Rainy Days & Mondays

Rainy Days & Mondays

THE NEW OK came out mere months after the release of the band’s highly acclaimed THE UNRAVELING. Drive By Truckers stayed prolific releasing more than most in 2020. Here’s the latest track with the accompanying video. CONNECT WITH DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS:  Website / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER / YOUTUBE

Second single from Tom Atkin ‘Honey Brain’ Former frontman of indie-punk pioneers The Paddingtons, Toms new music is innately matured and natured into a more diverse melting pot of creativity. The gritty, brutally honest storytelling of his past has pensively evolved, with the adolescent swagger replaced by stoic confidence.

The Von Bondies 20th Anniversary Tour

The Von Bondies 20th Anniversary Tour
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the birth of The Von Bondies, a key band in the American garage-rock movement that spread its way across the globe in the early 2000s. Formed in Detroit by singer/guitarist Jason Stollsteimer during an aborted stint at university, he rooted the band’s sound in the youthful energy of punk and the emotional rawness of the blues. “If somehow it had been possible for Jason and me to have had a baby instead of a band when we first started out,” says Donny Blum, longtime drummer of the band, “that baby would now legally be able to drink.”

In celebration, the Von Bondies are getting together to play a string of dates in the UK this summer, their first shows in a decade. “We’re doing the UK first because England was the first country that really embraced us,” says Stollsteimer. Indeed, those early UK shows would lead to dozens of festival slots—playing Glastonbury as well as Reading and Leeds Festival two separate years—in addition to appearances on Later with Jools Holland and a couple of Peel Sessions at the BBC. The band’s major-label debut ‘Pawn Shoppe Heart’ spawned the single ‘C’mon C’mon’, a ubiquitous part of the soundtrack to young Britons’ rowdy Saturday nights out.

This summer’s eight-show tour will take the band around the UK from Birmingham to Brighton, including stops in London and Glasgow. “I think it’s a great time to do this,” says Blum. “We’ve always known that at some point we were going to do more shows. Especially with the world on fire the way it is now, we want to do it before it all burns down”.
Full dates here, tickets go on sale on Friday 31st January.
Thu 14 May – The O2 Institute – Birmingham – TICKETS
Fri 15 May – The Wardrobe – Leeds – TICKETS
Sat 16 May – DSCVR Festival – Leicester – TICKETS
Sun 17 May – O2 Academy Islington – TICKETS
Tue 19 May – The Fleece – Bristol – TICKETS
Wed 20 May – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow – TICKETS
Thu 21 May – Gorilla – Manchester – TICKETS
Fri 22 May – Concorde 2 – Brighton – TICKETS
LISTEN TO ‘THE VON BONDIES LIVE FAVOURITES’ PLAYLIST HERE

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS PREPARE FOR ‘THE UNRAVELING’ INCENDIARY NEW ALBUM OUT IN US ELECTION YEAR

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS PREPARE FOR ‘THE UNRAVELING’ INCENDIARY NEW ALBUM OUT IN US ELECTION YEAR

FIRST TRACK ‘ARMAGEDDON’S BACK IN TOWN’

Drive-By Truckers will release their much-anticipated new album ‘The Unraveling’ through ATO Records on 31st January. ‘The Unraveling’ is heralded by today’s premiere of the bracing new single, ‘Armageddon’s Back In Town’, available now for streaming and download. The track is joined by an official lyric video streaming now. In addition, the band have announced US and European tour dates next year, including a show at London’s 02 Forum on 6th June.

