"SAFE PASSAGE", new full length album announced! Due out on 9/27 on Black Mesa Records!

My new full-length album, “Safe Passage”, is slated for release on September 27, via Black Mesa Records. These are the most hopeful songs I’ve written yet, and I hope they bring a kind of comfort to anyone moving down their path towards truth and happiness and safety for themselves and those they hold dear.

The recordings feature some stellar souls and special moments that we all captured to tape in the winter of 2018 down in Austin, Texas.

The first single was announced by Wide Open Country, calling the song "hopeful...spirited" and you can listen right here: https://www.wideopencountry.com/john-calvin-abney-turn-again-safe-passage/

"Ten new songs by a master of folk-country" - Americana UK

"This first single [Turn Again] is lights out" - Hear Ya

As of right now, you can pre-order the 180g audiophile black vinyl along with the CD here at: https://blackmesarecords.com/…/safe-passage-12lp-black-vinyl

Take care and safe passage to you and yours.

With love, John

new full length being mastered, studio work abounds, and wrapping up the winter.

Hello, family.

John has been quite busy (as always) in the studio and on the highways. Recently, he has been taking the helm as producer and co-arranger for new albums coming from St. Louis alt-country songwriter Beth Bombara and Austin-via-Athens roots rocker Drew Carman, while continuing to work on his own follow-up to 2018's dream folk album Coyote. Additionally, he is assisting friend, collaborator, and super-songwriter John Moreland with his new collection of songs being tracked at the grand Echo Lab in Denton, TX.

After pulling together a group of stellar players from the western side of Oklahoma, JCA and the boys supported St. Paul and the Broken Bones at the legendary Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK, to nearly 1500 people, playing through songs from Far Cries and Close Calls, Coyote, and brand new tunes slated for the upcoming album. An amazing opportunity and wonderful crowd, thank you for showing up early for the home-town folks.

The end of March will be leading John to Nashville as he records a pair of songs co-written with fiddle player, arranger, and singer-songwriter Megan Palmer (also featured on many of John's recordings) at Magnetic Audio on the eastern side. These songs will be featured on a 7" vinyl in the near future.

Coming this May, John will be temporarily joining Lee Bains and the Glory Fires on lead guitar for their European tour: May 5 - Hertogenbosch, NL May 6 - Zwolle, NL May 7 - Amsterdam, NL May 8 - Den Haag, NL May 9 - Hengelo, NL May 10 - Arnhem, NL May 11 - Groningen, NL May 12 - Paris, FR May 14 - Angoulême, FR May 15 - Madrid, Spain May 16 - Zaragoza, Spain May 17 - Avilés, Spain May 18 - Liérganes, Spain May 19 - Donostia, Spain Check out the Glory Fires website for ticket info.

For more information, always keep up to date with where John is going to be in his travels via the tour link (up top) or any of his social media (to the right.) Help John in his travels by purchasing his albums and songs at johncalvinabney.bandcamp.com or physically at blackmesarecords.com.

Keep moving forward, stay in the light, give love freely, and always remember that what we see as a storm may be soft rain after all. kind days are coming.

love,

team jca

(photo by mary gilliam)

End of the 2018, with Vice Versa Suite re-issued and a new LP recorded for the coming year.

The full-length album Coyote was released 9 months ago this coming week, and as an end of year bonus, Black Mesa Records has re-released one of my first EPs on this beautiful blue splatter 10" vinyl, mastered to 45rpm. Along with the vinyl, we've made CDs and hand-printed a new t-shirt design thanks to Cole Roberts. Head on over to the label site and get some gifts before year end.

I had a spectacular experience returning to the mountains, pacific northwest coast, the southwestern deserts, and the places that hold so much meaning and mystery still that lie between the cities we live in. Boundless gratitude to every single person who came out to the shows, bought records, and sang along, and thank you to M. Lockwood Porter for being my companion on the highways.

As the tour came to an end and culminated in a trip to Little Rock to perform at Holiday Hangout with extended family and loved ones, I retreated back down to Austin, TX and began work on a new album. Assisted by Shonna Tucker, Will Johnson, John Moreland, and Megan Palmer, I am near speechless with the work we turned around and the magic that was created in the realm of Ramble Creek Studio with Britton Beisenherz at the helm. More news coming soon, but let this be known: music will not and can not pass away, and there is a lot of love printed to tape coming to your ears as soon as possible.

After a suspiciously long year and tens of thousands of miles traveled once again, I know many of us are tired, confused, exhausted, and ready for the tides of change to roll in with the winter winds. Hold fast and tight to the good, stay soft while maintaining your strength, and choose to move forward if you can will it to be. 

all the love in the world for you to reach out and hold,

john calvin and family