Friday, January 13, 2017

Sights and Sounds: Tom Chaplin, Zac Brown Band, Tommy Emmanuel, Noam Pikelny

Happy Friday everyone! Here is a roundup of some pretty exciting news as it relates to upcoming tours and releases...



Tom Chaplin releases debut Solo Album
 'The Wave' today, January 13 via Arts & Crafts
Keane Lead Singer Embarks on Intimate North American Tour 


"Stunningly raw and lovely." - Yahoo! Music

"The most gorgeous, anthemic, uplifting music of Chaplin's career." - The Telegraph    
"Keane singer Tom Chaplin bares his emotions and confronts his demons on 'The Wave,' a solo debut with soaring vocals vulnerable and victorious." - Daily Mail

Watch Music Video for New Single 'Quicksand'
Watch Acoustic Performance of 'Hardened Heart' 



New York, NY - January 13, 2017 - Tom Chaplin, frontman of beloved British alt-rock outfit Keane, has released his debut solo album, The Wave, today via Arts & Crafts. He is kicking off a string of intimate tour dates tomorrow, January 14 in Atlanta and wraps up the tour on February 3 in San Francisco. The Wave features eleven incredibly honest and ultimately uplifting songs written by Tom, produced by Matt Hales (Aqualung, Lianne La Havas) and recorded in Pasadena, California and London. The album is now available on iTunesAmazon and Spotify.

You may think you know Tom Chaplin. His soaring, emotional voice lay at the center of Keane, the anthemic, multi-million selling British band who scored 5 number one albums between 2004 and 2013, delivering such unforgettable hits as "Everybody's Changing," "Is It Any Wonder?" and "Somewhere Only We Know." But even at the height of his fame, there was a side to the singer hidden from the world. Now, after a three year journey to hell and back, Tom Chaplin returns with his extraordinary solo debut The Wave, a self-penned album revealing the real man behind the songs. It is a journey from utter despair to redemption, love and self-acceptance, told with enormous, emotional pop music. The voice is the same. The songs tell a whole new story.

The Wave is a powerful album of self-destruction and recovery. "I wanted there to be no wall between the truth of my experiences and the listener. I felt that was the place to be. No holds barred," says Tom. "It is not a concept album but there is a narrative arc, from the depths of despair to a kind of resolution." Yet it is far from a harrowing listening experience, glittering with the rich melody, anthemic drive and high production values that people have come to expect from Keane.

From the first evocative track 'Still Waiting', Tom takes us on quite a bumpy ride, a cinematic journey through life's ups and downs that is both uplifting and incredibly moving."Buried in the rubble, there's a boy in trouble, reaching for a piece of the sky," he sings."Clawing at the wreckage, sending out a message, dying to get back to the light". The music, vocal prowess, and total warmth of this track encapsulates everything this wonderful album is about.

Another highlight, 'Hardened Heart', deals with some of the demons Tom has lived through with an endearing clarity and honesty. While the album occupies some dark spaces, its defining emotion is life affirming and joyous. "Musically we wanted 'Quicksand' to tread that fine line between joy and despair while making the chorus heartfelt and uplifting."
This is the first time Tom Chaplin has stepped outside of Keane. His unmistakable voice drives all eleven tracks with a range of emotions, never previously scaled.

Watch Chaplin's video for the new cut "Quicksand" below:

Tom Chaplin's The Wave was released in the U.S. on January 13, 2017.
North American Tour Dates:
01/14 - Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theater
01/15 - Nashville, TN @ City Winery
01/17 - Washington DC @ The Lincoln Theatre
01/19 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
01/20 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
01/21 - Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
01/23 - Montreal, Canada @ Lion D'Or
01/24 - Toronto, Canada @ Mod Club
01/25 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues, Cambridge Room  
01/26 - Chicago, IL @ Park West
01/28 - Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theater
01/29 - Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
01/30 - Austin, TX @ 3TEN
02/02 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
02/03 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 

