Dawn Fades’ new album Ode is now available for pre-order. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Los Angeles CA post-metal group Dawn Fades will release their sophomore album Ode, September 10, 2021. Ode will be available on vinyl, CD and all digital platforms via Metal Assault Records. The first single and music video “Taste” premiered June 25, along with the pre-order launch of the album in all aforementioned formats. (Dawn Fades, 2021)
Comprising six songs spanning ethereal experimentation and crushing heaviness, Ode shows a band unshaken by the pandemic induced time away from the stage. The new offering reveals Dawn Fades as now more resolute in their vision and execution. Mixed by heavy music mainstay Josh Newell (Intronaut, Anthrax, Linkin Park), Ode manages to be both more mature and more raw than the band’s critically acclaimed self-titled 2019 debut. While expertly retaining the core elements of their highly successful debut; Dawn Fades takes their musical evolution to even greater heights on Ode, undoubtedly leaving an even stronger impression on listeners.
Frontman and songwriter Sam Sherwood says the album is “a picture of feelings about the trappings of the world we find ourselves in. I believe we are doing a thing that has its own life to it. There is darkness and screaming inner-torment and there are ear-worm hooks.”
LA Weekly describes Dawn Fades as “a mashup of Deftones and Neurosis, with hints of Eyehategod and Enslaved.” Ode is now available to pre-order with the official album release slated for September 10, 2021.
Ode track listing:
Dearth (8:17)
Taste (5:11)
Ode: Part 1 (1:51)
Ode: Part 2 (5:56)
Front (6:57)
Chains (8:36)
Turning (3:23) Total Runtime: 40:11
Dawn Fades is: Sam Sherwood – Vocals Scott Rosenquist – Drums Markus Erren Pardiñas – Bass Nate Hertweck – Guitar
The Accidentals will be touring in support of their upcoming release Vessel. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
On September 29, multi-faceted folk-rockers The Accidentals will kick off a long-awaited U.S. tour in their home state of Michigan. Joined by their friend and collaborator Sawyer Fredericks, this co-bill tour will take the female-fronted, multi-instrumentalist power trio throughout Michigan and the Midwest before heading east for a southerly jaunt from Boston, through New York, Philly, D.C., and down into the Southeast. (The Accidentals, 2021)
The Accidentals—Sav Buist, Katie Larson, and Michael Dause—are touring in support of their upcoming release Vessel, which is due out October 1, 2021. Billboard says, “The Accidentals display a genre-hopping range of influences and some smart songwriting skills to go with their abundant musical chops.” NPR called the band “some of the most compelling writers of our time,” before saying “they display equal interest in the focused musical forms of indie rock and pop and the expansive potential of orchestral arrangements, jam band open-endedness, and impressionistic singer-songwriter expression.”
This tour is not the first time The Accidentals have collaborated with Fredericks. The Accidentals’ Larson and Buist contributed two songs to Fredericks’ recent Flowers For You album—“Lies You Tell” and “Days Go By”—and were also featured in the video for “Lies You Tell.” “The Accidentals have great energy on stage and a very driven work ethic,” says Fredericks. “In addition to the fun of touring with good friends, I also feel I will learn and grow a lot through working with them.” Fredericks will perform solo from the first date in Traverse City, MI, until his band joins him at Chicago’s City Winery for the duration of their tour.
