Since the March release of their 12th studio LP, English Oceans, the Drive-By Truckers have barely had a moment's rest since embarking upon tour dates that have taken them throughout the U.S. and Europe. This September and October the band will make their way around the country, playing rock shows with St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Houndmouth, Lucero, Lee Bains & The Glory Fires and more.All of these recent shows have manifested a new live experience for the band that will be showcased in their new live concert film that will be released this fall.Both Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood penned songs independently that dovetailed brilliantly with each other on English Oceans, originating in a truly collaborative effort that the band has never utilized before."Every song on this record connects with another song," Hood says. "I noticed Cooley's got a line in 'Primer Coat' about 'apron strings,' and I have the exact same image in one of my songs, 'Hanging On.' It goes on and on and on like that on this record, and that's a pretty good sign for things, particularly given how different our temperaments are and our styles of writing are."Looking at the accomplishments of English Oceans from the perspective of DBT's nearly three-decade history, both Cooley and Hood decline to hedge their bets on the quality of their latest work."You're always hesitant to say, 'Oh, this is the best record we've ever made,'" Cooley says, "because you always want to. And sometimes you say it, and sometimes you're right, and sometimes you think, 'Well, maybe I jumped the gun on that a little bit, I got excited.' But I think this just might be the best record we've ever made."Hood concurs enthusiastically: "It's my favorite thing that we've ever done. I'm proud of our catalog - we always try to make as good a record as we can make. Sometimes things just work. This time, we made kind of a magical record. I've always felt that Decoration Day was our best record, and this is the first one that I think is a better record than that was. Every piece of the puzzle fit.Head below for a full list of the Truckers' upcoming dates, they are all on sale now at http://drivebytruckers.com/shows.htmlTour Dates7/18 - Marysville, TN - The Shed7/19 - Cincinnati, OH - Buckle Up Music Festival9/4 - Dewey Beach, DE - Bottle & Cork9/5 - Arrington, VA - Lockn'9/6 - Wilmington, NC - Greenfield Lake Ampitheater9/12 - Louisville, KY - Iroquois Ampitheater w/ North Mississippi Allstars9/13 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Theater%9/14 - Champaign, IL - Canopy Club%9/16 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown#9/17 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom#9/18 - Dallas, TX - Southside Music Hall#9/19 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall%10/4 - Mt. Pleasant, SC - Holy City Hogs10/10 - Atlanta , GA - Tabernacle$10/11 - Birmingham, AL - Cask and Drum10/ 17 - New York, NY - Beacon Theater$10/ 18 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory$10/ 19 - Albany, NY - Hart Theatre at The Egg10/21 - Pawtucket, RI - The Met10/22 - Bethlehem, PA - Musikfest Cafe10/23 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall^10/24 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theater^10/25 - Springfield, MO - Gillioz Theater^10/28 - Fayetteville, AR - George's Majestic Lounge^10/29 - Oxford, MS - The Lyric Oxford^10/30 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium^11/1 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore^# = Lucero% = Lee Bains & The Glory Fires$ = St. Paul & the Broken Bones^ = Houndmouth
The definitive Primus line-up - Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Tim Alexander - just reunited to release their first full-length studio set in nearly 20 years, 'Primus & the Chocolate Factory,' out now.
"Our project is an homage to Gene Wilder and David L. Wolper's, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the effect it had on me in my youth," spouts Les, "Now we get to sell PRIMUS bars and hang out with demented Oompa Loompas. Plus to top it off, it gives me an excuse to wear a purple, velvet waistcoat and brown top hat for the next 18 months."
And so as promised, Primus swiftly went out on the road the day after the album's October 21st release. This summer they will return to the States performing songs both new and old on a run with special guests Dinosaur Jr. Head below to check out all dates, including their summer festival appearances.
Tour Dates
Primus & The Chocolate Factory
4/8 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
4/10 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
4/11 - Kalamazoo, MI - Kalamazoo State Theatre
4/12 - Indianapolis, IN - Old National Centre - Murat Theatre
4/14 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE - Indoor
4/15 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
4/17 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace
4/18 - Atlanta, GA - Sweetwater 420 Fest
4/20 - Concord, NH - The Capitol Center For the Arts
4/21 - Syracuse, NY - Landmark Theatre
4/24 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Theatre
4/25 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
4/27 - Cleveland, OH - Masonic Auditorium
4/28 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center Theatre
4/30 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center
5/1 - New Orleans, LA - Civic Theatre
5/3 - Shreveport, LA - Strand Theater
5/5 - Oklahoma City, OK - Bricktown Events Center
5/6 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
5/7 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
Primus with Special Guest Dinosaur Jr.
7/9 - 7/11 - Summit Point, WV - All Good Festival
7/17 - Wallingford, CT - Oakdale#
7/18 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre#
7/19 - Birmingham, AL - Sloss Festival
7/20 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte#
7/23 - Philadelphia, PA - Penn's Landing#
7/24 - Asbury Park, NJ - The Stone Pony#
7/27 - Portland, ME - Thompson's Point#
7/28 - Holyoke, MA - Mountain Park#
7/30 - New York, NY - Pier 97#
8/1 - Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion#
8/2 - Sterling Heights, MI - Freedom Hill Amphitheatre#
8/4 - Huber Heights, OH - Rose Music Center#
8/6 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagle's Ballroom#
8/7 - Papillion, NE - Sumtur Amphitheater#
# = with Dinosaur Jr.
Singer/songwriter Amos Lee released his self-titled debut in 2004 and followed with critically acclaimed Supply and Demand (2006) and Last Days at the Lodge (2008). But it was with 2011's Mission Bell that debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and brought Amos to nationwide mainstream attention.
