer a space for listeners to slow down, reflect, and connect. With tracks like "Biram," "Kalo Seto," "Sparsha Sangeet," "Manka Kura," "Paribhasa," and "Maya Ma," he blends lyrical depth with simplicity, creating music that resonates across generations.\NAlongside his band, Purna Rai and Daju Bhai Haru, he continues to perform globally, uniting Nepali communities through his soulful storytelling. His music not only offers personal healing but also bridges individual experiences with shared emotion, making him one of the most beloved voices in the Nepali music scene today.\NGeneral Admission Includes: 🎶 Access to the concert, Standing admission, 🍽️ Access to authentic food vendors, Bar access (21+) \N21+ VIP Includes: 🎶 Access to the concert, seated in Premium VIP Zone, Access to Artist Sound Check / Pre-show VIP Entry, Reserved Lounge Area Access, Express Check-In & Dedicated Entry Lane, 🍽️ Access to authentic food vendors VIP IS 21+ ONLY X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:ALL AGES SHOW
Purna Rai is a soulful Nepali singer-songwriter whose heartfelt music reflects real-life experiences and emotions. Born in Dharan and raised amidst music, he began his journey as a drummer in school and later found his voice through introspective songwriting. His minimalist yet powerful debut, "Ma" (2019), introduced a style defined by calming vocals, emotionally honest lyrics, and expressive melodies.
Drawing from themes like love, heartbreak, hope, and belonging, Purna’s songs offer a space for listeners to slow down, reflect, and connect. With tracks like "Biram," "Kalo Seto," "Sparsha Sangeet," "Manka Kura," "Paribhasa," and "Maya Ma," he blends lyrical depth with simplicity, creating music that resonates across generations.
Alongside his band, Purna Rai and Daju Bhai Haru, he continues to perform globally, uniting Nepali communities through his soulful storytelling. His music not only offers personal healing but also bridges individual experiences with shared emotion, making him one of the most beloved voices in the Nepali music scene today.
General Admission Includes: 🎶 Access to the concert, Standing admission, 🍽️ Access to authentic food vendors, Bar access (21+)
21+ VIP Includes: 🎶 Access to the concert, seated in Premium VIP Zone, Access to Artist Sound Check / Pre-show VIP Entry, Reserved Lounge Area Access, Express Check-In & Dedicated Entry Lane, 🍽️ Access to authentic food vendors VIP IS 21+ ONLY
LAST-MODIFIED:20250731T185726Z SEQUENCE:270852 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2791 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250911T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250911T233000 UID:0D7E379F-6813-4783-865F-08004AF779C2 SUMMARY:Andy Frasco & The U.N. CREATED:20250324T163435Z DTSTAMP:20250324T163435Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/andy-frasco-the-u-n DESCRIPTION:With curly tufts of a recognizable Jewfro peeking out from his omnipresent knit cap, Andy Frasco is a cross between John Belushi’s “Joliet” Jake Blues and Jimmy Buffett. He’s a band-fronting, songwriting party animal who turns into a swirling rock ‘n’ roll Tasmanian Devil onstage leading his U.N., not unlike Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. From switching instruments mid-song to Frasco stagediving into the crowd or kibitzing with them, an Andy Frasco & The U.N. show is a celebration of inclusivity and tolerance where “You do You” and “let us do us.”\NThe band has grown from playing bars to touring more than 250 days a year all over the country, with Frasco describing that 15-year journey on Growing Pains, the group’s landmark 10th studio album and first full-length effort since 2023’s L’Optimist, showcasing Andy’s growth as a tunesmith in his own right.\NProduced by Frasco himself for the first time, the collection’s centerpiece is the anthemic “Try Not to Die,” a glass half-full anthem to seizing the day that combines country twang with an easy island breeze in its affirmative message.\N“Life is Easy,” featuring bluegrass superstar Billy Strings, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country and co-writer/frequent collaborators Steve Poltz (Rugburns, Jewel) and Chris Gelbuda (Meghan Trainor), is a folk protest anthem. “Swinging for the Fences,” featuring cameos by G. Love and Eric Krasno (Lettuce, Tedeschi Trucks Band Soulive), is a Motown-flavored paean to dating someone out of your league. The playful “They Call Me Hollywood (But I’m from LA),” co-written with frequent partner Kenny Carkeet, features rapper ProbCause, while the title track is a sing-song, hip-hop-influenced rhyme about embracing change and taking it day-to-day.\NFrasco wrote most of Growing Pains in Nashville with his longtime guitarist Shawn Eckels and frequent songwriting partners Chris Gelbuda, Steve Poltz, and Andrew Cooney.\N“I came into this life wanting to write songs,” said Frasco. “It took 15 years, but I feel I’m starting to get credit for it. My cup is full. I’m really starting to see my dreams come true.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:With curly tufts of a recognizable Jewfro peeking out from his omnipresent knit cap, Andy Frasco is a cross between John Belushi’s “Joliet” Jake Blues and Jimmy Buffett. He’s a band-fronting, songwriting party animal who turns into a swirling rock ‘n’ roll Tasmanian Devil onstage leading his U.N., not unlike Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. From switching instruments mid-song to Frasco stagediving into the crowd or kibitzing with them, an Andy Frasco & The U.N. show is a celebration of inclusivity and tolerance where “You do You” and “let us do us.”
The band has grown from playing bars to touring more than 250 days a year all over the country, with Frasco describing that 15-year journey on Growing Pains, the group’s landmark 10th studio album and first full-length effort since 2023’s L’Optimist, showcasing Andy’s growth as a tunesmith in his own right.
Produced by Frasco himself for the first time, the collection’s centerpiece is the anthemic “Try Not to Die,” a glass half-full anthem to seizing the day that combines country twang with an easy island breeze in its affirmative message.
“Life is Easy,” featuring bluegrass superstar Billy Strings, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country and co-writer/frequent collaborators Steve Poltz (Rugburns, Jewel) and Chris Gelbuda (Meghan Trainor), is a folk protest anthem. “Swinging for the Fences,” featuring cameos by G. Love and Eric Krasno (Lettuce, Tedeschi Trucks Band Soulive), is a Motown-flavored paean to dating someone out of your league. The playful “They Call Me Hollywood (But I’m from LA),” co-written with frequent partner Kenny Carkeet, features rapper ProbCause, while the title track is a sing-song, hip-hop-influenced rhyme about embracing change and taking it day-to-day.
Frasco wrote most of Growing Pains in Nashville with his longtime guitarist Shawn Eckels and frequent songwriting partners Chris Gelbuda, Steve Poltz, and Andrew Cooney.
“I came into this life wanting to write songs,” said Frasco. “It took 15 years, but I feel I’m starting to get credit for it. My cup is full. I’m really starting to see my dreams come true.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250421T190722Z SEQUENCE:2428367 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3404 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-03-26 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250916T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250916T233000 UID:F0C7F9DF-799E-4B53-AB1E-07EC93793667 SUMMARY:The Lone Bellow CREATED:20250512T162656Z DTSTAMP:20250512T162656Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-lone-bellow-2 DESCRIPTION:With their upcoming sixth studio album, The Lone Bellow embarks on a bold new chapter while honoring the deep bonds that have defined their journey. Written collaboratively for the first time with their full touring band—founding members Zach Williams, Brian Elmquist, and Kanene Pipkin joined by drummer Julian Dorio and multi-instrumentalist Tyler James—the album channels the raw, ecstatic energy of the band’s live show into a dynamic collection of songs that pulse with warmth, honesty, and human connection.\NRecorded live in Muscle Shoals, AL, after a writing retreat in a converted Kentucky firehouse, the album is both a celebration and a reckoning: of friendship, loss, love, and resilience. From the gritty, Stones-tinged opener “After The Rain” to the soul-stirring closer “That Table,” the record captures the joy and vulnerability that have long defined The Lone Bellow’s sound—lush harmonies, heartfelt lyrics, and genre-blurring arrangements steeped in folk, rock, and gospel.\NThe album’s creation was marked by setbacks, including the theft of early recordings, but the outpouring of support from their fanbase reaffirmed what the band has always known: their music is a shared experience. That spirit echoes throughout the album, whether in anthems like “Common Folk” and “I’m Here For You,” or in intimate reflections like “You Were Leaving” and “Night Goes Black.”\NSince their acclaimed 2013 debut, The Lone Bellow has appeared on The Tonight Show, Austin City Limits, and The Late Show, topped Americana charts, and headlined storied venues from Carnegie Hall to the Ryman Auditorium. But with their next album, they reaffirm their commitment not just to making music, but to building community—on stage, in song, and around the table. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:With their upcoming sixth studio album, The Lone Bellow embarks on a bold new chapter while honoring the deep bonds that have defined their journey. Written collaboratively for the first time with their full touring band—founding members Zach Williams, Brian Elmquist, and Kanene Pipkin joined by drummer Julian Dorio and multi-instrumentalist Tyler James—the album channels the raw, ecstatic energy of the band’s live show into a dynamic collection of songs that pulse with warmth, honesty, and human connection.
Recorded live in Muscle Shoals, AL, after a writing retreat in a converted Kentucky firehouse, the album is both a celebration and a reckoning: of friendship, loss, love, and resilience. From the gritty, Stones-tinged opener “After The Rain” to the soul-stirring closer “That Table,” the record captures the joy and vulnerability that have long defined The Lone Bellow’s sound—lush harmonies, heartfelt lyrics, and genre-blurring arrangements steeped in folk, rock, and gospel.
The album’s creation was marked by setbacks, including the theft of early recordings, but the outpouring of support from their fanbase reaffirmed what the band has always known: their music is a shared experience. That spirit echoes throughout the album, whether in anthems like “Common Folk” and “I’m Here For You,” or in intimate reflections like “You Were Leaving” and “Night Goes Black.”
Since their acclaimed 2013 debut, The Lone Bellow has appeared on The Tonight Show, Austin City Limits, and The Late Show, topped Americana charts, and headlined storied venues from Carnegie Hall to the Ryman Auditorium. But with their next album, they reaffirm their commitment not just to making music, but to building community—on stage, in song, and around the table.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250701T180221Z SEQUENCE:4325725 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2691 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-05-13 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250919T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250919T233000 UID:68857F34-7A7D-4CBA-B17C-A0277D16A06C SUMMARY:The White Buffalo (Night 1) CREATED:20250731T165311Z DTSTAMP:20250731T165311Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-white-buffalo-night-1 DESCRIPTION:“Everyone knows that you can sing…” \NFor The White Buffalo – aka singer / songwriter / guitarist Jake Smith, Oregon-born, Southern California-raised – it was time to take the less travelled path; to assemble notions for studio album Number 8, the follow-up to ‘On The Widow’s Walk’ (Snakefarm, 2020), and embark on a voyage of discovery.\NOut with the old, the organic, the expected, the tried; in with the new – new producer, new studio, new location, no distractions, no looking back…\NEnter ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’…\N“You think we’re a country band? A folk band? Americana? Rock? What the fuck are you gonna say now?!” laughs Jake. “With this album, I wanted something outside of what I’ve ever done. I wanted to open up. Do something dangerous. I’m hard to put into a singular genre as it is, but now I really wanted to take away any kind of preconception or pigeon-holing.\N“And don’t ask me, cos I don’t know what it is! It’s a genre-bending thing – there’s elements and influences from ELO, Daniel Lanois, Tom Waits, The Boss, circus, pirate music, yacht rock, and I’m driving and pushing some of these numbers in a way I’ve never done before.\N“At the top of the pandemic, I put the acoustic guitar on its stand, got a synthesizer and began writing on it, not really knowing how to play keys, just exploring the different sounds and landscapes. In the not knowing, it allowed me to expand my vocal melodies and compositions in ways the guitar had possibly limited.” \NWhen Jake, flanked by regular touring / recording compadres, bassist / keyboard player / guitarist Christopher Hoffee and drummer Matt Lynott, crossed the threshold of East Nashville’s Neon Cross Studio, a converted Southern Baptist Church, he wasn’t chapter an’ verse prepared, as usual.\NThe time before recording had been a crazy one, so there were a bunch of loose ends to be tied (“I’m a perpetual procrastinator” – Jake), plus only three of the 12 songs had been completely written. Jake had maps in his head, but most were mere bones of compositions with only a few key lyrics penned. This allowed producer / studio owner Jay Joyce – plus trusted assistant, Jason Hall – the wiggle room to really get involved, to guide and explore new frontiers …\N“It was a whirlwind of creativity,” recalls Jake. “We tracked 12 songs in 11 days; no over-thinking, no looking for perfection, no egos, no playing it safe, just feel, and I’ve never had a producer act so much like a producer… twisting, elevating and contorting our talents!”\NWith an impressive clientele numbering Eric Church, Brothers Osborne, Fidlar, Ashley McBryde, Halestorm, Little Big Town, Cage The Elephant, to name just a few, multi-instrumentalist Joyce has a reputation for working at an intense level.\NHe’s a Grammy Award-winning Producer of the Year (2018), has 4 CMA and 5 ACM Awards, and when it comes to making music, the Ohio native is never one to take the obvious route – perfect for an album featuring a dozen musical vignettes, individual yet constant in flow; an album loosely based around the shifting of the seasons and the shifting of a relationship; an album showing off the complete scope of Jake’s song-writing craft, from the stripped back to the fully loaded…\N“Jake is fierce, he basically wrote a whole movie,” says Jay. “We holed up in an old church, in the midst of the pandemic. It was just the four of us, making the soundtrack to his movie, and I have to say, it was inspirational.”\NTo keep the storyline as clear as possible, the 12 songs were recorded in sequence, with every square inch of Neon Cross brought into play; a new sonic palette was required, a unique set of sounds, and if it meant pushing the musicians into new, sometimes uncomfortable, areas, well, that was the price to pay…\N“Oh, he would break at least one of us on the daily!” exclaims Jake. “At some point, we all questioned if we could even sing or play! We’d start at 11, have lunch at one or two, be done by seven, and we felt like we’d gone to war!! Exhausted, our heads spinning. Like, what did we even do today?!\N“A lot of stuff was tracked on the fly, and Jay would help guide arrangements, bridges, links, all sorts of things, then he ended up adding other elements in the mix to bind it all together. He’s an insane musician and he would change things on a dime. We’d spend an hour getting a drum tone, then he’d say, ‘Sounds amazing, but any fool can make a drum kit sound good’. So he’d abandon all of that, and end up using a 50 dollar child’s kit mic’d with a singular microphone and pump it through a tiny Marshall amp. His mind works in a manner I’ve never witnessed in anyone else!”\NBut what about the vocal recording? Surely Jake’s signature baritone, a much-revered calling card, required nothing more elaborate than a candle-lit corner, some honey, cigarettes and coffee…\N“Not reallyl!” laughs Jake, “he kept putting me in strange and awkward positions – on two or three of the songs, he sat me down on a low-profile couch, with the mic a foot off the ground, so I’m hunched over singing with my knees higher than my head. He was taking away my body, my power. He’d say, ‘Everyone knows that you can sing, bro, what else is there…?’ He was looking for a vibe, a cool factor, not vocal acrobatics. \N“And he’s meticulous about trimming the fat, and about syncopation, where the words are landing. He would also sense if something wasn’t quite working, or if it was getting repetitive; on ‘Love Will Never Come’ he forced me to abandon the vocal melody and lyrics I had prepared, nearing a hundred words, saying it sounded like, ‘Hickory Dickory Dock… I’m bored after hearing that melody twice’. He made me take an entirely different approach, on the spot, like, ‘Make up something cool. Now! GO! GO!’ I’ve never been challenged like that before! The first thing that spilled out of me was the map for that performance. \N“He’s a fucking genius with a splash of bullying ex-wife. You know he’s right, you trust him, and he will push you beyond what you think you’re capable of.” \NFor ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’ to achieve its full potential, Jake knew the experience had to be immersive, which is why the Nashville location proved crucial. Not only were the three musicians away from the lures of home, but the house they all stayed in was just a block from the studio, and filled with a variety of instruments. Wherever they were, they could hone in on the project, and some of the songs came together while the clock was ticking… \N“I wrote ‘Love Song #3’ eight days into recording,” remembers Jake. “I knew the story and the scope of the album needed a true love song, so I wrote one from a melody I had swimming around in my head. \N“I work strangely well under desperate conditions,” he continues, making sure to give credit to his fellow musicians, his ‘band of brothers’; they hadn’t heard the songs at all prior to entering the studio, “coming in blind”, but they collectively stepped up to the plate, and beyond, sometimes getting a tune out of instruments they’d never even heard of!\NAs for Jake, he was happy to embrace a project where new boxes were being ticked on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. This time around, it was all about building on glories past, adding fresh, exciting, more left-field moments to a style and a sound that has seen his music growing in stature worldwide, supported by key placements in the worlds of TV and film (‘Sons Of Anarchy’, ‘Californication’, ‘The Punisher’, ‘The Terminal List’, etc.).\NOver the years, Jake has built a second-to-none reputation for the emotional weight of his music, and here this core element dramatically underpins a body of work that allows the imagination of the listener to play an important part throughout, building on a tale of debauchery (of the drunken variety) and blame, of love and loss, a life lived against the odds, the whole thing set in one lunar year, following our anti-hero through the highs and lows of the seasons. \NAnd who is this mysterious Donna? And what was she doing in the bar? And in the bathroom?! (‘She Don’t Know That I Lie’). She’s right there at the heart of the action, and the song that bears her name is probably the most propulsive on the album – an open display of Jake’s deep regard for the great Jeff Lynne…\N“During the pandemic, I would ride around on my bike with a speaker on the back, tripping balls, and listening to ELO,” he recollects. “I love Jeff Lynne!”\NHard on the stiletto’d heels of ‘Donna’ comes album closer ‘Life Goes On’, which bring things to a conclusion in gentle, reflective tones. Jake felt his way through the song in the studio, then when he stepped up to do it for real, was told by Joyce that his first take was ‘the one’…\N“He wouldn’t let me have another crack! ‘You can’t beat that!’ One single imperfect take when I wasn’t even aware we were recording. Pure, honest, true…”\NWhich effectively sums up ‘YOTDH’ as a whole, The White Buffalo’s most unpredictable and inventive work to date, the most well-rounded, too – surprising, spontaneous and spectacularly genre resistant. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:“Everyone knows that you can sing…”
For The White Buffalo – aka singer / songwriter / guitarist Jake Smith, Oregon-born, Southern California-raised – it was time to take the less travelled path; to assemble notions for studio album Number 8, the follow-up to ‘On The Widow’s Walk’ (Snakefarm, 2020), and embark on a voyage of discovery.
Out with the old, the organic, the expected, the tried; in with the new – new producer, new studio, new location, no distractions, no looking back…
Enter ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’…
“You think we’re a country band? A folk band? Americana? Rock? What the fuck are you gonna say now?!” laughs Jake. “With this album, I wanted something outside of what I’ve ever done. I wanted to open up. Do something dangerous. I’m hard to put into a singular genre as it is, but now I really wanted to take away any kind of preconception or pigeon-holing.
“And don’t ask me, cos I don’t know what it is! It’s a genre-bending thing – there’s elements and influences from ELO, Daniel Lanois, Tom Waits, The Boss, circus, pirate music, yacht rock, and I’m driving and pushing some of these numbers in a way I’ve never done before.
“At the top of the pandemic, I put the acoustic guitar on its stand, got a synthesizer and began writing on it, not really knowing how to play keys, just exploring the different sounds and landscapes. In the not knowing, it allowed me to expand my vocal melodies and compositions in ways the guitar had possibly limited.”
When Jake, flanked by regular touring / recording compadres, bassist / keyboard player / guitarist Christopher Hoffee and drummer Matt Lynott, crossed the threshold of East Nashville’s Neon Cross Studio, a converted Southern Baptist Church, he wasn’t chapter an’ verse prepared, as usual.
The time before recording had been a crazy one, so there were a bunch of loose ends to be tied (“I’m a perpetual procrastinator” – Jake), plus only three of the 12 songs had been completely written. Jake had maps in his head, but most were mere bones of compositions with only a few key lyrics penned. This allowed producer / studio owner Jay Joyce – plus trusted assistant, Jason Hall – the wiggle room to really get involved, to guide and explore new frontiers …
“It was a whirlwind of creativity,” recalls Jake. “We tracked 12 songs in 11 days; no over-thinking, no looking for perfection, no egos, no playing it safe, just feel, and I’ve never had a producer act so much like a producer… twisting, elevating and contorting our talents!”
With an impressive clientele numbering Eric Church, Brothers Osborne, Fidlar, Ashley McBryde, Halestorm, Little Big Town, Cage The Elephant, to name just a few, multi-instrumentalist Joyce has a reputation for working at an intense level.
He’s a Grammy Award-winning Producer of the Year (2018), has 4 CMA and 5 ACM Awards, and when it comes to making music, the Ohio native is never one to take the obvious route – perfect for an album featuring a dozen musical vignettes, individual yet constant in flow; an album loosely based around the shifting of the seasons and the shifting of a relationship; an album showing off the complete scope of Jake’s song-writing craft, from the stripped back to the fully loaded…
“Jake is fierce, he basically wrote a whole movie,” says Jay. “We holed up in an old church, in the midst of the pandemic. It was just the four of us, making the soundtrack to his movie, and I have to say, it was inspirational.”
To keep the storyline as clear as possible, the 12 songs were recorded in sequence, with every square inch of Neon Cross brought into play; a new sonic palette was required, a unique set of sounds, and if it meant pushing the musicians into new, sometimes uncomfortable, areas, well, that was the price to pay…
“Oh, he would break at least one of us on the daily!” exclaims Jake. “At some point, we all questioned if we could even sing or play! We’d start at 11, have lunch at one or two, be done by seven, and we felt like we’d gone to war!! Exhausted, our heads spinning. Like, what did we even do today?!
“A lot of stuff was tracked on the fly, and Jay would help guide arrangements, bridges, links, all sorts of things, then he ended up adding other elements in the mix to bind it all together. He’s an insane musician and he would change things on a dime. We’d spend an hour getting a drum tone, then he’d say, ‘Sounds amazing, but any fool can make a drum kit sound good’. So he’d abandon all of that, and end up using a 50 dollar child’s kit mic’d with a singular microphone and pump it through a tiny Marshall amp. His mind works in a manner I’ve never witnessed in anyone else!”
But what about the vocal recording? Surely Jake’s signature baritone, a much-revered calling card, required nothing more elaborate than a candle-lit corner, some honey, cigarettes and coffee…
“Not reallyl!” laughs Jake, “he kept putting me in strange and awkward positions – on two or three of the songs, he sat me down on a low-profile couch, with the mic a foot off the ground, so I’m hunched over singing with my knees higher than my head. He was taking away my body, my power. He’d say, ‘Everyone knows that you can sing, bro, what else is there…?’ He was looking for a vibe, a cool factor, not vocal acrobatics.
“And he’s meticulous about trimming the fat, and about syncopation, where the words are landing. He would also sense if something wasn’t quite working, or if it was getting repetitive; on ‘Love Will Never Come’ he forced me to abandon the vocal melody and lyrics I had prepared, nearing a hundred words, saying it sounded like, ‘Hickory Dickory Dock… I’m bored after hearing that melody twice’. He made me take an entirely different approach, on the spot, like, ‘Make up something cool. Now! GO! GO!’ I’ve never been challenged like that before! The first thing that spilled out of me was the map for that performance.
“He’s a fucking genius with a splash of bullying ex-wife. You know he’s right, you trust him, and he will push you beyond what you think you’re capable of.”
For ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’ to achieve its full potential, Jake knew the experience had to be immersive, which is why the Nashville location proved crucial. Not only were the three musicians away from the lures of home, but the house they all stayed in was just a block from the studio, and filled with a variety of instruments. Wherever they were, they could hone in on the project, and some of the songs came together while the clock was ticking…
“I wrote ‘Love Song #3’ eight days into recording,” remembers Jake. “I knew the story and the scope of the album needed a true love song, so I wrote one from a melody I had swimming around in my head.
“I work strangely well under desperate conditions,” he continues, making sure to give credit to his fellow musicians, his ‘band of brothers’; they hadn’t heard the songs at all prior to entering the studio, “coming in blind”, but they collectively stepped up to the plate, and beyond, sometimes getting a tune out of instruments they’d never even heard of!
As for Jake, he was happy to embrace a project where new boxes were being ticked on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. This time around, it was all about building on glories past, adding fresh, exciting, more left-field moments to a style and a sound that has seen his music growing in stature worldwide, supported by key placements in the worlds of TV and film (‘Sons Of Anarchy’, ‘Californication’, ‘The Punisher’, ‘The Terminal List’, etc.).
Over the years, Jake has built a second-to-none reputation for the emotional weight of his music, and here this core element dramatically underpins a body of work that allows the imagination of the listener to play an important part throughout, building on a tale of debauchery (of the drunken variety) and blame, of love and loss, a life lived against the odds, the whole thing set in one lunar year, following our anti-hero through the highs and lows of the seasons.
And who is this mysterious Donna? And what was she doing in the bar? And in the bathroom?! (‘She Don’t Know That I Lie’). She’s right there at the heart of the action, and the song that bears her name is probably the most propulsive on the album – an open display of Jake’s deep regard for the great Jeff Lynne…
“During the pandemic, I would ride around on my bike with a speaker on the back, tripping balls, and listening to ELO,” he recollects. “I love Jeff Lynne!”
Hard on the stiletto’d heels of ‘Donna’ comes album closer ‘Life Goes On’, which bring things to a conclusion in gentle, reflective tones. Jake felt his way through the song in the studio, then when he stepped up to do it for real, was told by Joyce that his first take was ‘the one’…
“He wouldn’t let me have another crack! ‘You can’t beat that!’ One single imperfect take when I wasn’t even aware we were recording. Pure, honest, true…”
Which effectively sums up ‘YOTDH’ as a whole, The White Buffalo’s most unpredictable and inventive work to date, the most well-rounded, too – surprising, spontaneous and spectacularly genre resistant.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T190412Z SEQUENCE:3550261 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1863 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-08-05 16:00:47 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250920T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250920T233000 UID:258DE021-B39E-45F7-B64D-9498DAEF53CB SUMMARY:The White Buffalo (Night 2) CREATED:20250731T165311Z DTSTAMP:20250731T165311Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-white-buffalo-night-2 DESCRIPTION:“Everyone knows that you can sing…” \NFor The White Buffalo – aka singer / songwriter / guitarist Jake Smith, Oregon-born, Southern California-raised – it was time to take the less travelled path; to assemble notions for studio album Number 8, the follow-up to ‘On The Widow’s Walk’ (Snakefarm, 2020), and embark on a voyage of discovery.\NOut with the old, the organic, the expected, the tried; in with the new – new producer, new studio, new location, no distractions, no looking back…\NEnter ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’…\N“You think we’re a country band? A folk band? Americana? Rock? What the fuck are you gonna say now?!” laughs Jake. “With this album, I wanted something outside of what I’ve ever done. I wanted to open up. Do something dangerous. I’m hard to put into a singular genre as it is, but now I really wanted to take away any kind of preconception or pigeon-holing.\N“And don’t ask me, cos I don’t know what it is! It’s a genre-bending thing – there’s elements and influences from ELO, Daniel Lanois, Tom Waits, The Boss, circus, pirate music, yacht rock, and I’m driving and pushing some of these numbers in a way I’ve never done before.\N“At the top of the pandemic, I put the acoustic guitar on its stand, got a synthesizer and began writing on it, not really knowing how to play keys, just exploring the different sounds and landscapes. In the not knowing, it allowed me to expand my vocal melodies and compositions in ways the guitar had possibly limited.” \NWhen Jake, flanked by regular touring / recording compadres, bassist / keyboard player / guitarist Christopher Hoffee and drummer Matt Lynott, crossed the threshold of East Nashville’s Neon Cross Studio, a converted Southern Baptist Church, he wasn’t chapter an’ verse prepared, as usual.\NThe time before recording had been a crazy one, so there were a bunch of loose ends to be tied (“I’m a perpetual procrastinator” – Jake), plus only three of the 12 songs had been completely written. Jake had maps in his head, but most were mere bones of compositions with only a few key lyrics penned. This allowed producer / studio owner Jay Joyce – plus trusted assistant, Jason Hall – the wiggle room to really get involved, to guide and explore new frontiers …\N“It was a whirlwind of creativity,” recalls Jake. “We tracked 12 songs in 11 days; no over-thinking, no looking for perfection, no egos, no playing it safe, just feel, and I’ve never had a producer act so much like a producer… twisting, elevating and contorting our talents!”\NWith an impressive clientele numbering Eric Church, Brothers Osborne, Fidlar, Ashley McBryde, Halestorm, Little Big Town, Cage The Elephant, to name just a few, multi-instrumentalist Joyce has a reputation for working at an intense level.\NHe’s a Grammy Award-winning Producer of the Year (2018), has 4 CMA and 5 ACM Awards, and when it comes to making music, the Ohio native is never one to take the obvious route – perfect for an album featuring a dozen musical vignettes, individual yet constant in flow; an album loosely based around the shifting of the seasons and the shifting of a relationship; an album showing off the complete scope of Jake’s song-writing craft, from the stripped back to the fully loaded…\N“Jake is fierce, he basically wrote a whole movie,” says Jay. “We holed up in an old church, in the midst of the pandemic. It was just the four of us, making the soundtrack to his movie, and I have to say, it was inspirational.”\NTo keep the storyline as clear as possible, the 12 songs were recorded in sequence, with every square inch of Neon Cross brought into play; a new sonic palette was required, a unique set of sounds, and if it meant pushing the musicians into new, sometimes uncomfortable, areas, well, that was the price to pay…\N“Oh, he would break at least one of us on the daily!” exclaims Jake. “At some point, we all questioned if we could even sing or play! We’d start at 11, have lunch at one or two, be done by seven, and we felt like we’d gone to war!! Exhausted, our heads spinning. Like, what did we even do today?!\N“A lot of stuff was tracked on the fly, and Jay would help guide arrangements, bridges, links, all sorts of things, then he ended up adding other elements in the mix to bind it all together. He’s an insane musician and he would change things on a dime. We’d spend an hour getting a drum tone, then he’d say, ‘Sounds amazing, but any fool can make a drum kit sound good’. So he’d abandon all of that, and end up using a 50 dollar child’s kit mic’d with a singular microphone and pump it through a tiny Marshall amp. His mind works in a manner I’ve never witnessed in anyone else!”\NBut what about the vocal recording? Surely Jake’s signature baritone, a much-revered calling card, required nothing more elaborate than a candle-lit corner, some honey, cigarettes and coffee…\N“Not reallyl!” laughs Jake, “he kept putting me in strange and awkward positions – on two or three of the songs, he sat me down on a low-profile couch, with the mic a foot off the ground, so I’m hunched over singing with my knees higher than my head. He was taking away my body, my power. He’d say, ‘Everyone knows that you can sing, bro, what else is there…?’ He was looking for a vibe, a cool factor, not vocal acrobatics. \N“And he’s meticulous about trimming the fat, and about syncopation, where the words are landing. He would also sense if something wasn’t quite working, or if it was getting repetitive; on ‘Love Will Never Come’ he forced me to abandon the vocal melody and lyrics I had prepared, nearing a hundred words, saying it sounded like, ‘Hickory Dickory Dock… I’m bored after hearing that melody twice’. He made me take an entirely different approach, on the spot, like, ‘Make up something cool. Now! GO! GO!’ I’ve never been challenged like that before! The first thing that spilled out of me was the map for that performance. \N“He’s a fucking genius with a splash of bullying ex-wife. You know he’s right, you trust him, and he will push you beyond what you think you’re capable of.” \NFor ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’ to achieve its full potential, Jake knew the experience had to be immersive, which is why the Nashville location proved crucial. Not only were the three musicians away from the lures of home, but the house they all stayed in was just a block from the studio, and filled with a variety of instruments. Wherever they were, they could hone in on the project, and some of the songs came together while the clock was ticking… \N“I wrote ‘Love Song #3’ eight days into recording,” remembers Jake. “I knew the story and the scope of the album needed a true love song, so I wrote one from a melody I had swimming around in my head. \N“I work strangely well under desperate conditions,” he continues, making sure to give credit to his fellow musicians, his ‘band of brothers’; they hadn’t heard the songs at all prior to entering the studio, “coming in blind”, but they collectively stepped up to the plate, and beyond, sometimes getting a tune out of instruments they’d never even heard of!\NAs for Jake, he was happy to embrace a project where new boxes were being ticked on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. This time around, it was all about building on glories past, adding fresh, exciting, more left-field moments to a style and a sound that has seen his music growing in stature worldwide, supported by key placements in the worlds of TV and film (‘Sons Of Anarchy’, ‘Californication’, ‘The Punisher’, ‘The Terminal List’, etc.).\NOver the years, Jake has built a second-to-none reputation for the emotional weight of his music, and here this core element dramatically underpins a body of work that allows the imagination of the listener to play an important part throughout, building on a tale of debauchery (of the drunken variety) and blame, of love and loss, a life lived against the odds, the whole thing set in one lunar year, following our anti-hero through the highs and lows of the seasons. \NAnd who is this mysterious Donna? And what was she doing in the bar? And in the bathroom?! (‘She Don’t Know That I Lie’). She’s right there at the heart of the action, and the song that bears her name is probably the most propulsive on the album – an open display of Jake’s deep regard for the great Jeff Lynne…\N“During the pandemic, I would ride around on my bike with a speaker on the back, tripping balls, and listening to ELO,” he recollects. “I love Jeff Lynne!”\NHard on the stiletto’d heels of ‘Donna’ comes album closer ‘Life Goes On’, which bring things to a conclusion in gentle, reflective tones. Jake felt his way through the song in the studio, then when he stepped up to do it for real, was told by Joyce that his first take was ‘the one’…\N“He wouldn’t let me have another crack! ‘You can’t beat that!’ One single imperfect take when I wasn’t even aware we were recording. Pure, honest, true…”\NWhich effectively sums up ‘YOTDH’ as a whole, The White Buffalo’s most unpredictable and inventive work to date, the most well-rounded, too – surprising, spontaneous and spectacularly genre resistant. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:“Everyone knows that you can sing…”
For The White Buffalo – aka singer / songwriter / guitarist Jake Smith, Oregon-born, Southern California-raised – it was time to take the less travelled path; to assemble notions for studio album Number 8, the follow-up to ‘On The Widow’s Walk’ (Snakefarm, 2020), and embark on a voyage of discovery.
Out with the old, the organic, the expected, the tried; in with the new – new producer, new studio, new location, no distractions, no looking back…
Enter ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’…
“You think we’re a country band? A folk band? Americana? Rock? What the fuck are you gonna say now?!” laughs Jake. “With this album, I wanted something outside of what I’ve ever done. I wanted to open up. Do something dangerous. I’m hard to put into a singular genre as it is, but now I really wanted to take away any kind of preconception or pigeon-holing.
“And don’t ask me, cos I don’t know what it is! It’s a genre-bending thing – there’s elements and influences from ELO, Daniel Lanois, Tom Waits, The Boss, circus, pirate music, yacht rock, and I’m driving and pushing some of these numbers in a way I’ve never done before.
“At the top of the pandemic, I put the acoustic guitar on its stand, got a synthesizer and began writing on it, not really knowing how to play keys, just exploring the different sounds and landscapes. In the not knowing, it allowed me to expand my vocal melodies and compositions in ways the guitar had possibly limited.”
When Jake, flanked by regular touring / recording compadres, bassist / keyboard player / guitarist Christopher Hoffee and drummer Matt Lynott, crossed the threshold of East Nashville’s Neon Cross Studio, a converted Southern Baptist Church, he wasn’t chapter an’ verse prepared, as usual.
The time before recording had been a crazy one, so there were a bunch of loose ends to be tied (“I’m a perpetual procrastinator” – Jake), plus only three of the 12 songs had been completely written. Jake had maps in his head, but most were mere bones of compositions with only a few key lyrics penned. This allowed producer / studio owner Jay Joyce – plus trusted assistant, Jason Hall – the wiggle room to really get involved, to guide and explore new frontiers …
“It was a whirlwind of creativity,” recalls Jake. “We tracked 12 songs in 11 days; no over-thinking, no looking for perfection, no egos, no playing it safe, just feel, and I’ve never had a producer act so much like a producer… twisting, elevating and contorting our talents!”
With an impressive clientele numbering Eric Church, Brothers Osborne, Fidlar, Ashley McBryde, Halestorm, Little Big Town, Cage The Elephant, to name just a few, multi-instrumentalist Joyce has a reputation for working at an intense level.
He’s a Grammy Award-winning Producer of the Year (2018), has 4 CMA and 5 ACM Awards, and when it comes to making music, the Ohio native is never one to take the obvious route – perfect for an album featuring a dozen musical vignettes, individual yet constant in flow; an album loosely based around the shifting of the seasons and the shifting of a relationship; an album showing off the complete scope of Jake’s song-writing craft, from the stripped back to the fully loaded…
“Jake is fierce, he basically wrote a whole movie,” says Jay. “We holed up in an old church, in the midst of the pandemic. It was just the four of us, making the soundtrack to his movie, and I have to say, it was inspirational.”
