The Howlin’ Brothers had a very good year in 2013, following the release of HOWL, their first nationally and internationally released album.
HOWL, featuring Warren Haynes (on one track, “Big Time”), brought instant success to the band.
The trio toured their brand of “old-time string country blues with an indie-rock edge” throughout the U.S. and into Canada.
The majority of the 13 original songs that comprise Trouble, due out April 29, 2014, were influenced by the people they met and struggles they encountered on the road over the past year.
Trouble was produced and engineered by indie rocker Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs and solo career fame. It will be released on CD and digitally April 29th via Benson’s independent label Readymade Records (in the U.S.), and distributed by Thirty Tigers/RED. In Canada, it will be released via Dine Alone Records, and distributed by Universal. It will be released throughout Europe via CRS on April 28th. The vinyl configuration will follow on May 27th in the U.S. and Canada, and on May 26th throughout Europe.
Benson describes Trouble as “effortless artistry . . . woebegone, lovelorn and wrought with pain, but not without installments of lightheartedness and beauty, downtrodden and then uplifted.” He adds, “The Howlin’ Brothers are somehow able to conjure images of a bygone era and make it believable. Trouble is all over the map and I don’t just mean figuratively. The listener gets a glimpse into the troubadour lifestyle, traveling (among other places) to Louisiana for a Cajun romp on the bayou and across the Arizona desert to California on a search for a misses. It’s a journey very much worth the while. Hoooowwwwllll!”
According to Jared Green, “The songs on Trouble are very different from one another. It’s a collection of beautiful music influenced from personal experience. We tend to write songs separately and collaborate after a melody or lyrics are fully thought. Trouble is a gumbo of stories that we hope the whole world will hear.”
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In the fall of 2013, The Howlin’ Brothers recorded and digitally released The Sun Studio Session EP in the U.S. and Canada. Recorded as part of the PBS series The Sun Studio Sessions, this six-song collection features four new originals (one of which, “Troubled Waltz,” was re-recorded for Trouble), a re-record of “Tennessee Blues” (from HOWL), and a cover of the Carl Perkins' classic “Dixie Fried.” A limited edition vinyl pressing will also be released via independent music stores on May 27th in the U.S. and Canada as well, and the EP will also be released in Europe on July 7 in CD, digital, and vinyl.
Their segment (#8) of the PBS show has already begun airing and will be broadcast on TV in as many as 100 markets throughout this year in the U.S. The guys treated the opportunity to record in that historic studio with respect and really captured the spirit & tradition of those famous early rock ’n’ roll recordings that helped change the music world, by breathing new life into the process — adding subtle modern touches via their own influences and vision.
Ian Craft (Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, Kick-drum, Vocals)
Jared Green (Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Vocals)
Ben Plasse (Upright Bass, Vocals)
Special guest artists on Trouble include: Ricky Skaggs - mandolin on "Hard Times" and "Sing a Sad Song" Etta Britt (also Brother Jared’s mother-in-law) - Background vocals on "Love" and "Yes I Am" Mike Freid - Pedal Steel on "World Spinning Round” Gregg Stock - drums on “Sing A Sad Song" Brendan Benson - Washtub Bass on “Boogie” and background vocals on “Yes I Am!"
