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Crossover Touring February Update |
Hello, everyone!
Hopefully, you're all staying warm out there. This winter has supplied plenty of disruptions and we're incredibly appreciative of all of you who have acted in rapid fashion to move around show dates, inform ticket-buyers, and help keep artists safe as they're out there on the road.
Artists have enough to worry about without trying to get a van from Atlanta to Nashville in the middle of a blizzard.
After all, there's no show without the musicians, and even the smallest event is formed from myriad moving parts and people all having to be in the right place at the right time. We want to send our gratitude to each and every one of you who needs to get out of your comfort zone, work a little harder, and solve a problem when a show has to get moved or, in the worst cases, cancelled.
It's a drag, we know, but you put on a smiling face and make it happen and we love you for it.
Got some weather-proof holes in the calendar you need to fill? Drop us a line.
See you out there on the road,
CT |
• The newest addition to the Crossover roster hails from the bustling music city of Austin, Texas, where the soulful rock trio have established themselves as a certified good time. Fronted by the smooth-singing, sharp-playing Bobby Flaco, Nether Hour are just as comfortable laying down Ben E. King bass lines as they are firing up B. B. King guitar riffs, all while being plenty enough country to pull off the cowboy hats and boots. It's all on display in last year's OurVinyl Session, where they open with the sultry and yearning "The Hit," a song that has some serious legs. Catch them at Kerrville in May before they hit the road this summer.
• If you were thinking that pairing up the smooth neo-soul of Thee Sacred Souls with the silky R&B of the Womack Sisters would make for something special, well, we agree: Today they announce The Constellation Tour: Where Sweet Soul Meets Summer Nights, joined by LA LOM, a route that will take them to the four corners of the United States (with some Canada dates for good measure) starting in August. This run of 24 cities is part of a continuingly meteoric rise for the Souls (they just sold out two nights at the Greek, in Los Angeles, FYI) and it will be exciting to watch their fans be introduced to the Womack Sisters each night — assuming their coming releases haven't already made them a household name.
• After Billy satisfied fans in the northeast who'd been begging for his return, he has one more trick up his sleeve for the summer of 2026: Last week he announced the Ionia Freak Fair, "starring the Magnanimous Billy Strings," a two-day event to be held in Ionia, MI, and a homecoming for the Michigan native, alongside a slew of friends. Not a bad follow up to his night at the Grammys a couple of weekends back, where he secured his third Grammy Award and second win in a row for Bluegrass Album of the Year, this time for "Highway Prayers."
• Speaking of big tours, Eddie announced last week he'll be joining the Black Keys on their Peaches 'n Kream tour this summer, supporting them on 16 dates from Brooklyn to Texas and finishing up in Nashville. And he'll be primed and ready, with the first single from his upcoming album on Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound dropping in June, to be followed by three more singles this summer, and an October release of the full album. We've heard some rough cuts: It's going to be white hot.
• It's here! Big Richard released on Feb. 6 their second full-length, and first release with Signature Sounds: "Pet." Full of defiant bangers and intimate harmonies, Bluegrass Today says it "captures the raw energy that has always been a hallmark of their live show." And that live show is getting some great response, too, with "Melodies 'N Memories" saying their recent Chicago show "secures Big Richard’s place as one of the best string bands around." They launch an East Coast headline tour in March if you want to see for yourself.
• Not many artists are getting more positive press than what Johnny and the band picked up in the last couple of weeks. First, we had Saving Country Music seeing his Mile 0 Fest set and wondering, "Is Johnny Mullenax and his band the best performing musical outfit out there on the planet at the moment, from an instrumental and compositional standpoint at least?" Then that was closely followed by Rolling Stone profiling him and his now-famous Bluegrass Brunch at the Mercury Lounge in Tulsa. We've got a feeling the folks at Winter Wondergrass won't know what hit them next week.
• You don't have to be watching too closely to know that bluegrass has yet another generation of amazing players filling venues all over the place. That's partly thanks to the efforts of the International Bluegrass Association, which has done fine work in helping artists grow and develop. It was great news this week to learn they'd named Maddie Cody as part of the 2026 class of Leadership Bluegrass, the organization's professional development program. Each year, 25 participants are selected to take part in an "immersive three-day experience featuring panels, strategic discussions, and collaborative activities focused on the business of bluegrass and its place in the larger world of entertainment." More than 500 artists and industry professionals have gone through the program since 2000.
• Speaking of young bluegrass artists, it's been fun to watch East Nash's "Lonesome Song," from last year's full-length "All God's Children," climbing up the charts on the Banjo Radio Top 20. The album has had staying power, and it's driving what's going to be a busy festival season — last week they announced spots at Gasparilla and Pickin' in the Pines, and it's just a start. As you're waiting for the warm weather, check out this take from last year's Red Ants Pants' "Live from the Back Pasture" series.
• As they look to launch the second leg of an extended Spring tour next week, the boys from LaMP have been getting plenty of attention from music media. First, NYS Music caught their recent gig at Lark Hall in Albany and recapped "a show well worth a relisten." Then Scott Metzger sat down with Alan Paul of Low Down and Dirty to chat about how he pulls all manner of influences into his LaMP improvisations. And, finally, Ray Paczkowski found himself this week on the 40 Minutes of Funk pod to talk "band manager intuition, improvisation, silver pygmy goats, the Cosmic Pickle," and a bunch of other stuff. Like a LaMP show, you never know where a conversation with these guys will go. |
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