To keep the storyline as clear as possible, the 12 songs were recorded in sequence, with every square inch of Neon Cross brought into play; a new sonic palette was required, a unique set of sounds, and if it meant pushing the musicians into new, sometimes uncomfortable, areas, well, that was the price to pay…
“Oh, he would break at least one of us on the daily!” exclaims Jake. “At some point, we all questioned if we could even sing or play! We’d start at 11, have lunch at one or two, be done by seven, and we felt like we’d gone to war!! Exhausted, our heads spinning. Like, what did we even do today?!
“A lot of stuff was tracked on the fly, and Jay would help guide arrangements, bridges, links, all sorts of things, then he ended up adding other elements in the mix to bind it all together. He’s an insane musician and he would change things on a dime. We’d spend an hour getting a drum tone, then he’d say, ‘Sounds amazing, but any fool can make a drum kit sound good’. So he’d abandon all of that, and end up using a 50 dollar child’s kit mic’d with a singular microphone and pump it through a tiny Marshall amp. His mind works in a manner I’ve never witnessed in anyone else!”
But what about the vocal recording? Surely Jake’s signature baritone, a much-revered calling card, required nothing more elaborate than a candle-lit corner, some honey, cigarettes and coffee…
“Not reallyl!” laughs Jake, “he kept putting me in strange and awkward positions – on two or three of the songs, he sat me down on a low-profile couch, with the mic a foot off the ground, so I’m hunched over singing with my knees higher than my head. He was taking away my body, my power. He’d say, ‘Everyone knows that you can sing, bro, what else is there…?’ He was looking for a vibe, a cool factor, not vocal acrobatics.
“And he’s meticulous about trimming the fat, and about syncopation, where the words are landing. He would also sense if something wasn’t quite working, or if it was getting repetitive; on ‘Love Will Never Come’ he forced me to abandon the vocal melody and lyrics I had prepared, nearing a hundred words, saying it sounded like, ‘Hickory Dickory Dock… I’m bored after hearing that melody twice’. He made me take an entirely different approach, on the spot, like, ‘Make up something cool. Now! GO! GO!’ I’ve never been challenged like that before! The first thing that spilled out of me was the map for that performance.
“He’s a fucking genius with a splash of bullying ex-wife. You know he’s right, you trust him, and he will push you beyond what you think you’re capable of.”
For ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’ to achieve its full potential, Jake knew the experience had to be immersive, which is why the Nashville location proved crucial. Not only were the three musicians away from the lures of home, but the house they all stayed in was just a block from the studio, and filled with a variety of instruments. Wherever they were, they could hone in on the project, and some of the songs came together while the clock was ticking…
“I wrote ‘Love Song #3’ eight days into recording,” remembers Jake. “I knew the story and the scope of the album needed a true love song, so I wrote one from a melody I had swimming around in my head.
“I work strangely well under desperate conditions,” he continues, making sure to give credit to his fellow musicians, his ‘band of brothers’; they hadn’t heard the songs at all prior to entering the studio, “coming in blind”, but they collectively stepped up to the plate, and beyond, sometimes getting a tune out of instruments they’d never even heard of!
As for Jake, he was happy to embrace a project where new boxes were being ticked on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. This time around, it was all about building on glories past, adding fresh, exciting, more left-field moments to a style and a sound that has seen his music growing in stature worldwide, supported by key placements in the worlds of TV and film (‘Sons Of Anarchy’, ‘Californication’, ‘The Punisher’, ‘The Terminal List’, etc.).
Over the years, Jake has built a second-to-none reputation for the emotional weight of his music, and here this core element dramatically underpins a body of work that allows the imagination of the listener to play an important part throughout, building on a tale of debauchery (of the drunken variety) and blame, of love and loss, a life lived against the odds, the whole thing set in one lunar year, following our anti-hero through the highs and lows of the seasons.
And who is this mysterious Donna? And what was she doing in the bar? And in the bathroom?! (‘She Don’t Know That I Lie’). She’s right there at the heart of the action, and the song that bears her name is probably the most propulsive on the album – an open display of Jake’s deep regard for the great Jeff Lynne…
“During the pandemic, I would ride around on my bike with a speaker on the back, tripping balls, and listening to ELO,” he recollects. “I love Jeff Lynne!”
Hard on the stiletto’d heels of ‘Donna’ comes album closer ‘Life Goes On’, which bring things to a conclusion in gentle, reflective tones. Jake felt his way through the song in the studio, then when he stepped up to do it for real, was told by Joyce that his first take was ‘the one’…
“He wouldn’t let me have another crack! ‘You can’t beat that!’ One single imperfect take when I wasn’t even aware we were recording. Pure, honest, true…”
Which effectively sums up ‘YOTDH’ as a whole, The White Buffalo’s most unpredictable and inventive work to date, the most well-rounded, too – surprising, spontaneous and spectacularly genre resistant.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T190454Z SEQUENCE:3550303 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1404 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-08-05 16:00:47 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250925T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250925T233000 UID:8EA0EF52-A07C-492F-A7D5-989B16CD9E0F SUMMARY:JAMES CREATED:20250430T204658Z DTSTAMP:20250430T204658Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/james DESCRIPTION:With over 25 million albums sold over a longstanding career, James are amongst the most commercially and artistically successful alternative rock bands of their era. Having gathered a cult following around art rock gallops like Johnny Yen in the '80s, they broke through to mainstream success with their major label debutGold Mother (1990), followed by a slew of euphoric anthems: Come Home, Sit Down, and Laid. Their fifth album Laid saw them break the US charts, while Whiplash (1997), Millionaires (1999) and Pleased To Meet You (2001) cemented their standing as a classic 1990s act with Tomorrow, She’s A Star and Just Like Fred Astaire. James returned from a 6-year hiatus with 2008’s Hey Ma, followed by Girl at the End of the World (2016), Living in Extraordinary Times (2018), and All The Colours Of You (2021) – returning to a sustained period in the upper echelons of the album chart. Their 40th anniversary in 2023 was celebrated with orchestral reworkings via Be Opened By The Wonderful – but this was far from a full stop. James released their 18th album Yummy on 12 April 2024, which reached #1 in the UK Albums Chart – their first studio album to do so. One of their most prescient releases, Yummy deals with politics, AI, and conspiracy theories, and documents the creative process of a band who continues to evolve and defy expectations. Best described byMOJO: "after 18 LPs and over four interrupted decades at the coalface, James are still re-inventing themselves." This year, the band will be releasing the album and Blu-ray James: Live at The Acropolis on May 2nd, which was recorded on the 10th July 2023 at the iconic Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens. They will also embark on a summer of live shows across the UK, Spain, Portugal, and beyond. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:With over 25 million albums sold over a longstanding career, James are amongst the most commercially and artistically successful alternative rock bands of their era. Having gathered a cult following around art rock gallops like Johnny Yen in the '80s, they broke through to mainstream success with their major label debutGold Mother (1990), followed by a slew of euphoric anthems: Come Home, Sit Down, and Laid. Their fifth album Laid saw them break the US charts, while Whiplash (1997), Millionaires (1999) and Pleased To Meet You (2001) cemented their standing as a classic 1990s act with Tomorrow, She’s A Star and Just Like Fred Astaire. James returned from a 6-year hiatus with 2008’s Hey Ma, followed by Girl at the End of the World (2016), Living in Extraordinary Times (2018), and All The Colours Of You (2021) – returning to a sustained period in the upper echelons of the album chart. Their 40th anniversary in 2023 was celebrated with orchestral reworkings via Be Opened By The Wonderful – but this was far from a full stop. James released their 18th album Yummy on 12 April 2024, which reached #1 in the UK Albums Chart – their first studio album to do so. One of their most prescient releases, Yummy deals with politics, AI, and conspiracy theories, and documents the creative process of a band who continues to evolve and defy expectations. Best described byMOJO: "after 18 LPs and over four interrupted decades at the coalface, James are still re-inventing themselves." This year, the band will be releasing the album and Blu-ray James: Live at The Acropolis on May 2nd, which was recorded on the 10th July 2023 at the iconic Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens. They will also embark on a summer of live shows across the UK, Spain, Portugal, and beyond.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250821T163845Z SEQUENCE:9748307 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:5344 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-05-05 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250926T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250926T233000 UID:9EB446A9-B705-4944-BF9B-CD51792D852E SUMMARY:High on Fire CREATED:20250728T160327Z DTSTAMP:20250728T160327Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/high-on-fire DESCRIPTION:Universally recognized as one of the most potent acts in music today, High on Fire creates dynamic metal that merges primal fury and aggression, hesher bombast and hall of fame heaviness. Described as "a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume," High on Fire has rewritten the hard rock rule book since its formation in 1998, forging a style and sound that is both critically celebrated and unique.\NIn the half decade since the band’s Grammy nod, the world has seismically shifted and is a different place. The same can be said for High on Fire. The band’s musical archetype has been modded, morphed, and evolved; its blast radius widened. Bassist Jeff Matz joined Mutoid Man and traveled abroad to study and learn the techniques of Middle Eastern folk music and the plucked string instrument, the bağlama (or saz), Matt Pike formed a solo band, released an LP, and toured the U.S., and world-renowned percussionist, Coady Willis, he of Melvins, Big Business, and Murder City Devils united with Pike and Matz to breathe new life into the group a quarter century into its captivating career. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Universally recognized as one of the most potent acts in music today, High on Fire creates dynamic metal that merges primal fury and aggression, hesher bombast and hall of fame heaviness. Described as "a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume," High on Fire has rewritten the hard rock rule book since its formation in 1998, forging a style and sound that is both critically celebrated and unique.
In the half decade since the band’s Grammy nod, the world has seismically shifted and is a different place. The same can be said for High on Fire. The band’s musical archetype has been modded, morphed, and evolved; its blast radius widened. Bassist Jeff Matz joined Mutoid Man and traveled abroad to study and learn the techniques of Middle Eastern folk music and the plucked string instrument, the bağlama (or saz), Matt Pike formed a solo band, released an LP, and toured the U.S., and world-renowned percussionist, Coady Willis, he of Melvins, Big Business, and Murder City Devils united with Pike and Matz to breathe new life into the group a quarter century into its captivating career.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250924T191006Z SEQUENCE:5022399 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2688 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251003T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251003T233000 UID:D0EE2CC9-C137-4B4A-9A14-235F916C0719 SUMMARY:Joey McIntyre CREATED:20250902T193455Z DTSTAMP:20250902T193455Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/joey-mcintyre DESCRIPTION:Best known as the youngest member of NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, Joey McIntyre has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well. His solo career started with his debut album “Stay the Same” which went certified Gold and delivered a top ten single, written by McIntyre. He has worked extensively as an actor in film and tv. McIntyre has a long history in theatre as well, including roles in both “Wicked” and “Waitress" on Broadway. Through it all, McIntyre has bore a passion to write and record music. Since the NKOTB reunion in 2008, the group has released three top ten albums on the Billboard 200. On those albums, McIntyre co-wrote more than half a dozen including “Still Sounds Good” and the Blockhead anthem “Block Party.” Writing for his band comes with some added pressure. McIntyre notes that he certainly wants to deliver for the guys, so the stakes are high. He states "It’s humbling and incredibly rewarding to have my work embraced by my bandmates and our fans.” McIntyre has finally released his highly anticipated solo project "Freedom" which is notably his first solo record in almost a decade. He further states, “I’ve been itching to create music that feel personal, asking real questions and speaking to new ideas. It’s time.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Best known as the youngest member of NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, Joey McIntyre has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well. His solo career started with his debut album “Stay the Same” which went certified Gold and delivered a top ten single, written by McIntyre. He has worked extensively as an actor in film and tv. McIntyre has a long history in theatre as well, including roles in both “Wicked” and “Waitress" on Broadway. Through it all, McIntyre has bore a passion to write and record music. Since the NKOTB reunion in 2008, the group has released three top ten albums on the Billboard 200. On those albums, McIntyre co-wrote more than half a dozen including “Still Sounds Good” and the Blockhead anthem “Block Party.” Writing for his band comes with some added pressure. McIntyre notes that he certainly wants to deliver for the guys, so the stakes are high. He states "It’s humbling and incredibly rewarding to have my work embraced by my bandmates and our fans.” McIntyre has finally released his highly anticipated solo project "Freedom" which is notably his first solo record in almost a decade. He further states, “I’ve been itching to create music that feel personal, asking real questions and speaking to new ideas. It’s time.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T185751Z SEQUENCE:688976 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2261 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-09-03 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251004T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251004T233000 UID:78592920-F292-4079-A0F3-68454DF8531B SUMMARY:Sun Room CREATED:20250616T161314Z DTSTAMP:20250616T161314Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/sun-room DESCRIPTION:Sun Room is a band from San Diego, California. They are used to making fun independent music out of their very hot garage and are now touring the world for the first time as a support band, and they are quickle conquering the hearts of listeners. Seldom does the name of a band capture the vibes of the group as well as Californian band, Sun Room. In the way that Rage Against The Machine briefs you on what they’re about before “Killing In the Name Of” can even grace ones ears, Sun Room achieves a similar effect. The four Californian lads exude that sunshine that their name alludes to, in both their music and their spirits. Each sunny in their own right, the four current members, Luke Asgian (lead vocals & guitar), Ashton Minnich (guitar), Max Pinamonti (bass), and Gibby Anderson (drums). X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Sun Room is a band from San Diego, California. They are used to making fun independent music out of their very hot garage and are now touring the world for the first time as a support band, and they are quickle conquering the hearts of listeners. Seldom does the name of a band capture the vibes of the group as well as Californian band, Sun Room. In the way that Rage Against The Machine briefs you on what they’re about before “Killing In the Name Of” can even grace ones ears, Sun Room achieves a similar effect. The four Californian lads exude that sunshine that their name alludes to, in both their music and their spirits. Each sunny in their own right, the four current members, Luke Asgian (lead vocals & guitar), Ashton Minnich (guitar), Max Pinamonti (bass), and Gibby Anderson (drums).
LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T190850Z SEQUENCE:7440936 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2261 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-06-17 14:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251006T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251006T233000 UID:7D3AA0D3-584A-4168-BD43-B788FF9AD395 SUMMARY:Nicotine Dolls CREATED:20250326T194838Z DTSTAMP:20250326T194838Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/nicotine-dolls DESCRIPTION:Nicotine Dolls make the kind of music you can’t hide from. The storytelling is front-and-center, beckoning your attention like a dusty old novel you can’t put down until the last page. The vocals are gritty and honest, holding nothing back in fits of joy, regret, and sadness similar to a phone call from one of your best friends at 3am. The instrumentation is equally punchy and nuanced, grafting rafter-reaching hooks on top of rich soundscapes. The moment the New York alternative quartet—Sam Cieri [vocals], John Hays [guitar], John Merritt [bass], and Abel Tabares [drums]—plug in, it’s as if a rush of collective emotion floods through the speakers.\NNicotine Dolls officially emerged in 2019 at the crossroads between its members’ respective paths. As the story goes, Sam met John Hays in 2015 during a Broadway tour. “I ended up there because I was getting evicted from my apartment, and my friend told me to try musical theater since you get a consistent paycheck,” he recalls. They instantly became best friends.\NBy this time, Sam’s journey had already twisted and turned from “leaving high school to be a musician, living in motels, playing Las Vegas, going to South Florida, and amassing all of these crazy ass stories.” Nevertheless, his newfound musical bond with Hays eventually attracted Merritt and Abel to the fold. The guys gained traction with the likes of “What Makes You Sad” which has received more than 13 million Spotify streams. The band’s cover of Tina Turner’s iconic “The Best” has surpassed 12 million streams. Collectively, music released to date, is nearing 50 million streams on Spotify alone.\NImpressively, they attracted north of 1.7 million followers on TikTok, and nearly 900k on Instagram as well.\NNicotine Dolls have released a series of self-penned and produced singles and EPs, including the 2024 live EP Nicotine Dolls on Audiotree Live. After signing with Nettwerk Music Group, the band have been hailed by SPIN for their “vulnerability and determination,” calling Cieri a “charismatic, gravelly-throated powerhouse with the rasp of Bruce Springsteen and the emotion of Lewis Capaldi.”\NNicotine Dolls debut full length album (set for early 2025) is already gaining serious attention.\N“This album has been my own internal attempt to be OK with wanting to love, and be loved in return,” he explains. “I wanted to be dumb and nervous and brave and scared and everything that you drown in when someone looks at you in that way that derails the whole plan you had for your life. I live alone with my dog and I’m not saying I don’t adore that life, because I do (my dog is my sweet big boy Indiana). But I miss laughing with someone in the kitchen or falling asleep watching trashy TV. I pride myself on my independence, but I think I made this record as a way to admit to myself that having someone there…would be nice.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Nicotine Dolls make the kind of music you can’t hide from. The storytelling is front-and-center, beckoning your attention like a dusty old novel you can’t put down until the last page. The vocals are gritty and honest, holding nothing back in fits of joy, regret, and sadness similar to a phone call from one of your best friends at 3am. The instrumentation is equally punchy and nuanced, grafting rafter-reaching hooks on top of rich soundscapes. The moment the New York alternative quartet—Sam Cieri [vocals], John Hays [guitar], John Merritt [bass], and Abel Tabares [drums]—plug in, it’s as if a rush of collective emotion floods through the speakers.
Nicotine Dolls officially emerged in 2019 at the crossroads between its members’ respective paths. As the story goes, Sam met John Hays in 2015 during a Broadway tour. “I ended up there because I was getting evicted from my apartment, and my friend told me to try musical theater since you get a consistent paycheck,” he recalls. They instantly became best friends.
By this time, Sam’s journey had already twisted and turned from “leaving high school to be a musician, living in motels, playing Las Vegas, going to South Florida, and amassing all of these crazy ass stories.” Nevertheless, his newfound musical bond with Hays eventually attracted Merritt and Abel to the fold. The guys gained traction with the likes of “What Makes You Sad” which has received more than 13 million Spotify streams. The band’s cover of Tina Turner’s iconic “The Best” has surpassed 12 million streams. Collectively, music released to date, is nearing 50 million streams on Spotify alone.
Impressively, they attracted north of 1.7 million followers on TikTok, and nearly 900k on Instagram as well.
Nicotine Dolls have released a series of self-penned and produced singles and EPs, including the 2024 live EP Nicotine Dolls on Audiotree Live. After signing with Nettwerk Music Group, the band have been hailed by SPIN for their “vulnerability and determination,” calling Cieri a “charismatic, gravelly-throated powerhouse with the rasp of Bruce Springsteen and the emotion of Lewis Capaldi.”
Nicotine Dolls debut full length album (set for early 2025) is already gaining serious attention.
“This album has been my own internal attempt to be OK with wanting to love, and be loved in return,” he explains. “I wanted to be dumb and nervous and brave and scared and everything that you drown in when someone looks at you in that way that derails the whole plan you had for your life. I live alone with my dog and I’m not saying I don’t adore that life, because I do (my dog is my sweet big boy Indiana). But I miss laughing with someone in the kitchen or falling asleep watching trashy TV. I pride myself on my independence, but I think I made this record as a way to admit to myself that having someone there…would be nice.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250807T153122Z SEQUENCE:11562164 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:7231 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-04-01 14:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251010T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251010T233000 UID:9B3D1885-F761-49B1-9F3E-CFAA429B9565 SUMMARY:DURRY CREATED:20250325T165410Z DTSTAMP:20250325T165410Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/durry-2 DESCRIPTION:As a band, Taryn and Austin’s journey happened both unexpectedly and fortuitously. At the start of the COVID pandemic, Austin and his wife moved back into his parents’ house, where Taryn was also living at the time. Faced with nothing but time, he got back to songwriting, regularly asking Taryn for input — or as the two playfully put it, “Gen Z quality control.”\NThe immediate result of their musical partnership was the pop-punk/alternative anthem “Who's Laughing Now" which leads with wry, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about the futility of young adulthood in 2023. After posting an unfinished version of “Who’s Laughing Now” on TikTok, it swiftly took off, galvanizing thousands of viewers who shared their coming-of-age frustrations. Clearly, the song’s sentiments - which land somewhere between a shrug and a clenched fist - resonated with millions of listeners, and today DURRY have recorded a fully fleshed-out version of “Who's Laughing Now,” which appears on their riveting, perfectly sardonic debut LP, Suburban Legend, out now!\NWhether Suburban Legend is tackling romantic love, late-stage capitalism, mental health woes, or teen nostalgia, the thread tying it all together is its utter relatability. Regardless of where you are in life — city or suburbs, school or work, or pursuing a creative dream of your own — Durry will meet you there with a wink and a high five. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:As a band, Taryn and Austin’s journey happened both unexpectedly and fortuitously. At the start of the COVID pandemic, Austin and his wife moved back into his parents’ house, where Taryn was also living at the time. Faced with nothing but time, he got back to songwriting, regularly asking Taryn for input — or as the two playfully put it, “Gen Z quality control.”
The immediate result of their musical partnership was the pop-punk/alternative anthem “Who's Laughing Now" which leads with wry, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about the futility of young adulthood in 2023. After posting an unfinished version of “Who’s Laughing Now” on TikTok, it swiftly took off, galvanizing thousands of viewers who shared their coming-of-age frustrations. Clearly, the song’s sentiments - which land somewhere between a shrug and a clenched fist - resonated with millions of listeners, and today DURRY have recorded a fully fleshed-out version of “Who's Laughing Now,” which appears on their riveting, perfectly sardonic debut LP, Suburban Legend, out now!
Whether Suburban Legend is tackling romantic love, late-stage capitalism, mental health woes, or teen nostalgia, the thread tying it all together is its utter relatability. Regardless of where you are in life — city or suburbs, school or work, or pursuing a creative dream of your own — Durry will meet you there with a wink and a high five.
LAST-MODIFIED:20250929T190134Z SEQUENCE:16250844 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2143 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-04-02 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251015T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251015T233000 UID:1733B976-591D-4643-9DF5-C708AB0188AA SUMMARY:Grateful Shred CREATED:20250616T160710Z DTSTAMP:20250616T160710Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/grateful-shred DESCRIPTION:After a meteoric rise from obscurity to a national touring band, Los Angeles-based Grateful Shred has made the most of its time in the spotlight. The lineup, featuring Dan Horne and Austin McCutchen alongside keyboardist Adam MacDougall woke the Grateful Dead cosmos with a unique laid-back harmony driven sound. The band literally went from playing the Shakedown Street vendor area prior to Dead and Company shows to touring the United States.\NThe moment that sent the band’s popularity soaring is the “Busted at the Bowl” video, a YouTube video that features Shred members starting an impromptu set in the parking lot of the Hollywood Bowl before a Dead and Company show in 2017. They don’t get too far before drawing so much attention that the police shut them down. Instantly creating Shred-cred, this was a bit of good fortune that doesn’t get past McCutchen. “We’ve been dealt some pretty good cards,” he states. “It’s been cool to roll with it and push forward and continually make stuff happen. Things have gone our way. Even that video happened magically. It was put together at the last minute, and boom!”\NThe thing is, Grateful Shred manage to channel that elusive Dead vibe: wide-open guitar tones, effortless three-part vocal harmonies, choogling beats, and yes, plenty of tripped out, Shredded solos. The look, the sound, the atmosphere. It’s uncanny. Far from being a historical re-enactment, Grateful Shred’s laissez faire vibe infuses the band with a gentle spirit, warmth, and (dare we say it) authenticity. From their killer merch game to their eminently watchable YouTube channel, they’re clearly having a rad time and spreading the love. Strangely enough, in a world overflowing with wax museum nostalgia and Deadly sentimentalism, we need the Shred, now more than ever.\NGrateful Shred is: Austine Beede, Dan Horne, Alex Koford, Mikaela Davis, Adam MacDougall, Austin McCutchen, John Lee Shannon X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:After a meteoric rise from obscurity to a national touring band, Los Angeles-based Grateful Shred has made the most of its time in the spotlight. The lineup, featuring Dan Horne and Austin McCutchen alongside keyboardist Adam MacDougall woke the Grateful Dead cosmos with a unique laid-back harmony driven sound. The band literally went from playing the Shakedown Street vendor area prior to Dead and Company shows to touring the United States.
The moment that sent the band’s popularity soaring is the “Busted at the Bowl” video, a YouTube video that features Shred members starting an impromptu set in the parking lot of the Hollywood Bowl before a Dead and Company show in 2017. They don’t get too far before drawing so much attention that the police shut them down. Instantly creating Shred-cred, this was a bit of good fortune that doesn’t get past McCutchen. “We’ve been dealt some pretty good cards,” he states. “It’s been cool to roll with it and push forward and continually make stuff happen. Things have gone our way. Even that video happened magically. It was put together at the last minute, and boom!”
The thing is, Grateful Shred manage to channel that elusive Dead vibe: wide-open guitar tones, effortless three-part vocal harmonies, choogling beats, and yes, plenty of tripped out, Shredded solos. The look, the sound, the atmosphere. It’s uncanny. Far from being a historical re-enactment, Grateful Shred’s laissez faire vibe infuses the band with a gentle spirit, warmth, and (dare we say it) authenticity. From their killer merch game to their eminently watchable YouTube channel, they’re clearly having a rad time and spreading the love. Strangely enough, in a world overflowing with wax museum nostalgia and Deadly sentimentalism, we need the Shred, now more than ever.
Grateful Shred is: Austine Beede, Dan Horne, Alex Koford, Mikaela Davis, Adam MacDougall, Austin McCutchen, John Lee Shannon
LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T190924Z SEQUENCE:7441334 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3343 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-06-17 14:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251017T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251017T233000 UID:57B6572F-668D-4EF4-B882-3B205E81E17E SUMMARY:Penny & Sparrow CREATED:20250417T195953Z DTSTAMP:20250417T195953Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/penny-sparrow DESCRIPTION:A wise wizard once said: “when in doubt, always follow your nose.”\NThe last album from Penny and Sparrow, Olly Olly, was a work of revelation and liberation. A search for and an embrace of the self. I imagine they were left with a head scratcher of a question: well, shit. Where do you go from there? Fortunately, they listened to the wizard and followed their noses backwards to find their way forward. Aiming to strip away pretense and invite experimentation, they commandeered a garden shed from a friend and retrofitted it to make a twenty-track album that is vast, weird, and wholly unexpected. If Lefty is anything, it is the journal of Penny and Sparrow’s inner child. Dog-eared, lock busted open. On its pages the sketches of dreams, nightmares, erotica, and literary fanfiction graffiti the margins of poetry, elegies, and love letters in the wild colors of saxophone blue, electronic pink, and blood harmony red. Beautifully varied and richly rendered, it is an album that wanders from theme to theme, style to style, exultation to tragedy. Yet it is never lost. If anything, it is at play. United by its intimate vocals and aching harmonies, its acoustic laments trickle into ethereal pop only to surge into whimsical ballads and crest into grand hooligan anthems that sway gently down to familiar shores where melancholic ballads tell of love lost, found, forgotten, and remembered. Andy and Kyle have written some albums in blood. Others they’ve whispered to the sea. This one they danced in the sky with smiles on their faces. Lefty feels like not just a celebration of their journey beyond the bounds of their traditional genre, but as if they have rediscovered the joy in music by honoring the sounds that inspired two boys growing up in Texas to one day make the damn stuff themselves.\N- Pierce Brown, author and friend X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:A wise wizard once said: “when in doubt, always follow your nose.”
The last album from Penny and Sparrow, Olly Olly, was a work of revelation and liberation. A search for and an embrace of the self. I imagine they were left with a head scratcher of a question: well, shit. Where do you go from there? Fortunately, they listened to the wizard and followed their noses backwards to find their way forward. Aiming to strip away pretense and invite experimentation, they commandeered a garden shed from a friend and retrofitted it to make a twenty-track album that is vast, weird, and wholly unexpected. If Lefty is anything, it is the journal of Penny and Sparrow’s inner child. Dog-eared, lock busted open. On its pages the sketches of dreams, nightmares, erotica, and literary fanfiction graffiti the margins of poetry, elegies, and love letters in the wild colors of saxophone blue, electronic pink, and blood harmony red. Beautifully varied and richly rendered, it is an album that wanders from theme to theme, style to style, exultation to tragedy. Yet it is never lost. If anything, it is at play. United by its intimate vocals and aching harmonies, its acoustic laments trickle into ethereal pop only to surge into whimsical ballads and crest into grand hooligan anthems that sway gently down to familiar shores where melancholic ballads tell of love lost, found, forgotten, and remembered. Andy and Kyle have written some albums in blood. Others they’ve whispered to the sea. This one they danced in the sky with smiles on their faces. Lefty feels like not just a celebration of their journey beyond the bounds of their traditional genre, but as if they have rediscovered the joy in music by honoring the sounds that inspired two boys growing up in Texas to one day make the damn stuff themselves.
- Pierce Brown, author and friend
LAST-MODIFIED:20250425T160511Z SEQUENCE:677118 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2515 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-04-22 14:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251024T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251024T233000 UID:1155336D-C820-42E0-A6D3-2F1012897C92 SUMMARY:Molly Tuttle CREATED:20250811T160630Z DTSTAMP:20250811T160630Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/molly-tuttle DESCRIPTION:On the heels of two Grammy-winning albums in succession, with her band Golden Highway—2022’s Crooked Tree and 2023’s City of Gold—plus a nomination for Best New Artist, Molly Tuttle returns with a solo album that’s her most dazzling to date: So Long Little Miss Sunshine. \NRecorded in Nashville with producer Jay Joyce (Orville Peck, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Cage the Elephant), the fifth full album from the California-born, Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and virtuoso guitarist features twelve new songs—eleven originals and one highly unexpected cover of Icona Pop and Charli xcx’s “I Love It.” \N \NTuttle’s career, which began at age fifteen, has charted a course between honoring bluegrass and stretching its boundaries. On this album—a hybrid of pop, country, rock, and flat-picking, plus one murder ballad—she goes to a whole new place. Her stunning guitar work is more up-front on this album than ever before. (One of the most decorated female guitarist alive, Tuttle was the first woman to win the prestigious International Bluegrass Music Award’s Guitar Player of the Year in 2017, at age twenty-four, and won again the following year, with nominations nearly every year since; she has also won Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year award.) So Long Little Miss Sunshine also features Tuttle playing banjo, something she’s never done on one of her albums before. \N“I like to be a bit of a chameleon with my music,” she says. “Keep people guessing and keep it full of surprises.” \NTuttle has been slowly building this collection of songs over the last five years, while also writing and releasing two hugely successful albums and a six-song EP (last year’s Into the Wild) and playing more than 100 shows each year with Golden Highway. Along the way she’d send songs to Joyce, who she first started talking to about collaborating on the album a few years ago. \N“I’ve been wanting to make this record for such a long time. Part of me was scared to do such a big departure, and that went into the album title So Long Little Miss Sunshine. It’s like, ‘You know what? I’m just not going to care what people think. I’m going to do what I want.’” \NThe album was recorded with a group of musicians that includes drummer/percussionists Jay Bellerose and Fred Eltringham, bassist Byron House, and Joyce on multiple instruments. Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show) also plays banjo, fiddle, and harmonica, as well as singing harmony. \NTuttle also conceived the artwork for So Long Little Miss Sunshine, which features multiple Mollys, each wearing a different wig except for one with nothing on her head at all. (“I probably own as many wigs as I own guitars,” she says.) Tuttle has been bald since she was three years old due to the autoimmune condition alopecia areata; she acts as a spokesperson for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. \N“I love raising awareness,” she says. “I talk about it onstage a lot and broaden it to include anyone who’s ever had something that makes them stick out and look or feel different from others. Playing my song ‘Crooked Tree’ live is very meaningful to me, because it’s a moment where sometimes I’ll take off my wig and talk about my struggles with self-acceptance.” \NOne album track, “Old Me (New Wig),” is “about leaving all these things behind that don’t serve you anymore,” she says. “Parts of yourself that really aren’t in your best interest, like low self-esteem, anxieties, and not feeling confident. Learning to own these different aspects of my personality but not letting them control me is another theme of the record that inspired the album title and the cover art. Those are all things I’ve struggled with through the years—just feeling like an impostor, like I wasn’t good enough. I like singing this song because there are days when I still have to tell myself to leave that stuff behind.’” \NMost of the So Long Little Miss Sunshine songs were co-written with Secor, who is also Tuttle’s partner. “We spend so much time together, we live together, and anytime I have a song idea, or he has one, it’s just so easy to transition from whatever we’re doing into writing a song.” \NAlthough they were written in different times and circumstances, Tuttle found to her surprise that the songs were all tied together by interwoven themes. The opening track, “Everything Burns”—a dark, intense, big-guitar song—was written in 2020, during the chaos and division of the start of the Covid pandemic. It might as easily refer to the current chaos and division in America since Election Day 2024, though. In fact, they recorded it the day after the election. \NThere are several songs about traveling—sometimes down the open road, like “Highway Knows” and “Oasis”—but also back in time, as on “Easy” and “Golden State of Mind.” \NThe record also tells “a kind of coming-of-age story,” Tuttle says. “‘Golden State of Mind’ is one of the songs I feel is a through-line to that. It makes me think about people I’ve been close to in the past that I’ve drifted away from, and about growing up and figuring out who you are.” \NThat theme is in turn picked up in the beautiful ballad “No Regrets,” one of the last songs Tuttle wrote for the album. “It’s about looking back on your life and thinking, ‘Well, maybe I could have done things differently, but if I hadn’t made certain mistakes or gone down certain roads, then I wouldn't be here.’ And I really like where I am now!” \NSo Long Little Miss Sunshine closes, as her last two albums did, with an autobiographical song, “Story of My So-Called Life.” “This is me looking back on my life, from growing up to going to school in Boston to moving to Nashville to where I am now—taking stock of all these pivotal moments throughout my life that made me who I am. I feel like after I’ve said so much in all the other songs, it’s just kind of nice to end it on a note of, ‘Here’s how this all came to be,’” she says. \N***** \NEarlier this year, Tuttle played guitar and sang on Ringo Starr’s new country album, Look Up. She also played with him and a host of other stellar musical guests at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry as part of his televised Ringo & Friends shows. She was inspired by his fearlessness in following his passion for country music. “It is cool to see someone like that who has done everything you could imagine doing in a music career and he’s still just so psyched and still has a list of things that he wants to accomplish,” Tuttle says. \NLooking back on her own career, Tuttle admits that she also has pursued what interests her: “It has never been a cookie-cutter thing where I’m just going down a straight road. I always had this crooked path.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:On the heels of two Grammy-winning albums in succession, with her band Golden Highway—2022’s Crooked Tree and 2023’s City of Gold—plus a nomination for Best New Artist, Molly Tuttle returns with a solo album that’s her most dazzling to date: So Long Little Miss Sunshine.
Recorded in Nashville with producer Jay Joyce (Orville Peck, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Cage the Elephant), the fifth full album from the California-born, Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and virtuoso guitarist features twelve new songs—eleven originals and one highly unexpected cover of Icona Pop and Charli xcx’s “I Love It.”
Tuttle’s career, which began at age fifteen, has charted a course between honoring bluegrass and stretching its boundaries. On this album—a hybrid of pop, country, rock, and flat-picking, plus one murder ballad—she goes to a whole new place. Her stunning guitar work is more up-front on this album than ever before. (One of the most decorated female guitarist alive, Tuttle was the first woman to win the prestigious International Bluegrass Music Award’s Guitar Player of the Year in 2017, at age twenty-four, and won again the following year, with nominations nearly every year since; she has also won Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year award.) So Long Little Miss Sunshine also features Tuttle playing banjo, something she’s never done on one of her albums before.
“I like to be a bit of a chameleon with my music,” she says. “Keep people guessing and keep it full of surprises.”
Tuttle has been slowly building this collection of songs over the last five years, while also writing and releasing two hugely successful albums and a six-song EP (last year’s Into the Wild) and playing more than 100 shows each year with Golden Highway. Along the way she’d send songs to Joyce, who she first started talking to about collaborating on the album a few years ago.
“I’ve been wanting to make this record for such a long time. Part of me was scared to do such a big departure, and that went into the album title So Long Little Miss Sunshine. It’s like, ‘You know what? I’m just not going to care what people think. I’m going to do what I want.’”
The album was recorded with a group of musicians that includes drummer/percussionists Jay Bellerose and Fred Eltringham, bassist Byron House, and Joyce on multiple instruments. Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show) also plays banjo, fiddle, and harmonica, as well as singing harmony.
Tuttle also conceived the artwork for So Long Little Miss Sunshine, which features multiple Mollys, each wearing a different wig except for one with nothing on her head at all. (“I probably own as many wigs as I own guitars,” she says.) Tuttle has been bald since she was three years old due to the autoimmune condition alopecia areata; she acts as a spokesperson for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.
