Thirty albums into his career, Dan Bern finally hits wax as revered songwriter’s 2001 masterpiece “New American Language” gets double-album reissue.

Six-week tour launches Jan. 17 in Atlanta; Bern also announces all-new album Starting Over, out March 1; “Bible” single out Jan. 26. Hear “God Said No” here.

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Dan Bern as photographed by Judd Irish Bradley

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“In a series of brisk, moving sentences… he begs God to send him back in time, saving the good and destroying evil.” — The Washington Post

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PLAY, POST & SHARE

Dan Bern | “God Said No” (Remastered)

[YOUTUBE]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEIHTiw04x0

[SOUNDCLOUD]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/dan-bern-god-said-no

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Dan Bern has been a “Jeopardy!” clue, written songs for Judd Apatow films, and taught tennis to Wilt Chamberlain.

“He’s been one of my favourite songwriters and musicians for the past 28 years.” — Roger Daltrey of The Who

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Dan Bern | About

In addition to being a Jeopardy clue, Bern has written thousands of songs, among such other notable career and personal highlights as writing songs for the Judd Apatow film “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” and Jonathan Demme’s film about Jimmy Carter (which Carter recognized Bern for when introducing Bern to his wife Roslyn, saying, “This is the fellow that wrote that song.”) Bern has opened for The Who (Daltrey has covered Bern’s songs), is a member of the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and taught tennis to Wilt Chamberlain.

The remastered, first-time-on-vinyl edition of New American Language, out today, will be followed by the launch of a six-week Dan Bern tour in Atlanta. See dates below. Starting Over, an all-new album of Bern songs is scheduled for release on March 1, 2024, via Grand Phony. The new album’s first single “Bible” is scheduled for release on Jan. 26. More info forthcoming.

Dan Bern is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Dan Bern | On Tour

01/17/2024: Atlanta, GA @ Eddie’s Attic

01/18/2024: Carrboro NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room

01/19/2024: Vienna VA @ Jammin’ Java

01/20/2024: New York NY @ Mercury Lounge

01/21/2024: Philadelphia PA @ 118 North

01/22/2024: Providence RI @ Askew

01/23/2024: Woodbury CT @ Woodbury Brewing Company

01/25/2024: Cambridge MA @ Club Passim

01/27/2024: Montreal QC @ The Wheel Club

01/28/2024: Ottawa ON @ Live on Elgin

01/31/2024: Toronto ON @ Monarch Tavern

02/01/2024: Rochester NY @ Abilene

02/02/2024: Syracuse NY @ 443 Social Club

02/03/2024: Saratoga Springs NY @ Caffe Lena

02/04/2024: Northampton MA @ Parlor Room

02/06/2024: Buffalo NY @ 9th Ward

02/07/2024: Pittsburgh PA @ Club Cafe

02/08/2024: Ann Arbor MI @ The Ark

02/09/2024: Columbus OH @ Natalie’s

02/10/2024: Newport KY @ Southgate House Revival (Sanctuary)

02/12/2024: St. Louis MO @ City Winery

02/14/2024: Nashville, TN @ The Bluebird Cafe

02/15/2024: Louisville KY @ Red Room at Flanagan’s

02/17/2024: Memphis TN @ Hernando’s Hide-A-Way

02/18/2024: Fayetteville AR @ Folk School of Fayetteville

02/19/2024: Oklahoma City OK @ Blue Door

02/21/2024: Austin, TX @ Mohawk

02/22/2024: Houston, TX @ Mucky Duck

02/24/2024: San Antonio, TX @ Hermann Sons Ratskeller Bar

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Dan BernNew American Language (Remastered)Out Now(Grand Phony Records)

Streaming Link:

STREAM FULL LP

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Track Listing:

01. Sweetness

02. New American Language

03. Alaska Highway

04. God Said No  (YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD)

05. Turning Over

06. Black Tornado

07. Albuquerque Lullaby (YOUTUBE)

08. Tape

09. Honeydoo!

10. Toledo

11. Rice

12. Thanksgiving Day Parade

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More About New American Language by Dan Bern

Today sees the reissue, in a newly remastered edition, of New American Language, the 2001 album by acclaimed American songwriter, Dan Bern. Surprisingly, the occasion marks the first appearance of a Bern album on vinyl, during a career spanning more than 30 releases.

