LIGHTNIN MALCOLM TO RELEASE ROUGH OUT
THERE
VIA SHAKEDOWN RECORDS ON SEPTEMBER 10,
2013
Solo And
North Mississippi Allstars Dates Planned Across The U.S. and
Europe
Holly Springs, MS --- Singer,
songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lightnin Malcolm has announced a September
10th release date for Rough Out There via his independent label
Shakedown Records. As a member of the North Mississippi All-Stars, and an
artist who is witnessing significant growth in a solo career, his reputation as
a pure purveyor of the Blues distinguishes him from many others in the genre.
He is an artist who carries the torch proudly, bringing melody, intonation, and
the legacy he has learned from the masters to stages across the globe on a
nightly basis. This year, he will tour extensively in Europe with the Allstars,
and stage a run of headline dates to support the release of his latest Lightnin
Malcolm album. When touring solo, the repertoire is presented as a duo, with
Carl Gentle White aka "Stud" on drums.
Malcolm's journey began near
the railroad tracks in rural Southeast Missouri. As far back as he can
remember, his existence has been focused on music. Growing up, he gravitated to
Bob Marley, Hank Williams, and The Temptations. As he delved deeper in to his
musical exploration, he developed a keen understanding that the roots of all
music that inspired him was the deep blues. After several years of travel in
search of inspiration and an audience, he settled in North Mississippi, and
became further inspired by the hill country Blues first made famous by Fred
McDowell, and later R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and Jessie Mae Hemphill.
For years, he has focused his energies on carrying the torch, and presenting the
essence of what he learned from the masters of the Blues he has been inspired by
via direct contact and collaboration. Amongst those he was friends with and learned from were R.L.
Burnside, Cedell Davis, Big Jack Johnson, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Robert Belfour,
Honey Boy Edwards, Hubert Sumlin, Otha Turner, and especially T MODEL
FORD.
He shares, "They
all taught me the ways of the world....how to survive, handle your money, travel
and meet people, and use the music to help those around you. Most importantly,
they taught me what notes to hit and what notes NOT to hit. I loved playin' with
the guys who had original styles and were very hard to accompany. They wanted
somebody to back them up without messin' up their style, and they liked me
because I could feel their changes and anticipate where they going with it. It's
like secret codes we were speaking in, and they liked me because somehow I
understood."
Lightnin
Malcolm's closest collaborator and mentor was the late T Model Ford. He
reminisces, "Me and T Model traveled all over the world together. I would open
the shows - one-man band style. I had my guitar, with bass, and snare drums on
my feet. Then, I played drums and T MODEL played guitar. Even just as a
two-piece we really tore places up. He had a style like a Delta Blues orchestra
on the guitar. His sound was so full, and so big, and was a huge influence on
my guitar style." The inspiration is clear, on tracks from Rough Out
There that include the opener "Workin," alongside "Took Too Long," and
"Young Woman, Old Fashioned Ways."
Currently, his sole band member
Stud is a young man he has known since he celebrated his first birthday. The
percussionist is T Model's favorite grandson, and Malcolm shares, "When I was playin' drums
for T Model, and Stud was about 3 or 4, he was practically in my lap learnin'
how to hold the drumsticks. Later on, when I had to leave for my own career, at
age 8 he became T MODELs full-time drummer. Studs been by T Model's side his
whole life, and there's nobody livin' that's got the blues imbedded deeper in
them than Stud. Now he is a great young man, and I'm so proud the circle is
bringing us back together. I've worked with some of the best drummers out there,
and Stud is the best. Our style together is the result of those early seeds,
and the chemistry we have is dynamite!" You can hear that chemistry
transparently on "My Life's A Wreck."
He approaches
writing with the intent of exuding emotion and a message he feels is worthy of
sharing. The framework is never approached within the confines of a two-man
band, but rather a universe where there is no limitation to the sounds and
styles that serve as the inspiration. He offers, "I keep the rhythmic current
of the blues foundation in everything we do, and the duo format works great for
this. The music matches the lyrics, and has a good dance beat to it. As far as
lyrics, I try to write about everyday life, and the world we live in. Keeping
it universal allows the listener to find their own interpretation." Malcolm's
approach in exhibiting this theme is best displayed in the tracks "Reality
Check" and "Money."
