Hurray for the Riff Raff's The Navigator Out Now, to Critical Acclaim

Hurray for the Riff Raff’s acclaimed concept album ‘The Navigator’ is out now on ATO Records and hailed as a “rich, courageous” recording by NPR Music with 5 out of 5 stars from the Guardian. It has been met with a NY Times profile on Alynda Segarra, a Pitchfork “Best New Track” review, and a Morning Edition segment that aired this morning on NPR. In the past few days Alynda and her band have also appeared on TV multiple times including a conversation with Trevor Noah on the Daily Show last week, CBS Saturday and a performance on CONAN last night.

Hurray for the Riff Raff has a jam-packed SXSW run that includes the NPR Music showcase on Weds, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, ATO and more. The full schedule is below, followed by a major international tour.

‘The Navigator’ tells an interwoven, cinematic story of a wandering soul named Navita at a crossroads of identity and ancestral weight. The 12 original songs were inspired by Segarra’s own journey from the Bronx to the downtown punk scene and beyond, in search of her identity. She looked to poetry including Pedro Pietri’s ‘Puerto Rican Obituary’ and the Nuyorican Cafe, the singer-songwriter Rodriguez, Puerto Rican activist groups the Young Lords and the Ghetto Brothers, Fania Records and more.

NPR Morning Edition: http://www.npr.org/2017/03/14/519698625/girl-interrupted-hurray-for-the-riff-raff-on-identity-lost-and-found 

Jim James Releases "Same Old Lie" off his Forthcoming, "Eternally Even" Album

Jim James, frontman of Grammy-nominated My Morning Jacket, has just released the first track, “Same Old Lie” from his solo project, Eternally Even, out November 4 via ATO/Capitol Records. Lyrics to “Same Old Lie” are below.

Purposefully released in the midst of possibly one of the most politically controversial elections to date, James’ new music is a call to action. James says of the album “I’m just trying to be a part of the discussion and encourage people to speak out for equality, to not be afraid to speak out for peace and love. All of us feel afraid at times in these absolutely insane times, but it’s important we speak our minds, cast our votes, and do not give in to fear and hatred.”

Co-produced by Blake Mills (Alabama Shakes) and Jim James, Mills describes the album as “the beautiful sounds of a violent collision between someone's past and future”.

$1 from every ticket purchased for the Jim James U.S. tour will benefit My Morning Jacket’s Waterfall Project, which will benefit to the following organizations: Everytown For Gun Safety Support Fund, The Fairness Campaign, and Healthcare Now.  Established in 2015, the Project is dedicated to supporting and promoting actions, big and small, for positive change in the world. Additionally, Jim is again partnering with Global Citizen to donate two tickets per show to their Global Citizen Rewards Initiative.

 

Okkervil River's New "Away" album, LISTEN !

NPR Music is now streaming Okkervil River’s new album Away in full via First Listen – LISTEN HERE. NPR says of the album, “Away is a rebuilding-yourself-from-the-ground-up kind of record… Sheff uses the occasion to take his time and let his songs breathe.”

Order Away now, it's out September 9

Watch the epic, moving video for “Okkervil River R.I.P.”, written and directed by, and starring Will Sheff, along with acclaimed actor Tim Blake Nelson (O’ Brother Where Art Thou, Lincoln). “Okkervil River R.I.P.” opens the upcoming album Away, out September 9 via ATO, and sets the tone for what Sheff sees as a turning point for his long-running indie-folk project. He says of the album: “Eventually, I realized I was writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new.”

Sister trio Joseph to Release New "I'm Alone, No You're Not" Album on August 26

Siren sister trio Joseph are gearing up to release their new album 'I'm Alone, No You're Not' (ATO) next week, but you can stream it early via NPR First Listen today. They hailed the album's "appealing mix of swoony delicacy and punchy anthems," saying, "sweetness and power aren't mutually exclusive." Listen here: http://n.pr/2bfVQBh

Joseph will make two release-week television appearances, performing on Conan on September 1st, and CBS Saturday Morning on September 3rd, following their TV debut earlier this summer on Fallon.

