On the heels of 2019’s From Another World, the prolific, two-time GRAMMY Award-winning American music icon Jim Lauderdale will release his 33rd album, When Carolina Comes Homes Again, March 6 on Yep Roc Records. The first single, “As A Sign,” co-written with the late Robert Hunter, is now available at all digital platforms.
Returning to his geographical and musical roots, the 13-track bluegrass album pays homage to his native North Carolina and harkens back to the earliest music he learned to play. Recorded at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, NC, the album features instrumental accompaniment from various members of NC-based acts, including Balsam Range, Cane Mill Road, Hank Pattie & the Current, John Stickley, Songs From The Road Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Town Mountain; as well as Matt Pruett (banjo); Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw (fiddle); Aaron Ramsey (mandolin); Nick Dauphinais and Presley Barker on guitars.
North Carolina has such a long and important heritage in bluegrass music. Since it’s where I’m originally from and where I started playing bluegrass, it seemed right to go back to my roots in bluegrass there and collaborate with musicians in that area. There’s just something in the atmosphere there. Hearing bluegrass in different areas and settings in North Carolina, the music is just there in the air. The first bluegrass festival I ever went to was Union Grove when I was 14, and it blew my mind. The music got into my bones, and I just had to get a banjo.
Jim Lauderdale
After a heavy 2019 touring schedule, including two trips to Australia, Lauderdale will continue his From Another World tour with a string of U.S. dates across the West Coast in May, before embarking on a tour in support of When Carolina Comes Home Again.
The shows will feature the legendary singer-songwriter backed by a red hot band hand-picked by Lauderdale from across three separate countries, performing a selection of songs from across his formidable catalog – from the hits artists like George Strait and Patty Loveless ruled the charts within the 90s through to selections from the acclaimed From Another World. You never know what to expect at a Jim Lauderdale gig, with recent shows featuring surprise duets, impromptu audience requests, and guest horn sections briefly turning the show into a soul revue.
“One thing I’m looking forward to doing in these shows is paying tribute to my late friend, hero, and co-writer Robert Hunter. We’re going to do a mini-set of some of my favorite songs he and I wrote together, our way of bringing his spirit to the stage each night,” adds Lauderdale.
Lauderdale will be joined on tour by special guest Imogen Clark, an acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter. She toured the East Coast with Clare Bowen earlier this year and has performed at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville.
WEST COAST TOUR DATES
May 3 –- TBC – Kansas City, MO
May 6 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
May 7 – White Eagle Saloon – Portland, OR
May 9 – Domino Room – Bend, OR
May 10 – Goldfield Trading Post – Sacramento, CA
May 14 – The Wayfarer – Costa Mesa, CA
May 15 – Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA
May 16 – Hotel Congress – Tucson, AZ