“I love raising awareness,” she says. “I talk about it onstage a lot and broaden it to include anyone who’s ever had something that makes them stick out and look or feel different from others. Playing my song ‘Crooked Tree’ live is very meaningful to me, because it’s a moment where sometimes I’ll take off my wig and talk about my struggles with self-acceptance.”
One album track, “Old Me (New Wig),” is “about leaving all these things behind that don’t serve you anymore,” she says. “Parts of yourself that really aren’t in your best interest, like low self-esteem, anxieties, and not feeling confident. Learning to own these different aspects of my personality but not letting them control me is another theme of the record that inspired the album title and the cover art. Those are all things I’ve struggled with through the years—just feeling like an impostor, like I wasn’t good enough. I like singing this song because there are days when I still have to tell myself to leave that stuff behind.’”
Most of the So Long Little Miss Sunshine songs were co-written with Secor, who is also Tuttle’s partner. “We spend so much time together, we live together, and anytime I have a song idea, or he has one, it’s just so easy to transition from whatever we’re doing into writing a song.”
Although they were written in different times and circumstances, Tuttle found to her surprise that the songs were all tied together by interwoven themes. The opening track, “Everything Burns”—a dark, intense, big-guitar song—was written in 2020, during the chaos and division of the start of the Covid pandemic. It might as easily refer to the current chaos and division in America since Election Day 2024, though. In fact, they recorded it the day after the election.
There are several songs about traveling—sometimes down the open road, like “Highway Knows” and “Oasis”—but also back in time, as on “Easy” and “Golden State of Mind.”
The record also tells “a kind of coming-of-age story,” Tuttle says. “‘Golden State of Mind’ is one of the songs I feel is a through-line to that. It makes me think about people I’ve been close to in the past that I’ve drifted away from, and about growing up and figuring out who you are.”
That theme is in turn picked up in the beautiful ballad “No Regrets,” one of the last songs Tuttle wrote for the album. “It’s about looking back on your life and thinking, ‘Well, maybe I could have done things differently, but if I hadn’t made certain mistakes or gone down certain roads, then I wouldn't be here.’ And I really like where I am now!”
So Long Little Miss Sunshine closes, as her last two albums did, with an autobiographical song, “Story of My So-Called Life.” “This is me looking back on my life, from growing up to going to school in Boston to moving to Nashville to where I am now—taking stock of all these pivotal moments throughout my life that made me who I am. I feel like after I’ve said so much in all the other songs, it’s just kind of nice to end it on a note of, ‘Here’s how this all came to be,’” she says.
*****
Earlier this year, Tuttle played guitar and sang on Ringo Starr’s new country album, Look Up. She also played with him and a host of other stellar musical guests at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry as part of his televised Ringo & Friends shows. She was inspired by his fearlessness in following his passion for country music. “It is cool to see someone like that who has done everything you could imagine doing in a music career and he’s still just so psyched and still has a list of things that he wants to accomplish,” Tuttle says.
Looking back on her own career, Tuttle admits that she also has pursued what interests her: “It has never been a cookie-cutter thing where I’m just going down a straight road. I always had this crooked path.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T190301Z SEQUENCE:2602591 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:4044 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-08-12 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251101T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251101T233000 UID:8379B971-C846-4587-B522-15ABD925A698 SUMMARY:Todd Snider Band CREATED:20250721T151657Z DTSTAMP:20250721T151657Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/todd-snider-band DESCRIPTION:At this point in his career, Todd Snider is undeniably one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, as attested by John Prine, Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Guy Clark. Lynn, Shaver and Walker all recorded his songs, as have Tom Jones and Garth Brooks. But Snider is so much more than the lovable, lazy-ass stoner yodeler he appears to be. Did you know his memoir is a best-seller, which makes him a best-selling author — let that sink in. In some minds, at least his own, he's a literary giant. He's had an accomplished film career, as well. Did you know Snider's song "Just Like Old Times" inspired the film Hard Luck Love Song which stars some people you've heard of? The film even includes an on-screen performance of the song by Snider during the closing credits. He also starred in the independent feature film East Nashville Tonight along with outlaw country chanteuse Elizabeth Cook. That film is in part about trying to score some drugs, which is one of Snider's well-known hobbies.\NAnd last, but certainly not least, there are Snider's accomplishments in the world of sports. Although it hasn't been officially verified, he's widely regarded as the inventor of the high five. And few people are aware he won the single player American Foosball championship in the late '80s. Still, even with all these amazing accomplishments you may not have known about, first and foremost Snider remains one of America's truly gifted storytellers. And if you've got tickets to see him live, boy, does he have a few songs and a few stories to share with you. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:At this point in his career, Todd Snider is undeniably one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, as attested by John Prine, Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Guy Clark. Lynn, Shaver and Walker all recorded his songs, as have Tom Jones and Garth Brooks. But Snider is so much more than the lovable, lazy-ass stoner yodeler he appears to be. Did you know his memoir is a best-seller, which makes him a best-selling author — let that sink in. In some minds, at least his own, he's a literary giant. He's had an accomplished film career, as well. Did you know Snider's song "Just Like Old Times" inspired the film Hard Luck Love Song which stars some people you've heard of? The film even includes an on-screen performance of the song by Snider during the closing credits. He also starred in the independent feature film East Nashville Tonight along with outlaw country chanteuse Elizabeth Cook. That film is in part about trying to score some drugs, which is one of Snider's well-known hobbies.
And last, but certainly not least, there are Snider's accomplishments in the world of sports. Although it hasn't been officially verified, he's widely regarded as the inventor of the high five. And few people are aware he won the single player American Foosball championship in the late '80s. Still, even with all these amazing accomplishments you may not have known about, first and foremost Snider remains one of America's truly gifted storytellers. And if you've got tickets to see him live, boy, does he have a few songs and a few stories to share with you.
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T183857Z SEQUENCE:8738520 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3643 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-07-22 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251107T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251107T233000 UID:C8BCA64A-AA10-443C-9534-4464DCFE6F6D SUMMARY:Hayden Todd CREATED:20250915T153905Z DTSTAMP:20250915T153905Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/hayden-todd DESCRIPTION:I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 21st, 1994, and raised in Burley, Idaho. I received my 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 13. Graduated from Declo High School where I was a show choir performer for 3 years for the Declo High Trendsetters. I made my way back to Salt Lake City, Utah and attended Salt Lake Community College in 2013 for their film program, where I learned the skills to direct, film, and edit my own music videos.\NMy passion for music and entertainment in general really started at the age of 5. My father introduced me to my love of horror films, starting with the 1978 classic “Halloween”, directed by John Carpenter. From that movie spawned my deep desire to be a part of the entertainment business. I knew I was destined to entertain in one form or another. I eventually starred in an independent film titled “Red Eye” written and directed by Deranged Minds Entertainment back in 2016.\NI really got into rap around the age of 10, listening to artists such as Lil’ Wayne, Eminem, Kanye, and Nicki Minaj. I found myself writing rhymes, lyrics, songs, and even scripts in my journals throughout my schooling. This led me to eventually shooting my first music parody, “Lawn Guy”. That and my follow up parody, “Salt Lake City Dreams”, really sparked my love of music and writing\NIn 2019 I released my first album titled “GAYPOCALYPSE”. Then in 2020 I released my most popular song, “Barbie Girl”. I did several features in other songs: “FBoy Fall”, “3, 2, 1 Vogue”, “Another Guy (Remix)”, “Cap”, and a couple freestyles to “Whole Lotta Choppas” and “Trollz”. And then in 2021 I released my second album “Hayden Todd: Volume One”.\NSince the release of Hayden Todd: Volume One, I have done local performances at The Sun Trapp, an LGBTQ Bar in Salt Lake City, Utah, along with other local venues and LGBTQ events. My most notable performance was opening for Toddrick Hall at the Loud & Queer SLC Pride 2021. I have been asked to perform in the Las Vegas Pride, which will be October 10, 2022.\NWith each new song that I write, and each new performance, my strength as an entertainer constantly grows. My current single “Long Lost Love” is a testament to my growth as an artist and is only a steppingstone to music yet to come. With the support of my family, friends, and fans (my Hot Toddies), I hope to see myself as being a strong role model and voice for the LGBTQ community.\NFun Fact: I’ve gotten 55K followers on Tik Tok based on me lip-sync acting to the Golden Girls! X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 21st, 1994, and raised in Burley, Idaho. I received my 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 13. Graduated from Declo High School where I was a show choir performer for 3 years for the Declo High Trendsetters. I made my way back to Salt Lake City, Utah and attended Salt Lake Community College in 2013 for their film program, where I learned the skills to direct, film, and edit my own music videos.
My passion for music and entertainment in general really started at the age of 5. My father introduced me to my love of horror films, starting with the 1978 classic “Halloween”, directed by John Carpenter. From that movie spawned my deep desire to be a part of the entertainment business. I knew I was destined to entertain in one form or another. I eventually starred in an independent film titled “Red Eye” written and directed by Deranged Minds Entertainment back in 2016.
I really got into rap around the age of 10, listening to artists such as Lil’ Wayne, Eminem, Kanye, and Nicki Minaj. I found myself writing rhymes, lyrics, songs, and even scripts in my journals throughout my schooling. This led me to eventually shooting my first music parody, “Lawn Guy”. That and my follow up parody, “Salt Lake City Dreams”, really sparked my love of music and writing
In 2019 I released my first album titled “GAYPOCALYPSE”. Then in 2020 I released my most popular song, “Barbie Girl”. I did several features in other songs: “FBoy Fall”, “3, 2, 1 Vogue”, “Another Guy (Remix)”, “Cap”, and a couple freestyles to “Whole Lotta Choppas” and “Trollz”. And then in 2021 I released my second album “Hayden Todd: Volume One”.
Since the release of Hayden Todd: Volume One, I have done local performances at The Sun Trapp, an LGBTQ Bar in Salt Lake City, Utah, along with other local venues and LGBTQ events. My most notable performance was opening for Toddrick Hall at the Loud & Queer SLC Pride 2021. I have been asked to perform in the Las Vegas Pride, which will be October 10, 2022.
With each new song that I write, and each new performance, my strength as an entertainer constantly grows. My current single “Long Lost Love” is a testament to my growth as an artist and is only a steppingstone to music yet to come. With the support of my family, friends, and fans (my Hot Toddies), I hope to see myself as being a strong role model and voice for the LGBTQ community.
Fun Fact: I’ve gotten 55K followers on Tik Tok based on me lip-sync acting to the Golden Girls!
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T183940Z SEQUENCE:3898835 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1169 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-09-16 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251108T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251108T233000 UID:C10CF79B-FB3D-461F-BE70-3784B2044A6B SUMMARY:The Brothers Comatose Night 1 CREATED:20250609T152431Z DTSTAMP:20250609T152431Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-brothers-comatose-night-1 DESCRIPTION:The Brothers Comatose didn’t set out to coin a new genre. To be honest, it was a bit of an accident.\N“My brother and I have a lot of respect for bluegrass,” explains guitarist/singer Ben Morrison, “but it was never in our blood. We were raised on California rock and folk and country music, so when we got our hands on some traditional acoustic instruments growing up, that’s just the energy and the attitude we naturally channeled. A fan started calling our sound Golden Grass, and the phrase just felt right.” \NSo right, in fact, that the band named their intoxicating new album after the moniker. Recorded in the Bay Area with co-producers Greg Holden and Tim Bluhm, Golden Grass cements The Brothers Comatose as the standard bearers of a thriving, innovative West Coast roots movement, one that fuses old school string band instrumentation with singer/songwriter craftsmanship and rock and roll exuberance, all with a deeply rooted sense of place. The songs here are as diverse and enthralling as the Golden State landscape itself—at times carefree and breezy, at times wild and rugged—and the performances are lush and organic to match, propelled by rich vocal harmonies and driving fiddle (Phil Brezina), banjo (Alex Morrison), mandolin (Addie Levy), and upright bass (Steve Height). And while the collection marks the group’s first release with Levy in the lineup, the result is quintessential Brothers Comatose, a warm, joyful reflection on identity and the ties that bind from a band that knows exactly who they are (and exactly where they come from).\N“The Golden Grass sound is a little more laidback than high and lonesome,” Morrison explains. “It’s more relaxed than it is refined. It’s got all sorts of natural imagery, from the desert to the ocean to the redwood forests, but at its heart, it’s a campfire jam on the beach where anyone can strum a few chords and join in. The more the merrier.”\NThat spirit of inclusion has been central to the band from the start. Founded by Morrison and his brother, Alex, in 2008, the San Francisco-based quintet first emerged to widespread acclaim with their 2010 debut, Songs From The Stoop, which helped earn dates with the likes of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Greensky Bluegrass, and Trampled By Turtles. In the decade-and-a-half that followed, The Brothers Comatose would go on to release five more full-length LPs (along with a slew of singles and adventurous cover EPs), rack up nearly 50 million streams, land festival slots at Outside Lands, High Sierra, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, tour with Lake Street Dive, The Devil Makes Three, and Yonder Mountain String Band, and build up a devoted following thanks to their raucous live shows and relentless schedule.\NLife on the road came with a cost, though, and in 2024, longtime mandolinist Greg Fleischut decided to part ways with the group, which had already begun recording Golden Grass during what little free time they could muster.\N“We’d always thought it would be cool to have a female voice to hit those high harmonies,” recalls Morrison, who invited Levy to join the band following Fleischut’s departure. “Addie’s such an incredible mandolin and fiddle player, but she’s also a great singer and songwriter in her own right, and at just 23, she brings a really exciting energy to what we do.”\NWith Levy onboard, the band returned to the studio during breaks from tour to cut the second half of Golden Grass, embracing the new blood and sonic growth while at the same time doubling down on their distinctive genre-bending sound and character.\N“This album came together over a long period of time, and it bridges the lineup change,” says Morrison, “so the songs really represent an amalgamation of different periods in our lives. Alex and Addie and Phil all wrote tunes for it, as well, so there’s a lot of variety, but there’s a throughline of live performance that ties the whole thing together.”\NThat live energy is plain to hear on Golden Grass, which opens with the infectious title track. “Way out west we do it differently / Untraditionally,” Morrison sings in airtight harmony with his bandmates. “We’ll just burn one down / Can you feel it? / Just relax / It’s Golden Grass.” Like much of the album, the tune is a celebration of home and family, one delivered with both earnest sincerity and sly humor (listen closely and you’ll catch shout outs to a host of other California artists, from Jerry Garcia’s bluegrass outfit, Old & In The Way, up through contemporaries like Molly Tuttle and AJ Lee & Blue Summit). The loping “Hills of San Francisco” turns the city’s slanted streets into a metaphor for life’s ups and downs, while the playful “IPA Song” finds humor in the band’s love/hate relationship with their state’s most recognizable beer, and the poignant “Home Again” (featuring Lindsay Lou on vocals) reckons with loss and resilience in the face of the devastating wildfires that have become all-too-regular across the West in recent years.\N“We had really good friends lose their house up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and we’ve been heartbroken watching it happen to so many others all over California,” Morrison explains. “Rather than let it just be a sad song, though, we wanted to capture the beauty that comes with seeing people rebuild and rise from the ashes. We wanted to celebrate the hope that keeps people going through hard times.”\NEven when they set their sights beyond California, the band still insists on holding on to that irrepressible sense of hope. The bittersweet “Huckleberry Wine” (written by Alex) revels in the memory of youth and warm summer nights; the exultant “Blue Mountain” (written by Levy) shares a little taste of Appalachia as it embraces the comfort of returning to your roots; and the tender “My Friend” (written by Brezina) celebrates the kind of bonds that transcend time and distance.\N“Music has always been rooted in friendship and community for us,” Morrison reflects. “Growing up, our parents used to host parties where all these local musicians would sit around the living room singing and playing together. Somebody left their banjo behind one night, and that’s how Alex and I got started. The rest is history.” \NCall it an accident. Call it fate. These days, The Brothers Comatose just call it Golden Grass. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The Brothers Comatose didn’t set out to coin a new genre. To be honest, it was a bit of an accident.
“My brother and I have a lot of respect for bluegrass,” explains guitarist/singer Ben Morrison, “but it was never in our blood. We were raised on California rock and folk and country music, so when we got our hands on some traditional acoustic instruments growing up, that’s just the energy and the attitude we naturally channeled. A fan started calling our sound Golden Grass, and the phrase just felt right.”
So right, in fact, that the band named their intoxicating new album after the moniker. Recorded in the Bay Area with co-producers Greg Holden and Tim Bluhm, Golden Grass cements The Brothers Comatose as the standard bearers of a thriving, innovative West Coast roots movement, one that fuses old school string band instrumentation with singer/songwriter craftsmanship and rock and roll exuberance, all with a deeply rooted sense of place. The songs here are as diverse and enthralling as the Golden State landscape itself—at times carefree and breezy, at times wild and rugged—and the performances are lush and organic to match, propelled by rich vocal harmonies and driving fiddle (Phil Brezina), banjo (Alex Morrison), mandolin (Addie Levy), and upright bass (Steve Height). And while the collection marks the group’s first release with Levy in the lineup, the result is quintessential Brothers Comatose, a warm, joyful reflection on identity and the ties that bind from a band that knows exactly who they are (and exactly where they come from).
“The Golden Grass sound is a little more laidback than high and lonesome,” Morrison explains. “It’s more relaxed than it is refined. It’s got all sorts of natural imagery, from the desert to the ocean to the redwood forests, but at its heart, it’s a campfire jam on the beach where anyone can strum a few chords and join in. The more the merrier.”
That spirit of inclusion has been central to the band from the start. Founded by Morrison and his brother, Alex, in 2008, the San Francisco-based quintet first emerged to widespread acclaim with their 2010 debut, Songs From The Stoop, which helped earn dates with the likes of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Greensky Bluegrass, and Trampled By Turtles. In the decade-and-a-half that followed, The Brothers Comatose would go on to release five more full-length LPs (along with a slew of singles and adventurous cover EPs), rack up nearly 50 million streams, land festival slots at Outside Lands, High Sierra, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, tour with Lake Street Dive, The Devil Makes Three, and Yonder Mountain String Band, and build up a devoted following thanks to their raucous live shows and relentless schedule.
Life on the road came with a cost, though, and in 2024, longtime mandolinist Greg Fleischut decided to part ways with the group, which had already begun recording Golden Grass during what little free time they could muster.
“We’d always thought it would be cool to have a female voice to hit those high harmonies,” recalls Morrison, who invited Levy to join the band following Fleischut’s departure. “Addie’s such an incredible mandolin and fiddle player, but she’s also a great singer and songwriter in her own right, and at just 23, she brings a really exciting energy to what we do.”
With Levy onboard, the band returned to the studio during breaks from tour to cut the second half of Golden Grass, embracing the new blood and sonic growth while at the same time doubling down on their distinctive genre-bending sound and character.
“This album came together over a long period of time, and it bridges the lineup change,” says Morrison, “so the songs really represent an amalgamation of different periods in our lives. Alex and Addie and Phil all wrote tunes for it, as well, so there’s a lot of variety, but there’s a throughline of live performance that ties the whole thing together.”
That live energy is plain to hear on Golden Grass, which opens with the infectious title track. “Way out west we do it differently / Untraditionally,” Morrison sings in airtight harmony with his bandmates. “We’ll just burn one down / Can you feel it? / Just relax / It’s Golden Grass.” Like much of the album, the tune is a celebration of home and family, one delivered with both earnest sincerity and sly humor (listen closely and you’ll catch shout outs to a host of other California artists, from Jerry Garcia’s bluegrass outfit, Old & In The Way, up through contemporaries like Molly Tuttle and AJ Lee & Blue Summit). The loping “Hills of San Francisco” turns the city’s slanted streets into a metaphor for life’s ups and downs, while the playful “IPA Song” finds humor in the band’s love/hate relationship with their state’s most recognizable beer, and the poignant “Home Again” (featuring Lindsay Lou on vocals) reckons with loss and resilience in the face of the devastating wildfires that have become all-too-regular across the West in recent years.
“We had really good friends lose their house up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and we’ve been heartbroken watching it happen to so many others all over California,” Morrison explains. “Rather than let it just be a sad song, though, we wanted to capture the beauty that comes with seeing people rebuild and rise from the ashes. We wanted to celebrate the hope that keeps people going through hard times.”
Even when they set their sights beyond California, the band still insists on holding on to that irrepressible sense of hope. The bittersweet “Huckleberry Wine” (written by Alex) revels in the memory of youth and warm summer nights; the exultant “Blue Mountain” (written by Levy) shares a little taste of Appalachia as it embraces the comfort of returning to your roots; and the tender “My Friend” (written by Brezina) celebrates the kind of bonds that transcend time and distance.
“Music has always been rooted in friendship and community for us,” Morrison reflects. “Growing up, our parents used to host parties where all these local musicians would sit around the living room singing and playing together. Somebody left their banjo behind one night, and that’s how Alex and I got started. The rest is history.”
Call it an accident. Call it fate. These days, The Brothers Comatose just call it Golden Grass.
LAST-MODIFIED:20251105T165843Z SEQUENCE:12879252 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2663 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-06-10 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251109T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251109T100000 UID:7E662E2C-1A8E-45EE-B58A-FF9647B01971 SUMMARY:The Brothers Comatose Night 2 CREATED:20250609T152429Z DTSTAMP:20250609T152429Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-brothers-comatose-night-2 DESCRIPTION:The Brothers Comatose didn’t set out to coin a new genre. To be honest, it was a bit of an accident.\N“My brother and I have a lot of respect for bluegrass,” explains guitarist/singer Ben Morrison, “but it was never in our blood. We were raised on California rock and folk and country music, so when we got our hands on some traditional acoustic instruments growing up, that’s just the energy and the attitude we naturally channeled. A fan started calling our sound Golden Grass, and the phrase just felt right.” \NSo right, in fact, that the band named their intoxicating new album after the moniker. Recorded in the Bay Area with co-producers Greg Holden and Tim Bluhm, Golden Grass cements The Brothers Comatose as the standard bearers of a thriving, innovative West Coast roots movement, one that fuses old school string band instrumentation with singer/songwriter craftsmanship and rock and roll exuberance, all with a deeply rooted sense of place. The songs here are as diverse and enthralling as the Golden State landscape itself—at times carefree and breezy, at times wild and rugged—and the performances are lush and organic to match, propelled by rich vocal harmonies and driving fiddle (Phil Brezina), banjo (Alex Morrison), mandolin (Addie Levy), and upright bass (Steve Height). And while the collection marks the group’s first release with Levy in the lineup, the result is quintessential Brothers Comatose, a warm, joyful reflection on identity and the ties that bind from a band that knows exactly who they are (and exactly where they come from).\N“The Golden Grass sound is a little more laidback than high and lonesome,” Morrison explains. “It’s more relaxed than it is refined. It’s got all sorts of natural imagery, from the desert to the ocean to the redwood forests, but at its heart, it’s a campfire jam on the beach where anyone can strum a few chords and join in. The more the merrier.”\NThat spirit of inclusion has been central to the band from the start. Founded by Morrison and his brother, Alex, in 2008, the San Francisco-based quintet first emerged to widespread acclaim with their 2010 debut, Songs From The Stoop, which helped earn dates with the likes of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Greensky Bluegrass, and Trampled By Turtles. In the decade-and-a-half that followed, The Brothers Comatose would go on to release five more full-length LPs (along with a slew of singles and adventurous cover EPs), rack up nearly 50 million streams, land festival slots at Outside Lands, High Sierra, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, tour with Lake Street Dive, The Devil Makes Three, and Yonder Mountain String Band, and build up a devoted following thanks to their raucous live shows and relentless schedule.\NLife on the road came with a cost, though, and in 2024, longtime mandolinist Greg Fleischut decided to part ways with the group, which had already begun recording Golden Grass during what little free time they could muster.\N“We’d always thought it would be cool to have a female voice to hit those high harmonies,” recalls Morrison, who invited Levy to join the band following Fleischut’s departure. “Addie’s such an incredible mandolin and fiddle player, but she’s also a great singer and songwriter in her own right, and at just 23, she brings a really exciting energy to what we do.”\NWith Levy onboard, the band returned to the studio during breaks from tour to cut the second half of Golden Grass, embracing the new blood and sonic growth while at the same time doubling down on their distinctive genre-bending sound and character.\N“This album came together over a long period of time, and it bridges the lineup change,” says Morrison, “so the songs really represent an amalgamation of different periods in our lives. Alex and Addie and Phil all wrote tunes for it, as well, so there’s a lot of variety, but there’s a throughline of live performance that ties the whole thing together.”\NThat live energy is plain to hear on Golden Grass, which opens with the infectious title track. “Way out west we do it differently / Untraditionally,” Morrison sings in airtight harmony with his bandmates. “We’ll just burn one down / Can you feel it? / Just relax / It’s Golden Grass.” Like much of the album, the tune is a celebration of home and family, one delivered with both earnest sincerity and sly humor (listen closely and you’ll catch shout outs to a host of other California artists, from Jerry Garcia’s bluegrass outfit, Old & In The Way, up through contemporaries like Molly Tuttle and AJ Lee & Blue Summit). The loping “Hills of San Francisco” turns the city’s slanted streets into a metaphor for life’s ups and downs, while the playful “IPA Song” finds humor in the band’s love/hate relationship with their state’s most recognizable beer, and the poignant “Home Again” (featuring Lindsay Lou on vocals) reckons with loss and resilience in the face of the devastating wildfires that have become all-too-regular across the West in recent years.\N“We had really good friends lose their house up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and we’ve been heartbroken watching it happen to so many others all over California,” Morrison explains. “Rather than let it just be a sad song, though, we wanted to capture the beauty that comes with seeing people rebuild and rise from the ashes. We wanted to celebrate the hope that keeps people going through hard times.”\NEven when they set their sights beyond California, the band still insists on holding on to that irrepressible sense of hope. The bittersweet “Huckleberry Wine” (written by Alex) revels in the memory of youth and warm summer nights; the exultant “Blue Mountain” (written by Levy) shares a little taste of Appalachia as it embraces the comfort of returning to your roots; and the tender “My Friend” (written by Brezina) celebrates the kind of bonds that transcend time and distance.\N“Music has always been rooted in friendship and community for us,” Morrison reflects. “Growing up, our parents used to host parties where all these local musicians would sit around the living room singing and playing together. Somebody left their banjo behind one night, and that’s how Alex and I got started. The rest is history.” \NCall it an accident. Call it fate. These days, The Brothers Comatose just call it Golden Grass. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The Brothers Comatose didn’t set out to coin a new genre. To be honest, it was a bit of an accident.
“My brother and I have a lot of respect for bluegrass,” explains guitarist/singer Ben Morrison, “but it was never in our blood. We were raised on California rock and folk and country music, so when we got our hands on some traditional acoustic instruments growing up, that’s just the energy and the attitude we naturally channeled. A fan started calling our sound Golden Grass, and the phrase just felt right.”
So right, in fact, that the band named their intoxicating new album after the moniker. Recorded in the Bay Area with co-producers Greg Holden and Tim Bluhm, Golden Grass cements The Brothers Comatose as the standard bearers of a thriving, innovative West Coast roots movement, one that fuses old school string band instrumentation with singer/songwriter craftsmanship and rock and roll exuberance, all with a deeply rooted sense of place. The songs here are as diverse and enthralling as the Golden State landscape itself—at times carefree and breezy, at times wild and rugged—and the performances are lush and organic to match, propelled by rich vocal harmonies and driving fiddle (Phil Brezina), banjo (Alex Morrison), mandolin (Addie Levy), and upright bass (Steve Height). And while the collection marks the group’s first release with Levy in the lineup, the result is quintessential Brothers Comatose, a warm, joyful reflection on identity and the ties that bind from a band that knows exactly who they are (and exactly where they come from).
“The Golden Grass sound is a little more laidback than high and lonesome,” Morrison explains. “It’s more relaxed than it is refined. It’s got all sorts of natural imagery, from the desert to the ocean to the redwood forests, but at its heart, it’s a campfire jam on the beach where anyone can strum a few chords and join in. The more the merrier.”
That spirit of inclusion has been central to the band from the start. Founded by Morrison and his brother, Alex, in 2008, the San Francisco-based quintet first emerged to widespread acclaim with their 2010 debut, Songs From The Stoop, which helped earn dates with the likes of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Greensky Bluegrass, and Trampled By Turtles. In the decade-and-a-half that followed, The Brothers Comatose would go on to release five more full-length LPs (along with a slew of singles and adventurous cover EPs), rack up nearly 50 million streams, land festival slots at Outside Lands, High Sierra, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, tour with Lake Street Dive, The Devil Makes Three, and Yonder Mountain String Band, and build up a devoted following thanks to their raucous live shows and relentless schedule.
Life on the road came with a cost, though, and in 2024, longtime mandolinist Greg Fleischut decided to part ways with the group, which had already begun recording Golden Grass during what little free time they could muster.
“We’d always thought it would be cool to have a female voice to hit those high harmonies,” recalls Morrison, who invited Levy to join the band following Fleischut’s departure. “Addie’s such an incredible mandolin and fiddle player, but she’s also a great singer and songwriter in her own right, and at just 23, she brings a really exciting energy to what we do.”
With Levy onboard, the band returned to the studio during breaks from tour to cut the second half of Golden Grass, embracing the new blood and sonic growth while at the same time doubling down on their distinctive genre-bending sound and character.
“This album came together over a long period of time, and it bridges the lineup change,” says Morrison, “so the songs really represent an amalgamation of different periods in our lives. Alex and Addie and Phil all wrote tunes for it, as well, so there’s a lot of variety, but there’s a throughline of live performance that ties the whole thing together.”
That live energy is plain to hear on Golden Grass, which opens with the infectious title track. “Way out west we do it differently / Untraditionally,” Morrison sings in airtight harmony with his bandmates. “We’ll just burn one down / Can you feel it? / Just relax / It’s Golden Grass.” Like much of the album, the tune is a celebration of home and family, one delivered with both earnest sincerity and sly humor (listen closely and you’ll catch shout outs to a host of other California artists, from Jerry Garcia’s bluegrass outfit, Old & In The Way, up through contemporaries like Molly Tuttle and AJ Lee & Blue Summit). The loping “Hills of San Francisco” turns the city’s slanted streets into a metaphor for life’s ups and downs, while the playful “IPA Song” finds humor in the band’s love/hate relationship with their state’s most recognizable beer, and the poignant “Home Again” (featuring Lindsay Lou on vocals) reckons with loss and resilience in the face of the devastating wildfires that have become all-too-regular across the West in recent years.
“We had really good friends lose their house up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and we’ve been heartbroken watching it happen to so many others all over California,” Morrison explains. “Rather than let it just be a sad song, though, we wanted to capture the beauty that comes with seeing people rebuild and rise from the ashes. We wanted to celebrate the hope that keeps people going through hard times.”
Even when they set their sights beyond California, the band still insists on holding on to that irrepressible sense of hope. The bittersweet “Huckleberry Wine” (written by Alex) revels in the memory of youth and warm summer nights; the exultant “Blue Mountain” (written by Levy) shares a little taste of Appalachia as it embraces the comfort of returning to your roots; and the tender “My Friend” (written by Brezina) celebrates the kind of bonds that transcend time and distance.
“Music has always been rooted in friendship and community for us,” Morrison reflects. “Growing up, our parents used to host parties where all these local musicians would sit around the living room singing and playing together. Somebody left their banjo behind one night, and that’s how Alex and I got started. The rest is history.”
Call it an accident. Call it fate. These days, The Brothers Comatose just call it Golden Grass.
