Inbox Update: Lady Antebellum, Celtic Thunder, Great White (not)

Happy Monday everybody. I am still riding high on The Mavericks' amazing performance at The Coach House on Saturday night. Truly an incredible show all the way around. If you have not caught my review of the show, read it here. Read on for some timely items pulled from my inbox...

GRAMMY WINNING TRIO LADY ANTEBELLUM’S

ARENA-SIZED ROAD TRIP INSPIRES

FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM GOLDEN

For Seven-time GRAMMY winning trio Lady Antebellum, their upcoming fourth Capitol Records Nashville release GOLDEN out May 7 was figuratively – and literally – borne on the move.

 

The harmony-based trio and its sizeable fan base bonded heavily during the band’s headlining Own The Night World Tour– an over-sized road trip, if there ever was one. The shows themselves were inspirational. But so was the time offstage. Lady A made a point of experimenting and creating with its road band as the one-nighters and the miles of travel piled up. That behind-the-scenes interaction inspired much of the music on GOLDEN, an instantly infectious project in which Lady A discovered new edges for its already-successful foundation.

 

“We were just kind of in that live show mindset for this album,” said Lady A’s Dave Haywood. “We had that perspective of being on a tour and having seen what translates in an arena. We have a better idea what kind of songs are so relatable where it shakes everybody like, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve totally been there.’”

 

“Every band I love that’s been here for a long time has reinvented itself in some way,” added Charles Kelley. “There’s a balance to it. I get a little annoyed when people reinvent themselves too much because there’s a reason people fell in love with you in the first place, but I think it’s important not to regurgitate the same stuff over and over again.”

 

Lady Antebellum’s familiar, established blend remains firmly intact, but there’s a sense of renewal about it, too.  Lady A and veteran producer Paul Worley return as co-producers on GOLDEN, a reinvented version of Lady A that’s familiar but simultaneously unlike any of its predecessors. It’s an achievement that comes from the band’s journey, and from its willingness to risk. “Downtown,” GOLDEN’s funky lead single, first announced the new direction in January. The band gave it an energetic, playful performance with a noticeably cleaner production than the previous album. The recording uses fewer instruments – each of them framed distinctly in the sound – and Scott delivers the lead vocal with a full-on attitude that’s never been completely realized in previous recordings.

 

“We embraced risk,” noted Hillary Scott. “When you are pushing yourself to not go back to the same well, you’re gonna come up with something different, or you’ll find songs that are different. And that’s what happened on this album.”

 

In some ways, GOLDEN also reaffirms the very beginnings of Lady Antebellum. The project focuses on deft songwriting and fresh uses of their talents, which was at the heart of what drew them together in the first place. In the end, the mix of their road experiences, songwriting and challenging outside songs adds a brightness to the album that’s reflected in the GOLDEN title.

 

GOLDEN Track List:
1. Get To Me
2. Goodbye Town
3. Nothin' Like The First Time
4. Downtown
5. Better Off Now (That You're Gone)
6. It Ain't Pretty
7. Can't Stand The Rain
8. Golden
9. Long Teenage Goodbye
10. All For Love
11. Better Man
12. Generation Away

CELTIC THUNDER ANNOUNCES “MYTHOLOGY’ TOUR DATES FOR FALL 2013

Verve records’ Celtic Thunder announced dates for their upcoming 62-city North American tour, which kicks off in Canada on September 7th at the Abbotsford Event Centre, Abbotsford, BC and which will also include the inaugural “Celtic Thunder Cruise.” The announcement arrives as the group completed a packed week of high profile TV and promotional events in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S.   Celtic Thunder will remain on the road through December 2nd, traveling coast to coast in the US and Canada.  Playing major venues such as the Sony Centre -Toronto (9/21), The Orpheum-Boston (10/1), Caesar’s Resort and Casino-Atlantic City (10/5), The Chicago Theatre-Chicago (10/18), The Fabulous Fox Theatres in Atlanta (11/16), Detroit (10/13), St Louis (10/26) and many more with the tour culminating in Seattle at the Paramount Theater (12/2).   Named Top World Music Artist twice by industry bible Billboard, Celtic Thunder's six male soloists Emmet Cahill, Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, George Donaldson, Neil Byrne and Colm Keegan perform both solo and ensemble numbers. They are known for performing an eclectic mix of songs, ranging from traditional Irish fare to international hits such as "The Boys are Back in Town" and "Sound of Silence", as well as original compositions by the musical director and composers “Voices” and “Hunter’s Moon”.   Celtic Thunder Producer and Creator Sharon Browne’s live shows are recognized for the use of dramatic effects via lighting and choreography, as well as a stage set resembling an ancient stone pathway drawn from Celtic lore. Mythology presents the perfect blend of entertainment, ideology and Gaelic spirituality, providing a modern twist on the old Celtic storytelling tradition.  In addition to the six main vocalists, the tour will also feature strings, guitars, percussion, whistles, pipes and more in the eight- piece Celtic Thunder band. The tour’s musical director is David Munro, who also plays keyboards in the show.   The world renowned Irish supergroup’s week-long series of high-profile media this past St. Patrick’s holiday week included performances on The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda, The Better Show, FOX Entertainment News, Chicago’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade highlighted by an appearance on Chicago’s morning television show, Windy City Live.  Celtic Thunder performed live on Fox & Friends the morning of St. Patrick’s Day and was also interviewed on the NPR favorite show “Art of The Song Creativity Radio” earlier that week.   “MYTHOLOGY,” released February 19th of this year along with a companion DVD, is the 7th Celtic Thunder CD to debut at #1 on Billboard's World Music Chart and the group’s 5th consecutive release to debut at #1. Both CD and DVD continue to dominate the charts weeks after release. Filmed last year at Dublin’s Helix Theatre, “MYTHOLOGY” captures Celtic Thunder’s signature brand of emotive and dramatic traditional and contemporary music and is Celtic Thunder’s 10th full-length album and ninth concert DVD.   For information about the Mythology North American Tour 2013 please see www.celticthunder.com/tour For information on the inaugural Celtic Thunder Cruise please see www.celticthundercruise.com/2013 for full details and reservation information.   For more, please see www.celticthunder.ie

 

GREAT WHITE... APPARENTLY NOT

Great White is apparently on tour, but without lead singer Jack Russell! Fans of Russell's amazing blues style should make sure to only see the band if fronted by Russell. Read more here.