Catch The Accidentals and Sawyer Fredericks on Tour:
9/29 – Traverse City Opera House – Traverse City, MI * 9/30 – Traverse City Opera House – Traverse City, MI * 10/1 – State Theatre – Bay City, MI * 10/2 – The Ark – Ann Arbor, MI * 10/3 – Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH * 10/7 – Great Lakes Center For The Arts (Blissfest) – Petoskey, MI * 10/8 – Cheboygan Opera House (Blissfest) – Cheboygan, MI * 10/9 – Calvin University – Grand Rapids, MI * 10/10 – City Winery – Chicago, IL 10/13 – Lake Michigan College Mendel Center – Benton Harbor, MI 10/14 – Riverdog Concert Series – Wakeman, OH 10/16 – Daryl’s House – Pawling, NY 10/17 – Club Passim – Boston, MA 10/20 – City Winery Loft – New York, NY 10/21 – Gateway City Arts – Holyoke, MA 10/22 – The Linda – Albany, NY 10/23 – Jonathon’s – Ogunquit, ME 10/24 – Voices Cafe Presents @ The Bijou – Bridgeport, CT 10/26 – Ardmore Music Hall – Philadelphia, PA 10/27 – Ramshead Tavern – Annapolis, MD 10/28 – City Winery Main Room – Washington DC 10/30 – Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC 10/31 – City Winery Main Room – Atlanta, GA 11/3 – City Winery Main Room – Nashville, TN 11/7 – The Quonset – Memphis, TN
*Sawyer Fredericks solo opening set Rest of shows are co-bills with Sawyer and his full band
Paul Thorn grooves on new album out August 6 via Thirty Tigers. “Here We Go” is the first single out. Photo: google
Paul Thorn has created an innovative and impressive career, pleasing crowds with his muscular brand of roots music—bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern American, yet also speaking universal truths. Among those who value originality, inspiration, eccentricity and character—as well as talent that hovers somewhere on the outskirts of genius, the story of Paul Thorn is already familiar. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, raised among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured the young Elvis generations before, Paul Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Duran on national television, performed on stages with Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time. He has appeared on major television shows, received numerous National Public Radio features and charted multiple times on the Billboard Top 100 and Americana Radio Charts. (Paul Thorn, 2021)
Fans were recently treated to the first taste of music from Never Too Late To Call, “Here We Go.” Fans can hear “Here We Go” and pre-order or pre-save Never Too Late To Call ahead of its August 6 release right here.
Never Too Late To Call opens with a song called “Two Tears Of Joy,” a slow-burn ode to life that finds Thorn naming all that he is thankful for without once coming across as cheesy or overly earnest. “It sounds a little corny to say this but I’m a 56-year-old man who has had a really blessed life,” says Thorn about the inspiration behind the tune. “I’m really grateful and thankful for everything I have and for the people I’ve met. ‘Two Tears of Joy’ is another way of simply saying I’m grateful.” A few tracks later, Thorn and his wife Heather singing a duet called “Breaking Up For Good Again.” “If you’re in any kind of long-time relationship you’ll know there will be bumps in the road and sometimes you won’t get along,” says Thorn. The song is beautifully fingerpicked and sung to perfection by the husband and wife duo who have been together long enough to know the song’s ideas well. “We’ve lived this song and had our moments,” they say. Towards the end of Never Too Late To Call listeners are treated to a pair of groovy numbers in “You Mess Around & Get A Buzz” and “Holy Hottie Toddy.” The former a cautionary tale and the latter a call to love everybody inclusively; both feel comfortable—in classic Thorn fashion—but represent the full spectrum of what this new, thoughtfully mature album has to offer.
On Never Too Late To Call, we find a mellower Paul Thorn. The wit and the – at times – humorous commentary on life’s existential questions are in evidence, but here there is a peace about his life’s journey. Or, to put it in his words, “I’ve been such a lucky boy. I’m crying two tears of joy.”
Never Too Late To Call track list: Two Tears Of Joy It’s Never Too Late To Call Sapalo Breaking Up For Good Again What I Could Do Here We Go Apple Pie Moonshine Sapphire Dream You Mess Around & Get A Buzz Goodbye Is The Last Word Holy Hottie Toddy
Solar Haze’s The Solar Age will be out July 16, 2021. Photo: google
Southern California’s heavy rock / metal trio Solar Haze will release their mind altering EP The Solar Age on July 16, 2021 via Metal Assault Records. Pre-orders for The Solar Age began on June 18 and the band released their official music video for the single and EP lead off track, “The Solar Age.” In celebration of their forthcoming release, Solar Haze will perform at “Blunt Force Trauma Fest,” a virtual mini festival experience presented by Ebony Jeanette PR & Metal Assault Records streaming July 16 via YouTube. More details about the virtual festival are available online. (Solar Haze, 2021)
Solar Haze is: Guitar/Vocals/Bass Guitar: Stephen Falla Guitar: Ross Cowan Drums/Percussion: Ryan Michael Falla
The end is near, The Solar Age is here. Metal Assault Records will release the eagerly awaited EP The Solar Age from Southern California heavy rock / metal group Solar Haze on July 16, 2021. The three-track, 18-minute EP was produced by Eddie Vasquez (of San Diego based band Tzimani) and includes violent sequences that may induce frequent night-terrors and sudden mood swings which can cause bouts of severe irritability or thoughts of violence. Do not be alarmed if you receive frequent home visitations from mysterious individuals in black, phone calls from numbers with no area codes, or voices in your head that seem to be of foreign origin. These are common side effects that come with indulging in The Solar Age.