Full Tracklisting for 'The Wave':
01.     Still Waiting
02.     Hardened Heart
03.     The River
04.     Worthless Words
05.     I Remember You
06.     Bring The Rain
07.     Hold On To Our Love
08.     Quicksand
09.     Solid Gold
10.   See It So Clear
11.   The Wave


Zac Brown Band Announces 40+ Date "WELCOME HOME" 2017 North American Tour

Band Currently In Studio Recording New Album Out May 12, 2017

Zac Brown Band will kick off their 2017 headlining North American concert tour on May 12, 2017 in their hometown at Atlanta's Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park. The 40+ date tour sees the band returning to stadiums and amphitheaters nationwide including Hollywood Bowl, Wrigley Field, Coors Field, Gorge Amphitheatre and Camden's BB&T Pavilion where last year they broke the record for the best-attended show in the venue's 22-year history. "We’re looking forward to heading back on the road in 2017 and sharing some new songs with our fans,” Brown said.

Rolling Stone has said that the band's live show "reaches far behind the boundaries of country music, roping in everything from Metallica covers to EDM-inspired light displays." The band's 2016 "BLACK OUT THE SUN" US concert tour received widespread acclaim with reviewers calling it "a rollicking...musical odyssey" and ”a dazzling... explosive performance" with “musical brilliance and craft."

2016 was a record-breaking year for the multi-platinum artists. In addition to breaking attendance records at Camden's BB&T Pavilion, the band made Fenway Park history with the most tickets sold at a single concert, the most tickets sold over two nights of concerts by the same artist and the first band to sell-out seven consecutive shows over three years at the ballpark. Other milestones included the band's debut album The Foundation being certified 5X platinum and a career-spanning exhibition entitled "Homegrown: Zac Brown Band" that explored Zac Brown Band's rise to fame at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Watch "BLACK OUT THE SUN" Tour Highlights: 

Zac Brown Band will also perform at their Southern Ground Music & Food Festival in Charleston, SC on Saturday and Sunday May 20 and May 21. The groundbreaking, premier Americana event and one-of-a-kind festival will feature some of the most impressive music acts and artisan food earning the fest its long-running title of Charleston City Paper's reader-voted "Best Music Concert." 
The band is currently in the studio recording a new album that returns to their roots entitled ‘WELCOME HOME,’ out May 12th. Every online ticket order includes a choice of a physical or digital copy of the new album ‘WELCOME HOME.’ 

ABOUT ZAC BROWN BAND:
Three-time GRAMMY winners and multi-platinum artists Zac Brown Band have become one of music's most heralded acts. Their latest platinum-certified album 'JEKYLL + HYDE,' out now on Southern Ground Artists/John Varvatos Records/Big Machine Label Group/Republic Records, marks the band's third consecutive #1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. Together with their four platinum-selling albums, 'JEKYLL + HYDE,' 'Uncaged,' 'You Get What You Give,' and 'The Foundation,' and their 2013 project 'The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1,' the band has sold over eight million albums to date. The band has earned a historic series of fifteen #1 hit radio singles and became only the second artist to top both the country and active rock formats. "Homegrown", the band's first single off of 'JEKYLL + HYDE,' earned the title of the "No. 1 most-heard song of 2015" according to Mediabase.
Zac Brown Band is: Zac Brown ( vocals/guitar), Jimmy De Martini (vocals/violin/guitar), John Driskell Hopkins (vocals/guitar/banjo/ukulele), Coy Bowles (vocals/keys/guitar), Clay Cook (vocals/guitar/keys), Chris Fryar (drums), Daniel de los Reyes (percussion) and Matt Mangano (bass).
Zac Brown Band is managed by ROAR, a Beverly Hills-based artist and brand management company. The band is also represented by CAA, public relations firm Shore Fire Media and strategic digital marketing agency Girlilla Marketing. Additional information can be found at ZacBrownBand.com.