TOUR DATES Mon., March 3 NEW YORK, NY Rockwood Music Hall 2 Wed., March 5 WILMINGTON, DE Wolrd Cafe at Queen World Cafe Live Thurs., March 6 WASHINGTON DC Gypsy Sally’s; co-bill w/The Honeycutter WAMU 88.5 FM interview and performance taping, 4 p.m. Fri., March 7 FREDERICK, MD Weinberg Center for the Arts co-bil w/The Honeycutters and Steel Wheels Sat., March 8 JOHNSON CITY, TN The Down Home
March 11-15 AUSTIN, TX SXSW: Tues., March 11, 5 p.m. - KDRP on-air performance, location TBA Wed., March 12, 1 p.m. - Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff, The Dogwood Wed, March 12, 1 a.m. - Official SXSW, KCA Showcase at Shotguns Thurs., March 13, 12 noon - 5th Annual Radio-thon (WLVR - 91.3 FM), SXSW session Thurs., March 13, 2 p.m. - Lucy’s South by South Austin Chicken Revival Thurs., March 13, 9:40 p.m. - Grammy Museum, Rolling Stones tribute, Red Eyed Fly Thurs., March 13, 12 Midnight – Official SXSW, Readymade showcase, Maggie Mae’s Gibson Lounge Fri., March 14, 3:30 p.m. – Grade Ole Austin at Maria’s Taco Xpress Fri., March 14, 6 p.m. - The Midway Foodpark
Sun., March 16 FT. COLLINS, CO Avogadro’s Number KRBX 89.9 FM, Radio Boise presents … (t), on-air interview, performance Tues., March 18 BOISE, ID Neurolux Wed., March 19 BEND, OR Father Luke's Room at Old St. Francis School * Thurs., March 20 PORTLAND, OR Kennedy School Gymnasium * Fri., March 21 GEARHART, OR Sand Trap Pub at Gearhart Hotel * Sat., March 22 McMINNVILLE, OR Mattie’s Room at Hotel Oregon * Sun., March 23 PORTLAND, OR Lola’s Room at the Crystal Hotel * Tues., March 25 CENTRALIA, WA The Olympic Club Theater * Wed., March 26 BAINBRIDGE ISLAND (SEATTLE), WA Treehouse Cafe Thurs., March 27 TROUTDALE, OR Edgefield Blackberry Hall * Fri., March 28 FOREST GROVE, OR The Compass Room Theater at Grand Lodge* Sat., March 29 BELLINGHAM, WA Green Frog Acoustic Tavern Sun., March 30 VANCOUVER, BC Railway Club Thurs., April 3 (t) SALT LAKE CITY, UT or LINCOLN, NE TBD Fri., April 4 DENVER, CO Swallow Hill Music Cafe Sat., April 5 KANSAS CITY, MO Knuckleheads Thurs., April 10 (t) ATLANTA, GA Smith’s Olde Bar WDVX - FM, Blue Plate Special, noon. www.wdvx.com (t) Wildman Steve Radio taping, 2:30 p.m. www.WildmanSteve.com Fri., April 11 BROOKVILLE, FL Sertoma Ranch/SpringBreak Festival Sat., April 12 ATHENS, GA The World Famous Tues., April 15 NASHVILLE, TN WSM 650 AM Morning Show performance/interview (9:15 a.m.) Thurs., April 17 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Blue Door Sat., April 19 CONROE, TX (Houston metro) Doseyt Doe Music Cafe Sun., April 20 AUSTIN, TX Saxon Pub Fri., April 25 INDIO, CA Stagecoach Festival, Empire Polo Field Sat., May 3 CARBONDALE, IL Tres Hombres Sun., May 4 NASHVILLE, TN 3rd & Lindsay, 8 p.m. Broadcast live on WRLT 100 FM, Radio Lighting Fri., May 16 GETTYSBURG, PA Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival Fri., May 23 ALBANY, NY The Linda Fri., May 30 GOSHEN, IN Ignition Music Sat., May 31 LOUISVILLE, KY Decca Restaurant Fri., Aug. 22 LAWNDALE, NC Clear Mountain View Music Festival Sat., June 14 PALISADE, CO Palisade Bluegrass & Roots Festival Fri., Oct. 10 LONDON, UK Shepherd’s Bush Empire Brendan Benson & Friends, a benefit for the David Lynch Foundation.
Acoustic Nation is written by Laura B. Whitmore, a music industry marketing veteran, music journalist and editor, who has contributed to Parade.com, Guitar World, and others. She has interviewed hundreds of musicians and hosts the She Rocks Podcast. As the founder of the Women’s International Music Network, she advocates for women in the music industry and produces the annual She Rocks Awards. She is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Positive Grid, making the world safe for guitar exploration everywhere! A guitarist and singer/songwriter, Laura is currently co-writing an album of pop songs that empower and energize girls.
