Stream Georgia Warhorse in it’s entirety at Relix.com Take a tour of the studio, and the inspirations behind Georgia Warhorse in this mini documentary.
Rising Florida swamp music-maker JJ Grey and his backing band Mofro are joined by guests Toots Hibbert and Derek Trucks on the new album ‘Georgia Warhorse,’ which will be released August 24 on Alligator Records, promising to be a frontrunner for best American roots album in 2010.
Recorded in a studio full of vintage equipment in Grey’s native Florida (near the Georgia line), the album’s unvarnished, natural sound mirrors Grey’s love of the rustic Florida backwoods, where his family has lived for generations. The album, Georgia Warhorse, named for a particularly tenacious type of southern grasshopper, is also descriptive of Grey himself. “The Georgia Warhorse is real tough but a chilled out little thing,” says Grey. “Nothing seems to rile them. They’re in no hurry but they have a kind of resilience. They keep coming back.” Grey could be described in such words; his own career has grown over the course of a decade of winning over fans night after night – a process that has him poised to be a breakout artist in 2010. He still spends eight months of the year on the road.
The eclecticism of the new album is also keeping with the JJ Grey tradition, chronicled over the course of his four previous albums. The in-the-pocket, Memphis-style soul of “The Sweetest Thing,” written around a horn line that was in Grey’s head for days, contrasts with the stripped-down acoustic 12-string guitar work on “King Hummingbird.” The hard-driving groove of “The Hottest Spot In Hell” speaks to personal experience as well as the heat of his home state. The constants are Grey’s full-throated vocals, his funky-as-hell arrangements and his consistently great writing in the southern literary tradition.
Over the course of his 20-plus year career, JJ Grey has shared stages with the likes of Galactic, B.B. King, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Los Lobos, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, Booker T, Lenny Kravitz, and Mavis Staples and has performed at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest and The Austin City Limits Festival, among others.
JJ Grey and Mofro are kicking off the first half of their Georgia Warhorse album release tour on September 3rd in Lexington, KY. JJ will visit 26 cities, showcasing tracks from his new album, Georgia Warhorse, as well as all of the classics from previous releases. Stream Georgia Warhorse in it’s entirety at Relix.com
JJ Grey and Mofro Tour Dates
9/3/2010 at The Roxy – Lexington, KY
9/9/2010 at Wilma Theater – Missoula, MT
9/10/2010 at Panida – Sandpoint, ID
9/11/2010 at Showbox – Seattle, WA
9/13/2010 at Big Room @ Sierra Nevada – Chico, CA
9/15/2010 at Knitting Factory – Boise, ID
9/16/2010 at The State Room – Salt Lake City, UT
9/17/2010 at Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
9/19/2010 at Mishawaka Amphitheater – Bellvue, CO
9/22/2010 at Compound Grill – Phoenix, AZ
9/23/2010 at Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA
9/24/2010 at Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
9/26/2010 at Moe’s Alley – Santa Cruz, CA
10/9/2010 at Hal and Mal’s – Jackson, MS
10/10/2010 at WorkPlay Theatre – Birmingham, AL
10/13/2010 at Hi-Tone Cafe – Memphis, TN
10/15/2010 at Headliners Music Hall – Louisville, KY
10/16/2010 at House of Blues – Chicago, IL
10/17/2010 at Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI
10/21/2010 at Visulite Theatre – Charlotte, NC
10/22/2010 at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater – Wilmington, NC
10/23/2010 at The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
10/26/2010 at The Engine Room – Tallahassee, FL
10/27/2010 at Common Grounds – Gainesville, FL
10/28/2010 at House of Blues – Orlando, FL
10/29/2010 at The Ritz Ybor – Tampa, FL