Zac Brown Band 2017 "WELCOME HOME" Tour Dates:
May 12 / Alpharetta, GA / Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
May 13 / Alpharetta, GA / Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
May 20 / Charleston, SC / Southern Ground Music and Food Festival / MUSC Health Stadium
May 21 / Charleston, SC / Southern Ground Music and Food Festival / MUSC Health Stadium
May 26 / Gilford, NH / Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
May 27 / Gilford, NH / Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
May 28 / Gilford, NH / Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
June 8 / Detroit, MI / DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 9 / Cuyahoga Falls, OH / Blossom Music Center
June 10/ Columbus, OH / Ohio Stadium - 2017 Buckeye Country Superfest
June 11 / Pittsburgh, PA / KeyBank Pavilion
June 23 / Bethel, NY / Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
June 24 / Syracuse, NY / Lakeview Amphitheater
June 25 / Darien Center, NY / Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 1 / Milwaukee, WI / Milwaukee Summerfest
July 6 / Hartford, CT / XFINITY Theatre
July 7 / Holmdel, NJ / PNC Bank Arts Center
July 8 / Holmdel, NJ / PNC Bank Arts Center
July 14 / Camden, NJ / BB&T Pavilion
July 15 / Camden, NJ / BB&T Pavilion
July 16 / Bristow, VA / Jiffy Lube Live
July 29 / Denver, CO / Coors Field
August 4 / Detroit Lakes, MN WeFest - WeFest Amphitheatre
August 19 / George, WA / Gorge Amphitheatre
August 20 / Brownsville, OR Bi-Mart Willamette Country Music Festival
August 25 / Indianapolis, IN / Klipsch Music Center
August 26 / Chicago, IL / Wrigley Field
August 27 / St. Louis, MO / Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 
August 31 / Toronto, ON / Budweiser Stage
September 1 / Toronto, ON / Budweiser Stage
September 2 / Saratoga Springs, NY / Saratoga Performing Arts Center
September 3 / Hershey, PA / Hersheypark Stadium
September 15 / Dallas, TX / Starplex Pavilion
September 22/ West Palm Beach, FL/ Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre 
September 23/ West Palm Beach, FL/ Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre 
September 24 / Tampa, FL / MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
October 5 / Charlotte, NC / PNC Music Pavilion
October 6 / Raleigh, NC / Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
October 8 / Virginia Beach, VA / Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
October 27 / Mountain View, CA / Shoreline Amphitheatre
October 28 / Los Angeles, CA / Hollywood Bowl

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, January 20, 2017 at 10 a.m. local time. The Zamily Fan Club pre-sales will begin on Tuesday, January 17th at 10:00am local time. 
American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets in select markets before the general public beginning Tuesday, January 17th at 2pm.
A Citi® cardmember presale begins Tuesday, January 17th through Citi's Private Pass® Program. For complete presale details, visit www.citiprivatepass.com.

For ticket information visit www.ticketmaster.com.
Travel Packages are available in select cities. Click here for more details.
VIP packages available for all headline shows. Packages may include access to a pre-show hospitality lounge, backstage tour and exclusive merchandise.

Zac Brown Band on the Web:



Acoustic Guitar Legend Tommy Emmanuel
to Release ‘Music Gone Public’ DVD
on February 3, 2017


On February 3, world-renowned “fingerstyle” guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel will release Tommy Emmanuel - Music Gone Public, a DVD collection of “greatest hits” from Tommy’s previous PBS airings. It includes seven never-before-seen performances and musical collaborations, and features personal stories about the songs and performances from Tommy himself. 

