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Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas Announce First Tour Dates Since 2015

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2024

Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas Announce First Tour Dates Since 2015

Twenty-seven-time Grammy winner Alison Krauss reveals today that Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas will embark on their first tour together in a decade next year. The Arcadia 2025 Tour will see the acclaimed group playing 73 dates across the United States and Canada in 2025. They are also set to release new music next year.

Krauss has also announced that legendary vocalist and guitarist Russell Moore has joined the ranks of Union Station. Best known as the frontman for chart-topping group IIIrd Tyme Out, Moore is the most awarded male vocalist in the history of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), with six total wins, and has guided his group to more than 50 industry honors including seven IBMA Vocal Group of the Year titles. He joins longtime Union Station members – Ron Block (banjo, guitar, vocals), Barry Bales (bass, vocals) and newly inducted Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Jerry Douglas (Dobro, lap steel, vocals).

“I’m so grateful to get to make music again with my comrades of 40 years,” says Alison Krauss. “They’ve always accomplished incredible work individually and have been constantly traveling because of it. We’re very inspired to experience this new exciting chapter in the band’s history.”

“To say I’m excited about recording and touring with Alison Krauss & Union Station would be a huge understatement,” adds Russell Moore. “After 40 years of playing music full-time and leading my own group for 34 years, this opportunity is among the few things at the top of the list that my music career has offered me. My hopes and desires are to fill this spot in AKUS with the same professionalism, precision, and thoughtfulness as other members who have held this position before me, and I’m looking forward to the ‘ride’!”

The 73-date tour, which features special guest Willie Watson, kicks off on Thursday, April 17th in Louisville, KY and includes iconic venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morris, CO), the Greek Theatre (Los Angeles, CA), the Beacon Theatre (New York, NY), and more. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 6th, with presales available from Wednesday, December 4th at 10AM local through Thursday, December 5th at 10PM local. See the full dates below – fans can sign up for presale access and purchase tickets here: alisonkrauss.com

Next year, fans can expect to hear new music from AKUS for the first time since the band’s 2011 masterpiece Paper Airplane, an album hailed as “shining, dramatic, and beautiful” by NPR Music, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country, Bluegrass, and Folk Album charts.

For nearly four decades, Alison Krauss & Union Station have upheld their legacy as one of the most influential and widely celebrated groups in American music, performing on historic stages from The Ryman to Red Rocks, Radio City to The Royal Festival Hall. They are five distinct personalities, each of whom enjoys a flourishing solo career. But when they come together, they transform into a peerless group of musicians who share a singular focus that transcends the boundaries of roots music, country, rock & roll, and pop. Reviewing a performance from the Paper Airplane tour, the Chicago Tribune called AKUS “gorgeous, warm and built for longevity,” adding “Krauss and band are wicked good players, but their true genius is measured in their restraint. This is a crew that understands understated power, a ‘less is more’ instrumental approach where every note is in service to the song.”

For nearly four decades, Alison Krauss & Union Station have upheld their legacy as one of the most influential and widely celebrated acts in bluegrass and roots music. Known for an immaculately crafted but endlessly surprising sound that transcends the boundaries of roots, country, rock & roll, and pop, Alison Krauss & Union Station are putting the finishing touches on a new album to be released in 2025 – their first album since the 2011 masterpiece Paper Airplane—a critically lauded, multiple Grammy Award winning LP that debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country, Bluegrass, and Folk Album charts. Over the years, Alison Krauss & Union Station have brought their phenomenal live show to sold-out performances at famed venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Greek Theatre, Radio City Music Hall, and London’s Royal Festival Hall, in addition to supporting Paul Simon in Hyde Park for his 2012 Graceland reunion. They now gear up for their first tour together since 2015.

The players – Alison Krauss (fiddle, lead vocal), Jerry Douglas (Dobro, lap steel, vocals), Ron Block (banjo, guitar, vocals), Barry Bales (bass, vocals), and welcoming highly acclaimed and celebrated tenor vocalist Russell Moore (guitar, mandolin, lead vocal) as the newest member – are five distinct personalities, each of whom enjoys a flourishing solo career. But when they come together, they transform into a peerless group of musicians who share a singular focus.

Hurray for the Riff Raff Announces Extended Tour with Bright Eyes Into 2025

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2024

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Hurray for the Riff Raff Announces Extended Tour with Bright Eyes Into 2025

Hurray for the Riff Raff will join Bright Eyes for the second half of their 2025 North American tour, performing in 25 cities across the southern US starting in February. The artists previously toured together in 2022. Many of the songs on Hurray for the Riff Raff/Alynda Segarra’s latest record, The Past Is Still Alive, began to take shape during that tour; Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst later sang on the album track “The World Is Dangerous,” and Mike Mogis also contributed across the album.

In addition, Hurray for the Riff Raff has recently announced that they will be joining MJ Lenderman & the Wind as special guests for Waxahatchee’s performance at Beak & Skiff this summer on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Find more information and tickets here.

Since its release in February 2024, The Past Is Still Alive has been nominated for Album of the Year at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards and earned raves from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, the Atlantic, Vogue, Vulture, NPR, the New Yorker, Elton John and more. The New York Times praised Segarra for “etching their own story into the American songbook,” while Paste said the record is “the most important album of the 2020s so far…” The Past Is Still Alive has already been included on Best of 2024 lists from Uncut and Mojo, with Uncut stating, “Segarra remained committed to making astonishing music while the ship goes down.”