LAST-MODIFIED:20251105T165936Z SEQUENCE:12879307 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2325 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-06-10 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251111T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251111T233000 UID:8B6CB42E-A4FE-4F15-870A-AD996328B19F SUMMARY:Margo Price CREATED:20250714T163625Z DTSTAMP:20250714T163625Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/margo-price-2 DESCRIPTION:Nearly a decade ago, Margo Price turned Nashville on its head with her breakthrough, beloved debut solo album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter. Released in the throes of bro-country and before pop stars were crossing over into the genre left and right, it showcased an artist completely unafraid to double down not only on herself, but what she’d always loved: classic country songs written from the intellect and the gut, hell-bent on truth-telling and both timeless and urgent all at once. Respected by her peers, praised by critics and beloved by her fans, Price created a lane where independent-minded, insurgent country music can exist and thrive alongside the mainstream, and became an ardent fighter for her beliefs in a genre where the norm is to shut up and sing. A trailblazer and a champion for the craft, Price redefined what it meant to be a modern country artist.\NAnd now she’s back with an exquisite, truly timeless album that reconnects with her roots and pays tribute to the art of the country song, inspired in part by the legends whom she now calls colleagues and friends. Hard Headed Woman is both a look forward and a look back: a way to march forward while staying true to yourself when the path of less resistance is right there in front of us, and short cuts are around every corner. And a way to look back when we need to trim what is no longer working, and to stay connected with where we’re from. It is a promise and a manifesto, a love song to both a city and a genre, and a defiant cry for individuality.\NIn creating Hard Headed Woman, Price brought all of her power as one of our most beloved and respected songwriters to craft a deep exploration of love and America in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. Featuring appearances from Tyler Childers, co-writes with RodneyCrowell and a Waylon Jennings song that his widow, Jessi Colter, urged her to sing, it is country music as only Price can make it: free of rules, cherishing tradition, hard headed to the core but with a delicate, beating heart.\NSince releasing Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, Price has barely slowed down. She’s made four records, played Saturday Night Live, been nominated for a Grammy, toured the world alongside artists like Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson, released a lauded memoir (Maybe We’llMake It, due on paperback September 2nd), became an in-demand producer and was appointed as the first female board member of Nelson’s Farm Aid. And she’s been fearless when it came to genre, venturing into psychedelic rock on her most recent, Jonathan Wilson-produced record,Strays. It would have been easiest to just stay that course, and keep running. But Price doesn’t follow success or comfort. She follows the art.\NIt took a whole lot of hard work and honesty with herself and others to get there, but that’s never stopped Price before. “I made the decision that I had to rebuild everything from the ground up,” Price says. “There’s all this pressure to be pumping out content, and I felt the opposite in the way I wanted to approach this record and my life in general.\N”Price had also established herself as one of the most passionate, vocal artists in country music and beyond when it came to standing up for political and personal causes, from the presidential election, to abortion to gun control: happily hard headed when it came to the fight for equality and justice, especially for the working class and underserved in our society. Price has always brilliantly woven her activism into her songs, but her role as a spokesperson had started to overtake, on occasion, her role as a songwriter. She wanted to focus on using her written word to deliver the most potent punch of all.“\NI always hope to do like Johnny Cash did,” Price says, “which is speak up for the common man and woman. But there have been so many threats and anger and vitriol over the years, when I am only coming from a place of love.”\NPrice realized she just needed a break from everything outside of the bubble of family life and her art. She started spending more time at home, writing songs alone and with her husband,Jeremey Ivey. She started popping up in the dive bars and tiny venues around Nashville where she got her start, sometimes just to play a country cover or two or dance with the crowd. She refused guidance to write for pop stars or compromise her values for a quick buck. Most of all, she turned the emphasis in her music back to songwriting, exactly where she began.\N“So much of Strays was leaning into this psychedelic, textural territory,” says Price. The music lent itself to vibrant, heavy stage jams, with Price often hopping behind the drum kit and bruising her thigh from a tambourine beat. She found herself longing for the days when it was just her and her guitar, playing at an East Nashville dive bar. “I always knew,” she adds, “I would come back to this more rooted sound.”\NHard Headed Woman is rooted to its core. Rooted in Price’s history and struggle to make it as a musician for so many years in a town that prizes uniformity and the bottom line, rooted in the country and folk sounds that have become her signature, rooted in the simplicity of a few key collaborators instead of songs-by-committee. At the heart of Price’s work is her creative partnership with Ivey, with whom she describes as having a “soul connection.” “I'm a songwriter,” Price says. “I'm not somebody who goes out and needs five people to craft a song, and then tack my name on it. That’s never been my style. I have something to say.\N”Something to say, nothing to prove. The first song they wrote for the album that would become Hard Headed Woman was “Close to You,” a simple, pining call for a lover that is infused with the sounds of the desert. It’s unfettered and truth-telling, accented by some flamenco guitar and Price’s gorgeous, urgent vocals. “We played the jukebox while democracy fell,” Price sings, never letting her songs fall out of the context in which they exist. It’s the kind of thing that only she could write, carrying both love and fear in one single line.\NAs more songs started to form, an early boost of confidence came from her friends Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris, who heard some of the work at a political fundraiser and encouraged Price to keep going. “I have both of them to thank for building me up and making me believe in the songs I am writing in this season of my life,” Price says. Crowell remained not only an inspiration and supporter of the album but a contributor: he co-wrote two songs with Price and Ivey.\NThe album that unfolded from there is drenched in Price’s unique story and unshakeable instincts: while Midwest Farmer’s Daughter was about her journey from childhood to Nashville, Hard Headed Woman is very much her battle since from dive bars to tour buses, through parenthood and marriage, through scrutiny and sacrifice all while fighting constantly for what she believes in, and the music she loves. It begins with a proclamation on the prelude, which serves as the album’s mission statement: or, Price puts it, “a disclaimer and reminder that I don't owe you fucking shit.”\NSongs like the album’s lead single, “Don’t Let the Bastards Get you Down,” speak for the downtrodden and the forgotten, an “anthem for people who are being overlooked in society and need to be lifted up,” Price says, “because we are up against so much right now.” As so many ofPrice’s songs do, it speaks both for the personal and the political all at once. Price was inspired by the message Kris Kristofferson whispered to Sinead O’Connor when she was booed on stage at a Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary show, and even got Kristofferson’s widow’s blessing to include his name on the credits. “I always admired Kris for how he stood by her in that moment, instead of pulling her off the stage like they told him,” Price says. It serves as a reminder to anyone who encounters resistance in the face of fighting for justice to keep going, especially when it would be so much easier to capitulate and cower.“\NThe song was originally written for a movie that never happened, but it feels so timely with everything that’s going on in the world,” Price explains. “The phrase, ‘Don’t Let TheBastards Get You Down’ originates from Margaret Atwood’s brilliant 1985 piece of literature, The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s referred to in Latin and used as a rallying cry for resistance against the oppressive regime that symbolizes resilience and hope in the face of adversity. Nolite te Bastardes Caborundorum.”\NThat spirit resonates all across the songs of Hard Headed Woman. The blistering “Don’t Wake Me Up” was based around some writings that Ivey stumbled upon in one of Price’s notebooks, inspired in part by her deep readings of Frank Stanford, one of her favorite poets due to his freewheeling work free of boundaries. They spun it all into song in minutes that chugs with the essence of Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”: “The way this world is going, ain’t where I’m at,” Price howls in her powerful, unmistakable voice. “Nowhere is Where,” turns slow and contemplative, road-worn but never broken, the call of someone who has been to the mountain but never forgets the prairie below. And “Losing Streak” whirls in with an organ and out with a weary, world-worn defiance: our worst times don’t define us, but they’re always part of who we are.\NThere are songs that go back to the beginning of Price’s early grind, like the western-tinged “Wild at Heart,” reflecting on how much her life and the city of Nashville has changed over the years – and how important it is to stay true to exactly who you are despite it all. Another, called “Red Eye Flight,” is about both leaving a lover and also leaving her longtime band the Price tags. “I’ve been with those players for ten, thirteen years,” she says. “But I could feel that I needed to make a change, and to change texturally what’s going on with the band. But it’s a familial bond, different than a friendship.”\NThere are a few choice covers and cuts, too: “Love Me Like You Used To Do” is by Price’s friend Steven Knudson, an unsung Nashville writer on whom she hopes to shine a spotlight (helping to elevate the town’s incredibly talented but buried voices is one of Price’s favorite pastimes). Friend Tyler Childers joins Price on that waltzing country ballad, while “I Just Don’t Give a Damn” is Price’s “Jolene goes to Memphis” take on the Jimmy Peppers and George Jones classic. And showcasing how Price has been trusted by the greats to lead the next generation of country music renegades, “Kissin You Goodbye” was given to Price by JessiColter, Waylon Jennings’ widow, when Price was producing her record. They’re songs chosen to appreciate the past and the present as she sees it – not as Music Row or the algorithm might dictate – and place Price squarely amongst her heroes as a living and breathing part of the new country tradition.\NWhen it came time to record Hard Headed Woman, it was important for Price to keep that ethos alive, decamping to Nashville’s RCA Studio A and reuniting with producer Matt Ross-Spang, with whom she made her first two solo albums. Though she has worked with everyone from Sturgill Simpson to Jonathan Wilson since, it was Spang’s vocal rebuke of easy studio shortcuts that made her eager to reunite again. “He’s so unpretentious,” Price says. “He fully believes in me, he fully believes in my songs. He got us back to feeling it in your gut and not needing everything to be so perfect.”\NIt felt truly significant for Price to make the album in Nashville, a city where she’s lived for over two decades and played a seminal role in its transformation, yet somehow never recorded an album in the place she’s called home. The historic RCA Studio A helped connectPrice even closer to the legacy of songwriting she holds so dear, a place where everyone fromDolly Parton to John Prine to Loretta Lynn have made albums. “It felt like there were ghosts and spirits just hanging out,” Price says. In perfect kismet, she also launched her own signatureGibson J-45 guitar, inspired by her 1960’s Gibson she’s had by her side for years as her career took off. It’s all part of the continuity that she wishes to create with her art, not just with timeless songs but inspiring future generations of women, mothers and artists in general who don’t want to sacrifice their vision, moral compass or family life in favor of mainstream success.\NAt its core, Hard Headed Woman is about that furious instinct to never waver, especially when ourselves, our values and our future is so clearly on the line. As she sings on the title track,“I ain’t ashamed, I just am what I am.”\N“I hope this album inspires people to be fearless and take chances and just be unabashedly themselves,” Price says, “in a culture that tries as hard as it can to beat us into all being the same.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Nearly a decade ago, Margo Price turned Nashville on its head with her breakthrough, beloved debut solo album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter. Released in the throes of bro-country and before pop stars were crossing over into the genre left and right, it showcased an artist completely unafraid to double down not only on herself, but what she’d always loved: classic country songs written from the intellect and the gut, hell-bent on truth-telling and both timeless and urgent all at once. Respected by her peers, praised by critics and beloved by her fans, Price created a lane where independent-minded, insurgent country music can exist and thrive alongside the mainstream, and became an ardent fighter for her beliefs in a genre where the norm is to shut up and sing. A trailblazer and a champion for the craft, Price redefined what it meant to be a modern country artist.
And now she’s back with an exquisite, truly timeless album that reconnects with her roots and pays tribute to the art of the country song, inspired in part by the legends whom she now calls colleagues and friends. Hard Headed Woman is both a look forward and a look back: a way to march forward while staying true to yourself when the path of less resistance is right there in front of us, and short cuts are around every corner. And a way to look back when we need to trim what is no longer working, and to stay connected with where we’re from. It is a promise and a manifesto, a love song to both a city and a genre, and a defiant cry for individuality.
In creating Hard Headed Woman, Price brought all of her power as one of our most beloved and respected songwriters to craft a deep exploration of love and America in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. Featuring appearances from Tyler Childers, co-writes with RodneyCrowell and a Waylon Jennings song that his widow, Jessi Colter, urged her to sing, it is country music as only Price can make it: free of rules, cherishing tradition, hard headed to the core but with a delicate, beating heart.
Since releasing Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, Price has barely slowed down. She’s made four records, played Saturday Night Live, been nominated for a Grammy, toured the world alongside artists like Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson, released a lauded memoir (Maybe We’llMake It, due on paperback September 2nd), became an in-demand producer and was appointed as the first female board member of Nelson’s Farm Aid. And she’s been fearless when it came to genre, venturing into psychedelic rock on her most recent, Jonathan Wilson-produced record,Strays. It would have been easiest to just stay that course, and keep running. But Price doesn’t follow success or comfort. She follows the art.
It took a whole lot of hard work and honesty with herself and others to get there, but that’s never stopped Price before. “I made the decision that I had to rebuild everything from the ground up,” Price says. “There’s all this pressure to be pumping out content, and I felt the opposite in the way I wanted to approach this record and my life in general.
”Price had also established herself as one of the most passionate, vocal artists in country music and beyond when it came to standing up for political and personal causes, from the presidential election, to abortion to gun control: happily hard headed when it came to the fight for equality and justice, especially for the working class and underserved in our society. Price has always brilliantly woven her activism into her songs, but her role as a spokesperson had started to overtake, on occasion, her role as a songwriter. She wanted to focus on using her written word to deliver the most potent punch of all.“
I always hope to do like Johnny Cash did,” Price says, “which is speak up for the common man and woman. But there have been so many threats and anger and vitriol over the years, when I am only coming from a place of love.”
Price realized she just needed a break from everything outside of the bubble of family life and her art. She started spending more time at home, writing songs alone and with her husband,Jeremey Ivey. She started popping up in the dive bars and tiny venues around Nashville where she got her start, sometimes just to play a country cover or two or dance with the crowd. She refused guidance to write for pop stars or compromise her values for a quick buck. Most of all, she turned the emphasis in her music back to songwriting, exactly where she began.
“So much of Strays was leaning into this psychedelic, textural territory,” says Price. The music lent itself to vibrant, heavy stage jams, with Price often hopping behind the drum kit and bruising her thigh from a tambourine beat. She found herself longing for the days when it was just her and her guitar, playing at an East Nashville dive bar. “I always knew,” she adds, “I would come back to this more rooted sound.”
Hard Headed Woman is rooted to its core. Rooted in Price’s history and struggle to make it as a musician for so many years in a town that prizes uniformity and the bottom line, rooted in the country and folk sounds that have become her signature, rooted in the simplicity of a few key collaborators instead of songs-by-committee. At the heart of Price’s work is her creative partnership with Ivey, with whom she describes as having a “soul connection.” “I'm a songwriter,” Price says. “I'm not somebody who goes out and needs five people to craft a song, and then tack my name on it. That’s never been my style. I have something to say.
”Something to say, nothing to prove. The first song they wrote for the album that would become Hard Headed Woman was “Close to You,” a simple, pining call for a lover that is infused with the sounds of the desert. It’s unfettered and truth-telling, accented by some flamenco guitar and Price’s gorgeous, urgent vocals. “We played the jukebox while democracy fell,” Price sings, never letting her songs fall out of the context in which they exist. It’s the kind of thing that only she could write, carrying both love and fear in one single line.
As more songs started to form, an early boost of confidence came from her friends Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris, who heard some of the work at a political fundraiser and encouraged Price to keep going. “I have both of them to thank for building me up and making me believe in the songs I am writing in this season of my life,” Price says. Crowell remained not only an inspiration and supporter of the album but a contributor: he co-wrote two songs with Price and Ivey.
The album that unfolded from there is drenched in Price’s unique story and unshakeable instincts: while Midwest Farmer’s Daughter was about her journey from childhood to Nashville, Hard Headed Woman is very much her battle since from dive bars to tour buses, through parenthood and marriage, through scrutiny and sacrifice all while fighting constantly for what she believes in, and the music she loves. It begins with a proclamation on the prelude, which serves as the album’s mission statement: or, Price puts it, “a disclaimer and reminder that I don't owe you fucking shit.”
Songs like the album’s lead single, “Don’t Let the Bastards Get you Down,” speak for the downtrodden and the forgotten, an “anthem for people who are being overlooked in society and need to be lifted up,” Price says, “because we are up against so much right now.” As so many ofPrice’s songs do, it speaks both for the personal and the political all at once. Price was inspired by the message Kris Kristofferson whispered to Sinead O’Connor when she was booed on stage at a Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary show, and even got Kristofferson’s widow’s blessing to include his name on the credits. “I always admired Kris for how he stood by her in that moment, instead of pulling her off the stage like they told him,” Price says. It serves as a reminder to anyone who encounters resistance in the face of fighting for justice to keep going, especially when it would be so much easier to capitulate and cower.“
The song was originally written for a movie that never happened, but it feels so timely with everything that’s going on in the world,” Price explains. “The phrase, ‘Don’t Let TheBastards Get You Down’ originates from Margaret Atwood’s brilliant 1985 piece of literature, The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s referred to in Latin and used as a rallying cry for resistance against the oppressive regime that symbolizes resilience and hope in the face of adversity. Nolite te Bastardes Caborundorum.”
That spirit resonates all across the songs of Hard Headed Woman. The blistering “Don’t Wake Me Up” was based around some writings that Ivey stumbled upon in one of Price’s notebooks, inspired in part by her deep readings of Frank Stanford, one of her favorite poets due to his freewheeling work free of boundaries. They spun it all into song in minutes that chugs with the essence of Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”: “The way this world is going, ain’t where I’m at,” Price howls in her powerful, unmistakable voice. “Nowhere is Where,” turns slow and contemplative, road-worn but never broken, the call of someone who has been to the mountain but never forgets the prairie below. And “Losing Streak” whirls in with an organ and out with a weary, world-worn defiance: our worst times don’t define us, but they’re always part of who we are.
There are songs that go back to the beginning of Price’s early grind, like the western-tinged “Wild at Heart,” reflecting on how much her life and the city of Nashville has changed over the years – and how important it is to stay true to exactly who you are despite it all. Another, called “Red Eye Flight,” is about both leaving a lover and also leaving her longtime band the Price tags. “I’ve been with those players for ten, thirteen years,” she says. “But I could feel that I needed to make a change, and to change texturally what’s going on with the band. But it’s a familial bond, different than a friendship.”
There are a few choice covers and cuts, too: “Love Me Like You Used To Do” is by Price’s friend Steven Knudson, an unsung Nashville writer on whom she hopes to shine a spotlight (helping to elevate the town’s incredibly talented but buried voices is one of Price’s favorite pastimes). Friend Tyler Childers joins Price on that waltzing country ballad, while “I Just Don’t Give a Damn” is Price’s “Jolene goes to Memphis” take on the Jimmy Peppers and George Jones classic. And showcasing how Price has been trusted by the greats to lead the next generation of country music renegades, “Kissin You Goodbye” was given to Price by JessiColter, Waylon Jennings’ widow, when Price was producing her record. They’re songs chosen to appreciate the past and the present as she sees it – not as Music Row or the algorithm might dictate – and place Price squarely amongst her heroes as a living and breathing part of the new country tradition.
When it came time to record Hard Headed Woman, it was important for Price to keep that ethos alive, decamping to Nashville’s RCA Studio A and reuniting with producer Matt Ross-Spang, with whom she made her first two solo albums. Though she has worked with everyone from Sturgill Simpson to Jonathan Wilson since, it was Spang’s vocal rebuke of easy studio shortcuts that made her eager to reunite again. “He’s so unpretentious,” Price says. “He fully believes in me, he fully believes in my songs. He got us back to feeling it in your gut and not needing everything to be so perfect.”
It felt truly significant for Price to make the album in Nashville, a city where she’s lived for over two decades and played a seminal role in its transformation, yet somehow never recorded an album in the place she’s called home. The historic RCA Studio A helped connectPrice even closer to the legacy of songwriting she holds so dear, a place where everyone fromDolly Parton to John Prine to Loretta Lynn have made albums. “It felt like there were ghosts and spirits just hanging out,” Price says. In perfect kismet, she also launched her own signatureGibson J-45 guitar, inspired by her 1960’s Gibson she’s had by her side for years as her career took off. It’s all part of the continuity that she wishes to create with her art, not just with timeless songs but inspiring future generations of women, mothers and artists in general who don’t want to sacrifice their vision, moral compass or family life in favor of mainstream success.
At its core, Hard Headed Woman is about that furious instinct to never waver, especially when ourselves, our values and our future is so clearly on the line. As she sings on the title track,“I ain’t ashamed, I just am what I am.”
“I hope this album inspires people to be fearless and take chances and just be unabashedly themselves,” Price says, “in a culture that tries as hard as it can to beat us into all being the same.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T184036Z SEQUENCE:9338651 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2762 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-07-15 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251114T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251114T233000 UID:177FEAE4-7B31-4ED6-B71A-ECE0F3CF52A1 SUMMARY:The Grateful Ball CREATED:20251015T201815Z DTSTAMP:20251015T201815Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-grateful-ball DESCRIPTION:KRCL is grateful for our community of listeners and we want to celebrate 46 years independent radio powered by you. Join us for the first ever Grateful Ball: A Benefit for KRCL on Friday, November 14 at The Commonwealth Room. Dance to live music from The Disco Chickens and Scotty & the Daylites with drinks, food trucks, a photo booth and a liquid light show. \NAll proceeds benefit KRCL, keeping community radio alive.\NSpecial thanks to Presenting Sponsor WholesomeCO, with support from Fisher Beer and The State Room Presents. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:KRCL is grateful for our community of listeners and we want to celebrate 46 years independent radio powered by you. Join us for the first ever Grateful Ball: A Benefit for KRCL on Friday, November 14 at The Commonwealth Room. Dance to live music from The Disco Chickens and Scotty & the Daylites with drinks, food trucks, a photo booth and a liquid light show.
All proceeds benefit KRCL, keeping community radio alive.
Special thanks to Presenting Sponsor WholesomeCO, with support from Fisher Beer and The State Room Presents.
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T184102Z SEQUENCE:1290167 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2395 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251118T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251118T233000 UID:E98129C4-6F63-4777-963A-52985B6D7978 SUMMARY:The 502s CREATED:20250916T190923Z DTSTAMP:20250916T190923Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-502s-3 DESCRIPTION:The 502s are a beach folk band from Florida, often called "the happiest band on Earth.” With breezy banjos, shout-along choruses, and an energy that bursts like a cannonball into a swimming pool, their music feels like sunshine you can dance to. Their song "Just A Little While" made a viral splash with over 100M streams to date. With a heavy touring presence, and sold-out run last fall, the band will continue to take their infectious, high energy live show on the road through the summer with dates alongside Lake Street Dive and at festivals including Boston Calling, Bourbon & Beyond, Borderland Music Festival, Iron Blossom Festival and more. A go-to for instant joy, The 502s first song via Big Loud Records, "Summer Fling," is out now. Press play and you’ll be barefoot in the sand, laughing with friends, and singing at the top of your lungs—even if it’s just in your kitchen. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The 502s are a beach folk band from Florida, often called "the happiest band on Earth.” With breezy banjos, shout-along choruses, and an energy that bursts like a cannonball into a swimming pool, their music feels like sunshine you can dance to. Their song "Just A Little While" made a viral splash with over 100M streams to date. With a heavy touring presence, and sold-out run last fall, the band will continue to take their infectious, high energy live show on the road through the summer with dates alongside Lake Street Dive and at festivals including Boston Calling, Bourbon & Beyond, Borderland Music Festival, Iron Blossom Festival and more. A go-to for instant joy, The 502s first song via Big Loud Records, "Summer Fling," is out now. Press play and you’ll be barefoot in the sand, laughing with friends, and singing at the top of your lungs—even if it’s just in your kitchen.
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T184127Z SEQUENCE:3799924 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1402 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251120T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251120T233000 UID:608677E0-BF59-4334-B951-688EFB92156B SUMMARY:Trash Moon Hootenanny CREATED:20250929T194258Z DTSTAMP:20250929T194258Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/trash-moon-hootenanny DESCRIPTION:Join the Trash Moon Collective for its 3rd annual Hootenanny on Thursday, November 20th! What started as a collaborative, festive, antic-filled fundraiser to raise money for a dear friend in our bluegrass community, is now an annual celebration of Salt Lake City’s bluegrass, old time, and country music scene. Members from some of the hottest ‘grass bands in town – Pixie and the Partygrass Boys, Theoretical Blonde, the Pickpockets, Pompe n Honey, and more – will come together one-night only for a shred-tastic collaboration. Think Nashville’s Grand Ol Opry, but with more color, more crunch, more of a twang that can only come from musicians who play hard in the mountains and on the stage.\NThe show will include highly creative and energetic collaborations, costumes, and audience participation. It is not just a show, but a celebration. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about banjos and see your favorite pickers together on a big, beautiful stage, grab your tickets now!\NTicket sales will go to the performing artists and support the Trash Moon Collective, an organization that is building the Salt Lake City acoustic community through organizing events, promotion, and media. We have a fun, lighthearted vibe and connect people who resonate with acoustic folk music traditions. We organize grass roots concerts in backyards and at the local artisan market Neighborhood Hive featuring local and touring musicians; run a monthly Honky Tonk and Square Dance at Fisher Brewing; partner with Acoustic Music (aka the coolest guitar and banjo shop in town); host a weekly bluegrass and old time jam Wednesdays at Woodbine Food Hall; book a weekly Bluegrass Night at Gracie’s; promote and connect local players; and so much more.\NGot that social media ennui? Looking for community? Always wanted to learn fiddle or mandolin? Feel like the world is imploding? Come to the Trash Moon Collective Hootenanny on November 20th to learn more, see an amazing show, support your bada$$ local scene, meet new friends, and join our community.\NSign up for our newsletter – trashmooncollective.org\NFollow us on Instagram - @trashmooncollective X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Join the Trash Moon Collective for its 3rd annual Hootenanny on Thursday, November 20th! What started as a collaborative, festive, antic-filled fundraiser to raise money for a dear friend in our bluegrass community, is now an annual celebration of Salt Lake City’s bluegrass, old time, and country music scene. Members from some of the hottest ‘grass bands in town – Pixie and the Partygrass Boys, Theoretical Blonde, the Pickpockets, Pompe n Honey, and more – will come together one-night only for a shred-tastic collaboration. Think Nashville’s Grand Ol Opry, but with more color, more crunch, more of a twang that can only come from musicians who play hard in the mountains and on the stage.
The show will include highly creative and energetic collaborations, costumes, and audience participation. It is not just a show, but a celebration. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about banjos and see your favorite pickers together on a big, beautiful stage, grab your tickets now!
Ticket sales will go to the performing artists and support the Trash Moon Collective, an organization that is building the Salt Lake City acoustic community through organizing events, promotion, and media. We have a fun, lighthearted vibe and connect people who resonate with acoustic folk music traditions. We organize grass roots concerts in backyards and at the local artisan market Neighborhood Hive featuring local and touring musicians; run a monthly Honky Tonk and Square Dance at Fisher Brewing; partner with Acoustic Music (aka the coolest guitar and banjo shop in town); host a weekly bluegrass and old time jam Wednesdays at Woodbine Food Hall; book a weekly Bluegrass Night at Gracie’s; promote and connect local players; and so much more.
Got that social media ennui? Looking for community? Always wanted to learn fiddle or mandolin? Feel like the world is imploding? Come to the Trash Moon Collective Hootenanny on November 20th to learn more, see an amazing show, support your bada$$ local scene, meet new friends, and join our community.
Sign up for our newsletter – trashmooncollective.org
Follow us on Instagram - @trashmooncollective
LAST-MODIFIED:20251118T170803Z SEQUENCE:4310705 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3827 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-09-30 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251122T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251122T233000 UID:6DC8542A-9709-4153-B56E-0EA768BBF946 SUMMARY:Spencer Crandall CREATED:20250409T212545Z DTSTAMP:20250409T212545Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/spencer-crandall DESCRIPTION:Unfiltered. Unconventional. And above all, unapologetic. Those are the defining traits of a whole new generation of Country star – and Spencer Crandall is one of them. As one of Country’s most progressive new talents, self-made and as dynamic as they come, Crandall has no time to say “sorry” for his raw, soul-baring stories. Driven toward greatness, he’s got no remorse for his big dreams, and pulls no punches with his ever-evolving sound. The Nashville based artist has spent years combining pop’s untamed energy with the confessional lyricism of Country, opening up territory no one before him even knew existed – and with his ambitious new 20-track album, Western, the frontier expands again. Growing up in Denver with a tight knit family, the creative powerhouse was taught hard work and dedication, and learned his lessons well – even playing football in college. But when injuries ended his career, the standout athlete was officially out of his comfort zone. Fully embracing his natural, genre-defying instincts, with ultra-smooth vocals, deeply-personal themes and hot-blooded performances, Crandall now counts 1.2M monthly Spotify listeners, 250M total career streams, more than 2.6M followers on TikTok, and fan engagement so off the charts it drives sold-out shows around the nation. He released three albums before Western, made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2022, and continues pushing toward the ultimate goal of a sold-out stadium performance – Western is just the next step. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Unfiltered. Unconventional. And above all, unapologetic. Those are the defining traits of a whole new generation of Country star – and Spencer Crandall is one of them. As one of Country’s most progressive new talents, self-made and as dynamic as they come, Crandall has no time to say “sorry” for his raw, soul-baring stories. Driven toward greatness, he’s got no remorse for his big dreams, and pulls no punches with his ever-evolving sound. The Nashville based artist has spent years combining pop’s untamed energy with the confessional lyricism of Country, opening up territory no one before him even knew existed – and with his ambitious new 20-track album, Western, the frontier expands again. Growing up in Denver with a tight knit family, the creative powerhouse was taught hard work and dedication, and learned his lessons well – even playing football in college. But when injuries ended his career, the standout athlete was officially out of his comfort zone. Fully embracing his natural, genre-defying instincts, with ultra-smooth vocals, deeply-personal themes and hot-blooded performances, Crandall now counts 1.2M monthly Spotify listeners, 250M total career streams, more than 2.6M followers on TikTok, and fan engagement so off the charts it drives sold-out shows around the nation. He released three albums before Western, made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2022, and continues pushing toward the ultimate goal of a sold-out stadium performance – Western is just the next step.
LAST-MODIFIED:20251121T182004Z SEQUENCE:19515259 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3153 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-04-17 15:30:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251230T210000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251230T233000 UID:52D883CA-3619-4E8A-8982-D9913DE309E1 SUMMARY:Pixie & The Partygrass Boys Night 1 CREATED:20251020T170625Z DTSTAMP:20251020T170625Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/pixie-the-partygrass-boys-night-3 DESCRIPTION:Pixie and The Partygrass Boys may be far from their humble beginnings, but they still don't take themselves too seriously. Originating as ski bums playing house parties in Salt Lake City’s Cottonwood Canyons, they’ve evolved into a nationally touring band that always aims to have the most fun possible. Along with the skill and expertise that comes from nearly a decade of performing together, they bring the energy of closing weekend at your favorite ski resort to the stage. Their unique blend of heartfelt songwriting, high velocity instrumental excellence, silly outfits, and sing-along anthems has captivated audiences nationwide. Pixie and The Partygrass Boys invite the audience into their world every time they take the stage, hoping to share a piece of the magic they've found on the mountain tops and in the desert canyons of their Utah home. \NPixie and The Partygrass Boys have been touring extensively since the release of their 2018 debut EP "Utah Made" at countless venues across the USA. Notable festival appearances include becoming a five-year fixture at WinterWonderGrass, as well as gracing the stages of Bourbon and Beyond, High Sierra Music Festival, Northwest String Summit, Jam Cruise, Rockygrass, Walnut Valley Festival, Blue Ox Music Festival, Delfest, Sawtooth Valley Gathering, Gem and Jam, and Hangtown. They have also directly supported musical greats such as Billy Strings, The Infamous Stringdusters, Grace Potter, Lindsay Lou, The Brothers Comatose, and Lake Street Dive. \NSigning with Americana Vibes in 2023 marked the release of their 4th album, "The Chicken Coop Sessions: Vol. 1," honoring their origins with the nostalgic covers that brought them together for those canyon house parties so many years ago. \NTheir latest album, ‘Pixie & The Partygrass Boys,’ explores the full spectrum of the human experience. Merging the traditional sounds of Appalachia with the unbridled wildness of the Mountain West, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys weave a musical tapestry that leaps from the speakers to captivate the heart of the listener. Whether you're wild and free (as all things are meant to be), dissolving a relationship into nothing, skiing through knee deep snow in a secret ski spot (because there's no friends on a powder day), or marching on to find love and beauty despite the troubling times we find ourselves living in, everyone wild find a home in their music and lyrical content. \NTheir self-titled release is a departure from their conventional stringband approach of the past. Recorded at Man vs. Music studios in their hometown of Salt Lake City, produced and engineered by Utah legend Michael Sasich, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys incorporated every tool in the toolbox to bring their songs to life. By enhancing their non-traditional bluegrass quintet with drums, pedal steel, trumpets, ethereal guitar choirs, baritone guitar, electric bass, and a makeshift choir composed of their closest friends, they craft a sonic exploration of unconventional musical landscapes. \NLooking forward to 2025 with fresh songs, another album on the way, and their first year of international touring, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys will be bringing their high-energy show to a town near you. As exciting and energetic as their latest album is, it is eclipsed by their high-octane live performances. Featuring high kicks, fun outfits, intimate stage banter, dad jokes, and high-velocity musical excellence, their show is unforgettable and not to be missed. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Pixie and The Partygrass Boys may be far from their humble beginnings, but they still don't take themselves too seriously. Originating as ski bums playing house parties in Salt Lake City’s Cottonwood Canyons, they’ve evolved into a nationally touring band that always aims to have the most fun possible. Along with the skill and expertise that comes from nearly a decade of performing together, they bring the energy of closing weekend at your favorite ski resort to the stage. Their unique blend of heartfelt songwriting, high velocity instrumental excellence, silly outfits, and sing-along anthems has captivated audiences nationwide. Pixie and The Partygrass Boys invite the audience into their world every time they take the stage, hoping to share a piece of the magic they've found on the mountain tops and in the desert canyons of their Utah home.
Pixie and The Partygrass Boys have been touring extensively since the release of their 2018 debut EP "Utah Made" at countless venues across the USA. Notable festival appearances include becoming a five-year fixture at WinterWonderGrass, as well as gracing the stages of Bourbon and Beyond, High Sierra Music Festival, Northwest String Summit, Jam Cruise, Rockygrass, Walnut Valley Festival, Blue Ox Music Festival, Delfest, Sawtooth Valley Gathering, Gem and Jam, and Hangtown. They have also directly supported musical greats such as Billy Strings, The Infamous Stringdusters, Grace Potter, Lindsay Lou, The Brothers Comatose, and Lake Street Dive.
Signing with Americana Vibes in 2023 marked the release of their 4th album, "The Chicken Coop Sessions: Vol. 1," honoring their origins with the nostalgic covers that brought them together for those canyon house parties so many years ago.
Their latest album, ‘Pixie & The Partygrass Boys,’ explores the full spectrum of the human experience. Merging the traditional sounds of Appalachia with the unbridled wildness of the Mountain West, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys weave a musical tapestry that leaps from the speakers to captivate the heart of the listener. Whether you're wild and free (as all things are meant to be), dissolving a relationship into nothing, skiing through knee deep snow in a secret ski spot (because there's no friends on a powder day), or marching on to find love and beauty despite the troubling times we find ourselves living in, everyone wild find a home in their music and lyrical content.
Their self-titled release is a departure from their conventional stringband approach of the past. Recorded at Man vs. Music studios in their hometown of Salt Lake City, produced and engineered by Utah legend Michael Sasich, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys incorporated every tool in the toolbox to bring their songs to life. By enhancing their non-traditional bluegrass quintet with drums, pedal steel, trumpets, ethereal guitar choirs, baritone guitar, electric bass, and a makeshift choir composed of their closest friends, they craft a sonic exploration of unconventional musical landscapes.
Looking forward to 2025 with fresh songs, another album on the way, and their first year of international touring, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys will be bringing their high-energy show to a town near you. As exciting and energetic as their latest album is, it is eclipsed by their high-octane live performances. Featuring high kicks, fun outfits, intimate stage banter, dad jokes, and high-velocity musical excellence, their show is unforgettable and not to be missed.
LAST-MODIFIED:20251229T195626Z SEQUENCE:6058201 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1031 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-10-21 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251231T210000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251231T233000 UID:E7D89278-7E97-4252-9BF0-0C268DE4CCC7 SUMMARY:Pixie & The Partygrass Boys Night 2 CREATED:20251020T170625Z DTSTAMP:20251020T170625Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/pixie-the-partygrass-boys-night-2 DESCRIPTION:HERE COMES 2026 AT THE COMMONWEALTH ROOM!!\NThere will be a glitter station, resolution wall and plenty of photo ops all night. And, of course, a toast at midnight!\NTo round out the festivities, we will have some amazing food options!! Tacos Daddy slinging burritos and tacos! Thank You For The Short Notice grilling up burgers! Sunburst Fog Oyster Co. serving up fresh oysters on the half shell! \NDress sparkly, bring your crew and let’s ring it in right!\NPixie and The Partygrass Boys may be far from their humble beginnings, but they still don't take themselves too seriously. Originating as ski bums playing house parties in Salt Lake City’s Cottonwood Canyons, they’ve evolved into a nationally touring band that always aims to have the most fun possible. Along with the skill and expertise that comes from nearly a decade of performing together, they bring the energy of closing weekend at your favorite ski resort to the stage. Their unique blend of heartfelt songwriting, high velocity instrumental excellence, silly outfits, and sing-along anthems has captivated audiences nationwide. Pixie and The Partygrass Boys invite the audience into their world every time they take the stage, hoping to share a piece of the magic they've found on the mountain tops and in the desert canyons of their Utah home. \NPixie and The Partygrass Boys have been touring extensively since the release of their 2018 debut EP "Utah Made" at countless venues across the USA. Notable festival appearances include becoming a five-year fixture at WinterWonderGrass, as well as gracing the stages of Bourbon and Beyond, High Sierra Music Festival, Northwest String Summit, Jam Cruise, Rockygrass, Walnut Valley Festival, Blue Ox Music Festival, Delfest, Sawtooth Valley Gathering, Gem and Jam, and Hangtown. They have also directly supported musical greats such as Billy Strings, The Infamous Stringdusters, Grace Potter, Lindsay Lou, The Brothers Comatose, and Lake Street Dive. \NSigning with Americana Vibes in 2023 marked the release of their 4th album, "The Chicken Coop Sessions: Vol. 1," honoring their origins with the nostalgic covers that brought them together for those canyon house parties so many years ago. \NTheir latest album, ‘Pixie & The Partygrass Boys,’ explores the full spectrum of the human experience. Merging the traditional sounds of Appalachia with the unbridled wildness of the Mountain West, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys weave a musical tapestry that leaps from the speakers to captivate the heart of the listener. Whether you're wild and free (as all things are meant to be), dissolving a relationship into nothing, skiing through knee deep snow in a secret ski spot (because there's no friends on a powder day), or marching on to find love and beauty despite the troubling times we find ourselves living in, everyone wild find a home in their music and lyrical content. \NTheir self-titled release is a departure from their conventional stringband approach of the past. Recorded at Man vs. Music studios in their hometown of Salt Lake City, produced and engineered by Utah legend Michael Sasich, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys incorporated every tool in the toolbox to bring their songs to life. By enhancing their non-traditional bluegrass quintet with drums, pedal steel, trumpets, ethereal guitar choirs, baritone guitar, electric bass, and a makeshift choir composed of their closest friends, they craft a sonic exploration of unconventional musical landscapes. \NLooking forward to 2025 with fresh songs, another album on the way, and their first year of international touring, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys will be bringing their high-energy show to a town near you. As exciting and energetic as their latest album is, it is eclipsed by their high-octane live performances. Featuring high kicks, fun outfits, intimate stage banter, dad jokes, and high-velocity musical excellence, their show is unforgettable and not to be missed. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:HERE COMES 2026 AT THE COMMONWEALTH ROOM!!
There will be a glitter station, resolution wall and plenty of photo ops all night. And, of course, a toast at midnight!
To round out the festivities, we will have some amazing food options!! Tacos Daddy slinging burritos and tacos! Thank You For The Short Notice grilling up burgers! Sunburst Fog Oyster Co. serving up fresh oysters on the half shell!
Dress sparkly, bring your crew and let’s ring it in right!
Pixie and The Partygrass Boys may be far from their humble beginnings, but they still don't take themselves too seriously. Originating as ski bums playing house parties in Salt Lake City’s Cottonwood Canyons, they’ve evolved into a nationally touring band that always aims to have the most fun possible. Along with the skill and expertise that comes from nearly a decade of performing together, they bring the energy of closing weekend at your favorite ski resort to the stage. Their unique blend of heartfelt songwriting, high velocity instrumental excellence, silly outfits, and sing-along anthems has captivated audiences nationwide. Pixie and The Partygrass Boys invite the audience into their world every time they take the stage, hoping to share a piece of the magic they've found on the mountain tops and in the desert canyons of their Utah home.
Pixie and The Partygrass Boys have been touring extensively since the release of their 2018 debut EP "Utah Made" at countless venues across the USA. Notable festival appearances include becoming a five-year fixture at WinterWonderGrass, as well as gracing the stages of Bourbon and Beyond, High Sierra Music Festival, Northwest String Summit, Jam Cruise, Rockygrass, Walnut Valley Festival, Blue Ox Music Festival, Delfest, Sawtooth Valley Gathering, Gem and Jam, and Hangtown. They have also directly supported musical greats such as Billy Strings, The Infamous Stringdusters, Grace Potter, Lindsay Lou, The Brothers Comatose, and Lake Street Dive.
Signing with Americana Vibes in 2023 marked the release of their 4th album, "The Chicken Coop Sessions: Vol. 1," honoring their origins with the nostalgic covers that brought them together for those canyon house parties so many years ago.
Their latest album, ‘Pixie & The Partygrass Boys,’ explores the full spectrum of the human experience. Merging the traditional sounds of Appalachia with the unbridled wildness of the Mountain West, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys weave a musical tapestry that leaps from the speakers to captivate the heart of the listener. Whether you're wild and free (as all things are meant to be), dissolving a relationship into nothing, skiing through knee deep snow in a secret ski spot (because there's no friends on a powder day), or marching on to find love and beauty despite the troubling times we find ourselves living in, everyone wild find a home in their music and lyrical content.