“Dan’s epic ‘Thanksgiving Day Parade,’ literally took two years to record,” says the song’s producer, Wil Masisak in the liner notes of the upcoming reissue. “The sense that we’d made something worth hearing coupled with the knowledge that we couldn’t have done this alone or without difficulty was immensely rewarding.

“Unfortunately, the release date was set for Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, and so it is that this incredible collection of American songwriting seemingly meant for those who did their best to carry on after 9/11 finds itself a little lost to time.”

“With Dan Bern’s large and acclaimed catalog, I have no idea how he has never had a vinyl release,” says John Young of Grand Phony Records (Mike Viola, Trapper Schoepp), the label that will reissue Bern’s landmark album. New American Language is my favorite Dan Bern album, Young says. With “fresh and vibrant” remastered audio, it is literally clearer that Bern’s lyrics “have proven to be prescient, as if they were written yesterday,” according to Young.

“National treasure” is an overused phrase to denote somebody whom Americans acknowledge as important. Someone whose contributions to the American fabric are numerous, never in doubt, but rarely at risk.

Bern and his work is something more ingrained than what “national treasure” can measure. What Bern has offered throughout a 30-album and counting career speaks to something deeper in us than any two-word workaround for actual criticism could define. Bern’s work takes those risks, and New American Language is his career’s most precarious statement. In a world filled with plenty of “safer” controversial subjects to write about, Bern could do that if he felt like it. We are better for his decision not to.

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Dan Bern | Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : INSTAGRAM : GRAND PHONY : SPOTIFY : APPLE

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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : TIKTOK : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL

“It fucked me up way more than I expected. I wrote these songs curled up in a ball.” Dave Boone quit a 15-year, two-pack-a-day cigarette habit to write his record.

“Ghost Kitty” EP by Boone’s band Alberta & The Dead Eyes out now; All-new album “Give Or Take” out March 15. Hear percussive piano driven “Bundled Up Blues”.

 

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Dave Boone of Alberta & The Dead Eyes as photographed by Ashlan Ounanian

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Alberta & The Dead Eyes | Live

02/03/2024: Seattle, WA @ The Rabbit Box Theater (Info)

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PLAY, POST & SHARE

Alberta & The Dead Eyes | “Bundled Up Blues”

Fanatic Promotion · Alberta & The Dead Eyes - Bundled Up Blues

[SOUNDCLOUD]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/alberta-the-dead-eyes-bundled-up-blues

[STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/AlbertaAndTheDeadEyes-BundledUpBlues

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About | “Bundled Up Blues”

“Alberta & The Dead Eyes’s ‘Bundled Up Blues’ sounds like the story of terrible things that occurred so long ago that laughing about it is not only permitted but encouraged. It’s a joyful, playful sound built on the blues. — Alt77

Check out the premiere of “Bundled Up Blues” by Alberta & The Dead Eyes at Spill Magazine here or listen at the links above!

“I remember fooling about with the chords that became this song on the piano at the house I shared with my slide player,” Boone remembers. “She said, ‘sounds too similar to other shit,’ so I turned the song into some sort of disco saloon tune with fun words. This is the one where I decided I’d just play drums on everything for now.” — Dave Boone of Alberta & The Dead Eyes

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Alberta & The Dead Eyes

“Ghost Kitty” EP

Out Now

(Dead Eyes Collective)

Streaming Link:

STREAM FULL EP

Track Listing:

01. Bundled Up Blues (STREAM)

02. Roofbeam Riser

03. Boyfriends (STREAM)

04. Excavation Blues

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Alberta & The Dead Eyes | About

Alberta & The Dead Eyes is the giant-sounding band that in reality is the majority work of one real-life carpenter, David Boone (or D. Boone as he often signs off, evoking another literal and figurative giant of musical history, D. Boon of The Minutemen.)

In fact, Boone’s songs contain that same ramshackle joy and conversational, inclusive tone that Boon’s do. It’s the sound of a natural talent letting it fly.

“I’m a carpenter by day and sometimes even by night,” Boone says. “A fine carpenter at that, but a better musician.”

You may want to leave the page now to find out more about Boone, but don’t bother. He made the right choice. The choice that none of us made and many wish we had. Boone is nowhere to be found on social media.

He lets the songs do the sharing.

Alberta & The Dead Eyes will release its new 11-song album Give or Take on March 15, 2024. The album is preceded by “Ghost Kitty,” a four-song EP of additional songs, out now.

