25th Annual Alive At The Bluebird Concert Series To Wrap With Garth Brooks

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The 25th Annual Alive at the Bluebird concert series benefiting Alive Hospice has announced through Feb. 1, wrapping with a show by CMA Entertainer of the Year Garth Brooks.

Brooks will be joined on the Bluebird Cafe stage with fellow writers Kent Blazy, Pat Alger, Victoria Shaw and Tony Arata for a show costing $250.00.

“We are tremendously grateful to the songwriter community for the steadfast support of Alive at the Bluebird for 25 years,” said Alive Hospice President/CEO Anna-Gene O’Neal. “Garth started his career in the intimate company of these dedicated professionals, and so we are thrilled that he can join us for this special anniversary year.”

At least 27 Bluebird shows will take place with 130 artists and songwriters scheduled, including John Oates, Clint Black, Keb Mo’, Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Hunter Hayes and Kathy Mattea.

Two special items have been donated to Alive Hospice to be auctioned during the 25th Annual Alive at the Bluebird concert series. An original “Wings to Fly” oil painting donated by acclaimed artist Deann Hebert and an Epiphone FT-100 acoustic guitar donated by Earl E. Owens, a prominent Nashville manager, producer, promoter and public relations executive who was cared for by Alive Hospice last year. The guitar will be autographed by all artists and writers performing during the Alive at the Bluebird series, and both items will be available for bidding online at bluebirdcafe.com and in person on the final night of the series.

Admission for most Alive at the Bluebird shows follows the standard Bluebird Cafe reservation policy. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday shows are available at 8:00 a.m. one week prior to the posted show, and weekend shows may be reserved on the preceding Monday beginning at 8 a.m. at bluebirdcafe.com. Please refer to the same website for admission pricing. Brooks’ show will go on sale Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8 a.m. CT.

Alive at the Bluebird Concert Series Schedule (Subject to Change)
January 11 — John Oates & Jim Lauderdale
January 12 — Beth Nielsen Chapman, Graham Gouldman,
Gordon Kennedy, Keb Mo’

January 13 – 6:30 p.m. Gary Harrison, Rick Huckaby, Michael White, Jenn Schott
January 13 – 9:30 p.m. Tom Douglas, Marc Beeson, JT Harding, Marcus Hummon
January 16 — Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Rob Hatch, Lance Miller
January 17 — The Warren Brothers, Mark Irwin, Josh Kear
January 18 — Hunter Hayes, Dave Barnes, Gordie Sampson, Emily Weisband
January 19 — Tony Arata, Fred Knobloch, Jellyroll Johnson & friend
January 20 – 6:30 p.m. Victoria Shaw, Clint Black, Roger Cook, Bob DiPiero
January 20 – 9:30 p.m. Erin Enderlin, Alex Kline, Jeffrey Steele, Tara Thompson
January 23 — Gary Burr, Georgia Middleman, Jim Photoglo, Mike Reid
January 24 — Bernie Nelson, Kathy & Michael Bonagura, Dave Gibson
January 25 — An Evening with Kathy Mattea, celebrating 35 years
January 26 — Jon Vezner, Pat Alger, Don Henry, Tom Paxton
January 27 – 6:30 p.m. Phillybilly, Carlton Anderson, Marv Green, Payton Smith
January 27 – 9:30 p.m. Steve Seskin, Crystal Bowersox, Gary Nicholson, Chris Wallin
January 30 — The Muscle Shoals show with Walt Aldridge, Brad Crisler, James LeBlanc, Mark Narmore.
January 31 — Ashley Gorley, Chris DeStefano & friends
February 1-Kent Blazy, Pat Alger, Victoria Shaw, Tony Arata, Garth Brooks

The Lonely Biscuits To Release ‘The Universe In You’

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The Lonely BIscuits

Nashville indie-rock trio The Lonely Biscuits have released “Blue Glass”, the first single off their debut full-length record The Universe In You, today. The Biscuits teamed with Cage The Elephant guitarist Nick Bockrath to produce the new song, which appears on their upcoming new project, due out March 30 via Soundly Music. 

