'Tis the season for some yuletide rippin' from JD McPherson and crew with special guest Melissa Carper opening the show.
TONIGHT! "Socks" A Rock & Roll Christmas Tour with guitar slinger deluxe JD McPherson and his band rolls into Lee's Palace with special guest Melissa Carper opening the show! Tickets are $48.56 (advance) available online right here and at the door. Watch JD perform "Run Rudolph Run," "Bad Kid" and more below.
However unlikely, JD McPherson was a shrewd choice to produce Jessica Simpson's comeback track, "Use My Heart Against Me." Have a listen below.
Writes JD McPherson...
"I’m not sure where to start. Today marks the first music Jessica Simpson has released in 15 or so years. I’ll just say that producing this project for Jess has been one of the most rewarding and F-U-N experiences making music I’ve ever had. I’m very proud to be a part of this story, a story of someone courageously seizing control of their life, agency, and creative output.
"There’s a lot more music to come, but I just want to say THANK YOU to Jessica and her wonderful team for involving me in the craziest idea ever seen on paper." – JD McPherson
Writes Jessica Simpson on a recent Instagram posting, the song "Use My Heart Against Me" was inspired by "artists from the roots of Rock and Roll like Betty James, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry to name a few."
For those who aren't as up on obscure female R&B belters from the early 60s as Jessica, Betty James is the nom-du-disc of Baltimore's Nadine Renaye who cut the hip-shakin' "I'm A Little Mixed Up" for Cee-Jay in 1961 (have a listen right here) and later "I Like The Way You Walk" (listen here) which were both picked up by Chess for wider distribution.
Check out Jessica Simpson's "Use My Heart Against Me" – the first track from her forthcoming two-part project "Nashville Canyon" (the first part of is due March 21 with the second part coming this summer) – following the preview clip below.
Nicole Atkins co-wrote "Every Single Christmas" with JD McPherson and cut it with The Hives' guitarist Nicholaus Arson.
Sez Nicole...
"A couple years ago I had this idea for a Christmas song chorus that reminded me of Brenda Lee and Ronnie Ronette called “Every Single Christmas.” My good friend JD McPherson, finished the song and included it on his now iconic 50’s style holiday record, “Socks.” Since then, I’ve always kept hearing it in my head as a fast and wild Christmas punk song…like Cyndi Lauper and Brenda Lee, the spirit of the NY Dolls and the Ramone’s “Palisades Park” all rolled up into a National Lampoon’s Christmas movie.
"Since we’re all home due to the pandemic, my band and I recorded this song at a socially distanced session down at Muscle Shoals Sound, down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. You know, the legendary place where they made albums from the Stones, Staples Singers, Paul Simon, and little ol’ me with this year’s “Italian Ice.” Then I sent the tracks over to northern Sweden so my friend Nicholaus Arson, guitarist from the world’s greatest live band, The Hives, could play guitar and organ on it. After that I sang the vocal in my home studio, aka closet and my husband mixed it at our home. I wanted to make a holiday song that I haven’t heard in a long time or maybe I have never heard before, so here it is. “Every Single Christmas.” Enjoy!"
Get the limited-run picture disc 7" via Bandcamp right here. But act fast, there are only 100 copies pressed. Check the video below.
Credits:
Nicole Atkins - vocals
Nicholaus Arson- guitar, organ, bells
Steven Cooper- guitar
Spencer Duncan- bass
Danny Banks- drums
Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound, Muscle Shoals, AL
Daddy Long Legs' forthcoming Lowdown Ways album is due May 10th from Yep Roc. Check out a few songs below.
Here's the scoop...
DADDY LONG LEGS return with savagery and sophistication on their upcoming Yep Roc debut, Lowdown Ways. The 12 original tracks punch a necessary hole in the 21st Century landscape, both sonically and spiritually.
The expansive, new territory that the New York City-based trio cover on Lowdown Ways is thanks to producer Jimmy Sutton (JD McPherson, Pokey Lafarge) who applies his technical know-how to broaden the sound of such instantly memorable tunes as “Pink Lemonade” (co-written by McPherson), “Ding Dong Dang” and “Bad Neighborhood,” which resonate with the down-and-dirty roots that have always been DADDY LONG LEGS’ inspiration. Meanwhile, the band ventures successfully into unfamiliar territory with the pub-rock-style “Winners Circle,” the bittersweet acoustic ballad “Back Door Fool” and the dramatic album-closer “Wrong Side of the River.”
Written in the great cities of Brooklyn and Nashville and recorded on the Southside of Chicago at Hi-Style Studio, the beloved trio have created a record cinematic in scope that rides the crest of the new century with a beggar’s banquet of ancient spells, hollers and fuzz, steel guitars rapturous preaching, and of course, a DADDY LONG LEGS stompin’ beat.
Their stripped-down roots sound and in-your-face intensity has garnered them fans in their hometown and overseas, where they’ve toured with such kindred spirits as The Damned, The Sonics, Nikki Lane, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
DADDY LONG LEGS has been destroying urban roadhouses and swank nightclubs alike with their dirty blues and devastation boogie. Theirs is a fire-breathing, no-holds-barred attack that redefines American roots for a new generation of lo-fi punks and suave aficionados alike.
Check out "Mornin', Noon & Nite" along with performances of album tracks "Bad Neighborhood," and "Wrong Side Of The River" following Yep Roc's Lowdown Ways promo trailer.
