JASON BOLAND AND THE STRAGGLERS SET TO RELEASE HIGH IN THE ROCKIES: A LIVE ALBUM APRIL 20

Press Release Content:

DT: MARCH 18, 2010

FM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/SARAH LUERY/CHELSI SCHRIVER, MSO

JASON BOLAND AND THE STRAGGLERS
SET TO RELEASE
HIGH IN THE ROCKIES: A LIVE ALBUM
APRIL 20

JASON BOLAND AND THE STRAGGLERS—acclaimed for their distinctive, hard-charging and rootsy brew of country and rock—achieve a new artistic peak with HIGH IN THE ROCKIES: A LIVE ALBUM. Due for release on April 20, the 80-minute, proudly overdub-free disc was recorded during four consecutive shows in Colorado and Wyoming in January 2010, and captures the energy and dexterity of a band who average over 200 shows a year and who have sold over 200,000 albums in their decade-long career (see tour dates below). HIGH IN THE ROCKIES marks the fiercely independent and acclaimed Texas Red Dirt band’s second live album and singer-songwriter-guitarist Boland’s second release on his own label, Proud Souls Entertainment, in conjunction with the Apex Nashville label and Thirty Tigers distribution.

Crackling with the raw outlaw voltage that has made them one of the fastest-rising forces in contemporary country, the quintet’s execution and delivery is uniformly impressive, and with material divided between Stragglers standards and fan favorites, the album rises to a profound new elevation that is reflected in a most fitting choice of title. Whether reveling in the Okie kickback groove of “Tulsa Time”—the album’s first single and video—or re-defining the epic despair of Boland’s classic “Bottle By My Bed,” their sound, characterized by ebullient musicianship and passionate vocals, links country music’s past to its future with admirable expertise. Illuminated by luxurious employ of dobro, fiddle and mandolin, HIGH IN THE ROCKIES is a perfect mix of the progressive and the traditional.

Every song here by Boland and his bandmates—Roger Ray on steel, lead guitar and dobro; fiddler Noah Jeffries; bassist Grant Tracy; and drummer Brad Rice—is delivered with an invigorated emphasis, and titles like “Comal County Blue” and “Backslider Blues” resonate with fresh new contours, while the case-hardened tenderness of “Jesus And Ruger” again underscores Boland’s mastery as a lyricist and interpreter.

“It was time for a live album, and also to get a photograph of the five of us now,” Boland said. “I’m really happy with the material we chose. It stems from The Bourbon Legend and Comal County Blue and we went back and mined a couple of our older songs, and songs like Merle Haggard’s ‘Rainbow Stew’ and Tom Russell’s ‘Gallo Del Cielo,’ that fans kept requesting and never let die.”

Loaded with banging drama, wry observations and soul-deep expression, HIGH IN THE ROCKIES documents an extraordinary transformative period for the band and continues the fulfillment of Jason Boland and The Stragglers’ extraordinary promise. “We got over being young and the entrapment of limitations on your instrument, vocals, writing–and the entrapments of life, love, chemicals.” Boland said. “I’ve reached the point where I don’t over-think it and simply do the music honestly. I don’t care about fame or the pop culture machine–you’ll never see us on ‘Nashville Star’ or ‘American Idol.’ We look to the populist grassroots, we’re not in it for fame and cash. Seriously, it’s all about living free.”

See the video for “Tulsa Time” here:
http://www.thestragglers.com/stragglers_tv.php

