On the heels of their recent European trek, Americana band JD & The Straight Shot are set to open for Jewel’s Picking Up the Pieces tour kicking off on March 4th in Lake Charles, LA. JD & The Straight Shot – vocalist/guitarist Jim Dolan whose voice the New York Post calls “reminiscent of Tom Waits and Randy Newman,” guitarist/vocalist Marc Copely (B.B. King, Rosanne Cash), bassist Byron House (Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton) along with touring musicians guitarist JJ Appelton (David Bowie, Keb Mo, Darius Rucker) and violinist Alicia Enstrom (Keith Urban, Nashville Symphony) – are hitting the road in support of their new, all-acoustic album Ballyhoo! released on January 15th.
Produced by Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler, Miranda Lambert), Ballyhoo! Is steeped in the quiet fire of blues and roots music. The eleven lush tracks were written by Dolan, Copely and House along with violinist Erin Slaver (Rod Stewart, Trace Adkins, Martina McBride) and guitarist Aidan Dolan, with additional contributions by Chris Carmack (who plays Will Lexington on TV’s Nashville) and Adam Levy (known for his work with Norah Jones and Tracy Chapman).
Roots music authority No Depression raves, “JD & The Straight Shot have written some really thought provoking and gripping songs; and this passionate and delicate treatment really makes them memorable, to the extreme.”
Frontman Jim Dolan explains that the decision to go acoustic on the band’s fifth record was a natural one. “We’ve always approached writing songs acoustically, so it made sense to go in that direction. They just sound right this way.”
The beauty of Ballyhoo!’s stripped-down instrumental approach is clear on the infectious tracks. From the swamp groove of “Better Find A Church” (http://bit.ly/1NYzcrb) to the harmony-filled cover song “Nature’s Way,” Dolan’s love of classic rock songcraft shines bright. Slide-blues album opener “Empty” tells the story of hitting rock bottom and climbing back up, while “Here He Comes” pays homage to the genius of Johnny Cash, “Glide” (http://bit.ly/1Uba9Gz) reflects on the pureness of childhood joy, and closing ballad “I’ll See You Again” offers a hopeful eulogy.
In addition to dates with Jewel, JD & The Straight Shot toured alongside luminaries such as the Eagles, Keith Urban, the Dixie Chicks, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Allman Brothers Band, and recently performed on the “Today Show” and “Good Day New York.”
JD & The Straight Shot on tour with Jewel:
3/4 Lake Charles, LA @Golden Nugget
3/5 Biloxi, MS @IP Casino Resort
3/6 Jacksonville, FL @Florida Theater
3/10 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @Parker Playhouse
3/11 Ft. Pierce, FL @Sunrise Theatre
3/12 Orlando, FL @Hard Rock Live
3/13 Clearwater, FL @Capitol Theater
3/17 Greensboro, NC @Carolina Theatre
3/18 Wilmington, NC @Humanities & Fine Arts College
3/19 Durham, NC @Carolina Theatre
4/7 Washington, DC @Lincoln Theater
4/8 Albany, NY @The Egg Center For the Performing Arts
4/9 Harrisburg, PA @The Forum Theatre
4/14 Ridgefield, CT @The Ridgefield Playhouse
4/15 Bethlehem, PA @Sands Bethlehem
4/16 Atlantic City, NJ @Borgata
4/17 Boston, MA @Wilbur Theatre
4/28 Munhall, PA @Carnegie of Homestead