On October 6th, JD McPherson returns with his first new album in three years, Undivided Heart & Soul on New West Records. The 11-song set was produced by McPherson and Dan Molad (Lucius, Tweedy), and was recorded at the Historic RCA Studio B in Nashville, TN. The new album features collaborations with Parker Millsap, Butch Walker, and Aaron Lee Tasjan. In addition to his longtime band members (Doug Corcoran on guitar, Raynier Jacob Jacildo on keys, Jimmy Sutton on bass, and Jason Smay on drums), the album also features guest appearances by Jack Lawrence (Raconteurs, Greenhornes), Jess Wolfe & Holly Laessig of Lucius, and Nicole Atkins. The video for "Lucky Penny" depicts McPherson and his band performing the song at RCA Studio B and was directed by George Salisbury (Flaming Lips, Nathaniel Rateliff) can be seen below. Undivided Heart & Soul will be available digitally, as well as on compact disc and vinyl which you can now pre-order right here.
Prior to writing and recording the new album, McPherson moved his family from their longtime home of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to the burgeoning artist community of East Nashville, TN. His decision was based on opportunity and one he was reluctant to make, but notes the profound influence the city has had on his new work. “Up to this point, I thought I knew what I was doing with songwriting, that I don’t do this or that,” says McPherson. After collaborating with multiple artists in the scene, he began to experiment, exploring personal themes and injecting more of himself into his work (including a co-write on the album with his wife Mandy). Opening up his process was no easy task. “I was having nightmares every night, thinking, ‘Wow, they’re going to hate this.”
With a group of songs taking shape, McPherson and crew scheduled studio time to begin work on the album. After initial tracking began, it quickly became apparent that the sessions were not going to work, bringing his momentum to a halt. At the invitation of his friend and longtime supporter Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, who was also recording at the time, McPherson, Homme, and his Queens bandmate Dean Fertita jammed together over a weekend in Los Angeles. They played around with some songs, with Homme pushing McPherson outside of his comfort zone in a no-stakes environment. McPherson calls the getaway “the most fun I’ve had since I was 15 years old” and returned to Nashville with a clear head, internal filters successfully stifled, and ready to move forward with a new co-producer in Dan Molad (also the drummer for the band Lucius). “There’s a pretty broad gap in our tastes, what we do and what we’re into,” McPherson says of Molad. Where McPherson is as likely to lean on The Cramps as he is Irma Thomas for inspiration, Molad’s left-field production suggestions influenced a new perspective on his sound. “We ended up learning a lot from each other, and he did a lot of stuff I’d have never thought to do.”
JD McPherson has also just announced his initial North American tour dates in support of Undivided Heart & Soul, launching in Wichita, Kansas and continuing throughout the fall with a Toronto show at Lee's Palace on November 10th. Check the complete list of dates after the "Lucky Penny" clip.
JD McPHERSON ON TOUR:
AUG 8 • Barleycorn's • WICHITA, KS
AUG 11 • Okoboji Blue Water Festival • ARNOLDS PARK, IA
AUG 19 • Wildwood Revival • ATHENS, GA
AUG 25 • Wolf Trap • VIENNA, VA
AUG 31 • The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee • MILWAUKEE, WI
SEP 1 & 2 • Minnesota State Fair • ST. PAUL, MN
SEP 3 • The Villages at Copper Mountain • COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO
SEP 7 • Central Park Sessions • MADISON, WI
SEP 8 • Bell's Eccentric Cafe • KALAMAZOO, MI
SEP 22 • Medicine Stone • TAHLEQUAH, OK
SEP 23 • John T. Floore Country Store • HELOTES, TX
SEP 28 • Knuckleheads • KANSAS CITY, MO
SEP 30 • Gothic Theatre • ENGLEWOOD, CO
OCT 1 • Mesa Theater • GRAND JUNCTION, CO
OCT 2 • The State Room • SALT LAKE CITY, UT
OCT 4 • Neumos • SEATTLE, WA*
OCT 5 • Crystal Ballroom • PORTLAND, OR*
OCT 7 • The Mountain Winery • SARATOGA, CA
OCT 8 • The Independent • SAN FRANCISCO, CA*
OCT 11 • Belly Up • SOLANA BEACH, CA*
OCT 12 • Pappy & Harriet's • PIONEERTOWN, CA*
OCT 13 • The Observatory • SANTA ANA, CA*
OCT 14 • The Regent • LOS ANGELES, CA*
OCT 15 • Crescent Ballroom • PHOENIX, AZ*
OCT 18 • The Kessler • DALLAS, TX*
OCT 19 • Scoot Inn • AUSTIN, TX*
OCT 20 • Gruene Hall • NEW BRAUNFELS, TX*
OCT 21 • Continental Club • HOUSTON, TX*
OCT 22 • One Eyed Jacks • NEW ORLEANS, LA
NOV 2 • The Grey Eagle • ASHEVILLE, NC
NOV 3 • Cat's Cradle • CARRBORO, NC
NOV 5 • World Cafe Live • PHILADELPHIA, PA
NOV 7 • Music Hall of Williamsburg • BROOKLYN, NY
NOV 8 • The Hangar • TROY, NY
NOV 9 • The Haunt • ITHACA, NY NOV 10 • Lee's Palace • TORONTO, ONTARIO
NOV 11 • Tralf Music Hall • BUFFALO, NY
NOV 14 • Magic Bag • DETROIT, MI
NOV 15 • Skully's • COLUMBUS, OH
NOV 16 • Thalia Hall • CHICAGO, IL
NOV 17 • Headliner's Music Hall • LOUISVILLE, KY
NOV 18 • The Basement East • NASHVILLE, TN
*with Nikki Lane