The songs on Give or Take represent a man in withdrawal from a two-packs-a-day cigarette habit that went on for 15 years.

“Mama, did it fuck me up more than I expected,” Boone confesses. “I wrote the entire record pretty much curled up in a ball.”

Grieving his relationship with nicotine while composing, Boone kept company with his influences, numerous and varied. So numerous and varied that mentioning a handful isn’t going to help you any more than looking for Boone online will.

“I love Billie Holiday. And The Stooges. And The Band. And Outkast. And Duke Ellington. And Cole Porter. And David Sedaris. And Bill Watterson. And the Detroit Pistons. And John fucking Prine.”

Boone doesn’t mention The Minutemen, but likely would, if prompted.

“I mean Jesus, should I keep going?”

Get it?

The thing about Boone as musician that isn’t likely is how much Boone as carpenter makes it into his music. He doesn’t mention the Grateful Dead either, but the steadfast focus that underpins Boone’s freestyle nature is kinda Alberta & The Workingman’s Dead Eyes.

“I’m a complete ‘no one is coming to save you’ type of person,” he explains. “Keep your head down and do your job. Musician schmoosician. Do what your supposed to fucking do. Write good songs. Play good shows. Show up on time. Be humble and be fucking nice.”

A real-life carpenter keeping it real-life real. Refreshing.

It should be even less surprising now that musician Boone rejected Instagram squares for T-squares just like he painfully swore off smokes cold turkey for the clean lungs that arrived with the songs, or as Boone sees it, he arrived to them.

“The songs are just there, hanging out, waiting for someone,” he says.

Now that someone is you.

Alberta & The Dead Eyes will release its new 11-song album Give or Take on March 15, 2024, preceded by “Ghost Kitty,” a four-song EP of additional songs, out now.

Dave Boone of Alberta & The Dead Eyes is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Alberta & The Dead Eyes | Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE

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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact

TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : TIKTOK : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL

“You can hear Norwood channel that intensity in his performance, bringing a punk rock lineage to his R&B.” New video by The Knockdown Dragout out now.

“Dancing in our little tiny kitchen after we put the kids to bed and have done the dishes is as good a place as any for romance,” says Chris J Norwood of new clip.

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Chris J Norwood as photographed by Joseph Brewster

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“A hell of an introduction for those looking for their next favorite modern soul act... features a full ensemble horn section, feisty guitar, and thick, funky organ playing to complement Norwood’s smoothly flowing vocals.” — Glide Magazine

Chris J Norwood has left behind his acoustic guitar to make the album of his dreams. He is now a bandleader, commanding a Stax-inspired ensemble cutting tracks live on the studio floor in the same building where Willie Nelson made Red Headed Stranger.

“I have wanted to make this record for a long time,” Norwood says about a passion so strong, he parted ways with his record label to be able to see his vision through. “If you were to come over on a Saturday afternoon, Otis Redding is what is playing on the stereo.”

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Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout | “Dancing In The Kitchen”

[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJFc3uVbuLQ
[STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/TheKnockdownDragout-DancingInTheKitchen
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About | “Dancing In The Kitchen”
Watch the video for “Dancing In The Kitchen” via Adobe & Teardrops here or at links above!
“You can hear Norwood channel that intensity in his performance, bringing a punk rock lineage to his R&B. ‘Dancing in the Kitchen’ is a reprieve on an album that chronicles Norwood’s victories and defeats, but we get the sense of a determined drive to keep pushing through it all.” — Adobe & Teardrops
“‘Dancing In The Kitchen’ is a love song for my wife Carrie that is true to where we are at in our lives. We have been married for over a decade, and we have small kids, so if there is going to be romance, we have to make it happen. Dancing in our little tiny kitchen after we put the kids to bed and have done the dishes is as good a place as any for romance!
“I wanted the video to feel like a fly on the wall. The video is about the most accurate portrait of our love for each other as possible. The other part of the video, where you see me playing into the spotlights, is a nod to the Otis Redding video ‘I've Been Loving You’ from the Monterey Pop Festival 1967.” — Chris J Norwood
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Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout | Live

KXT 91.7’s Local Show Presents: Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout at The Kessler Theater on Fri., Feb. 9.