“Blue Glass” coincides with the launch of the independent zine, Ordinary Thoughts, which is curated by lead singer Grady Wenrich. Wenrich started Ordinary Thoughts to share and highlight art being created by friends like Cyle and Cain Barnes of The Weeks, Ian Bush of Diarrhea Planet, Grant Gustafson of Blank Range, Mackenzie Howe of The Wild Reeds, Aaron Martin and Kole Sharp of Okey Dokey, Liza Anne, Becca Mancari, Wrenne Evans and more. The zine release party is set to take place today in Nashville at Red Arrow Gallery and will consist of an art show and performances by The Lonely Biscuits and their friends.

The Lonely Biscuits have released two EPs to date, including the The San Francisco EP which included their hit single “Talk About” and a cover of Liz Phair’s “Never Said.”

The Universe In You tracklist:
 1) Walking Home
2) Caught Up
3) Afterglow
4) Endlessly
5) Blue Glass
6) San Francisco
7) Better
8) You Are OK
9) Talk About
10) Wild
11) Forever

 

 

Zac Brown Band Teams With OneRepublic, Leon Bridges On New Tour

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The Zac Brown Band has announced dates for its new 2018 Down The Rabbit Hole Live Tour, which will kick off this summer in Lincoln, Nebraska on June 8 and wrap Sept. 22. OneRepublic and Leon Bridges will join them on select dates of the tour, which is their eighth North American trek.

They’ll hit multiple markets on the new 27-date tour including two nights at Fenway Park, two dates at Citi Field in Flushing, New York, and two Camden, New Jersey dates at the BB&T Pavilion, along with San Francisco, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C., among others.

“‘Down The Rabbit Hole’ is a reference to the never-ending pursuit of excellence,” explains Brown. “This summer, we’ll bring the fans along that journey with us.”

Pre-sale tickets are available to ZBB fan club members beginning Tuesday, Jan. 16, with general ticket on-sale beginning Friday, Jan. 19, with the exception of Fenway Park, which will go on sale Jan. 18. VIP packages will be available to Zamily members beginning January 16th and to the public on Jan. 19. Packages include tickets as well as opportunities for backstage tours, pre-show lounge access and exclusive ZBB swag.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE TOUR DATES:

Fri., June 8 / Lincoln, NE / Pinnacle Bank Arena
Sat., June 9 / Sioux Falls, SD / Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
Thu., June 14 / Boston, MA / Fenway Park
Fri., June 15 / Boston, MA / Fenway Park
Fri. June 22 / Hershey, PA / Hersheypark Stadium
Sat., June 23 / Syracuse, NY / Lakeview Amphitheater 
Sun., June 24 / Darien Center, NY / Darien Lake Amphitheater
Sat., June 30 / Atlanta, GA / SunTrust Park^
Fri., July 13 / Toronto / Rogers Centre 
Sat., July 14 / Detroit, MI / Comerica Park^ 
Thu., July 19 / Camden, NJ / BB&T Pavilion
Fri., July 20 / Camden, NJ / BB&T Pavilion
Fri., July 27 / Washington, DC / Nationals Park^
Sat., July 28 / Flushing, NY / Citi Field^
Sun., July 29 / Flushing, NY / Citi Field^
Thu., August 2 / Cuyahoga Falls, OH / Blossom Music Center
Fri. , August 3 / Noblesville, IN / Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Sat., August 4 / Cincinnati, OH / Great American Ball Park#
Fri., August 10 / Minneapolis, MN / Target Field^
Sat., August 11 / East Troy, WI / Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Sun., August 12 / East Troy, WI / Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Fri., August 31 / Seattle, WA / Safeco Field^
Thu., September 13 / Charlotte, NC / PNC Music Pavilion
Fri., September 14 / Raleigh, NC / Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Sat., September 15 / Virginia Beach, VA / Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Thu., September 20 / San Francisco, CA / AT&T Park*
Sat., September 22 / San Diego, CA / PETCO Park*^ OneRepublic as Direct Support
# Leon Bridges as Direct Support
* Direct support for The Eagles

Jack White Reveals Track Listing For ‘Boarding House Reach’

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On March 23, Jack White will release his first new album in nearly four years, titled Boarding House Reach, via Third Man Records/Columbia. The album album marks White’s third solo album.

