(photos by Chad Cochran)
This year has been one of the strangest, most grueling, and trying years of this planet. After performing over 125+ shows accompanying John Moreland, 70+ of personal tour dates, and traveling close to 70,000 miles over the past 365 days, I had a lot of stories, a lot of fears, a lot of love, and a lot of questions about why the world was being spread thin, why the folks running the show were letting greed and bigotry into the ranks of government, and if home would still be there when I got home.
The music was always there, and the teams I've worked with have been steadfast and true and unerring in their paths, and for that, I am lucky and thankful. From performing alongside John Prine and playing guitar on the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium to the full US tour supporting Iron and Wine and backing John Moreland behind the piano on the Jools Holland show on the BBC, working with Moreland's team has been a dream among dreams. In the new year, the duo is becoming a full band beginning in February!
Amongst all of the good times and hard work, I found some answers and wrote and created a record containing songs that I hold very dear to my heart. Recording in full at Fellowship Hall once again in Little Rock, I had the opportunity to work with Paddy Ryan on drums, Shonna Tucker on bass and vocals, and Megan Palmer on violin, keys, and vocals. This full length record is mixed, mastered, and slated for a late spring release, more information coming shortly. We created some magic and can't wait to share with you finally in 2018.
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Tim Easton and I recorded a 7" split of traveling songs that is coming out at the end of February. My track, "Full of Farewells", is on side B, and I recorded it to tape at my house in Oklahoma. Tim also recorded his song analog and at home in Nashville, TN. We hope you'll enjoy our tunes and check out the grand folks who run Different Folk records out of Sioux Falls, SD, who continue to put out excellent artists and songs.
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take care and happy new year.
-john and family.
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