Hurray for the Riff Raff and Bright Eyes 20245 Tour Dates

Wednesday, February 26, George’s Majestic Lounge, Fayetteville, AR,
Thursday, February 27, Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX,
Friday, February 28, The Factory In Deep Ellum, Dallas, TX,
Saturday, March 1, Aztec Theatre, San Antonio, TX,
Sunday, March 2, Chelsea’s Live, Baton Rouge, LA,
Monday, March 3, Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL,
Wednesday, March 5, Jannus Live, St Petersburg, FL,
Friday, March 7, The Beacham, Orlando, FL,
Saturday, March 8, Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA,
Sunday, March 9, The Mill & Mine, Knoxville, TN,
Thursday, March 13, The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC,
Friday, March 14, The Caverns, Pelham, TN,
Monday, March 17, Minglewood Hall, Memphis, TN,
Tuesday, March 18, The Hall, Little Rock, AR,
Thursday, March 20, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa, OK,
Friday, March 21, Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO,
Saturday, March 22, The Pageant, St Louis, MO

Crystal Bridges Museum and the Momentary Announce 2025 Exhibitions Celebrating American Icons Past and Present

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2024

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Crystal Bridges Museum and the Momentary Announce 2025 Exhibitions Celebrating American Icons Past and Present

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary today announced its complete list of 2025 exhibitions, which explore a wide range of works from past and present cultural icons. KAWS: FAMILY will open at Crystal Bridges in March and feature a broad mixture of the artist’s works – drawings, paintings, and sculptures – that examine complex, familiar, and astonishingly heartfelt entryways into human emotions. Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture will open in fall, presenting art that connects powerful stories of sports to everyday life.

The Momentary will expand its music focus by hosting visual art exhibitions that celebrate the medium and its icons, including The Prison Concerts: Folsom and San Quentin (Jim Marshall’s Photographs of Johnny Cash), a showcase of Jim Marshall’s photos from Johnny Cash’s historic prison concerts; and Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul, featuring photographer Larry Hulst’s unique visual anthology of rock, blues, and soul music from 1970-1999. The Machine Behind the Art: Inside JR’s Printing Press, an experiential work where visitors enter an oversized printing press and leave with a one-of-a-kind print, will also be on view next year.

Progress continues to be made on Crystal Bridges’ 114,000-square-foot expansion, led by the acclaimed Safdie Architects. An all-new installation of the museum’s renowned, fast-growing art collection will offer a fresh pathway for visitors exploring the diverse range of American stories, its people, and its places. In 2025, teams will begin to transform the galleries, offering guests a glimpse into how exhibitions are created and artworks are reinstalled throughout the museum. Crystal Bridges will remain open during this time.

Design highlights include two new galleries that will allow the museum to display even more art; a dedicated floor with a series of educational spaces including community gathering areas, art studios, and flexible facilities; a new bridge connecting the two galleries that will add non-traditional space for art that is not sensitive to light; and areas for reflection and gathering, including a new café and courtyard. These new spaces will advance the exploration of art, further connections to the beauty of nature, and help better engage the community. The museum expansion is set to open in 2026.

The museum expansion is part of a larger project to create an Art + Wellness Campus on the 134-acre Crystal Bridges site. The unparalleled campus will incorporate the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, joined to the museum with miles of landscaped trails and art installations.

CRYSTAL BRIDGES

KAWS: FAMILY

March 15, 2025 – July 28, 2025

Since the late 1990s, KAWS has been creating a cast of iconic characters steeped in the American zeitgeist that populate his work. Each with their own distinct personality pulled in part from their creator, these characters have been a constant throughline in the artist’s career. The exhibition takes its title and thematic jumping-off point from the sculpture titledFAMILY (2021), which brings together four of the KAWS’ characters posed in the style of a family portrait. As witnessed throughout the show, the relationships between the figures can be complex, familiar, and astonishingly heartfelt entryways into human emotions.

Organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), KAWS: FAMILY at Crystal Bridges is KAWS’ Arkansas solo exhibition debut, featuring drawings, paintings, sculptures, altered advertisements, and product collaborations. Expanding to fit Crystal Bridges’ exhibition gallery space, this presentation builds on the AGO’s original exhibition to create an experience that is uniquely suited for the museum.

KAWS: FAMILY is curated by Julian Cox, AGO deputy director and chief curator. The curatorial lead at Crystal Bridges is Alejo Benedetti, curator of contemporary art.

Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture

September 12, 2025 – January 26, 2026

From the Olympics to the local recreation league, sports are a highly personal and inexhaustible subject for many contemporary artists and designers, who respond to the inner drive of the athlete, the almost religious fervor of the fan, and the tension between individuals and systems that govern how games are played, and who gets to play them. Through Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture, visitors will experience how – through sports – some of our most iconic images have been formed and unforgettable human and social stories have played out.

Guests will have the opportunity to discover the depth of swimmer Diana Nyad’s determination through an unexpected portrait angle; they will feel the pressure tennis champion Billie Jean King faced through a reenactment of her legendary Battle of the Sexes match; and they will celebrate Kobe Bryant’s legacy as an NBA superstar and cultural icon in lustrous ceramic.

Organized by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, this exhibition taps into the spirit of sports through art, design, and interactive experiences. It’s time to get in the game!

THE MOMENTARY

Best in Show: Pets in Contemporary Photography

November 23, 2024 – April 13, 2025

Through Best in Show, Momentary visitors will have the opportunity to explore the role that furry (and feathered) friends have played in culture and how they stand in as representations of status, power, loyalty, compassion, and companionship through the perspectives of 25 global artists. Works on view will include examples by William Wegman, famed for his portraits of his Weimaraners; Walter Chandoha, the world’s first professional cat photographer; and Sophie Gamand, known for her touching, sensitive photographs of dogs taking baths.