Last year, Lee headlined amphitheaters and delivered main stage performances at top festivals supporting Mountains Of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song (2013) and is now excited to announce his first-ever live album, Live at Red Rocks With The Colorado Symphony. A one night only performance, the album features tracks from Lee's entire discography and is out today.
"Starting out in small clubs, and corner bars, it was both humbling and exhilarating to take the stage for a sold out show at Red Rocks," Lee said. "The performance, which I'm very proud of, is a testament to how much my band has grown and how fluid and versatile the CSO and their conductor, Scott O'Neil, are. I was floating the entire night, and still find it a little hard to fathom it's happening. I'm grateful to have taken part in such a special night with people who are immensely talented and generous of spirit."
To have your own memorable Amos Lee live experience, head below to check out his upcoming summer tour with David Gray, starting tonight.
6/16 - Vienna, VA (Washington, DC) - Filene Center at Wolf Trap #
6/17 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall #
6/19 - Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center for the Performing Arts +
6/20 - Lewiston, NY (Buffalo) - Artpark #
6/22 - Rochester Hills, MI - Meadowbrook Amphitheatre #
6/23 - Huber Heights, OH (Dayton) - Rose Music Center at the Heights #
6/24 - Alpharetta, GA (Atlanta) - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre #
6/26 - Whites Creek, TN (Nashville) - The Woods at Fontanel +
6/27 - Indianapolis, IN - The Lawn at White River State Park #
6/28 - Highland Park, IL (Chicago) - Ravinia Festival #
7/1 - Morrison, CO (Denver) - Red Rocks Amphitheatre +
7/3 - Grand Prairie, TX (Dallas) - Verizon Theatre #
7/4 - New Braunfels, TX - Whitewater Amphitheatre +
7/7 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay #
7/8 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl #
7/10 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery +
7/11 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery #
7/13 - Seattle, WA - Marymoor Amphitheatre #
7/14 - Portland, OR - Edgefield # SOLD OUT
7/17 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl # &
7/18 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl + &
# David Gray closes
+ Amos Lee closes
& Hollywood Bowl shows are with the LA Philharmonic
"Once upon a time my dream was to play in a Rock and Roll Band..." begins the Patterson Hood-penned liner notes of the Drive-By Truckers new 5 LP / 3 CD live record. A deluxe album recorded over three nights at San Francisco's historic Fillmore Auditorium, It's Great To Be Alive! is 35 tracks of Drive-By Truckers history.
NPR Music announced the album today; you can find the live version of "Birthday Boy" and Ann Powers' Q&A with Patterson regarding the record and the band's extensive history HERE. The album is now also available for pre-order at iTunes and the band's website.
"We originally began thinking of 'The Live Album' (as we called it for several years) as first and foremost a collection of songs spanning our entire career as DBT," Patterson explained further in the liner notes. "Part of the joy of this incarnation of the band has been digging back and seeing what this band can do with songs from various periods of our history. I'm proud of every lineup we've had and of the records that we've made, but this incarnation has brought a primal energy and personal camaraderie to the process that takes it all to new levels and we've been really excited about capturing that."
Two versions of this release will be made available; It's Great To Be Alive! is the full 35-track record as a five vinyl / three CD set and This Weekend's The Night is a two vinyl, thirteen track version.
In addition to this massive record the band will also be hitting the road this August; all upcoming dates including those with Alabama Shakes are listed below.
TOUR DATES
8/15 - Edwards, CO - EDFEST at Freedom Park
8/16 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre*
8/18 - Dallas, TX - Verizon Theater at Grand Prairie*
8/20 - Tuscaloosa, AL - Tuscaloosa Amphitheater*
8/22 - Orange Beach, AL - Amphitheater at the Wharf*
9/11 - Urbana, IL - Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Guitar Festival
9/12 - Bloomington, IN - Bluebird Nightclub
9/13 - Newport, KY - Southgate House Revival
9/15 - Greensboro, NC - The Cone Denim Center
9/17 - Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center for the Performing Arts*
9/18 - Washington DC - Merriweather Post Pavilion*
9/19 - New York, NY - Forest Hills Stadium*
10/9 - Augusta, GA - Jessye Norman Amphitheater
10/10 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live Theatre
10/11 - Petersburg, FL - The State Theatre
10/13 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall
10/15 - Austin, TX - The Scoot Inn
10/16 - New Braunfels, TX - Gruene Hall
10/17 - New Orleans, LA - Joy Theater
10/20 - Little Rock, AR - Revolution Music Room
10/21 - Baton Rouge, LA - Varsity Theatre
10/22 - Hattiesburg, MS - Brewsky's
10/23 - Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theatre
10/24 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
* with Alabama Shakes