Their self-titled release is a departure from their conventional stringband approach of the past. Recorded at Man vs. Music studios in their hometown of Salt Lake City, produced and engineered by Utah legend Michael Sasich, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys incorporated every tool in the toolbox to bring their songs to life. By enhancing their non-traditional bluegrass quintet with drums, pedal steel, trumpets, ethereal guitar choirs, baritone guitar, electric bass, and a makeshift choir composed of their closest friends, they craft a sonic exploration of unconventional musical landscapes.
Looking forward to 2025 with fresh songs, another album on the way, and their first year of international touring, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys will be bringing their high-energy show to a town near you. As exciting and energetic as their latest album is, it is eclipsed by their high-octane live performances. Featuring high kicks, fun outfits, intimate stage banter, dad jokes, and high-velocity musical excellence, their show is unforgettable and not to be missed.
LAST-MODIFIED:20251229T195639Z SEQUENCE:6058214 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2925 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-10-21 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260125T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260125T233000 UID:B86C1DEC-FC91-42E4-8A85-E058C6119822 SUMMARY:Whitey Morgan & the 78's CREATED:20251120T181631Z DTSTAMP:20251120T181631Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/whitey-morgan-the-78s DESCRIPTION:With a career rooted in grit, soul, and over 15 years of relentless touring, Whitey Morgan has long stood as one of the fiercest torchbearers of outlaw country. Hailing from Flint, Michigan, Morgan has released six acclaimed studio albums, a powerful live record, and earned a reputation as a relentless road warrior—averaging more than 125 shows per year. As Rolling Stone put it, he’s a “Waylon Jennings acolyte... a modern-day outlaw [with a] hard-hitting blue-collar brand of music,” while NPR praised him for staying true to the lineage of legends like Jennings, Merle Haggard, and David Allan Coe.\NSince the release of 2018’s Hard Times and White Lines—called his "finest set yet" by American Songwriter—Morgan has only deepened his impact, playing to packed clubs and sold-out theaters across the country. In 2024, he reached a defining milestone with his official debut at the Grand Ole Opry, a moment that signified more than just a career benchmark—it solidified his place in country music’s living legacy.\NWhitey Morgan’s creative resurgence came full force in early 2025 with the release of three new singles produced by Shooter Jennings. These tracks—gritty, soulful, and unmistakably Morgan—marked a powerful return to the studio. “Let Me Roll,” the lead single, set the tone with its raw heartland sound, followed by two equally compelling releases that proved Morgan’s songwriting is as vital as ever.\NNow, Whitey Morgan & the 78’s continue to push forward—onstage, in the studio, and on their own terms. With a loyal fanbase built one show at a time, Morgan remains one of country music’s most enduring and authentic voices—an artist for the outsiders, the true believers, and anyone who still finds salvation in a steel guitar and a hard truth. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:With a career rooted in grit, soul, and over 15 years of relentless touring, Whitey Morgan has long stood as one of the fiercest torchbearers of outlaw country. Hailing from Flint, Michigan, Morgan has released six acclaimed studio albums, a powerful live record, and earned a reputation as a relentless road warrior—averaging more than 125 shows per year. As Rolling Stone put it, he’s a “Waylon Jennings acolyte... a modern-day outlaw [with a] hard-hitting blue-collar brand of music,” while NPR praised him for staying true to the lineage of legends like Jennings, Merle Haggard, and David Allan Coe.
Since the release of 2018’s Hard Times and White Lines—called his "finest set yet" by American Songwriter—Morgan has only deepened his impact, playing to packed clubs and sold-out theaters across the country. In 2024, he reached a defining milestone with his official debut at the Grand Ole Opry, a moment that signified more than just a career benchmark—it solidified his place in country music’s living legacy.
Whitey Morgan’s creative resurgence came full force in early 2025 with the release of three new singles produced by Shooter Jennings. These tracks—gritty, soulful, and unmistakably Morgan—marked a powerful return to the studio. “Let Me Roll,” the lead single, set the tone with its raw heartland sound, followed by two equally compelling releases that proved Morgan’s songwriting is as vital as ever.
Now, Whitey Morgan & the 78’s continue to push forward—onstage, in the studio, and on their own terms. With a loyal fanbase built one show at a time, Morgan remains one of country music’s most enduring and authentic voices—an artist for the outsiders, the true believers, and anyone who still finds salvation in a steel guitar and a hard truth.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T195253Z SEQUENCE:4066582 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2088 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-11-21 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260130T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260130T233000 UID:52E788CC-3355-487C-AE63-1E37C23735ED SUMMARY:Dogs In A Pile CREATED:20250922T172148Z DTSTAMP:20250922T172148Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/dogs-in-a-pile-2 DESCRIPTION:Something organic has been blooming from Asbury Park, New Jersey, and is now making its way around the world. Dogs In A Pile, a band of five twenty somethings with old souls and limitless chops, is waking people up to the timeless and ineffable joys of psychedelic-tinged jazz-funk rock n’ roll.\NThis is one of the busiest touring bands of today, averaging 130 live shows per year since 2022. The road has become their creative engine, generating a rapidly growing catalog of original tunes. Distroid, the band’s newest album, is a 10-song collection featuring long-awaited studio versions of some of the Dogs’ most beloved repertoire.\NFrom the start, guitarist Brian Murray “was surprised about the community surrounding the band. It seemed like so many people were excited about this thing we were creating.” Keyboardist Jeremy Kaplan reflects on how they have “always done things grassroots, picking up fans one by one.” Their faithful Dog Pound – the group’s extended family of fans – has grown into crowds of thousands at Bonnaroo, the Stone Pony Summer Stage, and sold-out multi-night runs from coast to coast. \NBesides being a lyric from the Grateful Dead song, “He’s Gone,” the name “Dogs In A Pile” is an apt description of the quintet’s stylistic breadth. The sonic image it conjures is a heap of storyteller Americana, bluegrass, jazz improvisation, eccentric instrumental excursions, pop-rock sophistication, and deep-pocket grooves, ranging from funk to Latin to reggae and beyond. “We’re like a pile of all sorts of junk,” Kaplan laughs. \NThe Dogs’ origin story begins at the Jersey Shore when a young Jimmy Law (guitar) began jamming with family friend Joe Babick (drums). Lightning struck when they were introduced to Berklee College of Music student Sam Lucid (bass), who immediately suggested bringing his fellow classmate Jeremy Kaplan (keys) on board. The addition of Berklee student Brian Murray (guitar) in 2019 made for the quintessential final piece in the Dogs’ puzzle. “I remember a defining moment where we found our chemistry. We were playing in this room and it just sounded magical,” Murray recalls. \NWhen the original four first met, the Grateful Dead was the common thread—one that became a collaborative springboard for what was to come. When Murray joined the band, they quickly began adding originals. “There was this shared excitement in building original repertoire,” Murray remembers. Kaplan adds, “we’ve been working on finding our voice ever since.” The band now has a collection of over 100 original songs and never uses the same setlist twice – ensuring that each show is a one-of-a-kind experience. \NDogs In A Pile’s latest, Distroid, is the band’s third album, and it features songs that have already become staples of their live shows. These studio renditions have afforded the group a chance to present these compositions precisely how they envision them. “It’s like the live show plus extra bits that we can’t replicate onstage because we don’t have five arms,” Kaplan barks. Distroid offers a cross-section of the Dogs In A Pile essence, tight and tuneful four-minute funk and jazz informed psych-rock songs, and then sprawling longform compositions with elegant harmony, agile genre-jumping, and dazzling musicianship.\NOn “Go Set,” Tommy Emmanuel-esque fingerstyle guitar techniques are uniquely applied to a funk-rock setting. The rap-driven lyrics portray the bustling and ever-changing music scene of New York, the place that shaped Murray and sparked his earliest inspirations. On “Thomas Duncan, Pt. 3,” the band’s musical prowess shines brightly. It is the third part of an ongoing story, composed using motifs previously heard on the band’s first record. \NThe Dogs’ out-of-the-box humor comes forth on “Por Que Pedro,” serving as a prime example of how the band can weave between styles on a dime. The epic “Samba for Sam” is theatrically ambitious, with ribbons of flowing melodies, tempo changes, and a challenging arrangement that ends abruptly (you’ll see what we mean). “That’s the greatest glue job ever,” Kaplan exclaims. “I think we wrote pieces of this song all over the country and then sat on it for three years!” \NWhile you’re reading this, Dogs In A Pile is out on the road vibing with the Dog Pound. Maybe the guys are hitting the five states out of fifty they haven’t had the pleasure of playing? Looking back on six years and tens of thousands of miles, Kaplan says: “A small tear forms in my eye when I think about all the goodness we’ve had and how we ended up here. I’m excited to see where the journey takes us next.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Something organic has been blooming from Asbury Park, New Jersey, and is now making its way around the world. Dogs In A Pile, a band of five twenty somethings with old souls and limitless chops, is waking people up to the timeless and ineffable joys of psychedelic-tinged jazz-funk rock n’ roll.
This is one of the busiest touring bands of today, averaging 130 live shows per year since 2022. The road has become their creative engine, generating a rapidly growing catalog of original tunes. Distroid, the band’s newest album, is a 10-song collection featuring long-awaited studio versions of some of the Dogs’ most beloved repertoire.
From the start, guitarist Brian Murray “was surprised about the community surrounding the band. It seemed like so many people were excited about this thing we were creating.” Keyboardist Jeremy Kaplan reflects on how they have “always done things grassroots, picking up fans one by one.” Their faithful Dog Pound – the group’s extended family of fans – has grown into crowds of thousands at Bonnaroo, the Stone Pony Summer Stage, and sold-out multi-night runs from coast to coast.
Besides being a lyric from the Grateful Dead song, “He’s Gone,” the name “Dogs In A Pile” is an apt description of the quintet’s stylistic breadth. The sonic image it conjures is a heap of storyteller Americana, bluegrass, jazz improvisation, eccentric instrumental excursions, pop-rock sophistication, and deep-pocket grooves, ranging from funk to Latin to reggae and beyond. “We’re like a pile of all sorts of junk,” Kaplan laughs.
The Dogs’ origin story begins at the Jersey Shore when a young Jimmy Law (guitar) began jamming with family friend Joe Babick (drums). Lightning struck when they were introduced to Berklee College of Music student Sam Lucid (bass), who immediately suggested bringing his fellow classmate Jeremy Kaplan (keys) on board. The addition of Berklee student Brian Murray (guitar) in 2019 made for the quintessential final piece in the Dogs’ puzzle. “I remember a defining moment where we found our chemistry. We were playing in this room and it just sounded magical,” Murray recalls.
When the original four first met, the Grateful Dead was the common thread—one that became a collaborative springboard for what was to come. When Murray joined the band, they quickly began adding originals. “There was this shared excitement in building original repertoire,” Murray remembers. Kaplan adds, “we’ve been working on finding our voice ever since.” The band now has a collection of over 100 original songs and never uses the same setlist twice – ensuring that each show is a one-of-a-kind experience.
Dogs In A Pile’s latest, Distroid, is the band’s third album, and it features songs that have already become staples of their live shows. These studio renditions have afforded the group a chance to present these compositions precisely how they envision them. “It’s like the live show plus extra bits that we can’t replicate onstage because we don’t have five arms,” Kaplan barks. Distroid offers a cross-section of the Dogs In A Pile essence, tight and tuneful four-minute funk and jazz informed psych-rock songs, and then sprawling longform compositions with elegant harmony, agile genre-jumping, and dazzling musicianship.
On “Go Set,” Tommy Emmanuel-esque fingerstyle guitar techniques are uniquely applied to a funk-rock setting. The rap-driven lyrics portray the bustling and ever-changing music scene of New York, the place that shaped Murray and sparked his earliest inspirations. On “Thomas Duncan, Pt. 3,” the band’s musical prowess shines brightly. It is the third part of an ongoing story, composed using motifs previously heard on the band’s first record.
The Dogs’ out-of-the-box humor comes forth on “Por Que Pedro,” serving as a prime example of how the band can weave between styles on a dime. The epic “Samba for Sam” is theatrically ambitious, with ribbons of flowing melodies, tempo changes, and a challenging arrangement that ends abruptly (you’ll see what we mean). “That’s the greatest glue job ever,” Kaplan exclaims. “I think we wrote pieces of this song all over the country and then sat on it for three years!”
While you’re reading this, Dogs In A Pile is out on the road vibing with the Dog Pound. Maybe the guys are hitting the five states out of fifty they haven’t had the pleasure of playing? Looking back on six years and tens of thousands of miles, Kaplan says: “A small tear forms in my eye when I think about all the goodness we’ve had and how we ended up here. I’m excited to see where the journey takes us next.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20251124T202304Z SEQUENCE:5454076 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3241 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-09-23 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260213T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260213T233000 UID:F8D9B1BE-E5A8-4A56-88F8-4495C19C053F SUMMARY:Kitchen Dwellers (N1) CREATED:20251013T224051Z DTSTAMP:20251013T224051Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/kitchen-dwellers-n1 DESCRIPTION:In Dante’s Inferno, the author grapples with sin, its various manifestations, and its consequences. This time ultimately traces a trajectory of self-realization, acceptance, and accountability. Kitchen Dwellers embark on a similar odyssey over the course of their fourth full-length offering, Seven Devils. The Montana quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [Banjo], Joe Funk [Upright Bass], and Max Davies [Acoustic Guitar]—thread together an immersive and inimitable conceptual arc inspired by Dante’s Inferno and set to a soundtrack of folk-infused bluegrass spiked with psychedelic vision and rock energy. \NContinuing their own journey as brothers, they deliver their most ambitious and anthemic body of work yet.\N“These tunes deal with the human experience, and Torrin initially drew a parallel between the music and Dante,” Max states. “We explored the connection by correlating each song with a sin. Some of these connections are only apparent if you dive deep into the lyrics. Our goal is to essentially take the listener through our own interpretation of the Inferno story.” \N“We didn’t go into the studio with the intent of making a concept album,” recalls Torrin. “I was driving around listening to everything, and I noticed these parallels. To dive deeper, we’re discussing topics like mental health, the human condition, and what we go through on the road. In life and music, everything is recurring and universal. I was reading Dante at the time, and it naturally fit.”\NIt proved to be a logical next step as well…\NThus far, Kitchen Dwellers have engaged and enraptured listeners with albums such as Ghost In The Bottle [2017], Muir Maid [2019], Live from the Wilma [2021], and Wise River [2022]. Of the latter, Holler. praised how “Kitchen Dwellers have preserved their sense of youthful experimentation,” and Relix proclaimed, “The songs on the new record build on this range, while also reflecting on the group’s Bozeman, Montana home.” Between tallying millions of streams, the band ignited hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and graced the bills of Telluride Bluegrass, Northwest String Summit, \NWinterWonderGrass, and beyond. \NIn order to bring Seven Devils to life, the musicians opted to work with producer Glenn Brown. It would not only mark their first time collaborating with the producer, but it also would be the first time they decamped to Michigan in order to record.\N“The studio itself definitely impacted the vibe,” Torrin notes. “It’s a tiny workspace, but it’s full of old recording equipment with legendary stories attached to it. For almost the entire time, we were forced to congregate in this room together. The process was ever-evolving, because ideas kept flowing.”\NFittingly, “Seven Devils (Limbo)” opens the album and serves as the first single. Nimbly picked banjo and upbeat acoustic guitar set the pace as the regretful chorus bemoans, “Am I supposed to hop the next train? Or stand here drowning in the Oregon rain?” A guitar-driven bridge dips in and out of effects-laden echoes and stark strumming. Coming full circle, a ten-minute version of “Seven Devils” later bookends the record with an epic finale.\N“I incorporated some elements of grunge in terms of the chords, which are a little dissonant,” Torrin elaborates. “Thematically, it’s the descent into Hell. First, Dante goes through limbo before reaching any of the circles where the cardinal sins are addressed. ‘Seven Devils’ evokes the feeling of being in limbo.”\N“It also signifies you’re embarking on some type of journey,” Max agrees. “By the end of the LP, you know the protagonist isn’t going to be the same person.”\NThen, there’s “The Crow and The Raven (III).” The track’s emotionally charged vocals seesaw on top of strings in a moment of terse reflection. “I went through a horrible breakup in 2018 when I wrote the first version,” Shawn remembers. “‘The Crow and The Raven (III)’ sat in my notebook for a half-decade before we revamped it. Now, it’s a sad, slower lament about enduring the loss of a relationship.”\N“Pendulum” rushes towards a mournful refrain offset by a plucky crescendo. “It’s about dealing with an addiction in your life and how it affects relationships,” Joe says. “People often trade one addiction for another, whether positive or detrimental to their life, as a means to satisfy their baseline addictive tendencies.”\NOn the other end of the spectrum, “Here We Go (VI)” laments the epidemic of shootings in America with unfiltered frustration projected through a powerful ebb and flow punctuated by a cameo from Lindsay Lou.\N“I was riding a Greyhound from Seattle to Missoula in 2012,” Max goes on. “There had just been another school shooting. It’s terrible to think of how many shootings have happened since. Why is this happening? The chorus shifts gears to miscommunication between two parties in a relationship. Those are the two driving forces.”\NAn electric guitar lead heralds the onset of “Unwind (Paradiso),” building towards one climactic moment of catharsis.\N“A psychedelic experience and life-changing ego death changed my outlook on many things,” Torrin admits. “‘Unwind (Paradiso)’ was one of those moments where you surrender and let it take you. You’re letting go of the human things in your brain that make you want to fight or cause you to be afraid. It also came together in the studio as a band, which was super cool.”\NIn the end, Kitchen Dwellers may just leave you changed with Seven Devils.\N“The record is a trip inward within the self,” Torrin concludes. “It tackles a lot of things in the world people try not to think about. The reality is we’re only truly happy when happiness comes from within. That’s the message.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:In Dante’s Inferno, the author grapples with sin, its various manifestations, and its consequences. This time ultimately traces a trajectory of self-realization, acceptance, and accountability. Kitchen Dwellers embark on a similar odyssey over the course of their fourth full-length offering, Seven Devils. The Montana quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [Banjo], Joe Funk [Upright Bass], and Max Davies [Acoustic Guitar]—thread together an immersive and inimitable conceptual arc inspired by Dante’s Inferno and set to a soundtrack of folk-infused bluegrass spiked with psychedelic vision and rock energy.
Continuing their own journey as brothers, they deliver their most ambitious and anthemic body of work yet.
“These tunes deal with the human experience, and Torrin initially drew a parallel between the music and Dante,” Max states. “We explored the connection by correlating each song with a sin. Some of these connections are only apparent if you dive deep into the lyrics. Our goal is to essentially take the listener through our own interpretation of the Inferno story.”
“We didn’t go into the studio with the intent of making a concept album,” recalls Torrin. “I was driving around listening to everything, and I noticed these parallels. To dive deeper, we’re discussing topics like mental health, the human condition, and what we go through on the road. In life and music, everything is recurring and universal. I was reading Dante at the time, and it naturally fit.”
It proved to be a logical next step as well…
Thus far, Kitchen Dwellers have engaged and enraptured listeners with albums such as Ghost In The Bottle [2017], Muir Maid [2019], Live from the Wilma [2021], and Wise River [2022]. Of the latter, Holler. praised how “Kitchen Dwellers have preserved their sense of youthful experimentation,” and Relix proclaimed, “The songs on the new record build on this range, while also reflecting on the group’s Bozeman, Montana home.” Between tallying millions of streams, the band ignited hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and graced the bills of Telluride Bluegrass, Northwest String Summit,
WinterWonderGrass, and beyond.
In order to bring Seven Devils to life, the musicians opted to work with producer Glenn Brown. It would not only mark their first time collaborating with the producer, but it also would be the first time they decamped to Michigan in order to record.
“The studio itself definitely impacted the vibe,” Torrin notes. “It’s a tiny workspace, but it’s full of old recording equipment with legendary stories attached to it. For almost the entire time, we were forced to congregate in this room together. The process was ever-evolving, because ideas kept flowing.”
Fittingly, “Seven Devils (Limbo)” opens the album and serves as the first single. Nimbly picked banjo and upbeat acoustic guitar set the pace as the regretful chorus bemoans, “Am I supposed to hop the next train? Or stand here drowning in the Oregon rain?” A guitar-driven bridge dips in and out of effects-laden echoes and stark strumming. Coming full circle, a ten-minute version of “Seven Devils” later bookends the record with an epic finale.
“I incorporated some elements of grunge in terms of the chords, which are a little dissonant,” Torrin elaborates. “Thematically, it’s the descent into Hell. First, Dante goes through limbo before reaching any of the circles where the cardinal sins are addressed. ‘Seven Devils’ evokes the feeling of being in limbo.”
“It also signifies you’re embarking on some type of journey,” Max agrees. “By the end of the LP, you know the protagonist isn’t going to be the same person.”
Then, there’s “The Crow and The Raven (III).” The track’s emotionally charged vocals seesaw on top of strings in a moment of terse reflection. “I went through a horrible breakup in 2018 when I wrote the first version,” Shawn remembers. “‘The Crow and The Raven (III)’ sat in my notebook for a half-decade before we revamped it. Now, it’s a sad, slower lament about enduring the loss of a relationship.”
“Pendulum” rushes towards a mournful refrain offset by a plucky crescendo. “It’s about dealing with an addiction in your life and how it affects relationships,” Joe says. “People often trade one addiction for another, whether positive or detrimental to their life, as a means to satisfy their baseline addictive tendencies.”
On the other end of the spectrum, “Here We Go (VI)” laments the epidemic of shootings in America with unfiltered frustration projected through a powerful ebb and flow punctuated by a cameo from Lindsay Lou.
“I was riding a Greyhound from Seattle to Missoula in 2012,” Max goes on. “There had just been another school shooting. It’s terrible to think of how many shootings have happened since. Why is this happening? The chorus shifts gears to miscommunication between two parties in a relationship. Those are the two driving forces.”
An electric guitar lead heralds the onset of “Unwind (Paradiso),” building towards one climactic moment of catharsis.
“A psychedelic experience and life-changing ego death changed my outlook on many things,” Torrin admits. “‘Unwind (Paradiso)’ was one of those moments where you surrender and let it take you. You’re letting go of the human things in your brain that make you want to fight or cause you to be afraid. It also came together in the studio as a band, which was super cool.”
In the end, Kitchen Dwellers may just leave you changed with Seven Devils.
“The record is a trip inward within the self,” Torrin concludes. “It tackles a lot of things in the world people try not to think about. The reality is we’re only truly happy when happiness comes from within. That’s the message.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T184119Z SEQUENCE:10353628 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1976 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-10-14 19:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260214T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260214T233000 UID:54E85DAD-32C3-48FD-8E68-9D5C09787878 SUMMARY:Kitchen Dwellers (N2) CREATED:20251013T224051Z DTSTAMP:20251013T224051Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/kitchen-dwellers-n1-2 DESCRIPTION:In Dante’s Inferno, the author grapples with sin, its various manifestations, and its consequences. This time ultimately traces a trajectory of self-realization, acceptance, and accountability. Kitchen Dwellers embark on a similar odyssey over the course of their fourth full-length offering, Seven Devils. The Montana quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [Banjo], Joe Funk [Upright Bass], and Max Davies [Acoustic Guitar]—thread together an immersive and inimitable conceptual arc inspired by Dante’s Inferno and set to a soundtrack of folk-infused bluegrass spiked with psychedelic vision and rock energy. \NContinuing their own journey as brothers, they deliver their most ambitious and anthemic body of work yet.\N“These tunes deal with the human experience, and Torrin initially drew a parallel between the music and Dante,” Max states. “We explored the connection by correlating each song with a sin. Some of these connections are only apparent if you dive deep into the lyrics. Our goal is to essentially take the listener through our own interpretation of the Inferno story.” \N“We didn’t go into the studio with the intent of making a concept album,” recalls Torrin. “I was driving around listening to everything, and I noticed these parallels. To dive deeper, we’re discussing topics like mental health, the human condition, and what we go through on the road. In life and music, everything is recurring and universal. I was reading Dante at the time, and it naturally fit.”\NIt proved to be a logical next step as well…\NThus far, Kitchen Dwellers have engaged and enraptured listeners with albums such as Ghost In The Bottle [2017], Muir Maid [2019], Live from the Wilma [2021], and Wise River [2022]. Of the latter, Holler. praised how “Kitchen Dwellers have preserved their sense of youthful experimentation,” and Relix proclaimed, “The songs on the new record build on this range, while also reflecting on the group’s Bozeman, Montana home.” Between tallying millions of streams, the band ignited hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and graced the bills of Telluride Bluegrass, Northwest String Summit, \NWinterWonderGrass, and beyond. \NIn order to bring Seven Devils to life, the musicians opted to work with producer Glenn Brown. It would not only mark their first time collaborating with the producer, but it also would be the first time they decamped to Michigan in order to record.\N“The studio itself definitely impacted the vibe,” Torrin notes. “It’s a tiny workspace, but it’s full of old recording equipment with legendary stories attached to it. For almost the entire time, we were forced to congregate in this room together. The process was ever-evolving, because ideas kept flowing.”\NFittingly, “Seven Devils (Limbo)” opens the album and serves as the first single. Nimbly picked banjo and upbeat acoustic guitar set the pace as the regretful chorus bemoans, “Am I supposed to hop the next train? Or stand here drowning in the Oregon rain?” A guitar-driven bridge dips in and out of effects-laden echoes and stark strumming. Coming full circle, a ten-minute version of “Seven Devils” later bookends the record with an epic finale.\N“I incorporated some elements of grunge in terms of the chords, which are a little dissonant,” Torrin elaborates. “Thematically, it’s the descent into Hell. First, Dante goes through limbo before reaching any of the circles where the cardinal sins are addressed. ‘Seven Devils’ evokes the feeling of being in limbo.”\N“It also signifies you’re embarking on some type of journey,” Max agrees. “By the end of the LP, you know the protagonist isn’t going to be the same person.”\NThen, there’s “The Crow and The Raven (III).” The track’s emotionally charged vocals seesaw on top of strings in a moment of terse reflection. “I went through a horrible breakup in 2018 when I wrote the first version,” Shawn remembers. “‘The Crow and The Raven (III)’ sat in my notebook for a half-decade before we revamped it. Now, it’s a sad, slower lament about enduring the loss of a relationship.”\N“Pendulum” rushes towards a mournful refrain offset by a plucky crescendo. “It’s about dealing with an addiction in your life and how it affects relationships,” Joe says. “People often trade one addiction for another, whether positive or detrimental to their life, as a means to satisfy their baseline addictive tendencies.”\NOn the other end of the spectrum, “Here We Go (VI)” laments the epidemic of shootings in America with unfiltered frustration projected through a powerful ebb and flow punctuated by a cameo from Lindsay Lou.\N“I was riding a Greyhound from Seattle to Missoula in 2012,” Max goes on. “There had just been another school shooting. It’s terrible to think of how many shootings have happened since. Why is this happening? The chorus shifts gears to miscommunication between two parties in a relationship. Those are the two driving forces.”\NAn electric guitar lead heralds the onset of “Unwind (Paradiso),” building towards one climactic moment of catharsis.\N“A psychedelic experience and life-changing ego death changed my outlook on many things,” Torrin admits. “‘Unwind (Paradiso)’ was one of those moments where you surrender and let it take you. You’re letting go of the human things in your brain that make you want to fight or cause you to be afraid. It also came together in the studio as a band, which was super cool.”\NIn the end, Kitchen Dwellers may just leave you changed with Seven Devils.\N“The record is a trip inward within the self,” Torrin concludes. “It tackles a lot of things in the world people try not to think about. The reality is we’re only truly happy when happiness comes from within. That’s the message.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:In Dante’s Inferno, the author grapples with sin, its various manifestations, and its consequences. This time ultimately traces a trajectory of self-realization, acceptance, and accountability. Kitchen Dwellers embark on a similar odyssey over the course of their fourth full-length offering, Seven Devils. The Montana quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [Banjo], Joe Funk [Upright Bass], and Max Davies [Acoustic Guitar]—thread together an immersive and inimitable conceptual arc inspired by Dante’s Inferno and set to a soundtrack of folk-infused bluegrass spiked with psychedelic vision and rock energy.
Continuing their own journey as brothers, they deliver their most ambitious and anthemic body of work yet.
“These tunes deal with the human experience, and Torrin initially drew a parallel between the music and Dante,” Max states. “We explored the connection by correlating each song with a sin. Some of these connections are only apparent if you dive deep into the lyrics. Our goal is to essentially take the listener through our own interpretation of the Inferno story.”
“We didn’t go into the studio with the intent of making a concept album,” recalls Torrin. “I was driving around listening to everything, and I noticed these parallels. To dive deeper, we’re discussing topics like mental health, the human condition, and what we go through on the road. In life and music, everything is recurring and universal. I was reading Dante at the time, and it naturally fit.”
It proved to be a logical next step as well…
Thus far, Kitchen Dwellers have engaged and enraptured listeners with albums such as Ghost In The Bottle [2017], Muir Maid [2019], Live from the Wilma [2021], and Wise River [2022]. Of the latter, Holler. praised how “Kitchen Dwellers have preserved their sense of youthful experimentation,” and Relix proclaimed, “The songs on the new record build on this range, while also reflecting on the group’s Bozeman, Montana home.” Between tallying millions of streams, the band ignited hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and graced the bills of Telluride Bluegrass, Northwest String Summit,
WinterWonderGrass, and beyond.
In order to bring Seven Devils to life, the musicians opted to work with producer Glenn Brown. It would not only mark their first time collaborating with the producer, but it also would be the first time they decamped to Michigan in order to record.
“The studio itself definitely impacted the vibe,” Torrin notes. “It’s a tiny workspace, but it’s full of old recording equipment with legendary stories attached to it. For almost the entire time, we were forced to congregate in this room together. The process was ever-evolving, because ideas kept flowing.”
Fittingly, “Seven Devils (Limbo)” opens the album and serves as the first single. Nimbly picked banjo and upbeat acoustic guitar set the pace as the regretful chorus bemoans, “Am I supposed to hop the next train? Or stand here drowning in the Oregon rain?” A guitar-driven bridge dips in and out of effects-laden echoes and stark strumming. Coming full circle, a ten-minute version of “Seven Devils” later bookends the record with an epic finale.
“I incorporated some elements of grunge in terms of the chords, which are a little dissonant,” Torrin elaborates. “Thematically, it’s the descent into Hell. First, Dante goes through limbo before reaching any of the circles where the cardinal sins are addressed. ‘Seven Devils’ evokes the feeling of being in limbo.”
“It also signifies you’re embarking on some type of journey,” Max agrees. “By the end of the LP, you know the protagonist isn’t going to be the same person.”
Then, there’s “The Crow and The Raven (III).” The track’s emotionally charged vocals seesaw on top of strings in a moment of terse reflection. “I went through a horrible breakup in 2018 when I wrote the first version,” Shawn remembers. “‘The Crow and The Raven (III)’ sat in my notebook for a half-decade before we revamped it. Now, it’s a sad, slower lament about enduring the loss of a relationship.”
“Pendulum” rushes towards a mournful refrain offset by a plucky crescendo. “It’s about dealing with an addiction in your life and how it affects relationships,” Joe says. “People often trade one addiction for another, whether positive or detrimental to their life, as a means to satisfy their baseline addictive tendencies.”
On the other end of the spectrum, “Here We Go (VI)” laments the epidemic of shootings in America with unfiltered frustration projected through a powerful ebb and flow punctuated by a cameo from Lindsay Lou.
“I was riding a Greyhound from Seattle to Missoula in 2012,” Max goes on. “There had just been another school shooting. It’s terrible to think of how many shootings have happened since. Why is this happening? The chorus shifts gears to miscommunication between two parties in a relationship. Those are the two driving forces.”
An electric guitar lead heralds the onset of “Unwind (Paradiso),” building towards one climactic moment of catharsis.
“A psychedelic experience and life-changing ego death changed my outlook on many things,” Torrin admits. “‘Unwind (Paradiso)’ was one of those moments where you surrender and let it take you. You’re letting go of the human things in your brain that make you want to fight or cause you to be afraid. It also came together in the studio as a band, which was super cool.”
In the end, Kitchen Dwellers may just leave you changed with Seven Devils.
“The record is a trip inward within the self,” Torrin concludes. “It tackles a lot of things in the world people try not to think about. The reality is we’re only truly happy when happiness comes from within. That’s the message.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T184130Z SEQUENCE:10353639 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1949 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-10-14 19:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260219T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260219T233000 UID:1B502F2C-D06C-4F11-8D2C-70F1BD40CB55 SUMMARY:Hayes Carll CREATED:20251027T151358Z DTSTAMP:20251027T151358Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/hayes-carll-3 DESCRIPTION:Hayes Carll isn’t preaching or teaching. He’s not interested in telling the rest of us what to do or think. But he is charting out a personal guide for his life, quieting the noise, and sitting with his real voice - the one that’s candid, consistent, and often inconvenient. We’re Only Human is Carll’s tenth album. Like his best lyrics, it is also an understated masterpiece, an honest snapshot of one man’s confrontation and delight with humanity’s biggest and most intimate questions. Where do we find forgiveness for ourselves and grace for others? How do we hold on to peace of mind and stay present? What can we—and should we––trust? And how can we moor ourselves to, well, ourselves, in the midst of confusing, trying times? We’re Only Human offers audiences the chance to listen to Carll as he listens to himself. “I’ve lived outside of myself for so long,” Carll admits. “Distractions, fear, anxiety, insecurity, and the complexity of being human in this world have so often pulled me away from being present or at peace.” “I feel like there’s been a voice riding shotgun all my life, pushing me to do better, but I’ve struggled to listen to it,” Carll says. “The idea behind this record was to do the personal work I needed to do, then codify those lessons in song to serve as sort of breadcrumbs to get me back on the trail if, and inevitably when, I get lost again.” Carll is more than two decades into a celebrated career. Praise from places such as Pitchfork and the New York Times––the latter of which yoked Carll’s ability to tackle tough issues with wry humor to Bob Dylan––punctuate a resume that includes Americana Music Awards and a Grammy nomination. His songs aren’t safe, but many of Nashville’s stars have recorded them, including Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, and Brothers Osborne. As a solo recording artist, Carll has long-since established himself as one of Americana’s most-played––and most loved––voices. His warm but crackling vocals, wit, and heart dance through wordplay that’s always clever, and never too precious. Through it all, whenever Carll points a finger, it’s most often at himself.As We’re Only Human collects moments of Carll figuring out how to be with himself, the songs feel forthright, hopeful, and timely. In today’s onslaught of instant gratification, rage-baiting headlines, glorified intolerance, and falling empathy, the record is a startling outlier: an artist’s raw, real-life effort to live well—both with himself and others. Carll embraces private epiphanies, and shares them with the world, allowing them to unfold for all to see and share. Of course, We’re Only Human is also art. So while appreciating the motivation and compelling themes driving it will underpin the listener’s experience, Carll’s album also matters because of the sheer brilliance of its execution. These are songs composed by a writer’s writer, wielding his considerable skill with precision and beauty.\NThe album’s title track unfolds with plaintive piano and a mantle of grace. Carll sings, with a calming sincerity, “We’ll do most anything to avoid the pain / Hiding our hearts and casting the blame / 6,000 tongues, but we’re all the same / Ain’t no need to carry that shame / ‘Cause we’re only human.” Hard-won minutes of quiet clarity inspired some of the record’s most beautiful moments. Accented by bright mandolin and soft, simple percussion, “Stay Here a While” captures a peaceful reprieve from a racing mind. “I remember sitting on the couch, looking out the window, watching the birds do their thing,” Carll says with a laugh. “I got lost in their lives fora moment, and it was such a wonderful feeling because my mind is always going in circles, seeking excitement, and frankly, just thinking about myself. I enjoyed the peace I felt in that moment and I thought, this is lovely and I’d like to stay in this place.” Carll shared that takeaway with MC Taylor, aka Hiss Golden Messenger, who not only could relate, but helped finish the song. “High” offers another invitation to stop and breathe. Opening with a solo horn, flute, and stripped down piano, the track is lovely and sincere, with Carll’s signature humor hovering comfortably nearby. There are also times when Carll’s sharp wit comes roaring to the foreground. “Progress of Man (Bitcoin and Cattle)” sends up society’s disorienting––and conflicting––forces, while “Good People (Thank Me)” is a masterclass in comedic timing, stubborn humanism, and the untapped potential of gratitude. A dogged insistence on acceptance, both of one’s self and others, courses through the album— as does Carll’s determination to hold himself accountable. “If I’m judging others, then I’m not having to look at myself,” Carll says. “I’m flawed as hell, judgmental, and critical of myself and those around me. That’s a loop that feeds itself. But I figure If I can look at myself clear-eyed and acknowledge my own shortcomings, it might help me have some grace and acceptance for myself and others. ”It’s that sort of harmonious duality––embracing one’s self and confessing one’s own mistakes––that solidifies the record’s big-hearted honesty. “The creative process was in large part a self-therapy session. I don’t think that would work if I was only looking at everyone else’s issues,” Carll says.A moving series of grounding vignettes, realizations, and self-love roll through “What I Will Be,” as Carll promises to not compromise himself to fit in. A slow-burning, blues-tinged standout, “I Got Away with It” is painful and gorgeous. Brimming with hope, “One Day” balances the work Carll sees as necessary with the certainty that satisfaction, contentment, and peace are reachable by trusting in yourself and the universe. Featuring a parade of Carll’s longtime friends, album closer “May I Never” is a plea to himself. As Ray Wylie Hubbard, Shovels & Rope, Darrell Scott, Nicole Atkins, and The Band of Heathens’ Gordy Quist and Ed Jurdi each take verses, listeners are swept up in are solute promise to keep after good. “It brings up a lot for me when I hear them singing those lines,” Carll says. Each of those people - whether they know it or not - have played apart in my story, and it’s gratifying and humbling to me to have them lend their voices to this song.”In the end, Carll’s latest album is a lovingly and purposefully written collection of reminders.“I hope other people find something in it, too” Carll says. “Through it all, I am trying to stay appreciative, knowing that I did what I set out to do: write something that can help me navigate this journey with a little more grace and peace.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Hayes Carll isn’t preaching or teaching. He’s not interested in telling the rest of us what to do or think. But he is charting out a personal guide for his life, quieting the noise, and sitting with his real voice - the one that’s candid, consistent, and often inconvenient. We’re Only Human is Carll’s tenth album. Like his best lyrics, it is also an understated masterpiece, an honest snapshot of one man’s confrontation and delight with humanity’s biggest and most intimate questions. Where do we find forgiveness for ourselves and grace for others? How do we hold on to peace of mind and stay present? What can we—and should we––trust? And how can we moor ourselves to, well, ourselves, in the midst of confusing, trying times? We’re Only Human offers audiences the chance to listen to Carll as he listens to himself. “I’ve lived outside of myself for so long,” Carll admits. “Distractions, fear, anxiety, insecurity, and the complexity of being human in this world have so often pulled me away from being present or at peace.” “I feel like there’s been a voice riding shotgun all my life, pushing me to do better, but I’ve struggled to listen to it,” Carll says. “The idea behind this record was to do the personal work I needed to do, then codify those lessons in song to serve as sort of breadcrumbs to get me back on the trail if, and inevitably when, I get lost again.” Carll is more than two decades into a celebrated career. Praise from places such as Pitchfork and the New York Times––the latter of which yoked Carll’s ability to tackle tough issues with wry humor to Bob Dylan––punctuate a resume that includes Americana Music Awards and a Grammy nomination. His songs aren’t safe, but many of Nashville’s stars have recorded them, including Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, and Brothers Osborne. As a solo recording artist, Carll has long-since established himself as one of Americana’s most-played––and most loved––voices. His warm but crackling vocals, wit, and heart dance through wordplay that’s always clever, and never too precious. Through it all, whenever Carll points a finger, it’s most often at himself.As We’re Only Human collects moments of Carll figuring out how to be with himself, the songs feel forthright, hopeful, and timely. In today’s onslaught of instant gratification, rage-baiting headlines, glorified intolerance, and falling empathy, the record is a startling outlier: an artist’s raw, real-life effort to live well—both with himself and others. Carll embraces private epiphanies, and shares them with the world, allowing them to unfold for all to see and share. Of course, We’re Only Human is also art. So while appreciating the motivation and compelling themes driving it will underpin the listener’s experience, Carll’s album also matters because of the sheer brilliance of its execution. These are songs composed by a writer’s writer, wielding his considerable skill with precision and beauty.