The first season of Music Gone Public – Curated Concerts for Public Television was met with enormous success. The season featured programs created by producer Peter Berkow, including artists such as Tommy Emmanuel, Frankie Moreno, Frank Vignola, and Antsy McClain, to name a few. Emmanuel’s program was a bit unique. Rather than highlight one concert, his episode combined many of his great performances for PBS over the last decade from previous features such as Center StageTommy Emmanuel & Friends - Live from The Balboa Theatre, and Live and Solo from Pensacola, Florida

Tommy Emmanuel’s five-decade career has garnered hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide, along with two GRAMMY nominations. Maintaining a tour schedule of nearly 250 shows a year, Emmanuel has been voted Favorite Acoustic Guitarist in both Guitar Player Magazine and Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s reader polls. Emmanuel’s catalogue includes more than 20 musical recordings of solos, duets, ensembles, cover tunes, originals, utilizing both electric and acoustic guitar. He has made six live performance DVDs, and six additional instructional DVDs. Tommy Emmanuel is an honorary Kentucky Colonel, a CGP (Certified Guitar Player), an Order of Australia Medalist (AM) and the holder of an honorary Master’s Degree (MA).


‘Tommy Emmanuel – Music Gone Public’ Track List1. Nine Pound Hammer (from Center Stage)
2. The Bug (from Live & Solo from Pensacola)
3. Angelina  (from Live & Solo from Pensacola)
4. Guitar Boogie (from Live from The Balboa Theatre)
5. Avalon with Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo (Previously Unreleased)
6. Mombassa/Drums (from Center Stage)
7. Miyazaki’s Dream (from Live & Solo from Pensacola)
8. Blood Brother (from Live & Solo from Pensacola)
9. The Trails (from Live & Solo from Pensacola)
10. Tall Fiddler (from Center Stage)
11. Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Previously Unreleased)
Special Features Track List (All Tracks Below Are Previously Unreleased)1. Tears for Jerusalem 
2. Haba Na Haba 
3. Golliwoggs’s Cakewalk 4. Nuages with Frank Vignola 5. If I Had You with Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola, and Vinny Raniolo


Tommy Emmanuel's 2017 US Winter Tour
Feb 16-17 – Clearwater, FL – Capitol Theatre 
Feb 18 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Parker Playhouse
Feb 19 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
Feb 21-22 – Newberry, SC – Newberry Opera House 
Feb 23 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre of Durham  
Feb 24 – Charlotte, NC – McGlohand Theatre  
Feb 25 – Lancaster, PA – Lancaster Roots & Blues Festival
Feb 26 – Pittsburgh, PA – Byham Theatre 
Feb 28 – Burlington, VT – Flynn Theatre  
Mar 1 – Troy, NY – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall 
Mar 2 – Englewood, NJ – Bergen Perfomring Arts Center 
Mar 3 – Newton, NJ – Newton Theatre 
Mar 4 – Tarrytown, NY – Tarrytown Music Hall
Mar 5 – Northampton, MA – Academy of Music
Mar 7-8 – Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere 
Mar 9 – Richmond, VA – Carpenter Theatre 
Mar 10 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center 
Mar 11 – Greenville, TN – Niswonger Performing Arts Center
Mar 12 – Bluegrass Underground -The Cave at Cumberland Caverns – McMinnville, TN


Banjo Virtuoso Noam Pikelny's "Musical Manifesto"
Universal Favorite Set For March 3 Release on Rounder
Solo Dates Announced for Winter and Early Spring


No Depression Premieres "Folk Bloodbath" 
Listen Here: "Folk Bloodbath"