For the new project, White holed up in an apartment and used only the same recording equipment he had when he was 15 years old, including a quarter-inch, four-track tape recorder, a simple mixer, and basic instrumentation.

While White wrote all the songs on the album, and offered vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, drums, organ and synthesizer work, he also assembled a lineup of musicians including drummer Louis Cato (Beyoncé, Q-Tip, John Legend, Mariah Carey), bassists Charlotte Kemp Muhl (The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger) and NeonPhoenix (Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z), synthesizer players DJ Harrison and Anthony “Brew” Brewster (Fishbone, The Untouchables), keyboardists Neal Evans (Soulive, Talib Kweli, John Scofield) and Quincy McCrary (Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Pitbull), percussionists Bobby Allende (David Byrne, Marc Anthony) and Justin Porée (Ozomatli), and backing vocalists Esther Rose and Ann & Regina McCrary of Nashville’s gospel trio, The McCrary Sisters, as well as longtime collaborators like drummers Daru Jones (Nas, Talib Kweli) and Carla Azar (Autolux, Depeche Mode, Doyle Bramhall II). Singer-songwriter C.W. Stoneking also appears, contributing a stirring spoken word performance to the album’s “Abulia and Akrasia.”

The album was recorded at White’s Third Man Studio in Nashville, as well as at Sear Sound in New York, and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. The project was mixed at Third Man Studio in Nashville.

White will celebrate Boarding House Reach with a number of just-announced headline festival performances, including Atlanta, GA’s Shaky Knees Music Festival (May 4-6), Boston Calling (May 25-27), and the Governor’s Ball Music Festival in New York (June 1-3). Additional dates will be unveiled soon and every online ticket purchased for North American headline shows will include a physical copy of BOARDING HOUSE REACH on CD with the option to upgrade to the standard black vinyl single LP. For updates and tickets, visit jackwhiteiii.com/tour-dates.

BOARDING HOUSE REACH TRACK LIST
1. Connected By Love
2. Why Walk A Dog?
3. Corporation
4. Abulia and Akrasia
5. Hypermisophoniac
6. Ice Station Zebra
7. Over and Over and Over
8. Everything You’ve Ever Learned
9. Respect Commander
10. Ezmerelda Steals The Show
11. Get In The Mind Shaft
12. What’s Done Is Done
13. Humoresque

Futureshirts Acquires Music City Networks Interactive

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Web design and eCommerce business Music City Networks Interactive (MCN), led by music industry veteran Lang Scott, has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Futureshirts.

Effective Jan. 1, 2018, Music City Networks Interactive closed its doors, with several MCN employees being hired by Futureshirts. Many of MCN Interactive’s clients will transition to Futureshirts for website hosting/maintenance, digital strategy, eCommerce and fulfillment needs.

Scott launched MCN Interactive 17 years ago. He tells MusicRow he has a new, undisclosed venture in the works.

“While this ends a long and adventurous chapter, it begins another in which I leave you in capable hands,” Scott told longtime clients in a memo. “It has truly been an honor and privilege to work with you (and serve you) over the past two decades! As we each embark into 2018 and new endeavors, it is my wish and prayer that you enjoy continued success, good health and blessings on both your business and personal lives! So many of you are also my friends…and I want you to know that I will always be grateful for your trust and patronage through the years!”

Futureshirts launched in 1996 in Billings, Montana, and later relocated to Nashville.

Carrie Underwood Celebrates Athletes, Everyday Heroes In New Song “The Champion”

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SUPER BOWL LII — “2017 Promo Shoot” — Pictured: Carrie Underwood — (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC Sports)

Carrie Underwood has teamed up with Ludacris for her brand new song, “The Champion,” which is being released globally today. She’ll open NBC’s Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4 with a special video filmed last year for the anthem, which she co-wrote with songwriters Brett James, Chris DeStefano, and Christopher Bridges PKA Ludacris, who Underwood asked to collaborate on the event song.