The album’s title track unfolds with plaintive piano and a mantle of grace. Carll sings, with a calming sincerity, “We’ll do most anything to avoid the pain / Hiding our hearts and casting the blame / 6,000 tongues, but we’re all the same / Ain’t no need to carry that shame / ‘Cause we’re only human.” Hard-won minutes of quiet clarity inspired some of the record’s most beautiful moments. Accented by bright mandolin and soft, simple percussion, “Stay Here a While” captures a peaceful reprieve from a racing mind. “I remember sitting on the couch, looking out the window, watching the birds do their thing,” Carll says with a laugh. “I got lost in their lives fora moment, and it was such a wonderful feeling because my mind is always going in circles, seeking excitement, and frankly, just thinking about myself. I enjoyed the peace I felt in that moment and I thought, this is lovely and I’d like to stay in this place.” Carll shared that takeaway with MC Taylor, aka Hiss Golden Messenger, who not only could relate, but helped finish the song. “High” offers another invitation to stop and breathe. Opening with a solo horn, flute, and stripped down piano, the track is lovely and sincere, with Carll’s signature humor hovering comfortably nearby. There are also times when Carll’s sharp wit comes roaring to the foreground. “Progress of Man (Bitcoin and Cattle)” sends up society’s disorienting––and conflicting––forces, while “Good People (Thank Me)” is a masterclass in comedic timing, stubborn humanism, and the untapped potential of gratitude. A dogged insistence on acceptance, both of one’s self and others, courses through the album— as does Carll’s determination to hold himself accountable. “If I’m judging others, then I’m not having to look at myself,” Carll says. “I’m flawed as hell, judgmental, and critical of myself and those around me. That’s a loop that feeds itself. But I figure If I can look at myself clear-eyed and acknowledge my own shortcomings, it might help me have some grace and acceptance for myself and others. ”It’s that sort of harmonious duality––embracing one’s self and confessing one’s own mistakes––that solidifies the record’s big-hearted honesty. “The creative process was in large part a self-therapy session. I don’t think that would work if I was only looking at everyone else’s issues,” Carll says.A moving series of grounding vignettes, realizations, and self-love roll through “What I Will Be,” as Carll promises to not compromise himself to fit in. A slow-burning, blues-tinged standout, “I Got Away with It” is painful and gorgeous. Brimming with hope, “One Day” balances the work Carll sees as necessary with the certainty that satisfaction, contentment, and peace are reachable by trusting in yourself and the universe. Featuring a parade of Carll’s longtime friends, album closer “May I Never” is a plea to himself. As Ray Wylie Hubbard, Shovels & Rope, Darrell Scott, Nicole Atkins, and The Band of Heathens’ Gordy Quist and Ed Jurdi each take verses, listeners are swept up in are solute promise to keep after good. “It brings up a lot for me when I hear them singing those lines,” Carll says. Each of those people - whether they know it or not - have played apart in my story, and it’s gratifying and humbling to me to have them lend their voices to this song.”In the end, Carll’s latest album is a lovingly and purposefully written collection of reminders.“I hope other people find something in it, too” Carll says. “Through it all, I am trying to stay appreciative, knowing that I did what I set out to do: write something that can help me navigate this journey with a little more grace and peace.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T192051Z SEQUENCE:9950813 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1899 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-10-27 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260226T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260226T233000 UID:70A689DB-DA2D-412A-854B-D3A4C9E9ABA1 SUMMARY:Infamous Stringdusters (N1) CREATED:20250811T163421Z DTSTAMP:20250811T163421Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/infamous-stringdusters-n1 DESCRIPTION:The Infamous Stringdusters are a celebrated American progressive bluegrass band known for their virtuosic musicianship, innovative arrangements, and genre-blending style. The GRAMMY® Award-winning Americana quintet—Andy Falco [guitar], Chris Pandolfi [banjo], Andy Hall [dobro], Jeremy Garrett [fiddle], and Travis Book [double bass]—have musical influences that truly run the gamut, but their common denominator is certainly bluegrass— the sound that has in essence defined the course of their career.\NThe Infamous Stringdusters stand out as the rare group who can team up with contemporary artists on late night television one night and headline the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre the next, and have recently emerged as proprietors behind their newly found independent record label, Americana Vibes. \NManifesting an actual flock of impassioned fandom, much like those who paved the road before them, the band have attracted a faithful international audience that continues to grow. Moreover, their powerful music and performances paved the way for a GRAMMY® Award win in the category of “Best Bluegrass Album” for 2017’s Laws of Gravity, and a number of International Bluegrass Music Awards (IBMA) in a variety of categories. Known for their energetic live shows and improvisational prowess, The Infamous Stringdusters continue to push the boundaries of bluegrass while honoring its roots, captivating audiences across the country and around the world. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The Infamous Stringdusters are a celebrated American progressive bluegrass band known for their virtuosic musicianship, innovative arrangements, and genre-blending style. The GRAMMY® Award-winning Americana quintet—Andy Falco [guitar], Chris Pandolfi [banjo], Andy Hall [dobro], Jeremy Garrett [fiddle], and Travis Book [double bass]—have musical influences that truly run the gamut, but their common denominator is certainly bluegrass— the sound that has in essence defined the course of their career.
The Infamous Stringdusters stand out as the rare group who can team up with contemporary artists on late night television one night and headline the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre the next, and have recently emerged as proprietors behind their newly found independent record label, Americana Vibes.
Manifesting an actual flock of impassioned fandom, much like those who paved the road before them, the band have attracted a faithful international audience that continues to grow. Moreover, their powerful music and performances paved the way for a GRAMMY® Award win in the category of “Best Bluegrass Album” for 2017’s Laws of Gravity, and a number of International Bluegrass Music Awards (IBMA) in a variety of categories. Known for their energetic live shows and improvisational prowess, The Infamous Stringdusters continue to push the boundaries of bluegrass while honoring its roots, captivating audiences across the country and around the world.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T192145Z SEQUENCE:16598844 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2833 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-08-12 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260227T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260227T233000 UID:18510730-C932-4469-B561-528E0F5705E2 SUMMARY:Infamous Stringdusters (N2) CREATED:20250811T163421Z DTSTAMP:20250811T163421Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/infamous-stringdusters-n2-2 DESCRIPTION:The Infamous Stringdusters are a celebrated American progressive bluegrass band known for their virtuosic musicianship, innovative arrangements, and genre-blending style. The GRAMMY® Award-winning Americana quintet—Andy Falco [guitar], Chris Pandolfi [banjo], Andy Hall [dobro], Jeremy Garrett [fiddle], and Travis Book [double bass]—have musical influences that truly run the gamut, but their common denominator is certainly bluegrass— the sound that has in essence defined the course of their career.\NThe Infamous Stringdusters stand out as the rare group who can team up with contemporary artists on late night television one night and headline the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre the next, and have recently emerged as proprietors behind their newly found independent record label, Americana Vibes. \NManifesting an actual flock of impassioned fandom, much like those who paved the road before them, the band have attracted a faithful international audience that continues to grow. Moreover, their powerful music and performances paved the way for a GRAMMY® Award win in the category of “Best Bluegrass Album” for 2017’s Laws of Gravity, and a number of International Bluegrass Music Awards (IBMA) in a variety of categories. Known for their energetic live shows and improvisational prowess, The Infamous Stringdusters continue to push the boundaries of bluegrass while honoring its roots, captivating audiences across the country and around the world. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The Infamous Stringdusters are a celebrated American progressive bluegrass band known for their virtuosic musicianship, innovative arrangements, and genre-blending style. The GRAMMY® Award-winning Americana quintet—Andy Falco [guitar], Chris Pandolfi [banjo], Andy Hall [dobro], Jeremy Garrett [fiddle], and Travis Book [double bass]—have musical influences that truly run the gamut, but their common denominator is certainly bluegrass— the sound that has in essence defined the course of their career.
The Infamous Stringdusters stand out as the rare group who can team up with contemporary artists on late night television one night and headline the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre the next, and have recently emerged as proprietors behind their newly found independent record label, Americana Vibes.
Manifesting an actual flock of impassioned fandom, much like those who paved the road before them, the band have attracted a faithful international audience that continues to grow. Moreover, their powerful music and performances paved the way for a GRAMMY® Award win in the category of “Best Bluegrass Album” for 2017’s Laws of Gravity, and a number of International Bluegrass Music Awards (IBMA) in a variety of categories. Known for their energetic live shows and improvisational prowess, The Infamous Stringdusters continue to push the boundaries of bluegrass while honoring its roots, captivating audiences across the country and around the world.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T203825Z SEQUENCE:16603444 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:2644 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-08-12 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260307T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260307T233000 UID:244709B6-164F-4487-A48F-96192EAA065E SUMMARY:Colony House (ALL AGES) CREATED:20251020T154922Z DTSTAMP:20251020T154922Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/colony-house DESCRIPTION:Colony House lead singer, Caleb Chapman, reflects on a conversation with his dad concerning the notion that he’s not sure if their new album is the best thing they’ve ever done or just more of the same - “And wouldn’t that be great...” his dad replies. Colony House’s fifth studio album, 77, is both a sonic departure and a spiritual arrival; a retro-futurist meditation on eternity, nostalgia, and the invisible threads that hold us together. Rooted in the aesthetics of ‘90s sound, 77 finds the Franklin, Tennessee-raised four-piece—brothers Caleb and Will Chapman, alongside Scott Mills and Parke Cottrell—reaching beyond what can be seen, touched, or even easily explained."77, the number, means a lot of things to a lot of people,” Caleb explains. “Biblically, it’s the number of forgiveness. Spiritually, it represents reassurance and provision. For us, it's become a symbol of eternal perspective—a lens to look at love, loss, and life with a little more intention and remind us that we are right where we’re meant to be. While their previous record, The Cannonballers, celebrated the rush and recklessness of youth—“A short ride with a couple twists and turns,” as Caleb described it—77 slows the pace without losing momentum. Where The Cannonballers sprinted through the backroads ofTennessee chasing down freedom, 77 invites listeners on a soul-searching cruise.Sonically, 77 represents the no-nonsense, band-forward approach that mirrors the raw energy of Colony House’s live performance. “We meet people all the time that comment about how our records don’t always fully capture the sound and energy of a Colony House live show,” says guitarist Scott Mills. “So we're trying to close that gap.” Lyrically, it remains consistent with their past work. It is earnest and sincere but avoids taking itself too seriously. Themes of faith, forgiveness, and the journey through time run like power lines through the record. “It’s about looking backward and forward at the same time,” adds frontman Caleb Chapman. “We’ve always wanted our music to bring people together—and this album is asking: what does that look like in a world that feels more divided and distracted than ever?” For a band that built its name on emotion-driven, heart-on-sleeve rock and roll, 77 is a natural evolution - a record marked by maturing and longing. It doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but it’s brave enough to keep asking the questions. Since their 2014 debut When I Was Younger - which featured the breakout single “Silhouettes”—the #1 most-played track on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation for four consecutive months—Colony House has become an influential voice in modern indie rock. Their 2017 followup, Only the Lonely, expanded their sonic palette, fusing vintage surf rock with heartfelt storytelling. The standout track “You Know It” became a viral hit on TikTok and Instagram Reels,\Nand its inclusion in the global Samsung Mobile campaign helped propel it past 100 million streams.In February 2020, just before the world came to a standstill, Colony House released Leave What’s Lost Behind - a cinematic and ambitious album that highlighted the band’s growing creative range. The project culminated in a self-produced full-length feature film, Everybody’s Looking For Some Light, which premiered at two sold-out drive-in events in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. The film was also an official selection at both the Nashville and Knoxville Film Festivals. Colony House has brought their electrifying live sound to some of the country’s most iconic stages and festivals, including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Shaky Knees, Firefly, and WonderBus. Their national broadcast appearances include The Today Show, MTV Live, VH1’s Morning Buzz, and multiple appearances on CONAN and Late Night with Seth Meyers, showcasing their ability to translate the power of their live show to the screen. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Colony House lead singer, Caleb Chapman, reflects on a conversation with his dad concerning the notion that he’s not sure if their new album is the best thing they’ve ever done or just more of the same - “And wouldn’t that be great...” his dad replies. Colony House’s fifth studio album, 77, is both a sonic departure and a spiritual arrival; a retro-futurist meditation on eternity, nostalgia, and the invisible threads that hold us together. Rooted in the aesthetics of ‘90s sound, 77 finds the Franklin, Tennessee-raised four-piece—brothers Caleb and Will Chapman, alongside Scott Mills and Parke Cottrell—reaching beyond what can be seen, touched, or even easily explained."77, the number, means a lot of things to a lot of people,” Caleb explains. “Biblically, it’s the number of forgiveness. Spiritually, it represents reassurance and provision. For us, it's become a symbol of eternal perspective—a lens to look at love, loss, and life with a little more intention and remind us that we are right where we’re meant to be. While their previous record, The Cannonballers, celebrated the rush and recklessness of youth—“A short ride with a couple twists and turns,” as Caleb described it—77 slows the pace without losing momentum. Where The Cannonballers sprinted through the backroads ofTennessee chasing down freedom, 77 invites listeners on a soul-searching cruise.Sonically, 77 represents the no-nonsense, band-forward approach that mirrors the raw energy of Colony House’s live performance. “We meet people all the time that comment about how our records don’t always fully capture the sound and energy of a Colony House live show,” says guitarist Scott Mills. “So we're trying to close that gap.” Lyrically, it remains consistent with their past work. It is earnest and sincere but avoids taking itself too seriously. Themes of faith, forgiveness, and the journey through time run like power lines through the record. “It’s about looking backward and forward at the same time,” adds frontman Caleb Chapman. “We’ve always wanted our music to bring people together—and this album is asking: what does that look like in a world that feels more divided and distracted than ever?” For a band that built its name on emotion-driven, heart-on-sleeve rock and roll, 77 is a natural evolution - a record marked by maturing and longing. It doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but it’s brave enough to keep asking the questions. Since their 2014 debut When I Was Younger - which featured the breakout single “Silhouettes”—the #1 most-played track on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation for four consecutive months—Colony House has become an influential voice in modern indie rock. Their 2017 followup, Only the Lonely, expanded their sonic palette, fusing vintage surf rock with heartfelt storytelling. The standout track “You Know It” became a viral hit on TikTok and Instagram Reels,
and its inclusion in the global Samsung Mobile campaign helped propel it past 100 million streams.In February 2020, just before the world came to a standstill, Colony House released Leave What’s Lost Behind - a cinematic and ambitious album that highlighted the band’s growing creative range. The project culminated in a self-produced full-length feature film, Everybody’s Looking For Some Light, which premiered at two sold-out drive-in events in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. The film was also an official selection at both the Nashville and Knoxville Film Festivals. Colony House has brought their electrifying live sound to some of the country’s most iconic stages and festivals, including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Shaky Knees, Firefly, and WonderBus. Their national broadcast appearances include The Today Show, MTV Live, VH1’s Morning Buzz, and multiple appearances on CONAN and Late Night with Seth Meyers, showcasing their ability to translate the power of their live show to the screen.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260303T223850Z SEQUENCE:11602168 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1927 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260312T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260312T230000 UID:30980B71-F1D7-49C2-84EB-9AA77E9AF7C9 SUMMARY:Rising Appalachia CREATED:20251117T201025Z DTSTAMP:20251117T201025Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/rising-appalachia DESCRIPTION:Rising Appalachia is an internationally touring folk ensemble steeped in the soul of the South. It is the brainchild of Atlanta-raised sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, rooted in the rich musical traditions of their family and their journey into song as performers, writers, and song catchers. They have that touch that only siblings can have. And now, fresh off the press, they present their first album of cover songs Folk & Anchor, a carefully curated collection of remakes. From Bob Dylan to Hoizer, Erykah Badu to Beyonce, hear these songs in a voice uniquely their own. Recorded at Echo Mountain in Asheville North Carolina, the band has leaned into new renditions of old favorites, showcasing their wide range of style and sound. Rising Appalachia makes music as a reflection of their times, blending Americana music with lyrics, rhythm and poetry of our times. The band's unique sound was shaped by Leah and Chloe's soulful vocals, simple instrumentation, and seamless harmonies, unique to siblings steeped in the multi-generational music of the South. They are joined by a host of incredible musicians who bring their own cultural influences, enriching the blend of Appalachian, Irish, Americana, Latin and world roots music that defines the smooth sound of Rising Appalachia.Fronted by Leah and Chloe, and featuring full-time members David Brown (upright bass, baritone guitar), Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello), and Biko Casini (drums and percussion),expect to be swooned into a tapestry of silky sounds.Their journey has taken them around the world, from sailboat tours across British Columbia to street theater festivals in Southern Italy, a full-time busking career in New Orleans, and traditional song studies in Ireland, Bulgaria, Latin America, and beyond. They also continue to immerse in community building, cultural exchange programs, traditional folkloric studies, and music gathering everywhere that they go. Their dedication for nearly two decades to their craft has led them to acclaimed appearances(Telluride and Bluegrass Festival, Preservation Jazz Hall, Bob Boilen's Tiny Desk Concert, Red Rocks, and many more) and sold-out concerts at venues across the world. Through their music, Rising Appalachia bridges culture and stories, creating connections that resonate deeply with their audiences of all ages, shapes, and sizes. Expect a boot-stomping banjo tune alongside an acapella ballad... all mashed up with breathtaking cello, a flatpicking guitar medley, and undeniable groove. Eschewing established industry norms, Leah, Chloe, and their team have followed the invitation to intuitively and independently forge their own path. Sixteen years and seven studio albums in, this is their first full cover album and welcomes you into an ambitious adventure that has already taken these medicine women around the world and back. Come and make this music your own X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Rising Appalachia is an internationally touring folk ensemble steeped in the soul of the South. It is the brainchild of Atlanta-raised sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, rooted in the rich musical traditions of their family and their journey into song as performers, writers, and song catchers. They have that touch that only siblings can have. And now, fresh off the press, they present their first album of cover songs Folk & Anchor, a carefully curated collection of remakes. From Bob Dylan to Hoizer, Erykah Badu to Beyonce, hear these songs in a voice uniquely their own. Recorded at Echo Mountain in Asheville North Carolina, the band has leaned into new renditions of old favorites, showcasing their wide range of style and sound. Rising Appalachia makes music as a reflection of their times, blending Americana music with lyrics, rhythm and poetry of our times. The band's unique sound was shaped by Leah and Chloe's soulful vocals, simple instrumentation, and seamless harmonies, unique to siblings steeped in the multi-generational music of the South. They are joined by a host of incredible musicians who bring their own cultural influences, enriching the blend of Appalachian, Irish, Americana, Latin and world roots music that defines the smooth sound of Rising Appalachia.Fronted by Leah and Chloe, and featuring full-time members David Brown (upright bass, baritone guitar), Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello), and Biko Casini (drums and percussion),expect to be swooned into a tapestry of silky sounds.Their journey has taken them around the world, from sailboat tours across British Columbia to street theater festivals in Southern Italy, a full-time busking career in New Orleans, and traditional song studies in Ireland, Bulgaria, Latin America, and beyond. They also continue to immerse in community building, cultural exchange programs, traditional folkloric studies, and music gathering everywhere that they go. Their dedication for nearly two decades to their craft has led them to acclaimed appearances(Telluride and Bluegrass Festival, Preservation Jazz Hall, Bob Boilen's Tiny Desk Concert, Red Rocks, and many more) and sold-out concerts at venues across the world. Through their music, Rising Appalachia bridges culture and stories, creating connections that resonate deeply with their audiences of all ages, shapes, and sizes. Expect a boot-stomping banjo tune alongside an acapella ballad... all mashed up with breathtaking cello, a flatpicking guitar medley, and undeniable groove. Eschewing established industry norms, Leah, Chloe, and their team have followed the invitation to intuitively and independently forge their own path. Sixteen years and seven studio albums in, this is their first full cover album and welcomes you into an ambitious adventure that has already taken these medicine women around the world and back. Come and make this music your own
LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T213145Z SEQUENCE:9940880 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:3034 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-11-18 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260414T203000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260414T233000 UID:46CBCA83-96CF-4BD5-9533-40BE3C1578C2 SUMMARY:Eggy CREATED:20260122T201551Z DTSTAMP:20260122T201551Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/eggy-3 DESCRIPTION:Eggy is redefining the modern jam band experience with a blend of rich songwriting, exploratory improvisation, and magnetic live energy. The Connecticut-based quartet—Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Dani Battat (keys, vocals), Mike Goodman (bass, vocals), and Alex Bailey (drums, vocals)—has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songs and live performances that turn every set into an unpredictable, communal experience.\N2024 marked a breakout moment for the band with the release of their sophomore album Waiting Game, a refined studio statement co-produced by White Denim’s James Petralli. The album propelled Eggy into their largest headline touring year to date, while earning standout performances at major festivals including Austin City Limits, Electric Forest, and Suwannee Hulaween.\NThat momentum only accelerated through 2025. Eggy continued expanding their footprint with extensive headline touring, a growing list of festival appearances, and a reputation as one of the most consistently compelling live acts in the jam and rock space. Around Halloween, the band sold out back-to-back nights at Cervantes in Denver, transforming the city into a pilgrimage site for fans with their themed run celebrating The Ballad of Blucifer. The shows underscored the band’s ability to create moments that feel both playful and deeply meaningful, while proving their staying power in key markets.\NAs they look ahead to 2026, Eggy enters a new chapter defined by confidence, creative ambition, and sustained growth. With continued headline touring on the horizon and plans to begin creating new music in early 2026, the band is focused on pushing their sound forward without losing the emotional core that has defined them. From intimate rooms to sold-out club runs and marquee festival stages, Eggy continues to convert first-time listeners into lifelong fans. Wherever they play next, one thing remains constant: no two shows are ever the same, and the journey is just getting started. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Eggy is redefining the modern jam band experience with a blend of rich songwriting, exploratory improvisation, and magnetic live energy. The Connecticut-based quartet—Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Dani Battat (keys, vocals), Mike Goodman (bass, vocals), and Alex Bailey (drums, vocals)—has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songs and live performances that turn every set into an unpredictable, communal experience.
2024 marked a breakout moment for the band with the release of their sophomore album Waiting Game, a refined studio statement co-produced by White Denim’s James Petralli. The album propelled Eggy into their largest headline touring year to date, while earning standout performances at major festivals including Austin City Limits, Electric Forest, and Suwannee Hulaween.
That momentum only accelerated through 2025. Eggy continued expanding their footprint with extensive headline touring, a growing list of festival appearances, and a reputation as one of the most consistently compelling live acts in the jam and rock space. Around Halloween, the band sold out back-to-back nights at Cervantes in Denver, transforming the city into a pilgrimage site for fans with their themed run celebrating The Ballad of Blucifer. The shows underscored the band’s ability to create moments that feel both playful and deeply meaningful, while proving their staying power in key markets.
As they look ahead to 2026, Eggy enters a new chapter defined by confidence, creative ambition, and sustained growth. With continued headline touring on the horizon and plans to begin creating new music in early 2026, the band is focused on pushing their sound forward without losing the emotional core that has defined them. From intimate rooms to sold-out club runs and marquee festival stages, Eggy continues to convert first-time listeners into lifelong fans. Wherever they play next, one thing remains constant: no two shows are ever the same, and the journey is just getting started.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T205535Z SEQUENCE:2421584 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1170 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-01-27 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260417T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260417T233000 UID:F26B9321-FBC0-4609-8185-84B434FB586C SUMMARY:MarchFourth CREATED:20260312T191808Z DTSTAMP:20260312T191808Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/marchfourth-4 DESCRIPTION:MarchFourth is a kaleidoscope of musical and visual energy that inspires unabashed dancing and an atmosphere of celebration. Born in Portland 22 years ago on a Mardi Gras Day, MarchFourth’s collaborative roster has evolved through many musical generations. The M4 family now spans from Oregon and Seattle all the way down to New Orleans.\NCostumed as a psychedelic punk rock marching band circus troupe, M4’s show features electric bass, guitar, a 4-piece percussion corps, a 7-part horn section, dancers, acrobatics, stilt-walkers, a live visual artist, and a diverse musical repertoire. Far from a "marching band" in any traditional sense, they have been known to swagger through town playing a few tunes before taking the stage.\NMarchFourth travels in a 47 foot tour bus named The Highway Star, bringing their unique brand of party and good vibes wherever they go. Their show is a sonic journey with worldwide influences, echoing the deepest grooves of American funk, rock, and jazz boiled all together in cinematic fashion, with showmanship, flare, and BIG heart.\NThis genre-busting, joy-inducing, in-your-face experience is not to be missed! X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:MarchFourth is a kaleidoscope of musical and visual energy that inspires unabashed dancing and an atmosphere of celebration. Born in Portland 22 years ago on a Mardi Gras Day, MarchFourth’s collaborative roster has evolved through many musical generations. The M4 family now spans from Oregon and Seattle all the way down to New Orleans.
Costumed as a psychedelic punk rock marching band circus troupe, M4’s show features electric bass, guitar, a 4-piece percussion corps, a 7-part horn section, dancers, acrobatics, stilt-walkers, a live visual artist, and a diverse musical repertoire. Far from a "marching band" in any traditional sense, they have been known to swagger through town playing a few tunes before taking the stage.
MarchFourth travels in a 47 foot tour bus named The Highway Star, bringing their unique brand of party and good vibes wherever they go. Their show is a sonic journey with worldwide influences, echoing the deepest grooves of American funk, rock, and jazz boiled all together in cinematic fashion, with showmanship, flare, and BIG heart.
This genre-busting, joy-inducing, in-your-face experience is not to be missed!
LAST-MODIFIED:20260325T182510Z SEQUENCE:1120022 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:606 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-03-17 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260419T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260419T233000 UID:F2A555F3-9474-404B-A15E-29F9E852984E SUMMARY:Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals CREATED:20260202T181457Z DTSTAMP:20260202T181457Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/ben-harper-the-innocent-criminals-2 DESCRIPTION:Ben Harper is one of the premiere songwriters of his generation. He is also one of the most versatile and brave songwriters, fearlessly working in a cross-section of genres, ranging from pop, reggae and soul, to blues, rock, funk and folk. He has recorded 18 studio albums and amassed a worldwide following having sold over 16 million records worldwide and 3 Grammy Awards.Ben was born on October 28, 1969. While his music and career embody the sonic bravery, brilliance, lyrical honesty and social activism of that pivotal time, Harper adds his unique modern day cultural awareness brining music with social conscience into the now, reflected in the 2023 nomination for the newly minted Grammy Special Merit Award for "Best Song For Social Change."Harper's latest album "Wide Open Light" included the hit "Yard Sale," a duet with Jack Johnson. It followed up the political and personally revealing, fearless and soulful Grammy-nominated "Bloodline Maintenance X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Ben Harper is one of the premiere songwriters of his generation. He is also one of the most versatile and brave songwriters, fearlessly working in a cross-section of genres, ranging from pop, reggae and soul, to blues, rock, funk and folk. He has recorded 18 studio albums and amassed a worldwide following having sold over 16 million records worldwide and 3 Grammy Awards.Ben was born on October 28, 1969. While his music and career embody the sonic bravery, brilliance, lyrical honesty and social activism of that pivotal time, Harper adds his unique modern day cultural awareness brining music with social conscience into the now, reflected in the 2023 nomination for the newly minted Grammy Special Merit Award for "Best Song For Social Change."Harper's latest album "Wide Open Light" included the hit "Yard Sale," a duet with Jack Johnson. It followed up the political and personally revealing, fearless and soulful Grammy-nominated "Bloodline Maintenance
LAST-MODIFIED:20260317T205233Z SEQUENCE:3724656 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1036 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-02-03 15:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260427T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260427T233000 UID:799322B3-3FEC-4276-9C3E-BBF8C11E7CE9 SUMMARY:Vincent Neil Emerson CREATED:20260122T192207Z DTSTAMP:20260122T192207Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/vincent-neil-emerson-3 DESCRIPTION:Vincent Neil Emerson has become a staple among folk and country music fans nationwide, celebrated for his honest tales of life on the road, heartbreak, and struggles of all sorts. His first LP, Fried Chicken & Evil Women, from 2019, established him as a refreshing voice in the modern country music landscape. The songs from that first album were charming and playful songs, but didn't reveal the entirety of Emerson's story.\NOn his brilliant new album, The Golden Crystal Kingdom, Emerson transcends the role of a honky-tonk country singer and becomes a chronicler of his history. The album is a bold continuation of the story he tells on Vincent Neil Emerson, with songs like the title track exploring the feelings he was left with after his days spent playing in Texas honky-tonks and dancehalls, and the track "The Time of The Rambler," inspired by the early days of living in his car and busking on the streets.\NHe was born and partly raised in East Texas, around his Choctaw-Apache family, and spent most of his life moving around the state. Raised by a single mother, he lost his father to suicide when he was nine. Emerson dealt with those feelings of abandonment and loss on his self-titled album, with the track "Learning to Drown" in particular.\NHis grandmother and grandfather brought the family to Texas when Emerson's mother was a child, leaving their ancestral Choctaw-Apache homelands in Louisiana behind to try and build a better life for themselves and their children. Emerson always identified with his Native American roots, but it wasn't until 2021's self-titled album that he examined and tried to shed light on the devastating history of his tribe with the song "Ballad of the Choctaw Apache."\NSonically, The Golden Crystal Kingdom finds Emerson expanding his scope into rock and roll territory, tapping into the storied sounds of folk music gone electric, and following in the footsteps of artists like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. On the album, Emerson retains his diamond- sharp storytelling while imbuing the work with a freewheeling rock and roll aesthetic, creating an album as fun as his live shows and as cathartic as his previous work.\NWith production from Shooter Jennings, Emerson wanted to establish some sounds as touchstones but emphasized following his own intuition for the aesthetics of his record. "I didn't really want to model this record after anybody else's music, but I've been heavily influenced by a lot of old rock and roll music from the sixties and seventies singer-songwriter music," Emerson explains.\NThe album wasn't necessarily created as an opposing force to the country and folk sounds his fans have come to expect, but he did want to make a record that showcased another side of himself as a writer. He also leaned on friends and collaborators like Jennings, Steve Earle, and Rodney Crowell to help him flesh out this album.\NEmerson has been able to call these one-time heroes friends and mentors, and it is these relationships that have helped the songwriter find his confidence in writing about his personal history and standing up for the causes he believes in. Emerson wrote "Man From Uvalde" after the horrific and tragic mass shooting in the city of Uvalde, Texas, and he was initially hesitant to include the track on The Golden Crystal Kingdom. "It's a daunting thing to try to dive into social issues in songwriting because I wasn't sure how people would really take it," Emerson says. "I recorded a rough demo version of the song, and I sent it to Steve [Earle]. I just wanted to get his thoughts on it and see if it was worth anything. He got back to me, and he said he really liked thesong and thought it was great. He gave me a few ideas and ways to look at the subject differently, and it really helped me finish the song. That encouragement gave me the confidence to include it on the album."\NThe Golden Crystal Kingdom also pays tribute to some of the peers Emerson cut his teeth with in the music scene. He covers the Charley Crockett song, "Time of the Cottonwood Trees," and is quick to pay tribute to his labelmate and dear friend Colter Wall. "Those two had my back since day one. They've been some of my biggest supporters, and they've always inspired me to write better songs and encouraged me to pursue this," Emerson reflects. "Especially at a time when I was starting out and I didn't really have a lot of encouragement or even self-confidence to do this, they were always there for me."\NAs a kid who grew up in a trailer with a single mother, went through bouts of homelessness as a young man, and grinded through countless shows to get where he's at, Vincent Neil Emerson is never quick to praise his own work ethic. He always refers to the friends, family members, and collaborators who have shown their faith in his vision.\NBut humility doesn't mean Emerson isn't one of the hardest working, most talented songwriters to emerge from the alt-country underground in years. His style is one of a kind, and his ability to blend tales of the everyman with tributes to his past, present, and future make him a peerless songwriter. On The Golden Crystal Kingdom, Vincent Neil Emerson carries on the torch of his singer-songwriter forebears while infusing the legacy with his unique and thrilling point of view. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Vincent Neil Emerson has become a staple among folk and country music fans nationwide, celebrated for his honest tales of life on the road, heartbreak, and struggles of all sorts. His first LP, Fried Chicken & Evil Women, from 2019, established him as a refreshing voice in the modern country music landscape. The songs from that first album were charming and playful songs, but didn't reveal the entirety of Emerson's story.
On his brilliant new album, The Golden Crystal Kingdom, Emerson transcends the role of a honky-tonk country singer and becomes a chronicler of his history. The album is a bold continuation of the story he tells on Vincent Neil Emerson, with songs like the title track exploring the feelings he was left with after his days spent playing in Texas honky-tonks and dancehalls, and the track "The Time of The Rambler," inspired by the early days of living in his car and busking on the streets.
He was born and partly raised in East Texas, around his Choctaw-Apache family, and spent most of his life moving around the state. Raised by a single mother, he lost his father to suicide when he was nine. Emerson dealt with those feelings of abandonment and loss on his self-titled album, with the track "Learning to Drown" in particular.
His grandmother and grandfather brought the family to Texas when Emerson's mother was a child, leaving their ancestral Choctaw-Apache homelands in Louisiana behind to try and build a better life for themselves and their children. Emerson always identified with his Native American roots, but it wasn't until 2021's self-titled album that he examined and tried to shed light on the devastating history of his tribe with the song "Ballad of the Choctaw Apache."