Organized by Fotografiska Museum New York, the contemporary museum of photography, art, and culture, Best in Show celebrates and acknowledges constant companions, their presence in Western art and popular culture, and their multifaceted relationships with humans. Guests are allowed to bring domesticated pets into the Best in Show galleries throughout the exhibition’s run.

The Prison Concerts: Folsom And San Quentin (Jim Marshall’s Photographs of Johnny Cash)

May 24, 2025 – October 12, 2025

Widely known as the godfather of music photography, the late Jim Marshall maintained a 50-year career that resulted in more than 500 album covers, an abundance of magazine covers, and some of the most celebrated images in blues, jazz, country, and rock and roll, including those from Johnny Cash’s notable Folsom and San Quentin prison concerts. Organized by the GRAMMY Museum, The Prison Concerts: Folsom and San Quentin (Jim Marshall’s Photographs of Johnny Cash) showcases these powerful snapshots of a legendary musician by a legendary photographer.

The exhibition is comprised of 25 photographs documenting the two concerts in 1968 and 1969, including candid and performance images that helped solidify Cash’s status as an outlaw king. A staunch advocate for prisoners’ rights, Cash did these concerts to shine a light on the terrible conditions and prisoner abuse that were rampant at the time. Personally requested by Cash himself, Marshall was the only official photographer present at the concerts. He was granted unlimited access to Cash, June Carter, and their entourage.

The Prison Concerts captures the spirit of two artists at the height of their creative powers.

Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul

May 24, 2025 – October 12, 2025

Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul charts photographer Larry Hulst’s extraordinary path through the pulsing heart of the most exciting live music of the twentieth century, showcasing a unique visual anthology of rock, blues, and soul music from 1970-1999. From Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix to David Bowie and Lauryn Hill, this exhibition brings together more than 70 images of legendary musicians across three genres and generations. Front Row Center grants viewers an all-access pass to some of the most memorable performances in popular music history.

These images, which have been featured on album art and Rolling Stone spreads, convey Hulst’s lifelong passion for the magnetism, immediacy, and unpredictability of live music. With photos that also document the unforgettable voices of funk, punk, and beyond, Front Row Center grants viewers an all-access pass to some of the most memorable performances in popular music history.

The Machine Behind the Art: Inside JR’s Printing Press

May 24, 2025 – June 7, 2026

The Machine Behind the Art: Inside JR’s Printing Press is one of JR’s most extensive immersive and experiential works to date. After taking portraits in one of three individual photo booths, visitors enter the interior of an oversized, whirring printing press – turning their image into a tangible work of art while offering a glimpse into the creative process of JR. After the experience, visitors leave with their own, one-of-a-kind print.

The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 13 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a non-profit charitable organization by arts patron and philanthropist, Alice Walton. The collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions. The museum is nestled on 120 acres of Ozark landscape and was designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Home of the prestigious Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Artand Tyson Scholars of American Art Program, Crystal Bridges offers public programsincluding lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities. Some 418,375 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools. Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), conceived as a platform for the art, food, and music of our time. In 2026, Crystal Bridges will complete a nearly 100,000 square foot expansion that will allow the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.

Opened in February of 2020 in Downtown Bentonville, the Momentary is a platform for the music, art, and food of our time. It is a catalyst for creativity and economic vitality, and a welcoming hub that gathers and celebrates local heroes and international stars. The Momentary was founded by the Walton family, based on the vision of Tom, Olivia, and Steuart Walton. Its commitment to cultivating arts and cultural experiences provides more opportunities for education, engagement, and enjoyment in our region. The Momentary is an extension of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton. The Momentary welcomes all with free general admission. Additional offerings include live music, visual and performing arts, an artist-in-residence program, culinary experiences such as Onyx Coffee Lab and the sky-high Tower Bar, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, an outdoor festival space, and a retail shop. For more information, visit theMomentary.org. The Momentary is located at 507 SE E Street, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.

Swept Away, Featuring Music by The Avett Brothers, Opens on Broadway

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2024

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Swept Away, Featuring Music by The Avett Brothers, Opens on Broadway

Swept Away, the new Broadway musical featuring the music of the beloved folk-rock band The Avett Brothers, opened last night at the Longacre Theatre to a roaring standing ovation. The Avett Brothers joined the cast on stage for a special curtain call performance of the show’s title track.

The production incorporates songs from The Avett Brothers’ 2004 album, Mignonette, and others in their catalogue, plus one new song – “Lord Lay Your Hand on My Shoulder” – written by Seth Avett expressly for the production. The principal cast members, reprising their roles from the show’s previous sold-out and critically acclaimed runs at Berkeley Repertory in 2022 and Washington DC’s Arena Stage in 2023, include Tony Award winner John Gallagher, Jr. (Spring Awakening), Tony Award nominee Stark Sands (Kinky Boots), Adrian Blake Enscoe (Apple TV+’s Dickinson), and Wayne Duvall (1984).

An odyssey of “mythic proportions” (San Francisco Chronicle), Swept Away features a book by Tony Award winner John Logan (Red, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), direction by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot) and choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann (Hadestown).