[TICKETS]: https://bit.ly/THE-KNOCKDOWN-DRAGOUT-KESSLER-020924

[RSVP]: https://www.facebook.com/events/883887649532525

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Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout

The Knockdown Dragout

Feb. 9, 2024

(Gastonwood Music)

Track Listing:

01. Introducing...

02. The Knockdown Dragout (STREAM | VIDEO)

03. The Cheap Seats

04. Dancing In The Kitchen (STREAM | VIDEO)

05. Run Rosie Run

06. I Want It All

07. Love Me Back To Life

08. Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song) (STREAM)

09. The GOAT

10. Got To Get Back To Texas

11. Darling Don’t Leave

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Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout | About

If the photographic evidence accompanying The Knockdown Dragout (Gastonwood Music, Feb. 9, 2024) is any indication, then Chris J Norwood is a beaten man.

Beaten, maybe… But not out!

As Norwood sings on “The Knockdown Dragout” — the ensemble, album, and first single all share the same name — he is a fighter:

I know it don’t look good

They got me up against the ropes

I ain’t no light weight kid

I got the fight, the will, the hope

The “will” and “hope” part comes in as the Dallas-based songwriter — and now bandleader, commanding a Stax-inspired ensemble cutting tracks live on the studio floor in the same building where Willie Nelson made Red Headed Stranger — leaves behind his acoustic guitar to make the album of his dreams.

“I have wanted to make this record for a long time,” Norwood says about a passion so strong, he parted ways with his record label to be able to see his vision through. “If you were to come over on a Saturday afternoon, Otis Redding is what is playing on the stereo.”

The Knockdown Dragout cover the Redding classic “Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song)” in a joyous rendition that sits perfectly alongside Norwood’s originals.

“I had to include an Otis cover,” Norwood explains. You can’t help but feel good, and that’s what I love about soul music. Even the sad songs make you dance.”

Norwood had become tired of sadness.

“I’m disillusioned with the ‘sad bastard’ scene of singer-songwriters that I found myself a part of,” he admits. After releasing two records that reckoned with darkness and personal tragedy, Norwood wanted to make an album that was “just fun.”

A “knockdown dragout” is a phrase I used to hear my mother use,” he explains of the album’s statement of purpose, which also addresses his relationship with the music industry. “It’s essentially a fight between two people that is particularly bad.” Norwood’s decision to leave his label to make this album was actually amicable, but even civil closure smarts.

The same goes for Norwood’s surprise genre switch-up.

“I wanted to write some songs that I could actually sing to Carrie and dance in the kitchen to,” he says,  alluding to one of the album’s standout tracks, “Dancing In The Kitchen,” a love song to Norwood’s wife.

“Finally! Songs that are about me!” Carrie Norwood, who also appears on the record as one-half of the background vocal duo, The Knockouts, jokes.

“Being a Knockout comes with attitude and sass,” she says. “The world is pretty crazy right now, but there is still love and goodness to sing about.”

After listening to the celebratory songs on The Knockdown Dragout,  Norwood’s “will” and “hope” win this bout by unanimous decision.

The Knockdown Dragout by Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout arrives Feb. 9, 2024 via Gastonwood Music.

Chris J Norwood is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout | “The Knockdown Dragout”

[WATCH]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlYSCvFBX5w
[STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/TheKnockdownDragout-TheKnockdownDragout
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See the video for the eponymous cut “The Knockdown Dragout” at Americana Highways, listen via Glide Magazine (or use the links above!)

“Swaggery and enjoyable... Bluesy glory characterizes this song from the start. Playing together in the woodsy studio helps bolster this song’s Stax-style intent.” — Americana Highways

How did this track come together? Watch the latest episode of Chris J Norwood’s “Breaking It Down” series for the answers!

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About The Video | “The Knockdown Dragout”

“We had a lot of fun and that is something I wanted to showcase with the music video,” Norwood says. “When I first started dreaming up this project, it was important to record in the same way my favorite Stax and Motown records were recorded. All the musicians playing together in a great sounding room with vintage gear.

“Audio Dallas immediately came to mind and was the perfect studio for us. It’s got such a storied history, with so many great records made there. It looks virtually the same as it did in the 70s.

“In a lot of ways the studio was like another member of the band. There’s a reason why records that are made this way sound the way they do. There’s a joy and a camaraderie and a vibe when you make music with your friends.”  — Chris J Norwood

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Chris J Norwood | Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : 
BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE

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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : TIKTOK : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL