The Big Surprise Tour

From The Felice Bros:

PROUDLY ANNOUNCING THE BIG SURPRISE TOUR AN OLD FASHIONED REVUE FEATURING OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW, DAVE RAWLINGS MACHINE (FEAT. GILLIAN WELCH), THE FELICE BROTHERS, AND JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE 

Born out of a deep running comradery built on countless tours and ties between a host of excellent musicians comes THE BIG SURPRISE TOUR, a traveling show of epic collaboration and good times. Kicking off in Hampton Beach, NH on August 4th, THE BIG SURPRISE TOUR is not your standard up down up down line up.  Shows will be composed of two 90-minute sets broken up by an intermission.  In a free form ramshackle flow the bands and artists will share the stage, taking part in each other’s songs, resurrecting old standards, and playing newly written collaborative material as they go.  Each evening is sure to be a unique experience as they all put their many combined years of musicianship and knowledge of song-craft and American music into play for these sessions.

Ketch Secor from Old Crow speaks of the special relationship these bands have and the parts they’ve played in their own individual journey as musicians. “Seven Years ago when Old Crow first met Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch at the Station Inn in Nashville, we stayed up till dawn singing Stan Rogers songs and playing AC/DC licks.  Three weeks later we were making a record.  They were that rusted sign at the fork in the road showing OCMS just where it was headed.” With the Felice Brothers as Secor explains it, “with their rockin’ unruliness, we found where we had come from in the first place. Music is a mobius strip, contort all ya want and you’ll keep winding up where you started.”  Justin Townes Earle is “looking forward to being on tour with folks that are kindred spirits. We all have similar influences, which will be reflected in the covers we do during the show and our collaborations on stage.”  For their part, James Felice reminisces that they’ve “traveled around the country with Justin and Cory (of Justin Townes Earle) playing some pretty bizarre gigs.  We couldn’t love those guys more.”  “As for Old Crow…” he says, “they cleaned us out playing dice more than once.”  Perhaps they’ll get a chance to even the score on these dates.

Borrowing from the title of a Felice Brothers track, THE BIG SURPRISE TOUR will live up to its namesake.  As Secor states, the audience should “expect the unexpected!”  “Music is wild and not tame” he says, and with this tour the artists involved hope to fully unleash the true and unpredictable spirit of creativity.  Heaven knows that combined they have a wealth of it to draw from.

Tour Dates Below:

AUGUST 2009

04 – Hampton Beach, NH @ Casino Ballroom | more info

05 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues | more info

06 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre | more info

07 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory | more info

09 – Charlottesville, VA @ Charlottesville Pavilion | more info

10 – Cary, NC @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre | more info

12 – Louisville, KY @ Waterfront Park | more info

13 – Nashville, TN @ Riverfront Park | more info

14 – Knoxville, TN @ World’s Fair Park | more info

A bit about the artists:

Old Crow Medicine Show have been on the road behind their latest album Tennessee Pusher since its release last September, headlining sold-out dates across the US, UK and Australia/New Zealand and making special appearances on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, A Prairie Home Companion, World Cafe and more. Additionally, the fivesome were asked to open for Dave Matthews Band on recent dates, including upcoming shows in New York.  Known for their infectious live show, OCMS is also one of the headliners for Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival on Saturday, June 20, which celebrates 40 years of protecting and preserving the Hudson River.

Dave Rawlings Machine is a collaboration between David Rawlings and Gillian Welch.  David Rawlings knack for meticulously crafted arrangements helped earn a Grammy nomination as producer for Gillian Welch’s Time (The Revelator). He went on to produce Gillian’s 2003 release Soul Journey as well as records by Old Crow Medicine Show and Robyn Hitchcock.  David and Gillian are in the studio this summer working on a Dave Rawlings Machine record which may never be released.

The Felice Brothers (Ian and James) and their long time friends and band mates Greg Farley, Christmas Clapton, and Searcher, come to us from the Catskill Mountains, where a homegrown sound has been working its way through the bloodlines for generations. Their recent April ’09 release Yonder Is The Clock has gained wide spread critical acclaim from all corners including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Spin, NPR, and Entertainment Weekly among many others.

Justin Townes Earle’s latest release, Midnight at the Movies, has been tearing things up. He’s recently done sessions on WNYC’s Soundcheck, KEXP, NPR’s “World Cafe,” and Daytrotter. Rolling Stone gave Midnight at the Movies four stars, and Esquire called standout track “Mama’s Eyes” one of the 50 songs every man should be listening to. His new video, for the title track, will premiere exclusively with Amazon.com this week.