The Swept Away ensemble includes Josh Breckenridge, Hunter Brown, Matt DeAngelis, Cameron Johnson, Brandon Kalm, Rico LeBron, Michael J. Mainwaring, Orville Mendoza, Chase Peacock, Tyrone L. Robinson, David Rowen and John Sygar. Swings include John Michael Finley and Robert Pendilla.

The Swept Away creative team includes Tony Award-winning set designer Rachel Hauck, Tony Award-winning costume designer Susan Hilferty, four-time Tony Award-winning lighting designer Kevin Adams, Tony Award-winning sound designer John Shivers, music arranger & orchestrator Chris Miller, music arranger & orchestrator/music supervisor Brian Usifer, music director Will Van Dyke, and casting director Jim Carnahan, Jillian Cimini, and Alexandre Bleau, CSA.

Swept Away is produced on Broadway by Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock and Madison Wells Live. Wagner Johnson Productions serve as Executive Producers.

The anticipated Broadway debut of Swept Away is the latest in a highlight-filled year for The Avett Brothers. In May, they released their first new album in five years, The Avett Brothers – now a Grammy nominee for Best Recording Package – followed by an extensive US tour and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS Saturday Morning, NPR’s All Things Considered, and more. Just last week, The Avett Brothers were presented with The North Carolina Award – their home state’s highest honor – by Gov. Roy Cooper.

For more information on Swept Away please see below and visit here.

The Velveteers Announce 2025 U.S. Tour Dates Around New Album A Million Knives, Out February 14

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2024

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The Velveteers Announce 2025 U.S. Tour Dates Around New Album A Million Knives, Out February 14

The Velveteers are set to bring their explosive live show and forthcoming new album A Million Knives (out Valentine’s Day on Easy Eye Sound) across the Western United States this spring. Among the newly-announced shows are The Echo in Los Angeles, Empire Control Room in Austin, The Funhouse in Seattle and a dozen more just-added dates, mostly set for March 2025. The Boulder, Colorado-based trio will kick off the tour with a special home-state album release party in Denver, taking place February 14, before heading west.

Led by tour-de-force frontwoman Demi Demitro, who is backed by dual drummers Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig (playing on a conjoined kit) – A Million Knives finds The Velveteers collaborating with GRAMMY®-winning producer and Easy Eye Sound founder, Dan Auerbach, to spotlight their “buzzing pile-driver” (SPIN) live sound. Recent singles include “Go Fly Away,” an alt-pop ode to escapism that layers warmer atmospheres with The Velveteers’ signature grit and “Suck The Cherry,” a cathartic cry from Demitro; centered on feeling used and fed up in the face of vulnerability. Demitro discussed the album with Billboard recently, read more about A Million Knives here: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/the-velveteers-a-million-knives-black-keys-collaboration-1235797540/

Wathttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BB97SixZyk

The thirteen songs on A Million Knives were written by The Velveteers after a particularly grueling stretch of life on the road – while exploring the typically-unspoken tolls of an industry that can be far from compassionate; especially as a non-binary, queer and woman led rock ‘n’ roll band. A Million Knives follows The Velveteers’ 2021 debut Nightmare Daydream, which quickly found them plying stadium stages with Smashing Pumpkins, Guns N’ Roses and many others. They started touring as a headliner this fall, including their first shows with top billing in New York, Nashville and more.

A Million Knives Tracklist:
1. All These Little Things
2. Suck The Cherry
3. See Your Face
4. Bound In Leather
5. On And On
6. Sweet Little Hearts
7. A Million Knives
8. Moonchild
9. Take It From The Top
10. Go Fly Away
11. Up Here
12. Heaven
13. Fix Me

The Velveteers Tour Dates:
2.14.25 Hi-Dive (Album Release Party) – Denver, CO*
2.28.25 Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, CO
3.3.25 Shrine Social Club – Boise, ID
3.6.25 Mission Theater – Portland, OR
3.8.25 The Funhouse – Seattle, WA
3.11.25 Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA*
3.13.25 The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3.14.25 Voodoo Room at House of Blues – San Diego, CA*
3.16.25 The Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ
3.20.25 The Underground – San Antonio, TX*
3.21.25 Sundown at Granada – Dallas, TX*
3.22.25 Empire Control Room – Austin, TX*
3.23.25 White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX*
3.26.25 The Bottleneck – Lawrence, KS*
3.27.25 Slowdown – Omaha, NE*
* just-announced dates

Miles Davis’ Legendary Sextet’s ‘Birth of the Blue’ Gets Stunning Vinyl Reissue

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2024

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Miles Davis’ Legendary Sextet’s ‘Birth of the Blue’ Gets Stunning Vinyl Reissue

Analogue Productions, the world leader in high quality vinyl production, is thrilled to announce the December 13 release of Birth of the Blue, a collection documenting the transformative first session in 1958 by the same band that would go on to record Kind of Blue – the one of the greatest and greatest-selling jazz album of all time – the following year.

Featuring Davis’ legendary sextet – John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb – who had first come together less than two weeks prior, this historic set was recorded at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio, and captures the origins of a momentous shift in modern jazz. Featuring four tracks, including three ballads and one Davis original, the music was meticulously remastered from new transfers of the original stereo session tapes, and is presented here as a standalone release for the first time ever. Birth of the Blue was pressed at Quality Record Pressing and the premium gatefold jacket features period-correct artwork plus new liner notes from acclaimed jazz historian Ashley Kahn, author of Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece.

Kahn notes that the four tunes on Birth of the Blue have previously been treated as “archival lagniappe – a stepchild undeserving of its own release.” He continues, “But to quote Miles himself: So what. Together these tracks capture a very rare and special group of improvisers in their first weeks as an ensemble, and have their own story to tell. Together, they merit their own release – musically, historically, undeniably.”