NBC Sports will also incorporate “The Champion” into its upcoming coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

“When we met with Carrie last year to discuss the Super Bowl open, we each brought ideas. Carrie presented first. After she spoke, we looked at each other and said ‘that’s the one,’” said Fred Gaudelli, Executive Producer of NBC Sunday Night Football and the network’s Super Bowl LII presentation. “Later on, our Olympics producers listened to ‘The Champion’ and decided that it would be a perfect complement for our Winter Games coverage. We are excited to highlight ‘The Champion’ in two events on the global stage in February.”

“When we were writing ‘The Champion,’ our main focus was to celebrate athletes at the top of their game, but we also wanted the song to resonate with people in their everyday lives,” says Underwood of the inspirational anthem.  “We hope the lyrics will inspire people to push themselves beyond their limits to conquer anything they are trying to accomplish or overcome. There’s a champion in every single one of us!”

Underwood, who has been the face and voice of NBC’s Sunday Night Football show open for the last five seasons, has been busy in the studio working on her new album which will be released on Capitol Records Nashville.

Weekly Chart Report 1/12/18

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DISClaimer: Radney Foster, The DonJuans Top Americana Offerings

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Radney Foster

If you’re weary of commercial country music, might I suggest an audio trip to Americana?

That genre is where you’ll find the best music being made in Nashville today. The embarrassment of riches in today’s stack of Americana platters is proof.

The multi-star extravaganzas of the Loudermilk tribute CD and the Tommy Emmanuel collection give them somewhat unfair advantages in the contest for the Disc of the Day. Setting them aside, we still have awesome new solo efforts by Billy Burnette, the late Gregg Allman, John Oates, Radney Foster and Lee Roy Parnell.

In a very tough decision, I’m giving the prize to Radney Foster. His singing and songwriting are, as usual, superlative. The icing on the cake is the production by Will Kimbrough.

There was no question about who should get the DisCovery Award. That easily belongs to The DonJuans, veteran songwriters dressed up in spiffy new audio duds.

LEE ROY PARNELL/Hours In Between
Writers: Lee Roy Parnell/Greg Barnhill; Producer: Lee Roy Parnell; Publishers: Dean-Parnell/Lillie Dale/SB21/Easyana, BMI/SESAC; Vector (track)
– Lee Roy’s first album in 11 years is Midnight Believer, the r&b CD we always knew he had in him. Its lead-off track is a swampy groover loaded with his stinging guitar work and boasting a drawled, growled vocal that is a slow burn of fevered desire for affection in the darkest hours of the night. In a word, smokin.’

JOHN OATES & THE GOOD ROAD BAND/Arkansas
Writers: Oates; Producers: Oates/David Kalmusky; Publisher: Oates Shul, BMI; PS/Thirty Tigers
– Oates enlisted the cream of Nashville’s crop for the cast of his new Arkansas CD — Sam Bush, Guthrie Trapp and Russ Pahl for starters. The record is his tribute to Delta blues, flavored with country and folk elements. This title tune thumps with soulful conviction and is steeped in deep-fried Dixie flavors. Elsewhere on the collection, you’ll find echoes of Jimmie Rodgers, Emmett Miller, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Blake and more legends. Super highly recommended.

GREGG ALLMAN/My One True Friend
Writers: Allman/Scott Sharrard; Producer: Don Was; Publishers: D-Dem/Brickyard Blues, BMI; Rounder (track)
– Nominated for two Grammy Awards, the final Gregg Allman album is a everything his Southern-rock fans might desire. Titled Southern Blood, it leads off with this bluesy, gospel-ish, end-of-life lament. The album’s cast includes The McCrary Sisters, Jasckson Browne, Greg Leisz and Buddy Miller, and its repertoire spans tunes by Tim Buckley, Bob Dylan, Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham, Lowell George, the Dead and Willie Dixon. Haunting and evocative, this is an essential purchase.

