by Sharon Gissy

Beloved Irish band Bell XI have announced they will begin a U.S. Tour next year in support of their seventh studio album Arms. The tour will begin February 22nd, 2017, and include the band's touring members Rory Doyle on drums and Glenn Keating on keyboards. 

The nine-song Arms debuted in the number-2 spot or the Ireland Albums Top 100 Chart and has garnered plenty of praise for the band. ABC News calls it their "strongest album in a decade," while Magnet Magazine stated "....the songs sound fresh and spontaneous, full of a delicate passion. Noonan's warm tenor has the burnished quality of the summer sun."

Bell XI will tour throughout Ireland, The UK, and Australia throughout the rest of the year, with more dates to be announced. U.S. tour dates are as follows:
​22 Feb - Boston - The Sinclair
23 Feb - New York - Bowery Ballroom
24 Feb - Philadelphia – Boot & Saddle
25 Feb - Chicago - Lincoln Hall
28 Feb - Los Angeles - Troubadour
29 Feb - San Francisco - The Chapel
 

by Sharon Gissy

Are you in search for the perfect gift for that music lover in your life? Riot Fest Chicago is already selling tickets for its show scheduled from September 15-17, 2017 in Douglas Park. Three-day general admission and VIP passes to the show began sale today, November 22nd, at 10:00 a.m. and the $129.98 price point already sold out as of this posting, so if you're thinking of getting a ticket for yourself or a loved one, now would be the time to act. Holiday presale tickets are available here. Get them before they're gone!

Black Tape For A Blue Girl is having a record release/ listening party for their latest LP, these fleeting moments, Saturday, December 12 at Deja Vu Audio South (4040 NE 2nd Ave, Suite 412, Miami). The band, founded in 1986 in South Florida, features singers Oscar Herrera and his daughter Danielle. Black tape founder, Sam Rosenthal, and the vocalists will be oh hand for the listening party.

The audio store will be playing the band's new record on their analog tube system. You can check out the record on Bandcamp or Spotify.

by Sharon Gissy

Austin-based experimental/avant-garde blues band Churchwood just released their fourth record, Hex City, on November 18th. Known for their eclectic music, which combines blues, voodoo sounds, punk rock, and rockabilly, and the tongue-twisting and multi-lingual lyrics of co-founder and poet Joe Doerr, Churchwood carries their unique signature sound to Hex City to deliver an album that has already been praised as achieving a "prog-like thickness while staying grounded in roots rock" by critic Michael Corcoran of the Austin American Statesman. Glide Magazine premiered the album early and you can listen to it here.

Churchwood released their debut album in 2011. Guitarist and co-founder Bill Anderson was inspired by the Delta blues roots of Robert Johnson, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, and Big Bill Broozy, and played in Austin's seminal bluesy punk pioneer band Poison 13 and Prohibition as well as others. The singer and co-founder Joe Doerr, who got his start in the Austin-based LeRoi Brothers, reminds one of the American beat and French symbolist poets, as well as the murder ballads of Nick Cave and other musicians who pushed the envelope of blues, such as Tom Waits and Captain Beefheart. Together the band creates a new musical fusion that blends genres and draws constant critical acclaim, such as "dense and nasty, literate and mean" (Lone Star Music). 
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by Sharon Gissy

Rickey Medlock of Lynyrd Skynyrd originally formed the band Blackfoot in the 1970s and recently recruited an all-new line-up for the band and released a new record, Southern Native, on Loud & Proud Records August 5. The band will play the Arcadia Theatre in St. Charles, IL on November 23.

Medlock wrote, performed on, and produced Southern Native, in addition to the roster he assembled from Florida: lead guitarist/vocalist Tim Rossi, guitarist/vocalist Rick Krasowski, bassist Brian Carpenter, and drummer Matt Anastasi. Pure Grain Audio praised the new ensemble, saying "....this assured-sounding foursome undoubtedly possess the talent required to take Southern rock deeper into the 21st century." Ultimate Classic Rock premiered the music video for the title track, "Southern Native," and said "....it's clear that Blackfoot retain the hard-edged Southern rock sound that defined earlier favorites..." You can watch the video here.

In addition to the St. Charles date, Blackfoot will continue to tour both to re-ignite their fan base and to connect with new fans of Southern rock in the vein of Skynyrd. Following are some of their upcoming tour dates:

Nov 15 - New York, NY - B.B. King Blues Club & Grill – With Rickey Medlock
Nov 17 - Johnson City, TN - Johnson City Civic Center – With Rickey Medlock
Nov 23 – St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theatre – With Rickey Medlock
Nov 26 – Palm Bay, FL @ Space Coast Harley Davidson
Dec 03 - Jim Thorpe, PA @ Penn's Peak
Jan 27 - Medina, MN @ Medina Entertainment Center
Jan 28 - Ringle, WI @ Q & Z Expo Center