On Wednesday, December 4th, Analogue Productions and Acoustic Sounds will preview the release of Birth of the Blue with a special playback session and panel discussion featuring Kahn, Acoustic Sounds founder and CEO Chad Kassem, and Davis producer and archivist Steve Berkowitz, at NYC listening room All Blues. Named after a track on the Kind of Blue album and inspired by the jazz kissa bars of Japan, All Blues is home to one of the finest vintage playback systems in New York. The event is open to the public.

For over forty years, Acoustic Sounds has championed the art of vinyl, reissuing historic recordings with the utmost care and precision. The company was founded by Chad Kassem, whose unlikely journey from a small apartment-based vinyl resale operation to the helm of the world’s largest vertically integrated vinyl production facility has transformed the high-end audio industry. His Salina, Kansas-based company houses Acoustic Sounds in its entirety, a reissue label (Analogue Productions), state-of-the-art pressing plant (Quality Record Pressings), a mastering facility (The Mastering Lab at Acoustic Sounds), a recording studio and concert venue (Blue Heaven Studios), print shop (Consolidated Printing) and original recordings label (APO Records). Kassem’s relentless dedication to sound quality and preservation of historical recordings has made Acoustic Sounds a trusted source for high-fidelity music.Today, the company presses over a million records each year, bringing legendary labels and artists – from Verve, Impulse, Atlantic and Contemporary Records, to John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Steely Dan and The Doors – as they’ve never been heard before to fans worldwide. Chad Kassem’s commitment to excellence has redefined the boundaries of high-quality vinyl production and built an empire grounded in authenticity and quality.

Birth of the Blue Tracklist:
1. On Green Dolphin Street
2. Fran-Dance
3. Stella By Starlight
4. Love for Sale

Gary Kemp Returns with His Most Personal Album Yet: ‘This Destination’ Out January 31, 2025

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2024

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Gary Kemp Returns with His Most Personal Album Yet: ‘This Destination’ Out January 31, 2025

Great British Songwriter Gary Kemp is set to return with his third solo album, This Destination, out on January 31, 2025, through East West Records.

The guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of Spandau Ballet has been touring worldwide with Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets since 2018, alongside bandmate and fellow host of the renowned podcast Rockonteurs, Guy Pratt.

Outside of music, Kemp, who studied at Anna Sher’s Children’s Theatre, has acted on-screen and stage in a number of TV, Film and Theatre productions – including a starring role in 1990’s British crime thriller The Krays alongside his Brother and Spandau Ballet bandmate Martin Kemp. In 1992, Kemp appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston and in 2015, he performed in Jamie Lloyd’s West End productions of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming, Party Time and Celebration.

Kemp’s new body of work follows on from 2021’s INSOLO. This Destination is his most personal to date and sees the songwriter channel his thoughts and feelings about the past, present and future through the guise of uncanny storytelling and character work. The album is simultaneously semi-autobiographical and an exercise in empathetic scene-setting.

The announcement comes alongside the release of the anthemic single “Put Your Head Up.”

This Destination puts on show the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to songcraft. The album features intricate and deliberate arrangements, including strings by the renowned John Metcalfe (formerly of The Durutti Column and more recently string arranger to the likes of Peter Gabriel, Blur and U2).

A special Dolby ATMOS mix of the album, created by musician Steven Wilson, will be available alongside the release. Wilson uses spatial audio mixing, which creates an immersive sound by placing audio elements into a three-dimensional space. The effect is a stunning recreation of how we hear sound in the real world. Wilson is the renowned master of this.

This Destination features keys and backing vocals by longtime collaborator Toby Chapman, who co-produced the album alongside Kemp at London’s Reformation and RAK studios.

The aforementioned renowned bassist, Guy Pratt – who handled rhythm section duties for Pink Floyd circa 1987 onward – was called upon to play bass on some of the songs. Pratt’s previous work includes performances and cuts for Madonna, Roxy Music, The Smiths and Womack & Womack, to name a few. The album’s closer features throat-singing by the Mercury Prize-nominated Sam Lee.

Lyrically, the 11-track offering marks a journey in discovery for Kemp, who, in the years following the pandemic, hit an unexpected wall of anxiety and a lapse in self-belief. This Destination is the soundtrack to the artist navigating his way back to familiar surroundings.

The first song composed for the album was the arresting and cinematic “Take The Wheel” – a piece of music which evokes the vivid imagery of a couple leaning forward against a windscreen trying to see the road through the rain.

Kemp pleads, “Is there anybody out there who can take the wheel?”. The lyric is a genuine call for somebody, anybody, to step in and take over.

The symmetry in the writing process came in the form of the very last song penned for the album, its title track, This Destination. Kemp said, “It’s about my relationship with music. Whatever I’m going through, whatever conflict arises, the process of making music is my resolution. That’s my destination.”

Elsewhere on the album, Kemp reflects on his relationship with the City in which he’s spent his life. “Borrowed Town” reckons with the notion that London belongs to no one. The ever-changing cultural hub is something we all inhabit but can never claim ownership over. Kemp says, “London is in constant flux. When you live here, you’re just borrowing it for a time.”

Kemp also recalls a remarkable moment in the album’s conception when a spell of writer’s block was broken by an unexpected intervention by a fellow musician. He’d been sitting by the piano for hours to avail when the phone rang:

“It was Richard Hawley. We chatted for a while and I told him I’d been going round in circles trying to write something that day. He said ‘Okay, here’s what you do. Go over to the piano and sit down’”. Kemp obliged. “‘Put your hands out over the keys. I’m going to go now, and you’re going to write a fucking brilliant song.’”

