The legendary Michael Chapman joined Marc Riley on BBC 6 Radio Music today, playing several songs and chatting about his new album 50; recording with Steve Gunn, Nathan Bowles, James Elkington, Jason Meagher, and Jimy SeiTang (“a stick insect who plays the bass!”); his first American tour disaster in 1971; and … run-ins with Jimi Hendrix, among other things.
The critical acclaim for Michael Chapman’s magnificent forthcoming album 50 continues with unanimous praise from the UK, including MOJO, Uncut, The Wire, BBC Radio, and Record Collector. Also, peep photos of the finished LP package.
Michael Chapman has premiered his latest single “Sometimes You Just Drive,” “further proving the transcendental power of his music.” The dark, angular song, one of three new compositions on 50, prominently features the smoldering guitar work of Steve Gunn and the backing vocals of Bridget St John, and was inspired by events very close to home.
Michael Chapman’s new record 50, produced by Steve Gunn and titled to commemorate fifty years of touring—and released four days before Michael’s 76th birthday—stands as a formidable monument of retrospection and introspection in his adventurous catalog, embodying his undeniable late career masterpiece. Today Chapman shares debut track “That Time of Night” via NPR Music’s Songs We Love. Pre-order and watch an album trailer.
News about the release show for Nathan Bowles’ Whole & Cloven at the Center for the Study of the American South, as well as PoB artists at the Hopscotch Music Festival, the Southern Accent exhibition at the Nasher Museum of Art, and tour date updates from Hiss Golden Messenger, Itasca, Jake Xerxes Fussell, Nap Eyes, Promised Land Sound, Steve Gunn, and Terry Allen.
Many thanks to Laura Snapes and The Guardian for this thoughtful piece on “Cosmic Americana,” which includes comments from, and about, PoB pals and collaborators like The Weather Station, Nathan Bowles, Steve Gunn, Hiss Golden Messenger, William Tyler, Chris Forsyth, Joan Shelley, Nathan Salsburg, Ryley Walker, and uh, us too. And of course, always, Jack Rose.
Now that the summer solstice is behind us, and we begin the slow slide to shorter days, it is high time to announce Whole & Cloven, the exquisite third solo album by Nathan Bowles (Steve Gunn, Pelt, Black Twig Pickers), now available to pre-order. Pre-orders include an immediate download of “Gadarene Fugue,” which the good people at NPR Music’s Songs We Love premiered today.
We’re thrilled to be releasing one of our favorite records of all time today, Terry Allen’s 1975 masterpiece Juarez. Happy release day, and a deep thank you, to Terry. In celebration, we’re proud to present the Terry Allen Tamale T-Shirt—as far as we know the only item of its kind—as well as a sale on some older reissues.
As we bask in the new Spring and look ahead to the oncoming Summer, we’d like call your attention to the many chances you’ll have to see some of our artist’s road-dogging it through a town near you. We’d also like to take a moment to extend our warmest thanks to The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) for nominating us as 2016 Label of the Year. We’re blushing.
2015 (Year of the Goat) in all its splendor and magnificence is out the door, and 2016 (Year of the Monkey) is right around the corner. Seems only appropriate to reflect on things that were, round-up some additional year end list recognition, and propel us into this next age with some upcoming tour dates.
