Rejoice! Bill Callahan's late-phase hot streak continues with his first record since 2013, Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest.
After Dream River, Bill's life went through some changes. Good changes - marriage and a kid - but afterwards, it was suddenly harder for him to find the place where the songs came, to make him and these new experiences over again into something to sing. His songs have always been elusive, landing lightly between character study and autobiography, as the singer-songwriter often does. This felt different, though. After 20 years of putting music first, he wasn't prepared to go away from it completely. Or perhaps, after all the time, the obvious needs to be made just a little more explicit?
First, it's a different kind of record. Bill's now writing from somewhere beyond his Eagle-Apocalypse-River headspace, and Shepherd In a Sheepskin Vest is very much its own beast. The songs are, by and large, shorter, and there are more of them. It took almost all of the previous three albums to add up to that many. Plus, twenty's a lot of songs! But again, it goes a lot deeper than that.
When you finally listen to Shepherd In a Sheepskin Vest, a feeling of totality, of completeness, will steal over you, like a thief in broad daylight. Of course it will- you'll be listening to a new Bill Callahan record! The first one in almost six years! What more do you need to complete you? Pre-order your copy for June 14th and get your tickets for his upcoming US/European tour!
TOUR DATES
US:
6/13/19 Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, Pioneertown CA
6/14/19 The Lodge Room, Los Angeles CA
6/15/19 The Lodge Room, Los Angeles CA
6/17/19 Henry Miller Library, Big Sur CA
6/18/19 The Castro Theeatre, San Francisco CA
6/19/19 Gundlach-Bundschu Winery, Sonoma CA
6/21/19 Wonder Ballroom, Portland OR (Early Show)
6/21/19 Wonder Ballroom, Portland OR
6/22/19 Neptune Theatre, Seattle WA
7/5/19 Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence KS
7/6/19 Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis MN
7/7/19 Thalia Hall, Chicago IL
7/8/19 Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit MI
7/10/19 The Sinclair, Cambridge MA
7/11/19 Murmrr Theatre, Brooklyn NY
7/12/19 White Eagle Hall, Jersey City NJ
7/13/19 World Cafe Live, Philadelphia PA
7/14/19 Miracle Theatre, Washington DC
7/15/19 Miracle Theatre, Washington DC
7/16/19 Cat's Cradle, Carrboro NC
7/17/19 Terminal West, Atlanta GA
7/18/19 Proud Larry's, Oxford MS
Europe:
9/29/19 Vicar Street, Dublin IE
10/1/19 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
10/2/19 Albert Hall, Manchester UK
10/3/19 Eventim Apollo, London UK
10/5/19 La Cigale, Paris FR
10/6/19 Ancienne Belgique, Brussels BE
10/7/19 TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht NL
10/8/19 Admiralspalast, Berlin DE
10/10/19 Store Vega, Copenhagen DK
10/11/19 Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo NO
10/12/19 Göta Lejon, Stockholm SE
10/13/19 Pustervik, Gothenburg SE