Sure enough, the encounter led Gary to produce the McCartney-esque “Work” – a semi-autobiographical tune in which he celebrates the unsung heroics of a parent’s everyday life. In “Work,” Kemp embarks on a trip down memory lane in an evocative account of his Mum and Dad’s working life. He says, “I remember going into the factory with my Dad one morning. I have this vivid recollection of the moment he put his brown overalls on over his clothes. To me he was Superman putting on his cape.”

The song’s outro builds into an uplift of staccato strings while Kemp repeats the mantra “Got to make it work.” The statement almost takes on new meaning with each repetition – partly summarising the song’s narrative whilst also acknowledging the pressure we put on ourselves in every aspect of life, from relationships to health issues to career decisions.

It’s on the album’s final track, “I Know Where I’m Going,” that Kemp reaches his resolution. He sings, “I know where I’m going; I plan to take a rest there.” Clearly, Kemp finds his peace of mind on the album’s full circle moment. He said, “It’s the most personal on the record… It had to go last – it just made sense”.

Through a combination of his own stories and stories imagined, Gary Kemp has certified himself as one of the country’s greatest songwriters. This Destination is out January 31, 2025, on East West Records.

Gary Kemp is one of the UK’s most successful songwriters of the past 40 years. As guitarist and founding member of the most influential and iconic band of the 80s, Spandau Ballet, he was responsible for writing the words and music for 23 hit singles and albums, including modern-day standards like True and Gold. Gary’s songs have had an extraordinary combined total of over 500 weeks in the charts and are hits all over the world. They’ve generated over 25 million record sales, and the songs were part of the soundtrack of the 80s. Last year, he received the BMI Icon Award at the 2023 BMI London Awards for his contributions to popular culture and music. He joined an elite group that includes The Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Ray Davies, Peter Gabriel, Queen, Sting, and Van Morrison.

Kemp’s songs have proven truly timeless. The ubiquitous hit single True has logged over 5 million air plays in North America alone, and his songs have featured in an incredible 100 feature films over the years, including Sixteen Candles, The Wedding Singer, Charlie’s Angels, Pixels and Crazy Stupid Love as well as countless TV programs including The Simpsons, Spin City, Gilmore Girls (all three times each) Euphoria, Modern Family and, Ugly Betty plus many, many more.

In 2012, he was presented with the Ivor Novello’s prestigious Outstanding Song Collection award. Gary has also won numerous awards and accolades for his work in Spandau Ballet, including an MTV award, a Brit and a Q award.

Gold has even made its way into popular culture as a sports anthem. In 1984, it was used by the BBC as its main theme for its coverage of the Los Angeles Olympics and in 2012, it became the unofficial anthem of the London Olympic Games. It has become a standard for sports and football fans to sing in recent times, most notably for Arsenal Football Club. It is truly a people’s song.

Other classics written by Gary include Through the Barricades, Only When You Leave, To Cut a Long Story Short and Chant No.1.

In recent years, Gary has become synonymous with the Rockonteurs podcast, which he hosts with fellow musician Guy Pratt, interviewing music legends and becoming the most listened-to music podcast in the UK.

He and Guy have also been part of the acclaimed Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets for the last 6 years, with Gary receiving praise and new audiences for his incredible guitar work. The band play Pink Floyd’s celebrated and significant early body of work, including tracks from the era of 1967’s ‘The Piper At The Gates of Dawn’ through to 1972’s ‘Obscured By Clouds’ which has included a much-lauded rendition of the 23-minute epic ‘Echoes.’

Gary is a Trustee of the Theatres Trust with a passion for keeping theatres at the heart of communities.
Gary grew up in Islington born October 16, 1959) and attended local grammar school Dame Alice Owens and Anna Schers Children’s Theatre drama club, becoming a child actor in film and TV before concentrating on playing guitar and songwriting and forming Spandau Ballet.
In the 90s, Gary decided t return to acting, starring in numerous films, including hugely successful British crime triller The Krays and Hollywood blockbuster The Bodyguard. He has continued to be featured regularly on stage, in film, and on TV.

TRACKLISTINGS
FORMAT: Standard C

This Destinatin
Put Your Head p
Take the Wheel/li>
Dancing in Bed/li>
Windswept Stret (1978)
Johnny’s Comin Home
At the Chateau/li>
Work
I Know Where Im Going

FORMAT: Deluxe C

This Destinatin
Put Your Head p
Take the Wheel/li>
Dancing in Bed/li>
Windswept Stret (1978)
Johnny’s Comin Home
At the Chateau/li>
Work
I Know Where Im Going

Bonus tracks:
12.Boy
13.True (live acoustic version)
14.Through the Barricades (live acoustic version)
FORMAT: Vinyl
Side A
1.   Borrowed Town
2.   This Destination
3.   Put Your Head Up
4.   Take the Wheel
5.   Dancing in Bed
6.   Windswept Street (1978)
Side B
1.   Johnny’s Coming Home
2.   At the Chateau
3.   Work
4.   Giving it Up
5.   I know Where I’m Going

Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets Extend International Tour Into Spring 2025

Music

Eric Alper

-

Dec 13, 2024

0

Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets Extend International Tour Into Spring 2025

Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets are set to bring Indoor Safari back to North America next year, announcing new West Coast tour dates for February and March 2025. The tour will include their first shows in many major cities since releasing Indoor Safari on Yep Roc Records in September, which marked Lowe’s first LP release in over a decade. The just-added 2025 dates include multi-night stands in Los Angeles (Troubadour), Portland (Mississippi Studios) and Seattle (Tractor Tavern) – as well as their return to San Francisco (Great American Music Hall), Napa (Uptown Theatre) and more.

The news comes just after Lowe, the “master songwriter who never takes himself too seriously” (Rolling Stone), wrapped a celebrated month-long U.S. run alongside Los Straitjackets – America’s beloved masked men of surf-and-spy guitar instrumentals. The live show celebrates a new album deemed “a masterclass in simple elegance and timeless tunes” (Salon), “effortlessly cool” (Paste) and “pop genius…a thrill” (Bandcamp). “Lowe and Los Straitjackets are a match made in heaven,” raved Forbes’ David Chiu at one of the recent New York shows. “It was a killer evening filled with top-notch songs.” They’ll cap off 2024 with three December dates in Texas, before heading back to Europe in early 2025.

It’s been a busy and exciting year for Lowe; who marked the release of Indoor Safari with an extensive national television profile on PBS Newshour. “It’s hard to find rock ‘n’ roll credentials more solid than Nick Lowe’s,” they note in the piece’s intro. Watch in full here: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/musician-nick-lowe-on-his-legendary-career-and-first-new-album-in-a-decade

Listen to Indoor Safari here, just named one of Uncut’s Best Albums of 2024: https://ffm.to/indoorsafari

Across twelve tracks, Indoor Safari includes brand-new Nick Lowe originals, deep-cut rarities and refitted versions of songs previously released in nascent form as singles. Produced by Lowe, Indoor Safari was recorded in various locations, and mixed by Alex Hall (JD McPherson, Cactus Blossoms) alongside Lowe at Reliable Recorders in Chicago. The album represents a culmination of Lowe’s decade-long working relationship with Los Straitjackets: Eddie Angel/guitar, Pete Curry/bass, Chris Sprague/drums and Greg Townson/guitar.

Nick Lowe Indoor Safari tracklist:
1. Went To A Party (Lowe, Angel, Curry, Sprague, Townson) 2:57
2. Love Starvation (Lowe) 2:51
3. Crying Inside (Lowe) 2:55
4. A Quiet Place (Bell, Meade) 3:13
5. Blue On Blue (Lowe) 3:38
6. Jet Pac Boomerang (Lowe) 3:14
7. Tokyo Bay (Lowe) 2:24
8. Trombone (Lowe) 4:06
9. Different Kind of Blue (Lowe) 3:34
10. Raincoat In The River (Schroeder, Kaye) 3:00
11. Lay It On Me Baby (Lowe) 2:51
12. Don’t Be Nice To Me (Lowe) 2:55

Nick Lowe Tour Dates
December 11 – Heights Theater – Houston, TX
December 14 – Kessler Theater – Dallas, TX
December 15 – Antone’s – Austin, TX
February 8 – Rockin’ Race – Malaga, Spain
February 10 – De La Warr Pavilion – Bexhill on Sea, UK
February 11 – Komedia – Bath, UK
February 12 – The Stables – Milton Keynes, UK
February 13 – The Garage – London, UK
February 16 – Glasgow Pavillion – Glasgow, UK
February 25 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA*
February 26 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA*
February 28 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA*
March 1 – Uptown Theatre – Napa, CA*
March 2 – Sweetwater Music Hall – Mill Valley, CA*
March 4 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR*
March 5 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR*
March 7 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA*
March 8 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA*
March 9 – Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC*
* Just announced 2025 tour dates

Hootie & The Blowfish Unveil ‘The Atlantic Years 1994-2003’ Box Set, Featuring Iconic Albums and Rare Vinyl Releases

Music

Eric Alper

-

Dec 13, 2024

0

Hootie & The Blowfish Unveil ‘The Atlantic Years 1994-2003’ Box Set, Featuring Iconic Albums and Rare Vinyl Releases

Two-time GRAMMY Award-winning and RIAA 2x Diamond-certified iconic band Hootie & the Blowfish will unveil a robust and comprehensive new box set, The Atlantic Years 1994-2003, on January 24, 2025. It will be available in multiple configurations, including 6LP and 5CD. The 6LP version will be available exclusively at Rhino.com, while the 5CD version will arrive in stores nationwide and at Rhino.com.

Pre-order/Pre-save HERE.

The box set presents the group’s seminal albums released on Atlantic Records in one essential package. The 6LP configuration boasts their definitive RIAA 22x Platinum-certified history-making debut, Cracked Rear View (1994), as well as the 3x Platinum Fairweather Johnson (1996) and Platinum Musical Chairs (1998)—both pressed on vinyl for very the first time in over 25 years! Plus, The Atlantic Years 1994-2003 includes two titles never-before-available on vinyl, namely the covers album Scattered, Smothered and Covered (2000) and the self-titled Hootie & the Blowfish (2003).

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Cracked Rear View stands out as one of the top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time, “the highest-certified debut album of all-time,” according to the RIAA, and a cornerstone of the modern zeitgeist. Released on July 5, 1994, it reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and moved over 22 million copies and counting. The album propelled the band to the GRAMMY Award for “Best New Artist” and “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals” for “Let Her Cry.” With additional iconic songs, including “Hold My Hand,” “Only Wanna Be With You,” and “Time,” the album has impressively generated over 1 billion streams and counting. Retrospectively, Billboard proclaimed, “Cracked Rear View surpassed all expectations — and then some, to put it mildly.” Forbes and GRAMMY.com also recently looked back on the record in extensive features.

