FULL ALBUM NOW STREAMING AS NPR MUSIC “FIRST LISTEN”
APPEARED ON HIS FATHER STEVE EARLE’S HARDCORE TROUBADOUR RADIO SHOW THIS WEEKEND
ON SIRIUSXM OUTLAW COUNTRY, AS PREVIEWED BY ROLLING STONE COUNTRY
ON TOUR NOW WITH THE SADIES AS HIS BACKING & SUPPORT BAND
“Justin Townes Earle’s Kids In The Street is his finest album to date.” UPROXX
Justin Townes Earle is set to release his New West Records debut Kids In The Street next Friday, May 26th. The 12-song set was produced by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, First Aid Kit) at his ARC Studios, and is the first time in his career that Earle has worked with an outside producer. Kids In The Street marks a decade into Earle’s recording career and follows his acclaimed companion albums Single Mothers (2014) and Absent Fathers (2015). The deeply soulful set is both emotionally riveting and effortlessly uplifting, with UPROXX exclaiming “Justin Townes Earle’s Kids In The Street is his finest album to date.” Now embracing sobriety, marriage, and impending fatherhood, Earle is enthusiastically looking to the future. “Life has changed a lot for me in the last few years,” he reflects. “I got married and am getting ready to become a father, and this is the first record that I’ve written since I’ve been married. There’s definitely an uplifting aspect to this record in a lot of ways, because I’m feeling pretty positive.” He continues, “When I wrote songs in the past, I was looking in on what I was feeling, but this record’s more about looking outward on what’s happening, and writing about subjects like gentrification and inner city strife. This record also has more of a soul influence to it, and it’s got a deeper connection to the blues than anything I’ve done before.” NPR Music is hosting the full album stream as a First Listen, stating “Kids In The Street is the veteran songwriter’s most pleasing and playful effort to date.” Billboard Magazine premiered the first video from the album for single “Maybe A Moment” alongside an in depth interview with Earle about his inspiration for the song and record. The Alicia J. Rose-directed video can be seen HERE. Kids In the Street will be available on vinyl, compact disc, and digitally. The album is now available for pre-order via PledgeMusic including an exclusive, limited edition colored vinyl version of the LP, cassette tape, and a special 7” single including “Maybe A Moment” as well as Earle’s reading of Paul Simon’s “Graceland.”
Justin Townes Earle appeared on his father Steve Earle’s “Hardcore Troubadour Radio” show on SiriusXM Outlaw Country this weekend. The special episode featured Justin performing songs from Kids In The Street live in-studio and talking with his father about his musical education and his own impending fatherhood. Rolling Stone Country previewed the episode with interview clips and a solo performance of album opener “Champagne Corolla,” which can be seen Here. “Hardcore Troubadour Radio” airs on SiriusXM Channel 60 Monday 5/22 at 1am and 11am ET, Tuesday 5/23 at 12am ET and Wednesday 5/24 at 9pm ET.
Several of the songs on Kids On The Street reference the lower-middle-class Nashville neighborhoods of Earle’s youth, which in recent years some say have lost their character to the creeping scourge of gentrification. Significantly, the album is the first of Earle’s not recorded in Nashville. “It’s the first time that I’ve worked outside of my usual umbrella of people to make a record,” Earle explains, adding “In Nashville, if you have the right connections, it’ll spoil the shit out of you, because you’ve got access to the best musicians in the world and the best studios in the world. If you had told me when I started making records, that I wasn’t gonna make every record in Nashville, I would have told you you were crazy. And if you’d told me that I’d end up making a record in Omaha, I’d tell you you were out of your freaking mind.”
Earle’s fierce fidelity to his creative muse has been a consistent thread throughout his young life. Born in Nashville on January 4th, 1982, he grew up as the son of country-rock iconoclast Steve Earle, who gave him his middle name in honor of his mentor, the brilliant songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Justin quickly came into his own as a songwriter and performer, displaying a natural talent for deeply revealing lyrics that reflected his often-harsh life experiences, and a musical approach that effortlessly integrated elements of blues, folk, and country. His 2007 debut EP Yuma set the stage for a steady stream of acclaimed albums.
Justin Townes Earle is currently on tour with his longtime guitarist Paul Niehaus alongside The Sadies as his backing band (they will also support each U.S. show). Please see all dates below, with more to be added soon.
Kids In The Street Track Listing:
1. Champagne Corolla
2. Maybe A Moment
3. What’s She Crying For
4. 15-25
5. Kids In The Street
6. Faded Valentine
7. What’s Goin’ Wrong
8. Short Hair Woman
9. Same Old Stagolee
10. If I Was The Devil
11. Trouble Is
12. There Go A Fool
Justin Townes Earle on Tour:
May 22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
May 23 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
May 24 – Iowa City, IA @ The Englert Theater
May 26 – Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theater
May 27 – Bellvue, CO @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre
May 28 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
May 30 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
May 31 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
June 2 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
June 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
June 4 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box
June 16 – Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Stora Salen St
June 17 – Goteborg, SE @ Pustervik
June 18 – Malmo, SE @ KB
June 19 – Berlin, DE @ Quasimodo
June 21 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher
June 22 – Koln, DE @ Stadtgarten
June 23 – Frankfurt, DE @ Brotfabrik
June 26 – Bristol, UK @ The Tunnels
June 28 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee
June 29 – Bergen, NO @ Madame Felle
July 1 – Woodbridge, UK @ Easton Farm
July 2 – Sheffield, UK @ Sheffield Memorial Hall
July 3 – York, UK @ The Crescent
July 4 – London, UK @ Omeara