Suzanne Santo’s sophomore release features Gary Clark, Jr and Shakey Graves and blends Americana, Southern-gothic soul, and forward-thinking rock and roll. The first single “Bad Beast” is out now. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Yard Sale, the sophomore solo album from the now Austin, TX-based Suzanne Santo, is the musical equivalent of a homeowner’s purging of old possessions in order to clear up some much-needed room. Releasing August 27 via Soundly Music, the album marks the moment where Santo makes peace with her past and embraces a better, bolder present. A tireless creator, Santo has built her sound in the grey area between Americana, Southern-gothic soul, and forward-thinking rock & roll. It is a sound that nods to her past—a childhood spent in the Rust Belt which is also where she learned to love a yard sale; a decade logged as a member of the L.A.-based duo HoneyHoney; the acclaimed solo album, Ruby Red, of which Paste called “shameless, self-aware dialogue that opens the door for conversation that leads to real healing;” and the world tour that took her from Greece to Glastonbury as a member of Hozier’s band—while still exploring new territory. With Yard Sale, Santo boldly moves forward, staking her claim once again as an Americana innovator. It is an album inspired by the past, written by an artist who is only interested in the here-and-now. And for Suzanne Santo, the here-and-now sounds pretty good. The album’s first single “Bad Beast” is available everywhere today, listen here. Fans can pre-order or pre-save by clicking here. (Suzanne Santo, 2021)
Yard Sale finds Santo in transition, physically and emotionally. She began writing the album while touring the globe with Hozier—a gig that utilized her strengths not only as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, but also as a road warrior. Some songs were written between Hozier rehearsals, with Santo holing up in a farmhouse on the rural Irish coast, while others were finished during bus rides, backstage writing sessions, and hotel stays. Grateful for the experience but eager to return to her solo career, she finished her run with Hozier, joining the band for one final gig at Glastonbury before flying home to Los Angeles. Within three days, she was back in the studio, working with producer John Spiker on what was to become Yard Sale.
Upon returning home, Los Angeles became stale for Santo as the city is inclined to do. A partner breakup paired with the hiatus of HoneyHoney left her feeling lonely in her own home—sparking the cosmic relocation to Austin, TX—a city whose fingerprints are all over Yard Sale, thanks to appearances by hometown heroes like Gary Clark Jr. and Shakey Graves. Thus the metaphorical album title of Yard Sale became literal with a cross country move and the emotional unpacking and shedding that happens when life in a new city, with a new love, beckons.
The album presents Santo at the very top of her game musically, writing her own string arrangements and singing each song in an agile, acrobatic voice—perhaps in part due to the cathartic making-of process and what that has meant for her professionally and personally. At times she bridges the gap between indie-rock and neo-soul. On other tracks, she mixes gospel influences with a deconstructed R&B beat. Fans will hear layers of spacey, atmospheric electric guitar and Shakey Graves on a rainy-day ballad driven forward by a metronomic drum pattern, and Gary Clark punctuating with fiery fretwork.
Of the album as a whole, Santo says, “I’m into the emotional concept of what a yard sale really is. This record is about the things I’ve left behind and the things I’ve held onto. I was broken up with while writing the record. I fell in love again while writing the record. And I learned to fearlessly follow my gut, in all places of my life, while making this record.”