On its heels, Fairweather Johnson bowed at #1 on the Billboard 200 and yielded “Old Man & Me (When I Get to Heaven)” and “Tucker’s Town,” while Musical Chairs saw the band return to the Top 5. Scattered, Smothered and Covered notably comprised covers of everyone from Led Zeppelin, Roy Orbison, and The Smiths to R.E.M., Tom Waits, and Bill Withers. The band’s 2003 self-titled album, Hootie & the Blowfish, marked their final release with Atlantic Records. The album boasted irresistible sing-along tracks like “Deeper Side” and “Little Darlin’” alongside power ballads like “Rain Song” featuring vocals from The Bangles’ guitarist Vicki Peterson and Continental Drifters’ co-founder Susan Cowsill.

For more information, visit Hootie.com.

CRACKED REAR VIEW
Hannah Jane
Hold My Hand
Let Her Cry
Only Wanna Be with You
Running from an Angel
I’m Goin Home
Drowning
Time
Look Away
Not Even the Trees
Goodbye

FAIRWEATHER JOHNSON
Be the One
Sad Caper
Tucker’s Town
She Crawls Away
So Strange
Old Man & Me (When I Get to Heaven)
Earth Stopped Cold at Dawn
Fairweather Johnson
Honeyscrew
Let It Breathe
Silly Little Pop Song
Fool
Tootie
When I’m Lonely

MUSICAL CHAIRS
I Will Wait
Wishing
Las Vegas Nights
Only Lonely
Answer Man
Michelle Post
Bluesy Revolution
Home Again
One By One
Desert Mountain Showdown
What’s Going On Here
What Do You Want from Me Now

SCATTERED, SMOTHERED AND COVERED
Fine Line
I Go Blind
Almost Home
Hey Hey What Can I Do
Renaissance Eyes
Before the Heartache Rolls In
Araby
I’m Over You
Gravity of the Situation
I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love with You
Dream Baby
Driver 8
Let Me Be Your Man
Please, Please, Please Let Get What I Want
Use Me

HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH
Deeper Side
Little Brother
Innocence
Space
I’ll Come Runnin
Tears Fall Down
The Rain Song
Show Me Your Heart
When She’s Gone
Little Darlin’
Woody
Go and Tell Him (Soup Song)

“Genesis: 1975 to 2025 – The Phil Collins Years” Revised Edition to Be Released in April 2025

Music

Eric Alper

-

Dec 13, 2024

0

“Genesis: 1975 to 2025 – The Phil Collins Years” Revised Edition to Be Released in April 2025

Kingmaker is delighted to announce the publication of Genesis: 1975 to 2025 – The Phil Collins Years by Mario Giammetti on 17 April 2025.

Originally published in 2021 as Genesis: 1975 to 2021 – The Phil Collins Years and out of print since late 2022, Genesis: 1975 to 2025 – The Phil Collins Years features revised text, new interview content and two additional chapters to bring the Genesis story completely up to date. As well as providing a detailed appraisal of The Last Domino? tour, the book also covers other recent events in the world of Genesis, including the sad loss of Richard Macphail and the forthcoming re-issue of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.

Genesis: 1975 to 2025 – The Phil Collins Years is the definitive biography of one of the world’s greatest rock bands following the departure of Peter Gabriel. It contains numerous exclusive interviews with band members and all of the important personalities who were part of the story of Genesis from 1975 onwards, including Ray Wilson who fronted the band for 1997’s Calling All Stations album and subsequent tour before the return of Phil Collins in 2007.

The book provides a detailed account of Genesis post Peter Gabriel, taking readers through each album and tour. Genesis: 1975 to 2025 – The Phil Collins Years contains a wealth of information about Genesis’s career, much of which may well be unknown even to the most ardent fans of the band.

Genesis: 1975 to 2025 – The Phil Collins Years also serves as a sequel to Giammetti’s highly acclaimed book Genesis: 1967 to 1975 – The Peter Gabriel Years, which is also published by Kingmaker and remains available.

Genesis: 1975 To 2025 – The Phil Collins Years is available for pre-order now from Burning Shed (UK/Europe) here, and from The Band Wagon USA (North America) here.

Mario Giammetti is an Italian music journalist with over 35 years’ experience. He has written for numerous Italian music magazines (including Classic Rock, Rockstar and Jam). In 1991 he founded Dusk (www.dusk.it) the only printed magazine in the world dedicated to Genesis. He has written 15 books related to the world of Genesis.

That Eric Alper

Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas Announce First Tour Dates Since 2015

Hurray for the Riff Raff Announces Extended Tour with Bright Eyes Into 2025

Crystal Bridges Museum and the Momentary Announce 2025 Exhibitions Celebrating American Icons Past and Present

Swept Away, Featuring Music by The Avett Brothers, Opens on Broadway

Miles Davis’ Legendary Sextet’s ‘Birth of the Blue’ Gets Stunning Vinyl Reissue

Gary Kemp Returns with His Most Personal Album Yet: ‘This Destination’ Out January 31, 2025

Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets Extend International Tour Into Spring 2025

Hootie & The Blowfish Unveil ‘The Atlantic Years 1994-2003’ Box Set, Featuring Iconic Albums and Rare Vinyl Releases

“Genesis: 1975 to 2025 – The Phil Collins Years” Revised Edition to Be Released in April 2025

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