'I'm Alone, No You're Not' is out 8/26 via ATO Records and was produced by Mike Mogis (Jenny Lewis, Bright Eyes, First Aid Kit). Joseph were named a Spotify Spotlight artist for 2016, alongside artists like Gallant, Maren Morris, and Lapsley, and have racked up 3 million streams and counting across streaming platforms for "White Flag. "White Flag" is approaching Top 10 on the Triple A radio chart, and both "White Flag" and their song "S.O.S. (Overboard)" have charted on the Spotify Global Viral 50. Joseph made the festival rounds this summer, playing Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, and Pickathon, in addition to touring Europe with James Bay.

Watch the video for "White Flag" below, from B&T.

Okkevil River RIP video- watch/listen

NPR Music recently premiered the epic, moving video for “Okkervil River R.I.P.”, written and directed by, and starring Will Sheff, along with acclaimed actor Tim Blake Nelson (O’ Brother Where Art Thou, Lincoln).

 

“Okkervil River R.I.P.” opens the upcoming album Away, out September 9 via ATO, and sets the tone for what Sheff sees as a turning point for his long-running indie-folk project. He says of the album: “Eventually, I realized I was writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new.”

Watch it at NPR, and pre-order Away now from B&T.

 

David Dye of the World Cafe called the track: “a gorgeous… song about soul-searching, finding the strength one needs to carry on in the face of adversity and finding solace in the ones we love.”

Okkervil River kicked off a series of underplays last month, in Portland, ME on July 14th. They played a sold out show at National Sawdust in NYC on July 20th, followed by a world tour upon the albums release in September.
 

OKKERVIL RIVER's Will Sheff Talks of "Away"

 To announce the new Okkervil River album, and tour, a statement from  the band's Will Sheff:

The new Okkervil River album is called 'Away'. I didn't plan to make it and initially wasn't sure if it was going to be an Okkervil River album or if I'd ever put it out. I wrote the songs during a confusing time of transition in my personal and professional life and recorded them quickly with a brand new group of musicians. I got together the best New York players I could think of, people whose playing and personalities I was fans of and who came more out of a jazz or avant garde background, and we cut the songs live in one or two takes - trying to keep things as natural and immediate as possible - over three days in a studio on Long Island that hosts the Neve 8068 console which recorded Steely Dan's Aja and John Lennon's Double Fantasy. I asked Marissa Nadler to sing on it and got the composer Nathan Thatcher to write some beautiful orchestral arrangements, we recorded them with the classical ensemble and then I mixed the record with Jonathan Wilson out in Los Angeles.

2013-2015 had been a strange time for me. I lost some connections in a music industry that was visibly falling apart. Some members of the Okkervil River backing band left, moving on to family life or to their own projects. I spent a good deal of time sitting in hospice with my grandfather, who was my idol, while he died. I felt like I didn't know where I belonged. When there was trouble at home, a friend offered me her empty house in the Catskills where I could go and clear my head. New songs were coming fast up there, so I set myself the challenge of trying to write as many as possible as quickly as possible. I wasn't think about any kind of end product; the idea was just to write through what I was feeling, quickly and directly. Eventually, I realized I was writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new.

Alabama Shakes New "Sound & Color" Out April 21

Alabama Shakes has announced the April 21, 2015 release of their new album Sound & Color via ATO Records, and now you can stream the first single “Don’t Wanna Fight”. Listen to it below, and order the album for your library.

“We took our time to write this record, and I’m really glad we did,” says Brittany Howard, lead singer and guitarist of Alabama Shakes, about the band’s new album Sound & Color. “We were able to sit down and think about what’s exciting to us, explore all the things we wanted to on our first album. This record is full of genre-bending songs – it’s even harder now when people ask, ‘What kind of band are you?’ I have no clue.

NPR Premieres “The Eye” from Brandi Carlile’s ATO Debut Album“The Firewatcher’s Daughter”

NPR Music has recently premiered “The Eye”, a new track off of Brandi Carlile‘s upcoming album The Firewatcher’s Daughter, out March 3 on ATO Records. The album is Carlile’s first on ATO, and first on an indie label, order now from B&T.  Watch the video for “The Eye” below.

‘The Firewatcher’s Daughter’ was recorded almost entirely as first takes without any demoing and little rehearsal before gathering at Bear Creek Studio in Washington State.  The result is immediate and electrifying. “The Eye,” a song influenced by Crosby, Stills and Nash, is so intimate and hushed you can hear the quiver of Brandi’s voice in a flawless 3-part harmony.  Lead-off track and first single “Wherever Is Your Heart” captures a fiery intensity.