Yard Sale track listing: Over and Over Again Mercy Gold Rush Save For Love Bad Beast Since I Had Your Love Afraid Of Heights Fall For That Common Sense To No End Idiot Island
On tour: July 5-6 – The RIDE Festival – Telluride, CO August 26 – Album release show @ Antone’s – Austin, TX September 8 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY November 5 – Space Ballroom – Hamden, CT* November 6 – Big Night Live – Boston, MA* November 7 – Colony – Woodstock, NY November 10 – Southern – Charlottesville, VA* November 11 – Black Cat – Washington, DC* November 12 – Otto Bar – Baltimore, MD* November 13 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA* November 14 – Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH* November 16 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL* *with Murder By Death
Jamestown Revival’s Fireside With Louis L’Amour EP out now – six tracks directly inspired by Louis L’Amour short stories. Photo: google
In 2020, Jamestown Revival released A Field Guide To Loneliness, an intimate collection of songs that finds Clay and Chance reflecting on recent times whereby human contact was limited more than ever. A Field Guide To Loneliness follows Jamestown Revival’s 2019 critically acclaimed release, San Isabel. Recorded in a remote cabin in the majestic and calming landscape of central Colorado, the band embraced a minimalist approach in the recording of San Isabel. Finding inspiration in ‘60s and early ‘70s folk and pop, the original songs on San Isabel show reverence for early John Denver and Bob Dylan, as well as Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Their new EP, Fireside With Louis L’Amour is out now. (Jamestown Revival, 2021)
When the recording process of their new EP, Fireside With Louis L’Amour, was all said and done, Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance of Jamestown Revival took on the challenge of distilling a half-dozen tales from “The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories” from 30-page adventures down to three and a half minute songs. Their tune “Bound for El Paso” comes from L’Amour’s “The Gift of Cochise,” “Fool Me Once” was inspired by “The Man from Bitter Sands,” and so on. Longtime fans of Jamestown Revival can hear L’Amour’s influence on Clay and Chance, but this is the first time they have tipped their hats directly to America’s beloved frontier storyteller. The whole of Fireside With Louis L’Amour—six songs in total—was directly inspired by individual stories from L’Amour’s Volume 1 collection, allowing listeners to trace the precise roots of Jamestown Revival’s newest release. Available now, fans can purchase or stream Fireside With Louis L’Amour with this link.
“They say that L’Amour was the master of the short story and we would humbly agree. In 30 pages he manages to draw you in, make you invest in the characters, and oftentimes hit you with a twist that you truly didn’t expect,” say Clay and Chance. “The songs on Fireside With Louis L’Amour are our attempt to put a musical spin on some of Louis’ short stories found on ‘The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories.’ It’s been challenging and incredibly rewarding.” To have the family of L’Amour on board was just icing on the cake for Jamestown Revival. “On top of that, it’s been an absolute honor to have the blessing of Louis’ son, Beau, and the L’Amour estate. We hope these songs inspire you to pick up ‘The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour’ and read the true inspiration behind the music,” they say, before adding, “We also feel it’s worthwhile to mention these songs should be best enjoyed sitting next to a fire with a nip of whiskey in the glass.”
Fireside With Louis L’Amour in the press: Garden & Gun premiered the live performance video of album-opener, “Bound for El Paso.”
“If you’re a L’Amour fan, you’ll no doubt recognize what’s been distilled from story to song,” said Cowboys & Indians Magazine. “And you’ll love what happens when two Texans get a hold of America’s storyteller and let their imaginations and harmonies run.”
EG Vines’ rock-driven sophomore effort Through the Mirror out August 27. First single is ‘The Royal Diplomat.’ Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Nashville’s up-and-coming EG Vines has been on quite the ride over the last few years. After quitting his corporate rat race job to pursue music full time and releasing his much talked about debut, Family Business, in 2019—Billboard, NPR, and Rolling Stone all had nice things to say—Vines finally had a moment to reach for those creative corners of his mind previously undiscovered. Quitting his job allowed Vines to pour more of himself into his music, and his brand new full-length album Through the Mirror is a testament to the positive effect this has had. Set to be released on August 27, Through the Mirror is part indie rock nirvana—the state of being more so than the band—and part reaction to an uber-politicized world. (EG Vines, 2021)
Vines’ hometown radio station, Nashville’s legendary, independent Lightning 100, recently shared the first taste of music from Through the Mirror, “The Royal Diplomat” and V13 spotlighted the album and new single. “’The Royal Diplomat’ was one of those that I kind of blacked out whilst writing it,” recalls Vines. “I remember coming up with that guitar riff in the turnaround and belting out ‘Never spoken,’ but that’s about it.” Musically, Vines and the band may have been channeling the Smashing Pumpkins or The Bends era Radiohead. Fans can listen to “The Royal Diplomat” right now at this link.
Much of Through the Mirror—which was recorded locally at Nashville’s Skinny Elephant Recording with co-producer Dylan Alldredge—sees Vines drawing inspiration from punk and alt-rock favorites from his youth; both musically and socially. Vines delivers his own views against biting riffs and pulsing drums while encouraging listeners to critically engage with the world around them to inform their own ways of thinking, drawing on his love of Jason Isbell and Bob Dylan as inspirations for his storytelling. Calling the album a Rorschach test for the modern world, Vines delivers his messages through a wide array of subjects on his songs, from American history to what theoretical alien visitors might think when they arrive on Earth.
