Continuing a journey he started almost 20 years ago, Portland slide guitarist Kelly Joe Phelps has announced his ninth full-length album, Brother Sinner and the Whale. The rustic Americana artist's next effort arrives August 21 through Black Hen Music.
According to a press release, the outing, which follows 2009's Western Bell, was recorded in Vancouver with friend and fellow folkie Steve Dawson. The album is primed to build off Phelps's prolific career, but new tunes like "Talking to Jehovah" and "I've been Converted" have seemingly taken him in a more spiritual direction.
"This is going to be referred to as a gospel record, I suppose," Phelps said in a statement. "It'll sound contemporary because of the way I play and write. But, thematically, I'm basing my compositional approach on old styles like the old blues and folk guys played."
Phelps will also be taking his tunes around the world, with his lengthy tour schedule starting up tomorrow (May 30) at Oakville, ON's Moonshine Café. From there, he'll hit up Canada with gigs in Ontario, Quebec and BC, make his way into Japan in July, head through the U.S. and Europe in the fall, and wrap up the year with some Western Canadian dates. You can see the full schedule down below.
Brother Sinner and the Whale:
1. Talking To Jehovah
2. Goodbye To Sorrow
3. Hope In The Lord To Provide
4. Pilgrim's Reach
5. Spit Me Outta The Whale
6. Sometimes A Drifter
7. Hard Time They Never Go Away
8. I've Been Converted
9. The Holy Spirit Flood
10. Down To The Praying Ground
11. Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah
12. Brother Pilgrim
Tour dates:
5/30 Oakville, ON - Moonshine Café
5/31 Rouyn-Noranda, QC - Petit Theater Du Festival
6/1 Toronto, ON - Hugh's Room
6/2 Wakefield, QC - Black Sheep Inn
6/3 London, ON - The London Music Club
6/4 Waterloo, ON - Original Princess Cinema
6/29 Saint Andrew Avellin, QC - Le Petit Cafe de l'Auberge
7/1 Montreal, QC - Montreal International Jazz Festival Place Des Arts
7/14 Bend, OR - Bend Summer Festival
7/15-23 Japan Tour
8/11 Burnaby, BC - Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival
8/18-19 Salmon Arm, BC - Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival
8/21 Portland, OR - Music Millenium
9/6 Fall River, MA - Narrows Center for the Arts
9/7 New York, NY - Joe's Pub
9/8 Pawling, NY - Towne Crier Café
9/9 Arlington, VA - Iota Club & Café
9/10 Rehoboth Beach, DE - Dog Fish Head
9/11 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
9/12 Cambridge, MA - Club Passim
9/13 Collinsville, CT - Bridge Street Live
9/15 Chinon, France - Collegiale St. Mexme
9/18 Ingolstadt, Germany - Neue Welt
9/19 Wissen, Germany - Kulturfabrik
9/21 Spijkerboor, NL - Cafe 't Keerpunt
9/23 Aalsmeer, NL - Oude Veiling
9/24 Eindhoven, NL - Meneer Frits
9/25 Leiden, NL - Q-Bus
9/27 Den Haag, NL - Transvaria
9/28 Bakkeveen, NL - Muziekpodium Bakkeveen
9/29 Lage Vuursche, NL - In The Woods
9/30 Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
10/3 Carbondale, CO - Steve's Guitar
10/4 Ft. Collins, CO - Avagadro's Number
10/5 Colorado Springs, CO - The Loft
10/6 Denver, CO - Soiled Dove Underground
11/28 Duncan, BC - Duncan Garage Showroom
11/29 North Vancouver, BC - North Shore Centre for the Performing Arts
11/30 Penticton, BC - The Dream Café
12/5 Cranbrook, BC - The Stage Door
12/6 Coleman, AB - Blackbird Coffee House
According to a press release, the outing, which follows 2009's Western Bell, was recorded in Vancouver with friend and fellow folkie Steve Dawson. The album is primed to build off Phelps's prolific career, but new tunes like "Talking to Jehovah" and "I've been Converted" have seemingly taken him in a more spiritual direction.
"This is going to be referred to as a gospel record, I suppose," Phelps said in a statement. "It'll sound contemporary because of the way I play and write. But, thematically, I'm basing my compositional approach on old styles like the old blues and folk guys played."
Phelps will also be taking his tunes around the world, with his lengthy tour schedule starting up tomorrow (May 30) at Oakville, ON's Moonshine Café. From there, he'll hit up Canada with gigs in Ontario, Quebec and BC, make his way into Japan in July, head through the U.S. and Europe in the fall, and wrap up the year with some Western Canadian dates. You can see the full schedule down below.
Brother Sinner and the Whale:
1. Talking To Jehovah
2. Goodbye To Sorrow
3. Hope In The Lord To Provide
4. Pilgrim's Reach
5. Spit Me Outta The Whale
6. Sometimes A Drifter
7. Hard Time They Never Go Away
8. I've Been Converted
9. The Holy Spirit Flood
10. Down To The Praying Ground
11. Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah
12. Brother Pilgrim
Tour dates:
5/30 Oakville, ON - Moonshine Café
5/31 Rouyn-Noranda, QC - Petit Theater Du Festival
6/1 Toronto, ON - Hugh's Room
6/2 Wakefield, QC - Black Sheep Inn
6/3 London, ON - The London Music Club
6/4 Waterloo, ON - Original Princess Cinema
6/29 Saint Andrew Avellin, QC - Le Petit Cafe de l'Auberge
7/1 Montreal, QC - Montreal International Jazz Festival Place Des Arts
7/14 Bend, OR - Bend Summer Festival
7/15-23 Japan Tour
8/11 Burnaby, BC - Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival
8/18-19 Salmon Arm, BC - Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival
8/21 Portland, OR - Music Millenium
9/6 Fall River, MA - Narrows Center for the Arts
9/7 New York, NY - Joe's Pub
9/8 Pawling, NY - Towne Crier Café
9/9 Arlington, VA - Iota Club & Café
9/10 Rehoboth Beach, DE - Dog Fish Head
9/11 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
9/12 Cambridge, MA - Club Passim
9/13 Collinsville, CT - Bridge Street Live
9/15 Chinon, France - Collegiale St. Mexme
9/18 Ingolstadt, Germany - Neue Welt
9/19 Wissen, Germany - Kulturfabrik
9/21 Spijkerboor, NL - Cafe 't Keerpunt
9/23 Aalsmeer, NL - Oude Veiling
9/24 Eindhoven, NL - Meneer Frits
9/25 Leiden, NL - Q-Bus
9/27 Den Haag, NL - Transvaria
9/28 Bakkeveen, NL - Muziekpodium Bakkeveen
9/29 Lage Vuursche, NL - In The Woods
9/30 Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
10/3 Carbondale, CO - Steve's Guitar
10/4 Ft. Collins, CO - Avagadro's Number
10/5 Colorado Springs, CO - The Loft
10/6 Denver, CO - Soiled Dove Underground
11/28 Duncan, BC - Duncan Garage Showroom
11/29 North Vancouver, BC - North Shore Centre for the Performing Arts
11/30 Penticton, BC - The Dream Café
12/5 Cranbrook, BC - The Stage Door
12/6 Coleman, AB - Blackbird Coffee House
