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Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Dale Watson joins ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight at SXSW; announces new album




 
DALE WATSON
 
Red House/Ameripolitan Records to release "Call Me Insane" on June 9
Catch Dale TONIGHT sitting in with Cleto & the Cletones on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live 
NPR includes Watson’s "I Lie When I Drink" on podcast of SxSW artists to see
Dale's complete SxSW schedule announced
 
 
Austin, TX:  Dubbed "the silver pompadoured, baritone beltin', Lone Star beer drinkin', honky-tonk hellraiser" by The Austin Chronicle, Austin's hometown hero Dale Watson is announcing the release of his new studio album, Call Me Insane.  The album was recorded in Austin with veteran producer Lloyd Maines (Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker) and will be released on June 9 in North America via Red House/Ameripolitan Records on CD, digital, and vinyl.  Watson is the torchbearer for "real" country music and has christened his brand of American roots music “Ameripolitan” to differentiate it from the current crop of Nashville-based pop country. Embracing Honky-tonk, Outlaw, Texas Swing and Rockabilly, Dale is a direct musical descendent of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and all the great Texas roots artists. Dale’s song “I Lie When I Drink” was featured on NPRs All Songs Considered’s podcast of SxSW artists that they're excited to see and Dale has a full SxSW schedule, including an appearance TONIGHT on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live from SxSW when he’ll join the JKL house band Cleto and the Cletones broadcasting live from SxSW. The show will air this evening on ABC; check here for regional stations and air times: http://abc.go.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live. Dale will also MC the first SxSW “Ameripolitan” showcase featuring the best of Rockabilly, Texas Swing, Outlaw Country and Honky-tonk music. (Scroll down for a complete SxSW schedule and tour dates.)
 
Album highlights include “Jonesin’ For Jones,” a love song to the music of the legendary George Jones; “A Day At A Time,” a song about "getting by by barely getting by";  “Call Me Insane,” the album’s moody title track; “Bug Ya For Love,” a fun warning to all the single ladies;  “Mamas Don’t Let Your Cowboys Grow Up To Be Babies” is the only cover song on the album (written by Tony Joe White/Ed and Sally Bruce) and yes, it is an answer song to the Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson hit. “Crocodile Tears” is a tear-in-your-beer country song that sounds like an instant classic and “Burden Of The Cross” reveals Watson’s serious side.
 
Call Me Insane was recorded in Austin by Watson and his ace touring band, “His Lone Stars”: Don Pawlak (pedal steel), Mike Bernal (drums & percussion), and Chris Crepps (upright bass & background vocals). Dale plays electric guitar throughout. They were joined in the studio by Danny Levin on piano,  Jon Blondell (trombone), Joey Colarusso (saxophone), and Ricky White (trumpet), aka the Honky-tonk horn section. “Doing over 300 shows a year and a plethora of recording projects through the years, the Lone Stars are a part of me as much as my right hand, he says. "They know what I want them to play on my songs before I even know.” Maines also added acoustic guitar as well as production ideas.
 
“Having known Lloyd over 20 years and worked with him as a musician, I knew he was a great guy and picker," Watson says. "But having Lloyd produce your record is like letting your mom in your kitchen. You know you gonna like what comes out and it's amazing how such basic ingredients can be made even better. He is an artists' artist.”
 
The admiration is mutual. "I've been a Dale Watson fan since I played steel guitar on some of his early records," Maines says of the sessions. "My early musical influences are the same as Dale's. We both grew up playing 'real' country music. Dale is one of a very short list of today's artists who still keeps it 'real country.' I'm honored that he asked me to produce his new record. I think he knew that I would maintain the integrity of his passion for the music." 
 
Since the release of El Rancho Azul in 2013, Watson’s profile has risen considerably via appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS), PBS series Austin City Limits and The Sun Sessions, and trading quips as a guest on NPR’s Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me. A veteran touring artist, he and His Lone Stars work hard, performing over 300 shows a year. Watson also put his money where his heart is and took over ownership of two struggling Texas honky-tonks, the Little Longhorn Saloon in Austin (home of Chicken $#!+ Bingo) and The Big T Roadhouse in St. Hedwigs (outside San Antonio).  If not on the road, he and His Lone Stars perform at one of them each Sunday. Already in 2015, Watson was part of The BADDEST of the BAD Tour with the Reverend Horton Heat and has recorded segments for Sirius XM Outlaw Country, NPR’s Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, Music City Roots, and NPR Mountain Stage. A national tour to support the record’s release will begin in late June. 
 
The Alabama-born, Texas-raised Watson may be the hardest working entertainer today and is rapidly  approaching legendary status.  He carries the weight of his love for Ameripolitan music proudly on his shoulders and tirelessly spreads its gospel.  Call Me Insane is a well crafted example of an artist at the top of his game, having fun with every living moment of life’s experiences with a focus on that of the honky-tonks.  It’s the soundtrack of dance halls and beer joints - places Watson loves.  But beware, he lies when he drinks…
 
 
RECENT KIND WORDS:
"I am Dale Watson's biggest fan." - Willie Nelson
 
“Country music’s a crazy, gold-diggin’ whore, and Dale Watson wants a divorce.”  - The Austin Chronicle 
 
“Watson plays genuine roots music that would do Hank proud.  And Watson is proud to spread the word about keeping it real with the Ameripolitan Music Awards, named after the term he coined to describe American roots music.  The awards recognize artists whose work hours roots traditions  without conforming to the current watered-down definitions of ‘country’ music.” - KUTX
 