Sonically, The Golden Crystal Kingdom finds Emerson expanding his scope into rock and roll territory, tapping into the storied sounds of folk music gone electric, and following in the footsteps of artists like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. On the album, Emerson retains his diamond- sharp storytelling while imbuing the work with a freewheeling rock and roll aesthetic, creating an album as fun as his live shows and as cathartic as his previous work.
With production from Shooter Jennings, Emerson wanted to establish some sounds as touchstones but emphasized following his own intuition for the aesthetics of his record. "I didn't really want to model this record after anybody else's music, but I've been heavily influenced by a lot of old rock and roll music from the sixties and seventies singer-songwriter music," Emerson explains.
The album wasn't necessarily created as an opposing force to the country and folk sounds his fans have come to expect, but he did want to make a record that showcased another side of himself as a writer. He also leaned on friends and collaborators like Jennings, Steve Earle, and Rodney Crowell to help him flesh out this album.
Emerson has been able to call these one-time heroes friends and mentors, and it is these relationships that have helped the songwriter find his confidence in writing about his personal history and standing up for the causes he believes in. Emerson wrote "Man From Uvalde" after the horrific and tragic mass shooting in the city of Uvalde, Texas, and he was initially hesitant to include the track on The Golden Crystal Kingdom. "It's a daunting thing to try to dive into social issues in songwriting because I wasn't sure how people would really take it," Emerson says. "I recorded a rough demo version of the song, and I sent it to Steve [Earle]. I just wanted to get his thoughts on it and see if it was worth anything. He got back to me, and he said he really liked thesong and thought it was great. He gave me a few ideas and ways to look at the subject differently, and it really helped me finish the song. That encouragement gave me the confidence to include it on the album."
The Golden Crystal Kingdom also pays tribute to some of the peers Emerson cut his teeth with in the music scene. He covers the Charley Crockett song, "Time of the Cottonwood Trees," and is quick to pay tribute to his labelmate and dear friend Colter Wall. "Those two had my back since day one. They've been some of my biggest supporters, and they've always inspired me to write better songs and encouraged me to pursue this," Emerson reflects. "Especially at a time when I was starting out and I didn't really have a lot of encouragement or even self-confidence to do this, they were always there for me."
As a kid who grew up in a trailer with a single mother, went through bouts of homelessness as a young man, and grinded through countless shows to get where he's at, Vincent Neil Emerson is never quick to praise his own work ethic. He always refers to the friends, family members, and collaborators who have shown their faith in his vision.
But humility doesn't mean Emerson isn't one of the hardest working, most talented songwriters to emerge from the alt-country underground in years. His style is one of a kind, and his ability to blend tales of the everyman with tributes to his past, present, and future make him a peerless songwriter. On The Golden Crystal Kingdom, Vincent Neil Emerson carries on the torch of his singer-songwriter forebears while infusing the legacy with his unique and thrilling point of view.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T220818Z SEQUENCE:6489971 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:801 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-01-27 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260506T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260506T233000 UID:194AAE9E-6E06-4095-BFB2-4D120280BC1F SUMMARY:The New Pornographers CREATED:20251117T190219Z DTSTAMP:20251117T190219Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-new-pornographers-2 DESCRIPTION:Over the past 20 years, The New Pornographers have proven themselves one of the most excellent bands in indie rock. They have released nine studio albums, including their classic debut Mass Romantic and their latest 2023’s Continue as a Guest, which marked their debut for Merge Records.\NThey’ve constantly offered new sonic surprises with every album, and have established themselves alongside modern luminaries like Yo La Tengo and Superchunk when it comes to their ability to evolve while still retaining what made them so special in the first place. Of the newest record, New York Magazine lauded, “The New Pornographers are a massive unit bursting with unique and intersecting talents…the band’s ninth album serves another helping of their signature dish.\N”The band's new single "Ballad of the Last Payphone" is out now with a new full-length album slated for release in 2026 – more details to come.\NCritical acclaim for The New Pornographers:\N“Over the course of their 20-plus-year career, the New Pornographers have often specialized in catchy ambiguity. If leader Carl Newman was just a machine cranking out power-pop tunes, it would get boring. But there’s also a lot of mixed emotions going on under the surface of their studiously nuanced pop-rock formalism—like if Cheap Trick was as quick-witted as Steely Dan, or the Romantics were as thoughtful as R.E.M.”- Rolling Stone\N“Pure, blissfully irresistible power pop”- NPR Music\N“[The New Pornographers] make catchy, sophisticated alternate-universe hits.”- Stereogum X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Over the past 20 years, The New Pornographers have proven themselves one of the most excellent bands in indie rock. They have released nine studio albums, including their classic debut Mass Romantic and their latest 2023’s Continue as a Guest, which marked their debut for Merge Records.
They’ve constantly offered new sonic surprises with every album, and have established themselves alongside modern luminaries like Yo La Tengo and Superchunk when it comes to their ability to evolve while still retaining what made them so special in the first place. Of the newest record, New York Magazine lauded, “The New Pornographers are a massive unit bursting with unique and intersecting talents…the band’s ninth album serves another helping of their signature dish.
”The band's new single "Ballad of the Last Payphone" is out now with a new full-length album slated for release in 2026 – more details to come.
Critical acclaim for The New Pornographers:
“Over the course of their 20-plus-year career, the New Pornographers have often specialized in catchy ambiguity. If leader Carl Newman was just a machine cranking out power-pop tunes, it would get boring. But there’s also a lot of mixed emotions going on under the surface of their studiously nuanced pop-rock formalism—like if Cheap Trick was as quick-witted as Steely Dan, or the Romantics were as thoughtful as R.E.M.”- Rolling Stone
“Pure, blissfully irresistible power pop”- NPR Music
“[The New Pornographers] make catchy, sophisticated alternate-universe hits.”- Stereogum
LAST-MODIFIED:20260410T170327Z SEQUENCE:12434468 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1228 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-11-18 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260515T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260515T233000 UID:AA7B995B-34CA-4817-9233-5DE1B0B27CEF SUMMARY:Eric Johnson CREATED:20210709T170716Z DTSTAMP:20210709T170716Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/eric-johnson-state-room DESCRIPTION:One of the most outstanding instrumentalists in rock over the past 40 years, Texas guitarist Eric Johnson was already a legend before he recorded his first album. By the early 1980s, many celebrated guitarists were singing the praises of this skinny kid from Austin with the mind-melting chops. Comparisons were made to such guitar heroes as Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix and when he joined the ‘70s Austin fusion band Electromagnetsthey were being hailed as “the Mahavishnu Orchestra of Texas”. With the release of his highly-anticipated 1986 solo debut album Tones, the underground guitar legend finally emerged onto the scene fully-formed. It landed him on the cover of Guitar Playermagazine, which hailed the album as a “majestic debut”, and earned him his first Grammy nomination for the song “Zap”. With the release of his follow up album, 1990’s platinum-selling Ah Via Musicom, which contained the Grammy Award winning song “Cliffs of Dover”, Eric Johnson became a bona fide international guitar phenomenon.The New Age Music Guideonce opined that “Eric Johnson plays guitar the way Michelangelo painted ceilings: with a colorful vibrancy that’s more real than life”while Rolling Stoneincluded him in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of the 21st century. A dynamic singer as well as an incredibly gifted guitarist, a pianist and a prolific songwriter, Eric has been featured on the cover of countless guitar magazines around the world while also racking up critical accolades along the way.Since 1986 Eric has released seventeen albums, in addition to albums with other artists such as Eclecticwith jazz guitarist Mike Stern, and the platinum-selling G3 Livewith Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Eric has received eight Grammy nominations along with numerous other recognitions, awards and wins in various polls and magazines. Among Johnson’s many accolades are a GRAMMY award in 1992 for “Cliffs of Dover”as Best Rock Instrumental Performance, lifetime induction into the Guitar PlayerGallery of Greats, and his listing among the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century”by Musicianmagazine. In his hometown of Austin Texas, a city full of guitarists, the readers of the Austin Chroniclevoted Eric Johnson the city’s “Best Electric Guitarist”and “Best Acoustic Guitarist”in their yearly poll year after year. They also named him “Electric Guitarist of the Decade”and one of the top five “Musicians of the Decade”. In February 2024 Eric was honored with induction into the Texas Heritage Songwriters AssociationHall of Fame. 2023 found Eric on his ‘Treasure Tour’, 67 US dates that were split between a Spring and a Fall tour. In January and February 2024 Eric joined the ‘G3 Reunion Tour’with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and the resulting new live album from the tour will be released in January 2025. In August 2024 he heads out for a run of dates in the north and northeast including the Backroads Blues Festival in New York. In September and October 2024 Eric was a featured performer on the ‘Experience Hendrix 2024 Tour’, crossing the country from Washington state to Florida, and then rejoined in March and April 2025 for the ‘Experience Hendrix 2025 Tour’throughout the east and northeast USA and Canada.Over the course of more than four decades, Eric Johnson has been traveling on a prolific odyssey. Along the way, his creations have cross-pollinated the various musical genres which include rock, blues, jazz, fusion, soul, folk, new-age, classical, and even country. Inevitably EJ says it best himself in sharing that regardless of the genre “It really boils down to the music and the song at the end of the day”, he explains.“The most important thing for me is to grow musically and make a more expansive and meaningful artistic statement with every new project”. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:One of the most outstanding instrumentalists in rock over the past 40 years, Texas guitarist Eric Johnson was already a legend before he recorded his first album. By the early 1980s, many celebrated guitarists were singing the praises of this skinny kid from Austin with the mind-melting chops. Comparisons were made to such guitar heroes as Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix and when he joined the ‘70s Austin fusion band Electromagnetsthey were being hailed as “the Mahavishnu Orchestra of Texas”. With the release of his highly-anticipated 1986 solo debut album Tones, the underground guitar legend finally emerged onto the scene fully-formed. It landed him on the cover of Guitar Playermagazine, which hailed the album as a “majestic debut”, and earned him his first Grammy nomination for the song “Zap”. With the release of his follow up album, 1990’s platinum-selling Ah Via Musicom, which contained the Grammy Award winning song “Cliffs of Dover”, Eric Johnson became a bona fide international guitar phenomenon.The New Age Music Guideonce opined that “Eric Johnson plays guitar the way Michelangelo painted ceilings: with a colorful vibrancy that’s more real than life”while Rolling Stoneincluded him in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of the 21st century. A dynamic singer as well as an incredibly gifted guitarist, a pianist and a prolific songwriter, Eric has been featured on the cover of countless guitar magazines around the world while also racking up critical accolades along the way.Since 1986 Eric has released seventeen albums, in addition to albums with other artists such as Eclecticwith jazz guitarist Mike Stern, and the platinum-selling G3 Livewith Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Eric has received eight Grammy nominations along with numerous other recognitions, awards and wins in various polls and magazines. Among Johnson’s many accolades are a GRAMMY award in 1992 for “Cliffs of Dover”as Best Rock Instrumental Performance, lifetime induction into the Guitar PlayerGallery of Greats, and his listing among the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century”by Musicianmagazine. In his hometown of Austin Texas, a city full of guitarists, the readers of the Austin Chroniclevoted Eric Johnson the city’s “Best Electric Guitarist”and “Best Acoustic Guitarist”in their yearly poll year after year. They also named him “Electric Guitarist of the Decade”and one of the top five “Musicians of the Decade”. In February 2024 Eric was honored with induction into the Texas Heritage Songwriters AssociationHall of Fame. 2023 found Eric on his ‘Treasure Tour’, 67 US dates that were split between a Spring and a Fall tour. In January and February 2024 Eric joined the ‘G3 Reunion Tour’with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and the resulting new live album from the tour will be released in January 2025. In August 2024 he heads out for a run of dates in the north and northeast including the Backroads Blues Festival in New York. In September and October 2024 Eric was a featured performer on the ‘Experience Hendrix 2024 Tour’, crossing the country from Washington state to Florida, and then rejoined in March and April 2025 for the ‘Experience Hendrix 2025 Tour’throughout the east and northeast USA and Canada.Over the course of more than four decades, Eric Johnson has been traveling on a prolific odyssey. Along the way, his creations have cross-pollinated the various musical genres which include rock, blues, jazz, fusion, soul, folk, new-age, classical, and even country. Inevitably EJ says it best himself in sharing that regardless of the genre “It really boils down to the music and the song at the end of the day”, he explains.“The most important thing for me is to grow musically and make a more expansive and meaningful artistic statement with every new project”.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T205818Z SEQUENCE:145684262 LOCATION:638 South State Street\, Salt Lake City\, Utah 84111 GEO:40.75528240;-111.88872990 X-LOCATION-DISPLAYNAME:The State Room X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1215 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2025-12-16 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260516T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260516T233000 UID:06293C69-1849-41A9-84F1-6094B470C3DA SUMMARY:THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS CREATED:20260107T210956Z DTSTAMP:20260107T210956Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-california-honeydrops-2 DESCRIPTION:“The California Honeydrops...evoke the greasy rumble of Booker T and channel the spiritual ecstasy of Sly and the Family Stone.” -Rolling Stone\NFormed in the subway systems of Oakland, retro-soul outfit The California Honeydrops are an electrifying group that defy convention at every turn. They’ve become a mainstay at festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest (Australia), Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, Lightning In A Bottle, and touring with B.B. King, DrJohn, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Allen Toussaint. Led by the enigmatic and energetic frontman, Lech Wierzynski, and percussionist Benjamin Malament, each member of the band is a virtuoso in their own rite — Yanos “Johnny Bones” Lustig on saxophone, Lorenzo Loera on keyboards/guitar, Beaumont Beaullieu on drums, Miles Blackwell on bass, and regularly accompanied by Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Leon Cotter on saxophone/clarinet, and Miles Lyons on trombone/sousaphone — navigating through a vast repertoire of original songs and timeless classics every night. But what truly sets them apart is their unwavering commitment to the art of improvisation - a skill so finely honed that they have completelyabandoned the use of set lists and no two shows are ever the same. Off stage, their music has been streamed more than 200 million times, and placed in a variety of TV and films, including “Dead To Me,” “Alaska Daily,” “Black-ish” and more. Their new album “Redwood Highway” was released August 8, 2025. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:“The California Honeydrops...evoke the greasy rumble of Booker T and channel the spiritual ecstasy of Sly and the Family Stone.” -Rolling Stone
Formed in the subway systems of Oakland, retro-soul outfit The California Honeydrops are an electrifying group that defy convention at every turn. They’ve become a mainstay at festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest (Australia), Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, Lightning In A Bottle, and touring with B.B. King, DrJohn, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Allen Toussaint. Led by the enigmatic and energetic frontman, Lech Wierzynski, and percussionist Benjamin Malament, each member of the band is a virtuoso in their own rite — Yanos “Johnny Bones” Lustig on saxophone, Lorenzo Loera on keyboards/guitar, Beaumont Beaullieu on drums, Miles Blackwell on bass, and regularly accompanied by Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Leon Cotter on saxophone/clarinet, and Miles Lyons on trombone/sousaphone — navigating through a vast repertoire of original songs and timeless classics every night. But what truly sets them apart is their unwavering commitment to the art of improvisation - a skill so finely honed that they have completelyabandoned the use of set lists and no two shows are ever the same. Off stage, their music has been streamed more than 200 million times, and placed in a variety of TV and films, including “Dead To Me,” “Alaska Daily,” “Black-ish” and more. Their new album “Redwood Highway” was released August 8, 2025.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260224T173156Z SEQUENCE:4134120 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:874 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-01-13 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260610T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260610T233000 UID:5C0D8B3F-6524-4C4D-BD01-87BCB266CF88 SUMMARY:Burning Spear CREATED:20260403T225803Z DTSTAMP:20260403T225803Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/burning-spear DESCRIPTION:" The Future Is Mine."\NThe road maybe foggy, I will slowly travel through The Fog. to reach My destiny, of freedom. \NA music-maker, community icon, educator, spiritual uplifter; Burning Spear's importance to culture existed before the media spotlight, and has only grown since.\NFor nearly four decades and more than 25 albums, he has carried the torch of the gospel of political activist Marcus Garvey, promoting self-determination and self-reliance for African descendants through lyrics and rhythms that truly deliver the messages of peace and love to all. \NNot surprisingly, Burning Spear's path in music began with a fateful encounter with Bob Marley. Both were living in the St. Ann's parish of Jamaica. As Spear (born Winston Rodney) recalls, "The way the whole thing came about is that I found myself moving along up in the hills of St. Ann's and I ran into Bob at the same time. And Bob was going to his farm. The man was moving with a donkey and some buckets and a fork, and cutlass and plants. We just reason man-to-man and I-man say wherein I would like to get involved in the music business. And Bob say, ‘All right, just check Studio One.'" It was there that Spear recorded his first two classic album,Burning Spear and Rocking Time. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:" The Future Is Mine."
The road maybe foggy, I will slowly travel through The Fog. to reach My destiny, of freedom.
A music-maker, community icon, educator, spiritual uplifter; Burning Spear's importance to culture existed before the media spotlight, and has only grown since.
For nearly four decades and more than 25 albums, he has carried the torch of the gospel of political activist Marcus Garvey, promoting self-determination and self-reliance for African descendants through lyrics and rhythms that truly deliver the messages of peace and love to all.
Not surprisingly, Burning Spear's path in music began with a fateful encounter with Bob Marley. Both were living in the St. Ann's parish of Jamaica. As Spear (born Winston Rodney) recalls, "The way the whole thing came about is that I found myself moving along up in the hills of St. Ann's and I ran into Bob at the same time. And Bob was going to his farm. The man was moving with a donkey and some buckets and a fork, and cutlass and plants. We just reason man-to-man and I-man say wherein I would like to get involved in the music business. And Bob say, ‘All right, just check Studio One.'" It was there that Spear recorded his first two classic album,Burning Spear and Rocking Time.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T195758Z SEQUENCE:334795 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:114 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-04-06 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260627T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260627T220000 UID:4FAC77DC-C593-46BA-90F5-E76E89993493 SUMMARY:Earlybirds Club CREATED:20260331T213829Z DTSTAMP:20260331T213829Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/earlybirds-club DESCRIPTION:Earlybirds Club is a dance party designed for women, trans, and non-binary folks that starts at 6pm and ends at 10pm - because we have shit to do in the morning!\NOur DJ spins music from the 80s to 2000s, including pop, hip-hop, new wave, and R&B - you know, the songs you sing at the top of your lungs when no one's home! Earlybirds Club is more than a fun night out, it's a supportive space where kindness, good vibes, and sensible footwear rule, and 10% of proceeds always benefit a local non-profit. Come as you are - there's plenty of room on the dance floor for everyone.\N10% of ticket proceeds benefits Journey of Hope, which provides case management services, mentoring, and social advocacy for women, girls, and LGBTQIA+ in Salt Lake City and across Utah.\NNote: By purchasing these tickets, you are consenting to be photographed for promotional purposes. People of all backgrounds and identities are encouraged to attend all of our events. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Earlybirds Club is a dance party designed for women, trans, and non-binary folks that starts at 6pm and ends at 10pm - because we have shit to do in the morning!
Our DJ spins music from the 80s to 2000s, including pop, hip-hop, new wave, and R&B - you know, the songs you sing at the top of your lungs when no one's home! Earlybirds Club is more than a fun night out, it's a supportive space where kindness, good vibes, and sensible footwear rule, and 10% of proceeds always benefit a local non-profit. Come as you are - there's plenty of room on the dance floor for everyone.
10% of ticket proceeds benefits Journey of Hope, which provides case management services, mentoring, and social advocacy for women, girls, and LGBTQIA+ in Salt Lake City and across Utah.
Note: By purchasing these tickets, you are consenting to be photographed for promotional purposes. People of all backgrounds and identities are encouraged to attend all of our events.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T153413Z SEQUENCE:582944 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:219 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-04-07 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260811T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260811T233000 UID:A0C416F6-45A2-4598-8762-2B2000B9B88D SUMMARY:Nick Shoulders CREATED:20260401T175546Z DTSTAMP:20260401T175546Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/nick-shoulders DESCRIPTION:Refugia Blues, the fifth album from Nick Shoulders, is a record of big ideas and small, intimate moments.\NThese nine songs are rooted in the stylings of Southern traditional music. Sparse, timeless, and unamplified, they're older than the sounds Shoulders saluted on albums like 2023's All Bad, with its loud, whooping anthems for roadhouses and sweaty dancehalls. Here, Shoulders isn't shouting over a band. He isn't bringing a crowd to its feet with dance-ready tempos. Rather, he's exploring another side of his craft by stepping up to a ribbon microphone as a solo performer, delivering each song with acoustic instruments and a voice that's equal parts country croon, Appalachian yodel, and high-lonesome field holler. As he explains it, Refugia Blues isn't just a call to action; it's a call to rest, too.\N"This is my Nebraska," he says, nodding to Bruce Springsteen's lo-fi acoustic record from 1982. "Some people listen to Bruce for the E Street Band and the big radio hits, but I like the intimacy and rawness of Nebraska instead. I'd like to think of Refugia Blues as a little window into the heart, as opposed to the drumbeat of a revolution."\NEven so, Refugia Blues resolutely pushes for change. Shoulders' interpretation of American roots music has always been more progressive and punky than the trucks-and-beers conservatism that passes for modern-day country, and he isn't checking his activism at the door anytime soon. Refugia Blues does dive into personal territory, from "Bored Fightin'" (a self-effacing look at Shoulders' reputation as a left-of-center radical) to the heart-on-sleeve love song "Tatum Spring," but it balances the micro with the macro, too. Topics like climate collapse, radical anthropology, generative disruption, and southern identity run throughout the record, adding weight to Shoulders' melodies, balancing his witty humor with topical weight. The purpose, he says, is to utilize his music as "a Trojan Horse that can be accepted by people who don’t hear anything to challenge their sense of comfort and superiority. That's always been the goal — to say what needs to be said, but to intersperse it with joy, humor, and melody."\NIt's a balance that Shoulders has struck in the past, but never so nakedly alone as he does on the opening track, "Apocalypse Never." He wrote the a cappella ballad in the front seat of his band's shuttle bus, taking a hard look at each passing town, noting all the "individualized apocalypses" — houseless encampments, impoverished communities, barren cornfields — that unfolded on the other side of the windshield. "Our world has been through countless apocalypses," he says. "The refusal to give in to the direness of our circumstances, while still acknowledging it, is key to surviving this moment in our history."\NFor Shoulders, singing isn't just a passion; it's practically a birthright. Born to a musical family with deep roots in Arkansas, Appalachia, and Louisiana, he grew up listening to old-world folk music, black gospel, and other sounds that existed long before genres were even invented. "My vocal style is rooted as much in growing up in mountainous Arkansas and having to shout across vast distances to greet my neighbors as it is in my family's very old way of singing," he says. "The way I sing is older than capitalism. Being part of this tradition isn't meant to be regressive; it's meant to be liberating. There were time before cash registers and factories, where people sang like this when they sowed their corn, and I'm trying to embody that."\NRefugia Blues was recorded in a home studio outside of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tracked to analog tape in two inspired days and laced with light touches of guitar, banjo, and fiddle, the album explores the slower, softer textures of Shoulders' music without pulling any punches. On his bare-boned cover of Randy Travis' "Diggin' Up Bones," he slows down the uptempo classic to a warbling waltz. On "Deux Hurry," he taps into his inner Roger Miller, using wordplay to make light of the darkness that lives within all of us. On "Hill Folk," he nods sympathetically to the southerners who've witnessed their cultural inheritance become commodified and commercialized over the past half-century. And on the brave, bold "Dixie Be Damned," he sings about "manifest destitution" and the sickness of contemporary American consciousness, packaging everything into a three-and-a-half minute country gem that's as tuneful as it is topical.\NBy bridging the gap between past and present, Shoulders speaks pointedly and poetically about today's problems, even as he nods to styles that existed long before the 21st century. "When you listen to the origins of country music in the '20s and '30s, you're hearing the voice of southern rural dissent against coal companies, repression, and depression," he says. "The old ballad singers of the Ozarks were conduits for current events, documenting not only their own lives, but also dispossession and economic strife on a much bigger scale. Being part of that great stream of rural protest music is something I'm trying to tap into. I want to say things that feel timeless, deep, and rooted, but also touch on topics like endless war and a government collapsing into dictatorship. I want to be part of that tradition of dissent."\NAt once academic and accessible, Refugia Blues isn't just a deep dive into southernness, but also into Shoulders himself. Released during an era of big-budget country-pop smashes, it stands tall as something else entirely: a raw, resolute version of American country music, punctuated with humor and heavy insights, stacked high with songs that go down easy but linger in the minds of those willing to invest the time. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Refugia Blues, the fifth album from Nick Shoulders, is a record of big ideas and small, intimate moments.
These nine songs are rooted in the stylings of Southern traditional music. Sparse, timeless, and unamplified, they're older than the sounds Shoulders saluted on albums like 2023's All Bad, with its loud, whooping anthems for roadhouses and sweaty dancehalls. Here, Shoulders isn't shouting over a band. He isn't bringing a crowd to its feet with dance-ready tempos. Rather, he's exploring another side of his craft by stepping up to a ribbon microphone as a solo performer, delivering each song with acoustic instruments and a voice that's equal parts country croon, Appalachian yodel, and high-lonesome field holler. As he explains it, Refugia Blues isn't just a call to action; it's a call to rest, too.
"This is my Nebraska," he says, nodding to Bruce Springsteen's lo-fi acoustic record from 1982. "Some people listen to Bruce for the E Street Band and the big radio hits, but I like the intimacy and rawness of Nebraska instead. I'd like to think of Refugia Blues as a little window into the heart, as opposed to the drumbeat of a revolution."
Even so, Refugia Blues resolutely pushes for change. Shoulders' interpretation of American roots music has always been more progressive and punky than the trucks-and-beers conservatism that passes for modern-day country, and he isn't checking his activism at the door anytime soon. Refugia Blues does dive into personal territory, from "Bored Fightin'" (a self-effacing look at Shoulders' reputation as a left-of-center radical) to the heart-on-sleeve love song "Tatum Spring," but it balances the micro with the macro, too. Topics like climate collapse, radical anthropology, generative disruption, and southern identity run throughout the record, adding weight to Shoulders' melodies, balancing his witty humor with topical weight. The purpose, he says, is to utilize his music as "a Trojan Horse that can be accepted by people who don’t hear anything to challenge their sense of comfort and superiority. That's always been the goal — to say what needs to be said, but to intersperse it with joy, humor, and melody."
It's a balance that Shoulders has struck in the past, but never so nakedly alone as he does on the opening track, "Apocalypse Never." He wrote the a cappella ballad in the front seat of his band's shuttle bus, taking a hard look at each passing town, noting all the "individualized apocalypses" — houseless encampments, impoverished communities, barren cornfields — that unfolded on the other side of the windshield. "Our world has been through countless apocalypses," he says. "The refusal to give in to the direness of our circumstances, while still acknowledging it, is key to surviving this moment in our history."
For Shoulders, singing isn't just a passion; it's practically a birthright. Born to a musical family with deep roots in Arkansas, Appalachia, and Louisiana, he grew up listening to old-world folk music, black gospel, and other sounds that existed long before genres were even invented. "My vocal style is rooted as much in growing up in mountainous Arkansas and having to shout across vast distances to greet my neighbors as it is in my family's very old way of singing," he says. "The way I sing is older than capitalism. Being part of this tradition isn't meant to be regressive; it's meant to be liberating. There were time before cash registers and factories, where people sang like this when they sowed their corn, and I'm trying to embody that."
Refugia Blues was recorded in a home studio outside of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tracked to analog tape in two inspired days and laced with light touches of guitar, banjo, and fiddle, the album explores the slower, softer textures of Shoulders' music without pulling any punches. On his bare-boned cover of Randy Travis' "Diggin' Up Bones," he slows down the uptempo classic to a warbling waltz. On "Deux Hurry," he taps into his inner Roger Miller, using wordplay to make light of the darkness that lives within all of us. On "Hill Folk," he nods sympathetically to the southerners who've witnessed their cultural inheritance become commodified and commercialized over the past half-century. And on the brave, bold "Dixie Be Damned," he sings about "manifest destitution" and the sickness of contemporary American consciousness, packaging everything into a three-and-a-half minute country gem that's as tuneful as it is topical.
By bridging the gap between past and present, Shoulders speaks pointedly and poetically about today's problems, even as he nods to styles that existed long before the 21st century. "When you listen to the origins of country music in the '20s and '30s, you're hearing the voice of southern rural dissent against coal companies, repression, and depression," he says. "The old ballad singers of the Ozarks were conduits for current events, documenting not only their own lives, but also dispossession and economic strife on a much bigger scale. Being part of that great stream of rural protest music is something I'm trying to tap into. I want to say things that feel timeless, deep, and rooted, but also touch on topics like endless war and a government collapsing into dictatorship. I want to be part of that tradition of dissent."
At once academic and accessible, Refugia Blues isn't just a deep dive into southernness, but also into Shoulders himself. Released during an era of big-budget country-pop smashes, it stands tall as something else entirely: a raw, resolute version of American country music, punctuated with humor and heavy insights, stacked high with songs that go down easy but linger in the minds of those willing to invest the time.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T153933Z SEQUENCE:510227 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:85 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-04-07 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260827T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260827T233000 UID:77796A02-3A84-4519-841B-9E4B9CEBBFE2 SUMMARY:Lettuce CREATED:20260320T222941Z DTSTAMP:20260320T222941Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/lettuce-4 DESCRIPTION:The album, Cook, isn’t just a nod to Lettuce’s musical heat; it’s an invitation to join the band at the table, where funk, soul, jazz, rock, and hip-hop come together in one rich, flavorful dish.\NFor these six life-long partners: Adam Deitch (drums), Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (guitar), Erick “Maverick” Coomes (bass), Ryan “Zoid” Zoidis (saxophones, synths), Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet), and Nigel Hall (vocals, keyboards), Cook marks a bold expansion of their ever-widening musical palette. Released on their own Lettuce Records label, the album arrives on the heels of tours with rap icon GZA of Wu-Tang Clan and reggae legend Ziggy Marley, as well as the release of their live album and concert film Lettuce with the Colorado Symphony. Still, there’s a generous dose of Lettuce’s signature funk throughout paying homage to James Brown and the JB’s while honoring longtime mentors like Tower of Power and Maceo Parker.\NMore than just a figurative title, Cook debuts alongside Lettuce Red Crush and Orange Crush wines in collaboration with Aquila Cellars, plus a limited-edition recipe book of pairings included with the vinyl and digital release.\NWith Cook, the band feels like their concepts and ideas can come to fruition with an innovative team and devout fan base behind them—they're in a fresh new headspace ready to savor a new chapter. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The album, Cook, isn’t just a nod to Lettuce’s musical heat; it’s an invitation to join the band at the table, where funk, soul, jazz, rock, and hip-hop come together in one rich, flavorful dish.
For these six life-long partners: Adam Deitch (drums), Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (guitar), Erick “Maverick” Coomes (bass), Ryan “Zoid” Zoidis (saxophones, synths), Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet), and Nigel Hall (vocals, keyboards), Cook marks a bold expansion of their ever-widening musical palette. Released on their own Lettuce Records label, the album arrives on the heels of tours with rap icon GZA of Wu-Tang Clan and reggae legend Ziggy Marley, as well as the release of their live album and concert film Lettuce with the Colorado Symphony. Still, there’s a generous dose of Lettuce’s signature funk throughout paying homage to James Brown and the JB’s while honoring longtime mentors like Tower of Power and Maceo Parker.
More than just a figurative title, Cook debuts alongside Lettuce Red Crush and Orange Crush wines in collaboration with Aquila Cellars, plus a limited-edition recipe book of pairings included with the vinyl and digital release.
With Cook, the band feels like their concepts and ideas can come to fruition with an innovative team and devout fan base behind them—they're in a fresh new headspace ready to savor a new chapter.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T160142Z SEQUENCE:840721 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:212 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-03-25 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260903T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260903T233000 UID:389E196F-F89A-4826-9B51-BE5B628CEEE4 SUMMARY:The Wailers CREATED:20260323T170253Z DTSTAMP:20260323T170253Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/the-wailers DESCRIPTION:In 2026, The Wailers celebrate 50 years of Rastaman Vibration, marking a defining moment in reggae history and honoring one of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ most influential albums. This special tour, 50 Years of Positive Vibrations, highlights select cuts from Rastaman Vibration alongside the timeless classics that continue to unite audiences across generations.\NReleased in 1976, Rastaman Vibration was a pivotal album that carried reggae’s message of resistance, spirituality, and hope onto the global stage. Songs like “Positive Vibration,” “Roots, Rock, Reggae,” and “War” remain as relevant today as ever — powerful expressions of music as both a cultural force and a call for unity.\NUnder the leadership of Aston Barrett Jr., son of legendary bassist Aston “Familyman” Barrett, The Wailers continue to honor their roots while carrying the music forward with purpose and authenticity. Joined by Mitchell Brunings, whose soulful vocals and commanding stage presence have captivated audiences worldwide, the band delivers performances that embody the enduring spirit of reggae — uplifting, conscious, and deeply human.\NIn a unique crossover into film, Aston Barrett Jr. portrayed his father in the 2024 biopic Bob Marley: One Love, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir. His portrayal added rare authenticity, grounded in lived experience and a deep personal connection to the legacy.\NAlongside honoring the past, The Wailers remain firmly rooted in the present. Their recent albums One World and Evolution — both Grammy-nominated — reaffirm the band’s creative vitality. Evolution, produced by Grammy Award-winner Emilio Estefan Jr. on Crescent Moon Records, blends classic roots reggae with contemporary global influences, with songs like “Love Should Be Free” resonating worldwide for their positive and socially conscious message.\NAudiences can expect a soul-stirring setlist that weaves together the revolutionary spirit of Rastaman Vibration, the band’s classic anthems, and select modern highlights — all delivered with the same authenticity, musicianship, and heart that made The Wailers a cornerstone of global music.\N50 Years of Positive Vibrations is more than a tour — it’s a celebration of music with meaning, a living connection between reggae’s golden era and its continuing power to inspire unity, resilience, and hope. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:In 2026, The Wailers celebrate 50 years of Rastaman Vibration, marking a defining moment in reggae history and honoring one of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ most influential albums. This special tour, 50 Years of Positive Vibrations, highlights select cuts from Rastaman Vibration alongside the timeless classics that continue to unite audiences across generations.
Released in 1976, Rastaman Vibration was a pivotal album that carried reggae’s message of resistance, spirituality, and hope onto the global stage. Songs like “Positive Vibration,” “Roots, Rock, Reggae,” and “War” remain as relevant today as ever — powerful expressions of music as both a cultural force and a call for unity.
Under the leadership of Aston Barrett Jr., son of legendary bassist Aston “Familyman” Barrett, The Wailers continue to honor their roots while carrying the music forward with purpose and authenticity. Joined by Mitchell Brunings, whose soulful vocals and commanding stage presence have captivated audiences worldwide, the band delivers performances that embody the enduring spirit of reggae — uplifting, conscious, and deeply human.
In a unique crossover into film, Aston Barrett Jr. portrayed his father in the 2024 biopic Bob Marley: One Love, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir. His portrayal added rare authenticity, grounded in lived experience and a deep personal connection to the legacy.
Alongside honoring the past, The Wailers remain firmly rooted in the present. Their recent albums One World and Evolution — both Grammy-nominated — reaffirm the band’s creative vitality. Evolution, produced by Grammy Award-winner Emilio Estefan Jr. on Crescent Moon Records, blends classic roots reggae with contemporary global influences, with songs like “Love Should Be Free” resonating worldwide for their positive and socially conscious message.
Audiences can expect a soul-stirring setlist that weaves together the revolutionary spirit of Rastaman Vibration, the band’s classic anthems, and select modern highlights — all delivered with the same authenticity, musicianship, and heart that made The Wailers a cornerstone of global music.