DATE		CITY	VENUE
Thu	3/18	Commerce, TX	Drunken Mule Saloon
Fri	3/19	Memphis, TN	Newby’s
Sat	3/20	Idabel, OK	Phil’s Big Rock Saloon
*Mon	3/22	San Marcos, TX	Cheatham Street Warehouse
Thu	3/25	Lincoln, NE	Uncle Ron's
Fri	3/26	Altamont, IL	Luke's Bar and Grill
Sat	3/27	Lawrence, KS	Granada Theater
Thu	4/8	Corpus Christi, TX	Brewster Street Icehouse
Fri	4/9	Old Town Spring, TX	Texas Crawfish Festival
Sat	4/10	Poteet, TX	Poteet Strawberry Festival
Thu	4/15	Oklahoma City, OK	Wormy Dog Saloon
Fri	4/16	Tulsa, OK	Cain's Ballroom
Sat	4/17	Fort Worth, TX	Billy Bob's Texas
Tue	4/20	Fort Smith, AR	The Rib Room
Wed	4/21	Stephenville, TX	Larry Joe Taylor's Texas Music Festival
Thu	4/22	Abilene, TX	Lucky Mule
Fri	4/23	Lake Conroe, TX	County Line BBQ
Sat	4/24	Austin, TX	Lone Star State Jam – Waterloo Park
Sun	4/25	Waco, TX	Hog Creek Ice House
Wed	4/28	San Antonio, TX	County Line BBQ
Fri	4/30	College Station, TX	Hurricane Harry's
Sat	5/1	Port O'Connor, TX	Port O'Connor Community Center
Thu	5/6	Longview, TX	The Levee
Fri	5/7	Dallas, TX	Gilley's
Sat	5/8	Richmond, TX	Haute Time In Texas Festival
Thu	5/13	Kearney, NE	Shooters
Sat	5/15	North Platte, NE	Shooters – North Platte
Wed	5/19	Columbia, MO	The Blue Note
Thu	5/20	Kansas City, MO	Knuckleheads
Sat	5/22	Altamont, IL	Effingham County Fairgrounds
Wed	5/26	The Woodlands, TX	Dosey Doe
Sat	5/29	Harker Heights, TX	Carl Levin Park
Fri	6/18	San Antonio, TX	Cowboy's Dancehall
Sat	6/26	Mesquite, TX	Resistol Arena
Sat	7/3	Canadian, TX	Jones Pavilion
Fri	7/16	Pawhuska, OK	Cavalcade Rodeo
Sat	7/24	Woodward, OK	Woodward Elks Rodeo
Thu	7/29	Grapevine, TX	Glass Cactus
Fri	7/30	Houston, TX	Firehouse Saloon
Sat	8/7	Bastrop, TX	Bastrop Homecoming
Fri	8/27	Miami, OK	Buffalo Run Casino
Sat	8/28	Fayetteville, AR	George's Majestic Lounge
Sun	8/29	Clinton, AR	Bar of Ranch
Sat	9/4	Lampe, MO	Black Oak Mountain Amphitheater
Sat	10/9	Floresville, TX	Floresville Peanut Festival
Sat	10/16	Kyle, TX	Kyle Fair and Music Festival


* Jason Solo Acoustic Show

About JASON BOLAND AND THE STRAGGLERS:

Fronted by singer-songwriter-guitarist JASON BOLAND, the band has independently released five studio albums and two live discs including 2010’s High In The Rockies: A Live Album. They have sold 200,000 albums while amassing critical acclaim for their distinctive, hard-charging brew of country and rock with roots in artists like Waylon Jennings. Their most recent studio album is 2008’s COMAL COUNTY BLUE, which was Boland’s first release on his own label, Proud Souls Entertainment, in conjunction with the Apex Nashville label and Thirty Tigers distribution. COMAL COUNTY BLUE was one of 2008’s most successful independent country releases, debuting #2 on the Billboard National Heatseekers chart, #30 Billboard Country Albums, and #1 iTunes country albums, as well as their first debut on the Billboard 200 at #159. In a review in the Austin Chronicle (November 2008), Doug Freeman wrote: “…When he sings of a rough, raw hope on songs like ‘Bottle By My Bed,’ it cuts deep with genuine experience. The Okie turned Texan's fifth studio LP opens applying that same defiant bootstrap mentality to the hurricane-hit Gulf behind a low, Waylon Jennings gruffness on ‘Sons And Daughters Of Dixie,’ and there's a touch of classic David Allen Coe on the dark barroom ballad ‘Something You Don't See Everyday. Yet Boland also has a polish in his approach…on tunes such as ‘No Reason Being Late’ and ‘Alright,’ his hard drawl working best on subtle, hard-luck realizations like the title track.” Onstage, Jason Boland and The Stragglers tear it up, prompting writer Sam Gazdziak to note in his November 2009 review (The9513.com): “This concert was a perfect antidote for anyone who’s become frustrated by the lack of balance in mainstream country music, and a reminder that country doesn’t need pop or rock elements to still kick ass.”

http://www.thestragglers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jasonbolandthestragglers

###

For press inquiries, please contact:

Mitch Schneider, Sarah Luery and Chelsi Schriver at MSO
mschneider@msopr.com
sluery@msopr.com
cschriver@msopr.com

Press Release Date:
Thu, 2010-03-18 17:00

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JASON BOLAND AND THE STRAGGLERS SET TO RELEASE HIGH IN THE ROCKIES: A LIVE ALBUM APRIL 20