- in Entertainment News by Mike
Joe Pug’s “Bright Beginnings” Debuts
Joe Pug Premieres New Track
New Album Windfall To Be Released On March 10
Austin-based Joe Pug returns with Windfall, a 10-song indie-folk gem that is poised to cement his reputation as one of America’s most respected young songwriters. After hundreds of shows, including stops at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and the Newport Folk Festival, Pug set up camp in Lexington, KY to record his third LP.
Her is the album opener, “Bright Beginnings” from his forthcoming release. Premiering on Consequence of Sound the track is filled with “lush piano and understated guitar” to “create a pristine soundscape.”
The agenda on Windfall was much simpler than previous albums. “The aim on this one was very straightforward. We wanted to capture the music just the way we play it, with minimal production. It was a very back to basics approach because ultimately that’s what I love about music, and that’s what I love about making music. I wanted to record these songs the way they were written and put them out in the world.”
The result is a collection of songs that are as close as we’ve gotten to a road map to Pug’s ambitions. He has collected plenty of the requisite Dylan comparisons over his young career but on this record it’s easier to hear the sway of more contemporary influences like Josh Ritter, Ryan Adams and M.Ward.
The theme of resilience plays a central role throughout Windfall. The weary protagonist in “Veteran Fighter” wills his way further down the highway despite the gloom that seems certain to overtake him. “The Measure”, a song inspired in part by Frederic Buechner’s novel Godric, marvels at “every inch of anguish, laid out side by side” but ultimately finds that “All we’ve lost is nothing to what we’ve found.”
“I never really write songs with a specific narrative in mind,” Pug explains. “When you’re sort of pushing through a dark period of your life it’s probably inevitable that some of that is going to find its way onto the page. But in the same way, by the time we were in the studio the process had become very effortless and joyful. And hopefully you can hear a lot of that on the record as well.”
The duality of the record is on show in this newest single and the rest of the songs from the forthcoming release promise to be just as moving. Windfall will be released on March 10, 2015 on Lightning Rod Records in the United States and Loose Music in Europe.
Tour Dates:
2/3/15 in Chico, CA at Senator Theatre
2/4/15 in Arcata, CA at Humboldt State University Center Arts
2/5/15 in Eugene, OR at McDonald Theatre
2/6/15 in Vancouver, Canada at Commodore Ballroom
2/7/15 in Seattle, WA at Paramount Theatre
3/6/15 in Gruene, TX at Gruene Hall
3/14/15 in Norman, OK at Opolis
3/16/15 in Albuquerque, NM at Low Spirits
3/17/15 in Phoenix, AZ at Valley Bar
3/18/15 in San Diego, CA at The Casbah
3/19/15 in Los Angeles, CA at Echo
3/20/15 in San Francisco, CA at The Independent
3/28/14 in Portland, OR at the Aladdin Theatre
3/29/15 in Spokane, WA at The Bartlett
3/30/15 in Missoula, MT at The Top Hat
4/1/15 in Salt Lake City, UT at The State Room
4/3/15 in Denver, CO at The Bluebird
4/4/15 in Kansas City, MO at The Record Bar
4/7/15 in St. Louis, MO at The Firebird
4/9/15 in St. Paul, MN at The Turf Club
4/10/15 in Madison, WI at High Noon Saloon
4/11/15 in Chicago, IL at The Vic Theatre
4/22/15 in Indianapolis, IN at HIFI
4/23/15 in Nashville, TN at The High Watt
4/24/15 in Carrboro, NC at The Cat’s Cradle
4/25/15 in Asheville, NC at The Grey Eagle
4/26/15 in Charlottesville, VA at The Southern
4/29/15 in Philadelphia, PA at Boot and Saddle
4/30/15 in Boston, MA at Brighton Music Hall
5/1/15 in New York, NY at The Bowery Ballroom
5/2/15 in Washington, DC at 9:30 Club
5/3/15 in Charleston, WV at Mountain Stage
5/5/15 in Pittsburgh, PA at Club Café
5/6/15 in Cleveland, OH at The Beachland Tavern
5/7/15 in Buffalo, NY at The Ninth Ward
5/9/15 in Ann Arbor, MI at The Blind Pig
5/10/15 in Columbus, OH at The Basement
5/13/15 in Fayetteville, AR at George’s Majestic
5/14/15 in Dallas, TX at Club Dada
5/15/15 in Houston, TX at Fitzgerald’s
5/16/15 in Austin, TX at Red 7