50 Years of Positive Vibrations is more than a tour — it’s a celebration of music with meaning, a living connection between reggae’s golden era and its continuing power to inspire unity, resilience, and hope.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T160559Z SEQUENCE:601386 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:200 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-03-24 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260922T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260922T233000 UID:A2336112-80AF-4D77-A218-6A38CB2C3798 SUMMARY:Aldous Harding CREATED:20260107T211950Z DTSTAMP:20260107T211950Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/aldous-harding DESCRIPTION:Kiwi singer/songwriter Hannah Harding, better known by her nom de plume Aldous Harding, first drew praise for the gothic indie folk and stark emotionality of her 2015 debut that brought about comparisons to both and . Later outings like Party (2017), Designer (2019), and Warm Chris (2022) adopted a more off-kilter indie pop approach that evoked names like and .\NHarding grew up in the town of Lyttelton near Christchurch in New Zealand to musician parents. Her mother was folk singer Lorina Harding, and it was on her Tui Farm Folk Festival-winning record Clean Break that the 13-year-old Harding made her recording debut. Despite this early foray into the music business, the young Harding had no interest in pursuing a career as a musician, believing it to be a precarious existence. Just a couple years later, she began to let go of her dreams of becoming a vet when she started singing and writing songs alongside friend and fellow musician . By 2008, she was performing backup vocals for the traveling string band the Eastern, and she got an early break when she was spotted busking by , who, on the basis of that performance, invited the young musician to open for her at her show that same night.\NIn 2012, Harding changed her first name to Aldous and asked and Ben Edwards to co-produce what would become her debut record. The self-titled release garnered much critical acclaim, and Harding toured extensively behind the album. For her follow-up, she signed to British independent label , and enlisted the help of (, ) to co-produce the record. Her sophomore album, Party, arrived in 2017 and was nominated for Album of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards. After completing a 100-date tour in support of the LP, Harding headed back into the studio with Party producer to begin laying down tracks for her third full-length effort. The resulting Designer was released in April 2019 and included the APRA Music Award-winning single "The Barrel." Two years later, Harding returned with the ebullient track "Old Peel," and in early 2022 she issued "Lawn" and "Fever," the lead singles from her fourth full-length effort, Warm Chris, which appeared later that March. The LP included contributions from , Seb Rochford, Gavin Fitzjohn, and Hopey Parish, and Jason Williamson (). ~ Bekki Bemrose, Rovi X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Kiwi singer/songwriter Hannah Harding, better known by her nom de plume Aldous Harding, first drew praise for the gothic indie folk and stark emotionality of her 2015 debut that brought about comparisons to both and . Later outings like Party (2017), Designer (2019), and Warm Chris (2022) adopted a more off-kilter indie pop approach that evoked names like and .
Harding grew up in the town of Lyttelton near Christchurch in New Zealand to musician parents. Her mother was folk singer Lorina Harding, and it was on her Tui Farm Folk Festival-winning record Clean Break that the 13-year-old Harding made her recording debut. Despite this early foray into the music business, the young Harding had no interest in pursuing a career as a musician, believing it to be a precarious existence. Just a couple years later, she began to let go of her dreams of becoming a vet when she started singing and writing songs alongside friend and fellow musician . By 2008, she was performing backup vocals for the traveling string band the Eastern, and she got an early break when she was spotted busking by , who, on the basis of that performance, invited the young musician to open for her at her show that same night.
In 2012, Harding changed her first name to Aldous and asked and Ben Edwards to co-produce what would become her debut record. The self-titled release garnered much critical acclaim, and Harding toured extensively behind the album. For her follow-up, she signed to British independent label , and enlisted the help of (, ) to co-produce the record. Her sophomore album, Party, arrived in 2017 and was nominated for Album of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards. After completing a 100-date tour in support of the LP, Harding headed back into the studio with Party producer to begin laying down tracks for her third full-length effort. The resulting Designer was released in April 2019 and included the APRA Music Award-winning single "The Barrel." Two years later, Harding returned with the ebullient track "Old Peel," and in early 2022 she issued "Lawn" and "Fever," the lead singles from her fourth full-length effort, Warm Chris, which appeared later that March. The LP included contributions from , Seb Rochford, Gavin Fitzjohn, and Hopey Parish, and Jason Williamson (). ~ Bekki Bemrose, Rovi
LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T205909Z SEQUENCE:3713959 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:1147 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-01-14 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261003T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261003T233000 UID:1E5C57F6-55B0-4093-8CFE-DFEB9B8F90C1 SUMMARY:Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers CREATED:20260216T161007Z DTSTAMP:20260216T161007Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/roger-clyne-the-peacemakers-3 DESCRIPTION:“Here’s to life!” Fans around the world can be found singing the chorus of the Roger Clyne-penned fan favorite “Mekong” and toasting their glasses in unison to celebrate life through rock-n-roll. But the inspiration for the song dates back to the time Roger went to Taipei, Taiwan, as a college student to teach English during the day and busk with his guitar at night for money.\NToday, as Clyne prepares to record his 11th studio album, he continues to transform his life experiences, inspirations, observations and his own muses into timeless music. And whether he’s wearing his Converse high tops, boots or sandals, Clyne’s blend of punk rock, country-western and mariachi influences have made him, drummer PH Naffah, guitarist Jim Dalton and bassist Nick Scropos – collectively known as Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers – one of America’s best live rock-n-roll bands.\NStarting with the seminal Tempe quartet, The Refreshments, Clyne and Naffah put the fun in rock during the 90s grunge era with a sense of humor. They also started what would become a trademark sound on all future albums by adding mariachi horns, something Clyne was influenced by while in college studying Cultural Anthropology with an ethnography study of mariachis during a three month immersion stay with a local family in Ensenada, Mexico.\NThe Refreshments’ debut album, “Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy,” became a cult classic. It produced the alternative radio hit “Banditos” which also had significant airplay on MTV and earned The Freshies an appearance on The Conan O’Brien Show. Clyne then penned and performed the theme song for the Mike Judge animated TV series, King of Hill. In 2017, Here’s to Life: The story of The Refreshments, was released. The feature-length documentary was a hit with fans and critics alike.\NChanges within their record label and internal band issues resulted in Clyne and Naffah going on a vision quest of sorts in the Whetstone Mountains near the Clyne Ranch in Southeastern Arizona. It was there that Clyne found inspiration in the rolling hills and the jukeboxes of small town taverns that still played Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash – music he had shed from his youth in favor of bands like Camper Van Beethoven & They Might Be Giants. But after reconnecting with those old country records, Clyne and Naffah wrote and recorded under a new moniker what would become Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers’ debut album, “Honky Tonk Union.”\NThe album was the perfect combination of classic rock and twang, and fans immediately connected with it. Their independent release, “Honky Tonk Union,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s internet sales chart in 1999 prompting a call from a Billboard exec to their Manager demanding, “ Who the hell is Roger Clyne and why is he #1 on my chart?!” beating out much better known artists.\NRCPM released eight more albums that landed in the top ten of Billboard’s Internet Sales Chart, including a No. 1 debut for their third album, “Americano!” – all without the backing of a major record label and while flying under the radar of commercial radio.\Nn 2019, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers were inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, joining the likes of fellow Arizona legends Alice Cooper, Buck Owens, Glen Campbell, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt and Waylon Jennings.\NLater that fall, RCPM was invited by a man who, like Roger, also knows a little something about tequila and throwing big parties in Mexico. The band headlined Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina on the eve of Hagar’s weekend birthday celebration.\NRoger Clyne & The Peacemakers have curated their own annual music festival, Circus Mexicus, in the sleepy beach town of Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, which draws thousands of fans from around the world. The festival not only has a major impact on the local economy, but charity events hosted by the band and fans alike help raise money for a local orphanage, support local youth sports and help feed shelter animals.\NClyne not only sings about life in the border-lands, he also produces his own ultra-premium spirit, Mexican Moonshine Tequila (soon to be re-named Canción Tequila). Owned by the entire band, it was the official tequila at the Arizona Diamondbacks Chase stadium in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Started in 2011, the award-winning spirit is distributed in multiple states as well as Sonora, Mexico.\NRoger Clyne & The Peacemakers have toured all over the US and achieved a faithful following through hard work and great music. They have done this all while being independent, without the safety net of a label or a label’s radio promotion department. Dubbed “The Springsteen of the Southwest,” by the Asbury Park Press. The band delivers exciting live performances that garner declarations like the one from emcee Jay Peterman of the Seinfeld TV show at Alice Cooper’s annual Christmas Pudding event, “Young man, you light that stage a-flame!” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:“Here’s to life!” Fans around the world can be found singing the chorus of the Roger Clyne-penned fan favorite “Mekong” and toasting their glasses in unison to celebrate life through rock-n-roll. But the inspiration for the song dates back to the time Roger went to Taipei, Taiwan, as a college student to teach English during the day and busk with his guitar at night for money.
Today, as Clyne prepares to record his 11th studio album, he continues to transform his life experiences, inspirations, observations and his own muses into timeless music. And whether he’s wearing his Converse high tops, boots or sandals, Clyne’s blend of punk rock, country-western and mariachi influences have made him, drummer PH Naffah, guitarist Jim Dalton and bassist Nick Scropos – collectively known as Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers – one of America’s best live rock-n-roll bands.
Starting with the seminal Tempe quartet, The Refreshments, Clyne and Naffah put the fun in rock during the 90s grunge era with a sense of humor. They also started what would become a trademark sound on all future albums by adding mariachi horns, something Clyne was influenced by while in college studying Cultural Anthropology with an ethnography study of mariachis during a three month immersion stay with a local family in Ensenada, Mexico.
The Refreshments’ debut album, “Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy,” became a cult classic. It produced the alternative radio hit “Banditos” which also had significant airplay on MTV and earned The Freshies an appearance on The Conan O’Brien Show. Clyne then penned and performed the theme song for the Mike Judge animated TV series, King of Hill. In 2017, Here’s to Life: The story of The Refreshments, was released. The feature-length documentary was a hit with fans and critics alike.
Changes within their record label and internal band issues resulted in Clyne and Naffah going on a vision quest of sorts in the Whetstone Mountains near the Clyne Ranch in Southeastern Arizona. It was there that Clyne found inspiration in the rolling hills and the jukeboxes of small town taverns that still played Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash – music he had shed from his youth in favor of bands like Camper Van Beethoven & They Might Be Giants. But after reconnecting with those old country records, Clyne and Naffah wrote and recorded under a new moniker what would become Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers’ debut album, “Honky Tonk Union.”
The album was the perfect combination of classic rock and twang, and fans immediately connected with it. Their independent release, “Honky Tonk Union,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s internet sales chart in 1999 prompting a call from a Billboard exec to their Manager demanding, “ Who the hell is Roger Clyne and why is he #1 on my chart?!” beating out much better known artists.
RCPM released eight more albums that landed in the top ten of Billboard’s Internet Sales Chart, including a No. 1 debut for their third album, “Americano!” – all without the backing of a major record label and while flying under the radar of commercial radio.
n 2019, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers were inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, joining the likes of fellow Arizona legends Alice Cooper, Buck Owens, Glen Campbell, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt and Waylon Jennings.
Later that fall, RCPM was invited by a man who, like Roger, also knows a little something about tequila and throwing big parties in Mexico. The band headlined Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina on the eve of Hagar’s weekend birthday celebration.
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers have curated their own annual music festival, Circus Mexicus, in the sleepy beach town of Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, which draws thousands of fans from around the world. The festival not only has a major impact on the local economy, but charity events hosted by the band and fans alike help raise money for a local orphanage, support local youth sports and help feed shelter animals.
Clyne not only sings about life in the border-lands, he also produces his own ultra-premium spirit, Mexican Moonshine Tequila (soon to be re-named Canción Tequila). Owned by the entire band, it was the official tequila at the Arizona Diamondbacks Chase stadium in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Started in 2011, the award-winning spirit is distributed in multiple states as well as Sonora, Mexico.
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers have toured all over the US and achieved a faithful following through hard work and great music. They have done this all while being independent, without the safety net of a label or a label’s radio promotion department. Dubbed “The Springsteen of the Southwest,” by the Asbury Park Press. The band delivers exciting live performances that garner declarations like the one from emcee Jay Peterman of the Seinfeld TV show at Alice Cooper’s annual Christmas Pudding event, “Young man, you light that stage a-flame!”
LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T171324Z SEQUENCE:2163797 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:450 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-02-17 17:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261013T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261013T233000 UID:188F3AF8-8A65-4D78-A7D6-84F6260887C8 SUMMARY:Kishi Bashi CREATED:20260320T215542Z DTSTAMP:20260320T215542Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/kishi-bashi DESCRIPTION:Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym of Emmy-nominated singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kaoru Ishibashi. A Berklee-trained virtuoso violinist, Kishi Bashi is acclaimed for his uplifting, high-energy concerts and his distinctive loop-based violin style. He has also earned recognition for his groundbreaking collaborations with major symphonies—including the National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Oregon Symphony—where he blends classical and pop influences in captivating performances. Beyond the orchestral stage, he has toured internationally with Regina Spektor and of Montreal, and released five acclaimed albums—beginning with his NPR-praised debut 151a (2012), followed by Sonderlust (2016), the documentary project Omoiyari (2019), and most recently Kantos (2024), a kaleidoscopic fusion of funk, jazz, and orchestral pop. Known for his cinematic storytelling and genre-bending sound, Kishi Bashi continues to push creative boundaries while captivating audiences worldwide. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym of Emmy-nominated singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kaoru Ishibashi. A Berklee-trained virtuoso violinist, Kishi Bashi is acclaimed for his uplifting, high-energy concerts and his distinctive loop-based violin style. He has also earned recognition for his groundbreaking collaborations with major symphonies—including the National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Oregon Symphony—where he blends classical and pop influences in captivating performances. Beyond the orchestral stage, he has toured internationally with Regina Spektor and of Montreal, and released five acclaimed albums—beginning with his NPR-praised debut 151a (2012), followed by Sonderlust (2016), the documentary project Omoiyari (2019), and most recently Kantos (2024), a kaleidoscopic fusion of funk, jazz, and orchestral pop. Known for his cinematic storytelling and genre-bending sound, Kishi Bashi continues to push creative boundaries while captivating audiences worldwide.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T163255Z SEQUENCE:844633 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:179 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-03-24 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261016T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261016T233000 UID:FC87887A-A58F-4377-A4BC-A519A12FDD53 SUMMARY:Fruit Bats CREATED:20260320T213504Z DTSTAMP:20260320T213504Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/fruit-bats-3 DESCRIPTION:The midwest, particularly the part of the midwest Eric D. Johnson hails from, is a largely flat expanse. Zipping through it on the highway, you’ll see cities and towns rise up in the distance, but blink and you’ll miss other man-made rejoinders to horizontal living dotting the landscape, hill after hill, built from the refuse of the past: landfills. Some of these hills make for great sledding spots, parks, and trails. Others turn organic waste into compost.\NThe Landfill, Fruit Bats’ June 12, 2026album from Merge Records, is something else entirely: a mountain dominating the landscape of Johnson’s heart. This being a Fruit Bats record, one scales that mountain to take in the view, to see the future spread out as wide and endless as the midwestern plains. “But the mountain that gives us this vantage point,” Johnson says, “is made out of the trash that we’ve created, the collective weight of the past and where it’s taken us.” When he details that view on title track and lead single “The Landfill” —“a holy vision / of what could be / and couldn’t be / and could have been” — it’s thrilling to hear him sent soaring by a full complement of instruments. But what’s truly stunning is how, in his recontouring from could to couldn’t to could have been, he has lost none of the vulnerability that was brought to the foreground of his songwriting by 2025’s solo outing, Baby Man.\NOver the course of his now 25-year career under the moniker, most of Eric D. Johnson’s output as Fruit Bats has been the product of patience and fine-tuning. His songs, to borrow a phrase, are slow growers, given life on albums that encompass long stretches of time and memory. Baby Man changed that — he disallowed himself from referring to material he’d been working on before laying the album down, utilizing the morning pages technique of stream-of-consciousness, observational songwriting which flowed directly into his afternoon recording sessions. It was both a breathtaking document of Johnson’s skill as a singer-songwriter and an unvarnished account of the two weeks in which he recorded the album.Baby Man’s closeness to Johnson’s heart and the close attention to his voice and instrument its minimalist-maximalist ethos required uncorked something in him as he wrote towards a new full band effort.\N“That session was over,” he explains, “but there was way more to explore. I liked the immediacy of it, and I wanted to see how that would translate into a full-band Fruit Bats record.”\NWithin weeks, he was back in a studio, this time with his band — David Dawda (bass), Josh Mease (guitars, synth), Frank LoCrasto (piano, synth), and Kosta Galanopoulos (drums) — with whom Johnson has spent over a decade building Fruit Bats into one of the most in-demand live acts in indie rock. Listening to The Landfill, it’s not hard to understand why: simply put, this band smokes. Producing the initial recording sessions in Washington’s Bear Creek Studios, Johnson set out to capture “the sound of this band I constantly marvel at, the feeling of being in a room with musicians you love and trust enough to let them cook.” They laid most of it down on the floor — no click tracks, no comped vocals, and minimal overdubs, with frequent collaborator Thom Monahan returning to provide additional production and The Landfill’s final mix. “It’s how we do things with my other band, Bonny Light Horseman, and I was curious to see how it would work with Fruit Bats,” Johnson notes. “It’s both a very personal record, and my most collaborative to date.”\NIt’s also the most live a Fruit Bats record has been since 2009’s The Ruminant Band, and in paring back the number of tracks that typically layer a full-band song, the psychedelic, technicolor dreaminess of their sound is more vivid than ever. Time and space melt into the sublime as the band gels around Johnson’s hazy croon on “That Goddamn Sun,” stretching out to accommodate him as he trips from California to North Carolina. In striking a balance between ecstatic romance and melancholia, “Think Aboutcha” occupies the blissful-but-doomed intersection of the E StreetBand and Paul McCartney, playful but playing for stakes that are larger than life, while “Perhaps We’re a Storm” charges headlong into the unknown. All of these songs — most of the songs on The Landfill, in fact — mark themselves immediately as some of the best in Eric D. Johnson’s ever-expanding songbook, seekers and anthems alike. It’s the most daunting peak he’s scaled yet, musically or lyrically: a swashbuckling set of full-band jammers couldn’t be more honest and open-hearted about his hopes and anxieties, his dreams and failures, what’s passed and what will come to pass, were it just him, his guitar, and the listener. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The midwest, particularly the part of the midwest Eric D. Johnson hails from, is a largely flat expanse. Zipping through it on the highway, you’ll see cities and towns rise up in the distance, but blink and you’ll miss other man-made rejoinders to horizontal living dotting the landscape, hill after hill, built from the refuse of the past: landfills. Some of these hills make for great sledding spots, parks, and trails. Others turn organic waste into compost.
The Landfill, Fruit Bats’ June 12, 2026album from Merge Records, is something else entirely: a mountain dominating the landscape of Johnson’s heart. This being a Fruit Bats record, one scales that mountain to take in the view, to see the future spread out as wide and endless as the midwestern plains. “But the mountain that gives us this vantage point,” Johnson says, “is made out of the trash that we’ve created, the collective weight of the past and where it’s taken us.” When he details that view on title track and lead single “The Landfill” —“a holy vision / of what could be / and couldn’t be / and could have been” — it’s thrilling to hear him sent soaring by a full complement of instruments. But what’s truly stunning is how, in his recontouring from could to couldn’t to could have been, he has lost none of the vulnerability that was brought to the foreground of his songwriting by 2025’s solo outing, Baby Man.
Over the course of his now 25-year career under the moniker, most of Eric D. Johnson’s output as Fruit Bats has been the product of patience and fine-tuning. His songs, to borrow a phrase, are slow growers, given life on albums that encompass long stretches of time and memory. Baby Man changed that — he disallowed himself from referring to material he’d been working on before laying the album down, utilizing the morning pages technique of stream-of-consciousness, observational songwriting which flowed directly into his afternoon recording sessions. It was both a breathtaking document of Johnson’s skill as a singer-songwriter and an unvarnished account of the two weeks in which he recorded the album.Baby Man’s closeness to Johnson’s heart and the close attention to his voice and instrument its minimalist-maximalist ethos required uncorked something in him as he wrote towards a new full band effort.
“That session was over,” he explains, “but there was way more to explore. I liked the immediacy of it, and I wanted to see how that would translate into a full-band Fruit Bats record.”
Within weeks, he was back in a studio, this time with his band — David Dawda (bass), Josh Mease (guitars, synth), Frank LoCrasto (piano, synth), and Kosta Galanopoulos (drums) — with whom Johnson has spent over a decade building Fruit Bats into one of the most in-demand live acts in indie rock. Listening to The Landfill, it’s not hard to understand why: simply put, this band smokes. Producing the initial recording sessions in Washington’s Bear Creek Studios, Johnson set out to capture “the sound of this band I constantly marvel at, the feeling of being in a room with musicians you love and trust enough to let them cook.” They laid most of it down on the floor — no click tracks, no comped vocals, and minimal overdubs, with frequent collaborator Thom Monahan returning to provide additional production and The Landfill’s final mix. “It’s how we do things with my other band, Bonny Light Horseman, and I was curious to see how it would work with Fruit Bats,” Johnson notes. “It’s both a very personal record, and my most collaborative to date.”
It’s also the most live a Fruit Bats record has been since 2009’s The Ruminant Band, and in paring back the number of tracks that typically layer a full-band song, the psychedelic, technicolor dreaminess of their sound is more vivid than ever. Time and space melt into the sublime as the band gels around Johnson’s hazy croon on “That Goddamn Sun,” stretching out to accommodate him as he trips from California to North Carolina. In striking a balance between ecstatic romance and melancholia, “Think Aboutcha” occupies the blissful-but-doomed intersection of the E StreetBand and Paul McCartney, playful but playing for stakes that are larger than life, while “Perhaps We’re a Storm” charges headlong into the unknown. All of these songs — most of the songs on The Landfill, in fact — mark themselves immediately as some of the best in Eric D. Johnson’s ever-expanding songbook, seekers and anthems alike. It’s the most daunting peak he’s scaled yet, musically or lyrically: a swashbuckling set of full-band jammers couldn’t be more honest and open-hearted about his hopes and anxieties, his dreams and failures, what’s passed and what will come to pass, were it just him, his guitar, and the listener.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T182340Z SEQUENCE:938916 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:224 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-03-24 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261108T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261108T233000 UID:1555EA2C-0821-4B18-AEC4-DA6C0D639C36 SUMMARY:Tank & The Bangas CREATED:20260317T163420Z DTSTAMP:20260317T163420Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/tank-the-bangas DESCRIPTION:For Tank and the Bangas, music is a vessel for unbridled joy and transcendent connection—forces as integral to their essence as their wildly original sound. On their new album The Last Balloon, the New Orleans-bred outfit channel those impulses into something celebratory yet profoundly human, exploring themes of frustration, resilience, and self-realization with equal parts raw emotionality and playful exuberance. A shapeshifting collective helmed by lead singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball and multi-instrumentalist Norman Spence II, the globally beloved group completed the LP after winning a GRAMMY for 2024’s spoken-word powerhouse The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, moving from incendiary poetry to a euphoric collision of soul and hip-hop and forward-thinking R&B. As the final installment in a trilogy of albums that began with 2019’s Green Balloon (a critical triumph that earned them a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist), The Last Balloon ultimately solidifies Tank and the Bangas’ legacy as one of modern music’s most steadfast voices of sublime exhilaration.\NExecutive-produced by their frequent collaborator Austin Brown (Jamila Woods, Masego), The Last Balloon offers up a suite of songs designed to thrive in Tank and the Bangas’ rapturous live set, where unified movement becomes crucial to the show itself. “We’re known for a very interactive experience, so I wanted to get the fans more involved and have even more fun with the crowd,” says Ball. “There’s lots of gang vocals, handclaps, all these intentional moments to let everyone know, ‘This is my part, but your part’s coming up next—so get ready.’” A highly collaborative band whose past work has featured luminaries like Big Freedia, Questlove, and Jill Scott, Tank and the Bangas created The Last Balloon with the help of Iman Omari (a multifaceted musician who’s worked with Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller), pianist/producer Tane Runo (Brittany Howard, JID), esteemed soul singers Ledisi and Jelly Joseph, and many more. The result: a party-ready extravaganza that provides both ecstatic catharsis and communal elevation. \NMainly recorded at The Complex Studios (an iconic L.A. spot once home to Earth, Wind & Fire), The Last Balloon unfolds in a loosely woven storyline charting a journey from self-doubt and erasure to empowered self-reclamation. On “Ain’t That Deep,” Tank and the Bangas deliver a defiant refusal to let negativity penetrate their world, setting Ball’s larger-than-life vocals against a potent backdrop of hypnotic beats and velvety horns. Sprung from a punchy piano riff spontaneously composed by Spence, “No Invite” arrives as a fantastically explosive takedown of industry gatekeeping and shameless clout-chasing. “There’s a lot of parties and award ceremonies we don’t get invited to, even though we do a lot for our community and should really be welcomed into those spaces,” explains Ball, who conceptualized “No Invite” as a rock-trap track. Next, on “Move,” two-time GRAMMY-winning R&B phenomenon Lucky Daye joins in for a pleading but powerful anthem lit up in lush grooves and jangly guitar tones. “I wrote that song about wanting my partner at the time to move to New Orleans to be closer to me, but you could interpret it as motivation to get moving in general,” says Ball. “I’ve been around people who let Monday go into Friday real quick, so ‘Move’ could be a way of telling yourself, ‘Let me get up, get my body moving, start making things happen for myself before it’s too late.’” \NWhile much of The Last Balloon embodies an electrifying vitality, the album closes out with the spellbinding surrender of “Nighttime”—a slow-burning fever dream where bittersweet reality blurs with the unfettered possibility of imagination. “There’s maybe seven or eight layers of harmonies on that song but there’s still a beautiful simplicity to it,” Spence notes. “It’s one of my favorite songs on the album, because there’s so much space in there.” Elsewhere on the LP, Tank and the Bangas bring their prismatic musicality to tracks like “Honeycomb” (a sensually charged stunner featuring Mississippi-born singer/songwriter Akeem Ali) and “Is It Over?” (an impassioned piece of soul-pop centered on a gorgeously smooth vocal performance from Ball). “It’s a song about getting to a point in a relationship where you don’t know if you should stay or leave, but I put it in the context of people in New Orleans deciding to stay in their homes during a hurricane,” says Ball. “It’s that feeling of knowing something’s coming, something’s in the air, but instead of escaping you make that choice to just hunker down and ride it out.” \NThe conceptual successor to 2022’s Red Balloon (a GRAMMY nominee for Best Progressive R&B Album), The Last Balloon came to life through the deliberately improvisational process Tank and the Bangas have embraced since first connecting through the New Orleans poetry community in the early 2010s. Though their reach has expanded far beyond those beginnings (thanks in part to their viral breakthrough as winners of NPR’s 2017 Tiny Desk Contest), taking home the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album GRAMMY for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul proved to be a glorious full-circle moment. “Poetry has been such an instrumental part of our career, so it felt right that our first award was in that category,” says Ball. “We were so happy to get that nod from our peers, but at the end of the day what matters most is the love we feel from our fans.” To that end, Tank and the Bangas created The Last Balloon with a palpable sense of responsibility to their audience. “We hear from people who travel from city to city to come see us, who tell us that our music helped them get through hard times in their lives,” says Spence. “We all understand that music has real healing properties, so we make sure to put everything out with care in the hopes that it’ll impact everyone in a positive way.” \NAs Ball reveals, The Last Balloon signals both the end of an era and the dawning of a bold new phase for the band. “I called the album The Last Balloon because I didn’t want anyone asking us, ‘When’s Purple Balloon coming?’” she says. “It’s the end of the balloons; we’re moving into a new space now.” And as they step into their next chapter, Tank and the Bangas continue to tap into a creative energy that’s only grown more vibrant over time. “Lately it’s almost like the ideas coming out of thin air, and I’m just excited to keep making more music,” says Spence. “We’re working with new people and cultivating new sounds, and it feels like we’re more open than we’ve ever been,” adds Ball. “What we’ve learned over the years is that even though people can’t always categorize our sound, they’re always able to describe how the music makes them feel. So we’re gonna keep on changing and evolving, but we’re always gonna give you that same feeling of joy. That’s a DNA marker for sure.” X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:For Tank and the Bangas, music is a vessel for unbridled joy and transcendent connection—forces as integral to their essence as their wildly original sound. On their new album The Last Balloon, the New Orleans-bred outfit channel those impulses into something celebratory yet profoundly human, exploring themes of frustration, resilience, and self-realization with equal parts raw emotionality and playful exuberance. A shapeshifting collective helmed by lead singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball and multi-instrumentalist Norman Spence II, the globally beloved group completed the LP after winning a GRAMMY for 2024’s spoken-word powerhouse The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, moving from incendiary poetry to a euphoric collision of soul and hip-hop and forward-thinking R&B. As the final installment in a trilogy of albums that began with 2019’s Green Balloon (a critical triumph that earned them a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist), The Last Balloon ultimately solidifies Tank and the Bangas’ legacy as one of modern music’s most steadfast voices of sublime exhilaration.
Executive-produced by their frequent collaborator Austin Brown (Jamila Woods, Masego), The Last Balloon offers up a suite of songs designed to thrive in Tank and the Bangas’ rapturous live set, where unified movement becomes crucial to the show itself. “We’re known for a very interactive experience, so I wanted to get the fans more involved and have even more fun with the crowd,” says Ball. “There’s lots of gang vocals, handclaps, all these intentional moments to let everyone know, ‘This is my part, but your part’s coming up next—so get ready.’” A highly collaborative band whose past work has featured luminaries like Big Freedia, Questlove, and Jill Scott, Tank and the Bangas created The Last Balloon with the help of Iman Omari (a multifaceted musician who’s worked with Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller), pianist/producer Tane Runo (Brittany Howard, JID), esteemed soul singers Ledisi and Jelly Joseph, and many more. The result: a party-ready extravaganza that provides both ecstatic catharsis and communal elevation.
Mainly recorded at The Complex Studios (an iconic L.A. spot once home to Earth, Wind & Fire), The Last Balloon unfolds in a loosely woven storyline charting a journey from self-doubt and erasure to empowered self-reclamation. On “Ain’t That Deep,” Tank and the Bangas deliver a defiant refusal to let negativity penetrate their world, setting Ball’s larger-than-life vocals against a potent backdrop of hypnotic beats and velvety horns. Sprung from a punchy piano riff spontaneously composed by Spence, “No Invite” arrives as a fantastically explosive takedown of industry gatekeeping and shameless clout-chasing. “There’s a lot of parties and award ceremonies we don’t get invited to, even though we do a lot for our community and should really be welcomed into those spaces,” explains Ball, who conceptualized “No Invite” as a rock-trap track. Next, on “Move,” two-time GRAMMY-winning R&B phenomenon Lucky Daye joins in for a pleading but powerful anthem lit up in lush grooves and jangly guitar tones. “I wrote that song about wanting my partner at the time to move to New Orleans to be closer to me, but you could interpret it as motivation to get moving in general,” says Ball. “I’ve been around people who let Monday go into Friday real quick, so ‘Move’ could be a way of telling yourself, ‘Let me get up, get my body moving, start making things happen for myself before it’s too late.’”
While much of The Last Balloon embodies an electrifying vitality, the album closes out with the spellbinding surrender of “Nighttime”—a slow-burning fever dream where bittersweet reality blurs with the unfettered possibility of imagination. “There’s maybe seven or eight layers of harmonies on that song but there’s still a beautiful simplicity to it,” Spence notes. “It’s one of my favorite songs on the album, because there’s so much space in there.” Elsewhere on the LP, Tank and the Bangas bring their prismatic musicality to tracks like “Honeycomb” (a sensually charged stunner featuring Mississippi-born singer/songwriter Akeem Ali) and “Is It Over?” (an impassioned piece of soul-pop centered on a gorgeously smooth vocal performance from Ball). “It’s a song about getting to a point in a relationship where you don’t know if you should stay or leave, but I put it in the context of people in New Orleans deciding to stay in their homes during a hurricane,” says Ball. “It’s that feeling of knowing something’s coming, something’s in the air, but instead of escaping you make that choice to just hunker down and ride it out.”
The conceptual successor to 2022’s Red Balloon (a GRAMMY nominee for Best Progressive R&B Album), The Last Balloon came to life through the deliberately improvisational process Tank and the Bangas have embraced since first connecting through the New Orleans poetry community in the early 2010s. Though their reach has expanded far beyond those beginnings (thanks in part to their viral breakthrough as winners of NPR’s 2017 Tiny Desk Contest), taking home the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album GRAMMY for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul proved to be a glorious full-circle moment. “Poetry has been such an instrumental part of our career, so it felt right that our first award was in that category,” says Ball. “We were so happy to get that nod from our peers, but at the end of the day what matters most is the love we feel from our fans.” To that end, Tank and the Bangas created The Last Balloon with a palpable sense of responsibility to their audience. “We hear from people who travel from city to city to come see us, who tell us that our music helped them get through hard times in their lives,” says Spence. “We all understand that music has real healing properties, so we make sure to put everything out with care in the hopes that it’ll impact everyone in a positive way.”
As Ball reveals, The Last Balloon signals both the end of an era and the dawning of a bold new phase for the band. “I called the album The Last Balloon because I didn’t want anyone asking us, ‘When’s Purple Balloon coming?’” she says. “It’s the end of the balloons; we’re moving into a new space now.” And as they step into their next chapter, Tank and the Bangas continue to tap into a creative energy that’s only grown more vibrant over time. “Lately it’s almost like the ideas coming out of thin air, and I’m just excited to keep making more music,” says Spence. “We’re working with new people and cultivating new sounds, and it feels like we’re more open than we’ve ever been,” adds Ball. “What we’ve learned over the years is that even though people can’t always categorize our sound, they’re always able to describe how the music makes them feel. So we’re gonna keep on changing and evolving, but we’re always gonna give you that same feeling of joy. That’s a DNA marker for sure.”
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T161501Z SEQUENCE:1122041 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:244 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 X-PUBLISH-UP:2026-03-20 16:00:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261117T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261117T233000 UID:CEA73F5A-4C75-45F4-BEC6-EB076641C3E9 SUMMARY:Foy Vance CREATED:20260219T192656Z DTSTAMP:20260219T192656Z URL:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/foy-vance-2 DESCRIPTION:More info on the HER campaign\NThe seventh album from Foy Vance, The Wake marks the completion of a decades-long journey defined by tireless soul-searching and life-altering revelation. While playing a gig on the Spanish island of Lanzarote in January 1999, the Northern Ireland-born singer/songwriter experienced a moment of unprecedented transcendence onstage, then learned the next morning that his father had suffered a fatal heart attack that very night. Overcome by grief and a galvanizing clarity, Vance immediately resolved to create seven albums informed by the loss of his father—a traveling preacher who moved their family to the American South when Vance was a baby, and set him on his life’s path by teaching him to play guitar early in his childhood. At turns devastating and ecstatic and wildly illuminating, The Wake reveals an artist highly attuned to the task of preserving the human spirit in an often-unforgiving world.\NProduced by Ethan Johns (the Brit Award-winning producer known for his work with Paul McCartney, Ray LaMontagne, and more), The Wake brings Vance’s gritty vocal work to a potent convergence of folk and soul and Southern blues, instilling every moment with an unbridled vitality. In his intimate exploration of the human condition, the Scotland-based artist muses on matters both intensely personal (e.g., fatherhood, heartbreak) and wholly existential (the slippery essence of time, the looming crisis of AI’s unchecked ascent). The final volume in a run of albums that began with his 2007 debut Hope—and also includes standouts like 2016’s The Wild Swan (executive-produced by Elton John), 2019’s From Muscle Shoals and To Memphis (recorded at the historic FAME Studios and Sam Phillips Recordings Studios, respectively), and 2021’s Signs of Life (partly made at Vance’s home in the Scottish Highlands)—the result is the purest distillation yet of his truly singular artistry, imparting a defiant joy into songs of longing and loss and hard-won acceptance. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The seventh album from Foy Vance, The Wake marks the completion of a decades-long journey defined by tireless soul-searching and life-altering revelation. While playing a gig on the Spanish island of Lanzarote in January 1999, the Northern Ireland-born singer/songwriter experienced a moment of unprecedented transcendence onstage, then learned the next morning that his father had suffered a fatal heart attack that very night. Overcome by grief and a galvanizing clarity, Vance immediately resolved to create seven albums informed by the loss of his father—a traveling preacher who moved their family to the American South when Vance was a baby, and set him on his life’s path by teaching him to play guitar early in his childhood. At turns devastating and ecstatic and wildly illuminating, The Wake reveals an artist highly attuned to the task of preserving the human spirit in an often-unforgiving world.
Produced by Ethan Johns (the Brit Award-winning producer known for his work with Paul McCartney, Ray LaMontagne, and more), The Wake brings Vance’s gritty vocal work to a potent convergence of folk and soul and Southern blues, instilling every moment with an unbridled vitality. In his intimate exploration of the human condition, the Scotland-based artist muses on matters both intensely personal (e.g., fatherhood, heartbreak) and wholly existential (the slippery essence of time, the looming crisis of AI’s unchecked ascent). The final volume in a run of albums that began with his 2007 debut Hope—and also includes standouts like 2016’s The Wild Swan (executive-produced by Elton John), 2019’s From Muscle Shoals and To Memphis (recorded at the historic FAME Studios and Sam Phillips Recordings Studios, respectively), and 2021’s Signs of Life (partly made at Vance’s home in the Scottish Highlands)—the result is the purest distillation yet of his truly singular artistry, imparting a defiant joy into songs of longing and loss and hard-won acceptance.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260302T183243Z SEQUENCE:947147 X-ACCESS:1 X-HITS:328 X-COLOR:b6271b X-SHOW-END-TIME:0 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR