Freedy Johnston Brings Neon Repairman

FREEDY JOHNSTON TO RELEASE NEON REPAIRMAN – FIRST ALBUM IN FIVE YEARS

STEREOGUM PREMIERED TITLE TRACK MAY 5TH

NATIONAL TOURDATES ANNOUNCED & INSTORES @GOORIN HAT CO.

After twenty years of one great disc after another, the kid from Kansas is back. Bearing maybe the best record he’s ever made, Neon Repairman. And its songs will keep you up nights, just like those bright lights of the title track.

Like most of the general public, you probably first heard Freedy when his chiming, catchy single, Bad Reputation, full of his trademark tunefulness and street-level lyrics hit the airwaves. The song was the opening salvo of Johnston’s masterpiece, This Perfect World, superbly-produced by the legendary Butch Vig, of Nirvana fame. Vig kept the record radio-friendly, but brought enough clarity so that Freedy’s characters, the lost, criminal and crazy, all came through loud and clear. These desperate people caught not just the average listener, but filmmakers The Farrelly Brothers. Soon, several of Johnston’s tunes showed up in their comedy Kingpin. Topping that achievement, in 1995, Rolling Stone Magazine named Johnston Songwriter Of The Year. Enough to bring color to any man’s face. But when you saw that number two was Kurt Cobain, well, Johnston must’ve really blushed. Rolling Stone made the right decision, too. It won’t be long until This Perfect World, starts showing up on everyone’s All-Time Best Album lists.

Johnston made several more superb discs for his label, but his luck could’ve been better. The record industry nosediving, he went indie. While producing several more solo gems, And after raising funds indepedently, Johnson has produced another peak, easily the equal of his Elektra albums. Neon Repairman glows with the same gorgeous, lonely light that its title song implies. ‘Repairman’ is one for the ages. The songwriter felt so protective of it, that for the first time, he produced the record himself, perfectly.

The driving, the solitude, the blue-collar work ethic evinced in the title of his new album suits Johnston to a T. He does dozens of dates every year across our big country. New albums are great and Freedy’s new one is arguably his best. But when he saunters through your city, see him live. Johnston is wonderful in concert. His guitar playing is strong, his singing as lean, lonesome and American as Henry Fonda in The Grapes of Wrath. Freedy will be out soon, playing songs from Neon Repairman and other favorites. He’ll have CDs and T shirts to buy after the show. As for fixing your neon sign? You’ll have to take that up with him personally. But if he can’t, you’ll still be glad you caught this superb singer-songwriter. He’s as bright and striking as the neon signs that show up in the night. Just when we need a place to go for company, coffee, a movie. Or simply someplace warm. A joint that will take us in. When we need it the most.

CATCH THE PREMIERE OF THE TITLE TRACK ON STEREOGUM
http://www.stereogum.com/1798607/freedy-johnston-neon-repairman-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

www.freedyjohnston.com

TOURDATES

MAY 7       Harrisburg, PA      Stage on Herr
MAY 8       Cleveland, OH      Music Box
MAY 10     Chicago, IL           Olde Town School of Folk
MAY 12      Minneapolis, MN Dakata Jazz
MAY 14      Kansas City, MO  Davey’s Uptown
MAY 28      New York, NY     Rockwood 3
JUN 25      New York, NY      Rockwood 3  *Record Release Party”

IN-STORES AT GOORIN HAT COMPANY 2PM
CHI (5/10) MINNEAPOLIS (5/12) & PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN (6/27)