Drive-By Truckers’ 12th studio album and first new LP in more than three years – the longest gap between new DBT albums – ‘The Unraveling’ was recorded in September 2018 at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, TN by GRAMMY Award-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price) and longtime DBT producer David Barbe. Co-founding singer/songwriter/guitarists Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood both spent much of the time prior doing battle with deep pools of writer’s block, struggling with how to confront America’s present turmoil through song. The songs that eventually emerged are among Drive-By Truckers’ most direct and pointedly provocative, tackling the myriad horrors of our new normal through sincere emotion and unbridled heart. Indeed, ‘Armageddon’s Back in Town’ takes a whirlwind joyride through the whiplash of events we collectively deal with each day while the concluding ‘Awaiting Resurrection’ dives headfirst into the despair and pain roiled up by these troubled times.
“The past three-and-a-half years were among the most tumultuous our country has ever seen,” says Hood, “and the duality between the generally positive state of affairs within our band while watching so many things we care about being decimated and destroyed all around us informed the writing of this album to the core.
“While a quick glance might imply that we’re picking up where 2016’s ‘AMERICAN BAND’ album left off, the differences are as telling as the similarities. If the last one was a warning shot hinting at a coming storm, this one was written in the wreckage and aftermath. I’ve always said that all of our records are political but I’ve also said that ‘politics is personal’. With that in mind, this album is especially personal.”
The remarkable songcraft found on ‘The Unraveling’ receives much of its musical muscle from the sheer strength of the current Drive-By Truckers line-up, with Hood and Cooley joined by bassist Matt Patton, keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Jay Gonzalez, and drummer Brad Morgan – together, the longest-lasting iteration in the band’s almost 25-year history. The LP also features a number of special guests, including The Shins’ Patti King, violinist/string arranger Kyleen King (Brandi Carlile), and North Mississippi All-Stars’ Cody Dickinson, who contributes electric washboard to the strikingly direct ‘Babies In Cages.’
Hailed by Stereogum as “perhaps the greatest extant American rock and roll band,” Drive-By Truckers will mark ‘The Unraveling’ with an epic world tour. The band have confirmed two UK shows in June. For more info, please visit the official Drive-By Truckers tour page.
DRIVE–BY TRUCKERS ON TOUR 2020
JANUARY
16 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theater
17 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
18 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
FEBRUARY
13 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
14 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
15 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
18 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
19 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater
21 – Webster Hall – New York, NY
22 – Boston, MA – Somerville Theatre
23 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
25 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
27 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
28 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
29 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
MARCH
20 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
21 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
22 – Arcata, CA – Van Duzer Theatre
24 – Petaluma, CA – Mystic Theatre
26 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
27 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
28 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
31 – Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater
APRIL
2 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
3 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
4 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
16 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
17 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
18 – Charleston, NC – High Water Festival *
21 – Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat
23 – Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall
24 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
25 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
27 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall
28 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
29 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
MAY
1 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City
2 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees *
JUNE
1 – Raalte, NL – Ribs and Blues
3 – Dublin, IE – Vicar Street
5 – Leeds, UK – Irish Centre
6 – London, UK – O2 Forum
7 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
8 – Antwerp, BE – De Roma
* FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE

SOCIAL DISTORSION ANNOUNCE 2020 EUROPEAN TOUR

SOCIAL DISTORSION ANNOUNCE 2020 EUROPEAN TOUR
Revered Southern California rock ‘n’ roll legends Social Distortion have announced their first European tour in five years. The month-and-a-half long tour, in June and July of next year, will include both headlining shows as well as appearances at some of the biggest summer festivals in the region. The band will perform at Manchester’s 02 Ritz on 15th July and London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 17th July.
Mike Ness has a special message for the European fans: “We can’t wait to get back to Europe this coming June! We’ve missed our fans and all of your beautiful cities. Five years is WAY too long! See you soon.”
Please see below for the full list of dates. Tickets are on sale now via the band’s website.
Social Distortion European 2020 Tour Dates
June 2nd, 2020 – The Circus, Helsinki (FI) – SOLD OUT     
June 3rd, 2020 – The Circus, Helsinki (FI) – SOLD OUT
June 8th, 2020 – Sentrum Scene, Oslo (NO)
June 9th, 2020 – Store VEGA, Copenhagen (DK)
June 12th, 2020 – Nova Rock Festival, Nickelsdorf (AT)
June 13th, 2020 – Zenith, Munich (DE)
June 16th, 2020 – Volkshaus, Zurich (CH)
June 17th, 2020 – Carroponte, Milan (IT)
June 19th, 2020 – Azkena Rock Festival, Vitoria (ES)
June 22nd, 2020 – Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
June 24th, 2020 – Lokschuppen, Bielefeld, (DE)
June 25th, 2020 – Capitol, Hannover (DE)
June 27th, 2020 – Haus Auensee, Leipzig (DE)
June 28th, 2020 – Columbiahalle, Berlin (DE)
June 30th, 2020 – Den Atelier, Luxembourg (LU)
July 3rd, 2020 – Ruhrpott Rodeo, Hünxe (DE)
July 4th, 2020 – Mission Ready Festival, Giebelstadt (DE)
July 6th, 2020 – Grosse Freiheit 36, Hamburg (DE) – SOLD OUT
July 7th, 2020 – Grosse Freiheit 36, Hamburg (DE)
July 10th, 2020 – Mighty Sounds Music Festival, Tabor (CZ)
July 12th, 2020 – Sjock Festival, Lille (BE)
July 15th, 2020 – O2 Ritz, Manchester (UK)   – TICKETS     
July 17th, 2020 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (UK) – TICKETS     
Social Distortion have been in their studio writing since March of this year, but took the summer off to tour North America with Flogging Molly, The Devil Makes Three and Le Butcherettes as a warm-up to their 40thanniversary celebration in Orange County, California on October 26th. The special hometown concert acknowledged a remarkable forty-year career and was an incredible day of music, where they were joined by an eclectic array of artists such as Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, The Distillers, The Kills, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls, The Eagles of Death Metal, The Black Lips, Plague Vendor, Bully and Mannequin Pussy.

Since their formation in 1979 in the Southern California working-class suburb of Fullerton, Social Distortion have created a recharged rock ‘n’ roll sound merging outlaw country, classic punk and swaggering blues. Their last release Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes was the first album with their current label Epitaph Records and the band’s highest-charting album in their career. Produced for the first time by Ness himself, the album debuted at #3 on German Album Charts and #4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart.  The band is currently preparing to head back into the studio to start a new chapter in their already rich legacy.