Through The Mirror track list:
Am I Dreaming
Good Enough
The Royal Diplomat
King Of The Rat Race
Them
Meat On My Eyes
Ride
Waiting On The Aliens
Peace In This World
Every Star
Catch EG Vines On Tour: June 4 – Chattanooga, TN – Wanderlinger Brewing Company June 12 – Knoxville, TN – Preservation Pub June 13 – Atlanta, GA – Sundown Series June 19 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In July 10 – Newport, KY – Southgate House July 31 – Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald’s Aug 14 – Nashville, TN – Tomato Art Fest
Umphrey’s McGee get the show started with a new studio album. Photo: google
The music of Umphrey’s McGee unfolds like an unpredictable conversation between longtime friends. Its six participants—Brendan Bayliss [guitar, vocals], Jake Cinninger [guitar, vocals], Joel Cummins [keyboards, piano, vocals], Andy Farag [percussion], Kris Myers [drums, vocals], and Ryan Stasik [bass]—know just how to communicate with each other on stage and in the studio. A call of progressive guitar wizardry might elicit a response of soft acoustic balladry, or a funk groove could be answered by explosive percussion. At any moment, heavy guitars can give way to heavier blues as the boys uncover the elusive nexus between jaw-dropping instrumental virtuosity and airtight songcraft. On July 16, Umphrey’s McGee will release twelve fan-favorite intro songs on an album called You Walked Up Shaking In Your Boots But You Stood Tall And Left A Raging Bull. This instrumental album is comprised of fist-pumping, genre-spanning “intros” originally conceived as “walk-on” music for their live shows. (Umphrey’s McGee, 2021)
Fans were recently treated to an early listen of the single “Leave Me Las Vegas,” which made its live debut at Workplay Soundstage in Birmingham, Alabamaphrey’s on March 5, 2009. A filtered drum-machine intro turns unison-riff heavy right off the bat before the dissonant guitar theme rears its head. There is a chunky weight to “Leave Me Las Vegas,” but among the distorted guitars, the foundational groove never wavers. Like most of the songs on You Walked Up Shaking In Your Boots But You Stood Tall And Left A Raging Bull, “Leave Me Las Vegas” climbs and climbs on an upward, sometimes intense trajectory; something the members of Umphrey’s channeled impeccably during their pandemic-driven long-distance, remote recording sessions. Fans can listen to “Leave Me Las Vegas” now and pre-order or pre-save You Walked Up Shaking In Your Boots But You Stood Tall And Left A Raging Bull ahead of its July 16 release right here.
Umphrey’s McGee is a touring powerhouse, performing 85+ shows per year, headlining annual shows across the US including Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado and the Beacon Theatre in New York. Umphrey’s is a constant US festival staple, with performances at major events including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Rothbury, and Bonnaroo, as well as international festivals Fuji Rock Festival (Japan), and Byron Bay Blues Festival (Australia). The band hosts their own festival in Illinois, Summer Camp Music Festival, where they perform three nights and have hosted the likes of Primus, Jane’s Addiction, Thievery Corporation, and Willie Nelson, to name a few. Umphrey’s McGee has also hosted and headlined Jam in the Dam, a three-night mini-festival at the Melkweg in Amsterdam.
You Walked Up Shaking In Your Boots But You Stood Tall And Left A Raging Bull is only a part of what Umphrey’s McGee has been working on over the course of the last year off from touring.
