New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Early James, the
Alabama native and latest signing to Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound roster, released the music video for "It Doesn't Matter Now," a new song off his forthcoming debut album, Singing for My Supper, due March 13 on Easy Eye Sound / Nonesuch Records.
"The subject matter for this song is pretty heavy," says director Tim Hardiman. "I felt there needed to be some aggression on screen but didn't want it to play out like a typical break up. For some reason, Sideshow Bennie, whom I worked with several years ago, popped in my head. I looked him up and learned he was now working with a sidekick, Anna Fiametta. When I read how they met, I thought it was a funny story that would fit the song. The thought of them inflicting pain on each other, and the pleasure they receive from it, was intriguing. I pitched the idea to Early and I'm grateful he got it and trusted my vision for his song."
Singing for My Supper spans hard-charging blues, wistful folk, and ages-old pop crooning, anchored by the singer's voice that oscillates from gravel-gruff shout to a honey-smooth whisper. James' inspirations run from
Fiona Apple and
Tom Waits to the Southern gothic poets, as heard in the album's darker themes and in the wry humor with which he writes about them.
Recently, Early
James also shared "Blue Pill Blues," the first single from Singing for My Supper, via an interview with American Songwriter, which calls Early an "emerging alt-folk star" and says of the song: "'Blue Pill Blues' is a stellar first track and one that showcases the unique—and quick—transitions that James' vocals can make. He deftly switches from a melodic whisper to a gravely, if not guttural, growl to drive home his all-too-relatable lyrics." You can watch that video here:
Early
James has confirmed a headlining show at Nashville's Analog on February 6, as well as tour dates throughout the winter and spring with The Lone Bellow, Shovels & Rope, and The Marcus King Band (full dates below). Tickets and more information for all dates are available here.
Early James' debut features ten wide-ranging songs, co-produced by Auerbach and
David "Fergie" Ferguson, and is full of world-weary wisdom. "Blue Pill Blues" details a period when James, who was being treated for depression, quit his antipsychotic medication cold turkey. "High Horse" is a lament of the ways his adolescent excitement faded with the arrival of the vices of adulthood, while "Easter Eggs" finds the songwriter coming to terms with some of the darker sides of his heredity.
Auerbach, who decided he needed to produce the singer's debut album after watching just two seconds of a video of
James performing, says: "Every line has to mean something to him, personally," says Auerbach. "It's not good enough to just write a good song, it needs to have a deeper meaning. He's unlike any person I've ever worked with. He's not writing a song to be universal; he's writing a song for him."
Singing for My Supper is the thirteenth release on Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound label and is distributed by Auerbach's label Nonesuch Records. Easy Eye Sound is built equally around Auerbach's Easy Eye Studio in Nashville, where The
Black Keys recorded their last two albums, and around the collection of famous session musicians that have come to call the studio home. Additional releases have included records by Yola, Marcus King, Robert Finley, Kendell Marvel, Leo Bud Welch, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Shannon & The Clams, Shannon Shaw,
Sonny Smith, Dee White, and Link Wray. Auerbach says, "Sometimes I feel I created my own Field of Dreams. I built the studio because I knew something was going to happen. I built it to accommodate live musicians playing, and then all of a sudden the best musicians in Nashville show up, and it's happening."
EARLY JAMES ON TOUR
Jan 31 Fonda Theatre* Los Angeles, CA
Feb 6 The Analog Nashville, TN
Feb 13 Georgia Theatre** Athens, GA
Feb 15 The Social** Orlando, FL
Feb 26 The Heights Theater^ Houston, TX
Feb 27 Scott Inn^ Austin, TX
Feb 29 Granada Theater^ Dallas, TX
Mar 2 Knuckleheads Saloon^ Kansas City, MO
Mar 4 Bluebird Theater^ Denver, CO
Mar 6 The Commonwealth Room^ Salt Lake City, UT
Mar 7 The Olympic Venue^ Boise, ID
Mar 9 Imperial Vancouver^ Vancouver, BC
Mar 10 Neptune Theatre^ Seattle, WA
Mar 11 Revolution Hall^ Portland, OR
Mar 13 The Filmore^ San Francisco, CA
Mar 14 Pappy & Harriet's^ Pioneertown, CA
Apr 2 Varsity Theater^ Minneapolis, MN
Apr 3 Majestic Theater^ Madison, WI
Apr 8 Variety Playhouse^ Atlanta, GA
Apr 10 Haw River Ballroom^ Saxapahaw, NC
Apr 14 The Opera House^ Toronto, ON
Apr 15 Union Transfer^ Philadelphia, PA
Apr 16 Paradise Rock Club^ Boston, MA
Apr 17 Webster Hall^ New York, NY
* w/The Marcus King Band
** w/Shovels and Rope
^ w/The Lone Bellow