On March 3, banjoist Noam Pikelny - considered by many to be the finest of his generation, will release Universal Favorite, his Rounder debut.  While Pikelny, a seven-time Grammy nominee best known for his work as a founding member of Punch Brothers, has three previous solo efforts,  Universal Favorite is truly his solo debut. The new release features only the man himself. He recorded the album live in the studio without accompaniment, coaxing a wide array of sounds and colors out of his instruments, and for the very first time, he also sings, revealing a resonant baritone that conveys humor and melancholy in equal measure. 
Pikelny, the recipient of the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo, calls Universal Favorite "my musical manifesto. It's the most personal statement I've put forward. The setting couldn't be more stark, and I think it lays bare my musical core. At times it's autobiographical, as these songs I gathered illuminate the path I've traveled so far. Most importantly, it's an incredibly honest solo album, in that there are honestly no other people on this record other than me."
Universal Favorite also marks Pikelny's debut as a multi-instrumentalist. In addition to his 1941 Gibson Banjo, Pikelny plays a carefully chosen assortment of vintage and exotic instruments that includes a four-string resophonic guitar from 1928, a 1953 Telecaster, and a 1938 Kalamazoo flat-top guitar.  An obsessive collector of vintage instruments, Pikelny is fascinated by the insights they provide into bygone days-the way these objects connect the present with the past.
"Each of these instruments has a unique story and has known the world much longer than I have. Picking them up makes me feel more connected with generations that have come before. Perhaps this bond with old instruments that are filled with character and charisma makes performing solo feel less lonely."
In fact, the title Universal Favorite was inspired by a banjo made around the turn of century. "I stumbled upon an old catalog from the S.S. Stewart Banjo company and saw their 'Universal Favorite' model and thought, 'That is the most audacious thing I've ever seen. Who would have the gall to make a product and officially name it 'Universal Favorite?'"
 The album, produced by his fellow Punch Brother Gabe Witcher and engineered by longtime collaborator Dave Sinko, features a dozen new recordings of original compositions as well as covers of tunes by Josh Ritter ("Folk Bloodbath"), and Elliott Smith ("Bye"),  Roy Acuff ("My Tears Don't Show"), and Roger Miller ("I've Been a Long Time Leavin' (But I'll Be a Long Time Gone"). No Depression premiered "Folk Bloodbath" today. 
Universal Favorite carries a great deal of history, yet it remains relevant and bears the artist's own innovative touch. "I've always loved the ability of a great bluegrass or country song to conjure up days gone by but simultaneously be current and ripe for reinterpretation. And the real power is that when music really does its job, when it fully resonates, our world becomes more interconnected. It cultivates a community of people who share in that response. That community can be encapsulated on stage within an orchestra or within a five-piece band. That bond can be between one person standing alone onstage and the people in audience."
Pikelny will embark on a solo tour that commences February 1, 2017 in Provo, Utah and concludes in Nashville in early April. A full list of dates is below.

Noam Pikelny - Solo Tour - Early 2017
2/1 BYU Arts at Madsen Recital Hall Provo UT
2/10 Club Helsinki Hudson, NY
2/11 Sanders Theatre Cambridge, MA
3/2 The Green Fog Bellingham, WA
3/3 The Triple Door Seattle, WA
3/4 Musical Instrument Museum Phoenix, AZ
3/5 McCabe's Guitar Shop Santa Monica, CA
3/8 eTown Hall Boulder, CO
3/9 Vilar Performing Arts Center Beaver Creek, CO
3/10 Wheeler Opera House Aspen, CO
3/11 Daniels Hall at Swallow Hill Denver, CO
3/13 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
3/14 Des Moines Social Club Des Moines, IA
3/15 Old Town School of Folk Chicago, IL
3/17 Old Rock House St. Louis, MO
3/18 Live at the Ludlow Garage Cincinnati, OH
3/19 The Kent Stage Kent, OH
3/20 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI
3/22 Carnegie Lecture Hall Pittsburgh, PA
3/24 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
3/25 Harold Prince Theatre Philadelphia, PA
3/26 Mahaiwe Performing Arts Great Barrington, MA
3/27 The Stone Church Newmarket, NH
3/29 Barns at Wolf Trap Vienna, VA
3/30 Isis Asheville, NC
3/31 The Earl Atlanta, GA
4/1 Modlin Center for the Arts Richmond, VA
4/3 Savannah Music Festival (early show) Savannah, GA
4/4 Barking Legs Theater, Chattanooga, TN
4/7 3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN




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