“Graced with a deep, fluid George Jones-ish voice, Watson was mesmerizing, whether making fun of The Voice’s faux-country judge on “Old Fart (Song For Blake)” or simmering through a train-chugging original such as “My Baby Makes Me Gravy.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer 
 
“Nothing else is Dale Watson.  In he strode in a long black Cash-worthy coat with long leather cuffs and a tux shirt.  His white hair was ship’s prow, or perhaps a mighty iceberg.  And his Telecaster guitar, festooned with silver coins of every size and denomination, glinted in the footlights.  All through, Dale’s banter was loose and wry.  His guitar tone was just platonically perfect.  And his band, notably Don Pawlak on pedal steel, cohered into the very essence of country music.” Music City Roots  
 
“To call Dale Watson’s music country is like calling Ray Charles’ music soul ... both have an air of authenticity that transcends genres and demands that they be put into a class of one.  Ray Charles is gone, but you can see Dale Watson…"-  The Troy Record 
 
"...he proved that he is the real deal,  and when it comes to tradition, sometimes you can't get too much of a good thing."  
- Country Standard Time 
 
"This songwriter prides himself on crafting authentic, old-school country music, which he does quite masterfully.  Watson definitely nails the old-school country star persona." - No Country For New Nashville 
 
" He’s spent the past two decades proving there are still powerful tales to be told from the honky-tonk pulpit, and he's brought that message to the faithful.” - The Nashville Scene
 
For Dale’s full tour schedule, please visit www.dalewatson.com or www.redhouserecords.com. 
 
DALE AT SXSW 2015:
 
WED 3/18
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) - taping from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm; a limited number of tickets are available, 
 
Austin, TX @ The Saxon Pub/Ameripolitan Official SXSW Showcase - evening
Dallas Wayne (8pm)
Earl Poole Ball (8:35pm)
Rosie Flores (9:10 pm) 
Mark Stuart (from The Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash - 9:45pm)
Ray Benson (of Asleep At The Wheel - 10:20pm)
Amber Digby (10:55pm)
Jesse Dayton (11:30pm)
Bill Kirchen (12:05am)
Suzy Boggus (12:40am) - doing a set of Merle Haggard songs backed by The Lone Stars
Dale Watson & His Lone Stars, (1:15am)
finale w/anyone left standing (1:40am)
 
TH 3/19
Austin, TX @ The Highball - 8pm
KDRP Live At Mercado - 5pm
Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain/Atomic Music Group Official SXSW Showcase - midnight
 
FR 3/20
Austin, TX @ The Broken Spoke - 9:30pm
Atomic Music Group Day Party @ C-Boys Heart & Soul- 3pm 
Sirius XM Outlaw Country w/Mojo Nixon  - 5 pm
 
SA 3/21
Luckenbach, TX @ Luckenbach Dance Hall - 12:30pm
Mason, TX @ The Odeon Theater - 7pm
 
SU 3/22
Austin, TX @ The Little Longhorn Saloon (Chicken $#!+ Bingo)
 
ABOUT DALE WATSON
Dale Watson is a honky tonk hero and country music maverick, a true outlaw carrying on where Waylon Jennings left off. A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, he stands alongside Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and George Strait as one of the finest country singers and songwriters from the Lone Star State.
 
Although Dale has made his name as a Texas artist, he actually was born in Alabama. Moving to Houston as a teenager, his musical journey began right out of high school as he started playing clubs and local honky-tonks. In 1988, it led him to move to Los Angeles on the advice of rockabilly singer-guitarist Rosie Flores. He played in the house band at the legendary Palomino Club in Hollywood for a couple years and recorded a few singles before moving to Nashville to write songs for a publishing company run by Gary Morris (writer of such country/pop hits as “The Wind Beneath My Wings”). Commercial country did not fit the fiercely independent songwriter so Dale relocated to Austin, Texas where he got a record deal and wrote several songs poking fun at the industry side of Nashville, including “Nashville Rash” from his Hightone debut Cheatin’ Heart Attack and “A Real Country Song” from his 1996 follow-up Blessed or Damned. 
 
After making three albums with Hightone, Dale released The Trucking Sessions on Koch Records in 1998. Including 14 original driving songs, the album received high praise and caused critics to compare him to chart-topping writer Red Simpson, who was responsible for some of the most iconic trucking tunes in country music.
 
Just two years after this success, Dale’s fiancee died in a car accident. As chronicled in the Zalman King documentary Crazy Again (2006), he turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with her loss and nearly died of an overdose. Dale then checked himself into a mental institution and left a year later, releasing his tribute album to her called Every Song I Write Is For You (2001)After recording a few more albums, he decided to take a break from touring and moved to Maryland to be closer to his daughters.
 
Back in Texas and on the road in 2006, Dale has been trucking ever since, touring around the world and acting in films (The Thing Called Love, On the Borderline), on television (Friday Night Lights) and most recently, on stage in Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a southern gothic musical by Stephen King and John Mellencamp . His rumbling baritone has also been heard on commercials for Shell, Monster.com and On the Border Restaurants.
 
Dale signed with Red House Records in 2011 to release his 20th album called The Sun Sessions. Hailed as “one of the best country albums of the year” (Atlanta Journal Constitution), it was recorded at Memphis’ legendary Sun Studios with The Texas Two (bassist Chris Crepps and drummer Mike Bernal) in the stripped-down style of Johnny Cash’s earliest recordings. He followed this with El Rancho Azul, 14 fresh honky-tonk originals about marriage, heartbreak and honkytonkin'.”  
 

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