MARE WAKEFIELD & NOMAD/Breathe
Writers: Mare Makefield; Producer: Nomad Ovunc; Publishers: Maresie, BMI; MW (track)
– These under-the-radar Nashvillians are rising stars on the folk circuit. This song from the new Time to Fly CD won them slots at the Kerrville and Falcon Ridge folk festivals. It is about survival through hard times. Her luminous vocal sounds mature and lived-in, which gives the ballad its trembling, emotional foundation. Wakefield & Nomad are booked to play The Country on Jan. 17 as the album-release event.

RADNEY FOSTER/For You To See The Stars
Writers: Radney Foster/Jay Clementi/Scott David Laurent; Producer: Will Kimbrough; Publishers: Alamo Lounge/BMG/Sony-ATV Cross Keys/2121, ASCAP; Devil’s River
– Now here’s an ambitious project. Each song on Radney’s new CD corresponds to a short story in his just-published book of fictional tales. This is the title tune, a tender ode to looking up when you might be feeling down. As usual, his warm singing is a thing of wonder. The crisp production is audio perfection. I remain an enormous fan.

THE DON JUANS/Garden of the Dead
Writers: Don Henry/Jon Vezner; Producers The Don Juans; Publishers: Poppermost/Jon Vezner, SESAC; Skratched (track)
– Music City tunesmiths Don Henry and Jon Vezner are now The DonJuans. Abetted by the stellar playing of Dan Dugmore, Diane Perry and Charlie McCoy, they’ve issued a self-titled CD of their songwriting collaborations. This one is a lilting, minor-key ditty about relaxing in a graveyard. Quirky and delightful. Folk legend Tom Paxton appears elsewhere on the CD, and he will joining the pair for an Alive Hospice benefit show at the Bluebird on Jan. 26.

BOBBY BARE/I Drink
Writers: Mary Gauthier/Crit Harmon/Melanie Howard; Producers: Jimmy Ritchey & Max T. Barnes; Publishers: none listed; Hypermedia (track)
– Among the many great Mary Gauthier songs, this is one of the greatest. Bare has just issued a video for it. The song has previously been recorded by Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton, but you won’t find a more devastating, heart-tearing rendition than in this presentation. You’ll find the audio track of it on Bare’s current, and excellent, Things Change album.

BILLY BURNETTE/Crazy Like Me
Writers: Billy Burnette/Dennis Morgan/Shawn Camp; Producer: Billy Burnette; Publishers: Still Working for the Man/Burnette A Billy/Little Shop of Morgan Songs/BMG, BMI; Rock N Roll With It
– This durable rockabilly cat has a new memoir and CD, both titled “Crazy Like Me.” The title tune is a driving, relentless romp with a rump-shaking backbeat and spat-out, rapid-fire, sassy lyrics. The book includes anecdotes from his recording adventures, tenure in Fleetwood Mac and Memphis roots. The album includes his versions of his George Strait hit tune “River of Love,” his Ray Charles/Bonnnie Raitt classic “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind,” his daddy’s rockabilly standard “Tear It Up,” his “She’s Gonna Win Your Heart” popularized by Eddy Raven and his own country success “Nothing To Do (And All Night to Do It).” And more, all in one rollicking package.

EMMYLOU HARRIS, MARY ANN KENNEDY, PAM ROSE/Where Have They Gone
Writer: John D. Loudermilk; Producers: John Jorgenson & Dixie Gamble; Publishers: Sony/ATV Acuff Rose, BMI; Vector/BFD
– Dixie Gamble and John Jorgenson decided to stage a tribute concert for ailing songwriter John D. Loudermilk while he was still alive. So in March 2016 a stellar cast assembled at The Franklin Theater to sing his songs to him. What a cast — Bobby Braddock, Lee Roy Parnell, Deborah Allen, Ricky Skaggs, The Whites, Jimmy Hall, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Becky Hobbs, Rodney Crowell, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Rosanne Cash and more. Emmylou, Pam and Mary Ann drew the evening’s most poignant elegy, his meditation on the passing of time. Loudermilk passed away five months after the show, but it lives on in an extraordinary document of that extraordinary night, A Tribute to John D. Loudermilk. Buy it now.