You Walked Up Shaking In Your Boots But You Stood Tall And Left A Raging Bull Track list: Catshot There’s No Crying In Mexico Leave Me Las Vegas Depth Charge You Got The Wrong Guy Tango Mike Nipple Trix Le Blitz Le Sac Gurgle Restrung October Rain
Catch Umphrey’s McGee On Tour: June 18 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre June 19 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre June 20 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre June 25 – Lafayette, NY – Apple Valley Park June 26 – Lafayette, NY – Apple Valley Park June 27 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios June 29 – Frederick, MD – Showtime At The Drive-In June 30 – Frederick, MD – Showtime At The Drive-In July 1-4- Scranton, PA – The Peach Music Festival July 9 – Pelham, TN – The Caverns Outdoor Amphitheater July 10 – Pelham, TN – The Caverns Outdoor Amphitheater August 5 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater August 6 – Beech Mountain, NC – Beech Mountain Summer Series August 7 – Beech Mountain, NC – Beech Mountain Summer Series August 8 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company
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The full length album Awaken from Parallax is available now on all streaming platforms. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Hailing from the Air Capitol, Wichita Kansas, Parallax is here to disrupt traditional sound of modern heavy metal with their distinctive mashup of chaotic yet atmospheric Groove, Hardcore, Tech, Death, Alternative, and Nu-Metal. Their newest release Awaken, is a concept album about one’s descent into evil and madness. The character finds himself infected with a demonic parasite that brings about the destruction of planet Earth. The full length album was self-produced, recorded, and mixed by guitarist Jason Catlett and Parallax at Magnitude Creative Recording Studio in Wichita, Kansas while mastering duties were handled by legendary mastering engineer, Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New York. Alan is known for his work with the bands Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, Converge, and Mastodon. (Parallax, 2021)
** Parallax has just announced a brand new live show date. They will be playing at The Cotillion in Wichita, KS on Thursday August 26 supporting Trivium along with Revisionist. Tickets are on sale now here.
The band will follow up the December 2020 release of Awaken’s heavily streamed lead off track “Hands” with the premiere of their anticipated music video for the official second single, “Esoteric” on July 30, 2021. The full length album, Awaken from Parallax is available now on all streaming platforms.
Since forming in December 2015, Parallax has released 3 EPs, including 2016’s In The Path Of A Cannibalistic Galaxy and 2018’s Disease & Disposition. In late 2019 the band signed with Fine Swine Records and began working on their newest album, Awaken.
Legendary producer David Ferguson steps out of the control room and up to the microphone to make his own album Nashville No More. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
David Ferguson’s name frequently comes up when one starts to dig into who is behind Nashville’s most revered recordings of the last 40 years. A Grammy Award-winning recording engineer, studio owner, video game soundtrack composer, and collaborator with the likes of Johnny Cash, John Prine, and Sturgill Simpson, there is one title Ferguson has never been called until now – a recording artist. That is all about to change with his upcoming, star-studded release on Fat Possum Records, Nashville No More. Out September 3, Nashville No More finds Ferguson—better known around town as “Fergie”—exiting the control room and entering the spotlight with a self-produced, ten-song collection that will erase any doubt about his lack of history as the name on the marquee. (Fat Possum Records, 2021)
This is no greenhorn debut album, but a long-marinated and much-awaited reveal of a warm and familiar voice of a generation. Fans were recently treated to the first track from Nashville No More, the sweet fiddle and steel waltz of “Knocking Around Nashville.” The Pat McLaughlin-penned song has swirled around in Ferguson’s mind for a couple of decades now. “I’ve known this song since I recorded the first demo on it in the mid-90s,” he says. After his famed studio, The Butcher Shoppe, closed in 2020 when the entire property was sold, the weight of the song grew in Ferguson. “It just seems to become more relevant with every day that passes.” Fans can hear “Knocking Around Nashville” now at this link and can pre-order or pre-save Nashville No More ahead of its September 3 release right here.
The company Ferguson keeps on Nashville No More speaks much more highly of him than written words in promo materials can. Bluegrass power couple Sierra Hull and Justin Moses lend their voice and instrumental prowess to album closer “Hard Times Come Again No More” and reigning Americana queen Margo Price jumps in on the country-meets-bossa nova feel of “Chardonnay.” But it keeps going beyond those featured tracks—the entirety of Nashville No More’s roster is A-lister after A-lister. Bluegrass fans will easily pick out the playing of Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Béla Fleck, Ronnie McCoury, and Tim O’Brien, to name a few, and the more guitar-minded will catch the six-string picking and strumming of Dan Auerbach, Mark Howard, Billy Sanford, and Kenny Vaughan. Add in Nashville studio greats like Russ Pahl on pedal steel, Sam Bacco on percussion, Mike Rojas on keyboards, and Mike Bub and Dave Roe on bass, and the end result is a mutual admiration society of taste and respect not equaled in most Nashville recordings of today. All of those instruments and all of those people are in turn enveloped by Ferguson’s resonant baritone singing his favorite songs and the results are breathtaking.
Nashville No More Track list: Four Strong Winds Boats to Build Fellow Travelers Nights With You Looking for Rainbows Chardonnay Early Morning Rain Knocking Around Nashville My Autumns Done Come Hard Times Come Again No More
SA Examiner 