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Bobby Long’s ‘Thinking’ Tour
Bobby Long returns to the open road come August with a coast-to-coast tour in support of his new album. With a gig at Glastonbury planned for later this month, the British singer/songwriter launches his latest U.S. adventure on the West Coast in early August.
Arriving August 7, Long’s third album, Ode To Thinking, will be released via Nashville-based Compass Records. Long recently signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with the label for distribution of the new CD.
“This record started when I realized that the first five songs I wrote for it were probably the most personal songs I’d ever written,” Long said. “That was the start of the journey. Ode To Thinking was one of the first songs I had written (for the album), and it was the definite turning point creatively where I felt, as I’m getting older, that I’m getting more interested in what’s going on politically and socially. I now think it’s really important to educate yourself and to take an interest in what’s going on in the world.”
Recorded last fall, Long’s new LP was produced by Mark Hallman at his Congress House Studios at his congress House Studios.
“We worked so fast,” Long said about the recording of Ode To Thinking. “We recorded 14 songs in 11 days which is kind of unheard of really. Mark plays so many different instruments – drums, bass, piano – so he has everything at his fingertips, and he really understands what it takes to make a good sounding record. It felt like a special time recording it.”
Long turned to PledgeMusic to crowdfund Ode To Thinking. Along with pre-ordering the disc, fans could opt for tiers that included specially designed T-shirts, private shows, handwritten poems and lyrics, resulting in the album hitting the fully funded mark in four weeks.
“It was singularly the most creative collaboration of my life,” Long said. “I definitely felt that when I was in the studio – more so than ever before – that I was recording an album for everybody else, and especially for the people who were so generous with their time in getting the word out and with their hard-earned money. It’s something I will never forget, and I feel extremely lucky to be able to have done it.”
Now Long has dates to support Ode To Thinking. Following his June 27 gig on Glastonbury’s Acoustic Stage, Long begins his U.S. journey Aug. 1 in Santa Monica and wraps Sept. 27 in Old Saybrook, Conn. Here’s the schedule:
Aug. 1 – Santa Monica, Calif., McCabe’s Guitar Shop
Aug. 8 – Vienna, Va., Jammin’ Java
Aug. 11 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Club Café
Aug. 12 – Akron, Ohio, Musica
Aug. 13 – Columbus, Ohio, Rumba Café
Aug. 14 – Newport, Ky., The Southgate House Revival
Aug. 15 – Asheville, N.C., The Grey Eagle
Aug. 18 – Louisville, Ky., Zanzabar
Aug. 19 – Indianapolis, Ind., Radio Radio
Aug. 20 – Rock Island, Ill., Rozz Tox
Aug. 24 – Madison, Wis., The Frequency
Aug. 25 – St. Louis, Mo., Firebird
Aug. 28 – Kansas City, Mo., The Record Bar
Aug. 29 – Oklahoma City, Okla., The Blue Door
Aug. 30 – San Antonio, Texas, Sam’s Burger Joint Music Hall
Sept. 2 – Austin, Texas, Cactus Café
Sept. 3 – Dallas, Texas, Poor David’s Pub
Sept. 4 – Houston, Texas, Warehouse Live
Sept. 25 – Wilmington, Del., World Cafe Live At The Queen
Sept. 26 – Albany, N.Y., The Linda – WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio
Sept. 27 – Old Saybrook, Conn., Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center
Additional U.S. dates will be announced shortly. Long will tour Europe beginning Oct. 3.
Some shows go on sale this week. Visit BobbyLong.info for more details.