TOMMY EMMANUEL & RODNEY CROWELL/Looking Forward to the Past
Writers: Rodney Crowell; Producer: Tommy Emmanuel; Publishers: BMG Gold/RC One/We Jam Writers Group, ASCAP; CGP (track)
– This guitar master issues his new Accomplice One CD next week, on Jan. 19. It includes collaborations with Jason Isbell, Mark Knopfler, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Suzy Bogguss, David Grisman and more. His track with Rodney Crowell is a standout, a snappy toe-tapper that gives the writer’s Texas drawl and the picker’s lightning fingers plenty of room to shine. It goes without saying that the song is brilliant. A terrific listening experience.

Facebook Inks Deals With SESAC, GMR, Kobalt

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Facebook announced today three new music licensing deals with SESAC’s HFA/Rumblefish, Global Rights Management, and Kobalt Music Publishing.

The deal with SESAC will use Rumblefish to identify musical works, so publishers and writers can be properly compensated. Facebook’s partnership with GMR marks GMR’s first user-generated content deal.

The string of partnerships follow recently-made deals with Universal Music Group and Sony/ATV.

Scott Sellwood, Head of Commercial Music Publishing Partnerships, Facebook, said, “Facebook and SESAC’s HFA/Rumblefish are excited to offer the vibrant independent publishing community the opportunity to participate in a new licensing program with Facebook. The program will enable users to upload and share videos with music on Facebook, Instagram and Oculus and allows publishers to be compensated for the use of their music. Rumblefish will also help Facebook optimize the identification and clearance of musical works through an innovative data-sharing agreement. This partnership with HFA/Rumblefish and an opt-in for independent publishers opens as of today.”

Willard Ahdritz, Kobalt Founder & CEO, says, “In the spirit of a true partnership, Facebook will ensure songwriters are paid fairly and new revenue streams are created for user uploaded video. We look forward to working closely with Facebook throughout our partnership. And, Kobalt is committed to distributing royalties in a fully transparent way.”

“Together, Facebook and the music industry are bringing the songs you love into the way you express yourself on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, and Messenger,” said Tamara Hrivnak, head of music business business development. “This means more ways to share, connect, find your fans and be your favorite artist’s biggest and best groupie.”

Jack White Releases Two Tracks From Upcoming New Project, ‘Boarding House Reach’

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Photo credit: David James Swanson

Jack White has released a brand new single, “Connected by Love,” from his anticipated third solo album, Boarding House Reach  (Third Man/Columbia), and a second track from the new album, “Respect Commander,” as well. Both tracks are available digitally worldwide now.

“Connected by Love” was produced by White and recorded at Sear Sound in New York City, Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, and Third Man Studio in Nashville – marking the first time that White has recorded an album in NY and LA. The track features White on vocals, synthesizer, and acoustic guitar, with backing by a new lineup of musicians that includes drummer Louis Cato (Beyoncé, Q-Tip, John Legend), bassist Charlotte Kemp Muhl (The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger), synthesizer player DJ Harrison, keyboardist Neal Evans (Soulive, Talib Kweli, John Scofield), percussionist Bobby Allende (David Byrne), and backing vocalists Ann & Regina McCrary of Nashville’s beloved gospel trio, The McCrary Sisters.

The 7″ vinyl is also available today via Third Man Records, and the single arrives later this week at independent record stores globally. In addition, a limited edition tri-color 7″ will be on sale for one day only, Saturday, January 13th, exclusively at Third Man Records storefronts in Nashville and Detroit, available only for as long as the line for them lasts and never to be made accessible online. Additional information about how to purchase the tri-color can be found at thirdmanrecords.com.

A thought-provoking companion video accompanies “Connected by Love” was filmed in Los Angeles and Nashville by director Pasqual Gutierrez.

White will celebrate the new album with a number of festival performances, including Shaky Knees in Atlanta (May 4th-6th), Boston Calling 2018 (May 25th-27th), and Governor’s Ball in New York (June 1st-3rd). Additional dates will be unveiled soon. Updates and ticket availability can be found at jackwhiteiii.com/tour-dates.

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