Lightnin Malcolm will
release Rough Out There on his own Mississippi-based independent label
Shakedown Records. He offers, "I started my own label to make the kind of
records I want, and to put out all the music I'm writing. We also want to record
some of the great artists that I know that are amazingly talented, especially
some of the last authentic Blues men left. It is a guerilla business model for
sure, and the focus is a work in progress."
Lightnin Malcolm lives with
the mantra, "Music Is My Life." As the spotlight grows, he is ready for the
moment, and the friendship struck with Luther Dickinson 15 years ago on the
dance floor of Junior Kimbrough's world famous juke joint, now brings heightened
visibility to the arc of his growing career. When asked about Malcolm,
Dickinson passes on, "Malcolm's much appreciated blues-roots aesthetic
principles are very strong and centered which is a great influence on Cody and
I. There are only a handful of musicians left who were actually here in the
Hills, back in the day, when it was really jumpin. Malcolm's time spent on RL's
porch and in the van with Cedric, and playing drums behind T-Model and Cedell.
Roots music is passed on hand to hand, man to man and as Otha said, 'ever had
your hand in the shit? well, you got it in there now.' We love playing with
Malcolm and that be a tough spot to fill, in between two brothers, but Lightnin
keeps it cool and in the pocket, conjuring up the Zone! You can sense how much
he cares about the music and the depth of his love for music and life." As
bassist for the North Mississippi All-Stars, he will have the enviable position
of also taking the stage as support to play songs from Rough Out
There alongside others as the band travels The World. With each day,
one thing is certain - Lightnin Malcolm will make that torch a little brighter
for the Blues to continue to yield discovery and offer a setting for
celebration.
Upcoming
Appearances include:
8/22 New Orleans,
LA D.B.A.
8/23 Houston,
TX Continental Club
8/24 Austin,
TX Continental
Club
8/29 Boulder,
CO Outlook Hotel
8/30 Denver,
CO Moe's Original
BBQ
8/31 Laramie,
WY Snowy Range Music
Festival
9/06 Little Rock,
AR White Water Tavern
9/09 Covington,
KY South Gate House Revival
(w/NMA)
9/10 Pittsburgh,
PA Mr. Smalls (w/
NMA)
9/12 New York,
NY Irving Plaza (w/ NMA)
9/13 Washington
DC State Theater (w/ NMA)
9/14 Philadelphia,
PA Union Transfer (w/ NMA)
9/15 South Orange,
NJ SOPAC (w/ NMA)
9/17 Charlotte,
NC Visulite Theater (w/
NMA)
9/19 Nashville,
TN AMA (w/ NMA)
9/20 Atlanta,
GA Music Midtown (w/
NMA)
9/21 Asheville,
NC Orange Peel (w/
NMA)
9/25 Columbia,
MO Summerfest (w/ NMA)
9/26 Des Moines,
IA Wooleys (w/ NMA)
9/27 Minneapolis,
MN Cabooze (w/ NMA)
9/28 Chicago,
IL House of Blues (w/
NMA)
10/05 Greenville,
MS Bridging The Blues (w/
NMA)
10/06 Greenville,
MS Bridging The Blues
10/10 Madrid, Spain
Caracol (w/ NMA)
10/11 Bilboa,
Spain Kafe Antzokia (w/
NMA)
10/12 Barcelona,
Spain Bikini (w/ NMA)
10/13 Pamplona,
Spain Totem (w/ NMA)
10/15 Paris,
France La Boule (w/
NMA)
10/16 Tilburg,
Netherlands 013 (w/ NMA)
10/17 Brussels,
Belgium Anienne Belgique (w/
NMA)
10/18 Leffinge,
Belgium De Zwerver (w/ NMA)
10/19 Ottersum,
Netherlands Roepaen (w/ NMA)
10/20 Amsterdam,
Netherlands Paradiso (w/ NMA)
10/22 Bristol,
UK St. Bonadventures (w/
NMA)
10/23 London,
UK 100 Club (w/ NMA)
10/24 Glasgow,
UK Oran Mor (w/ NMA)
10/25 York,
UK Fibbers (w/
NMA)
10/26 Manchester,
UK Academy 3 (w/ NMA)
Touring
will continue in to November....
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