New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On May 15th, Chuck Prophet will release The Land That Time Forgot, his new album out on Yep Roc Records. Most of the record's dozen songs were co-written by Prophet and klipschutz, his longtime collaborator. Together, they recall the melancholy wonder of their native Bay Area, a land that, to the acclaimed songwriters, represents the hope and despair that makes rock 'n' roll so timeless, even if it's now full of "robots with ironic haircuts." It's a darker, more present take on Americana and all its beautiful losers.
Priced out of his home turf, Prophet recorded the album with producer Kenny Siegal (Langhorne Slim,
Amanda Palmer, The New Pornographers) on the New York-Vermont border, where he could look upon his hometown with fresh distance. With a new drive and new hooks, he orients himself around an array of locations real and imagined - including SF's Tenderloin District, an English roundabout, and "Nixonland" - while hanging out with a love-struck mirror and the ghosts of Johnny Thunders, Willie Wonka, and John the Baptist, and contemplating the train that carried Abraham Lincoln home for the final time. It's everything you'd expect from a Chuck Prophet record and more.
Though The Land That Time Forgot is one of Prophet's more tender albums, his new song "
Marathon" is mutant rock n' roll at its finest … full of driving motorik bass, Everly Brothers-in-space guitars and vocal harmonies courtesy of
Stephanie Finch. As the album reexamines the West Coast, the music video for "
Marathon" channels the dance-a-thons of the Great Depression. To Prophet, these were the first reality TV shows, and they're not too out of place in today's gig economy.
"There's twisted psychology to the Depression-era dance marathons," says Prophet. "And like Wrestling or the Kardashians, it's all rigged. But we don't want to believe it. The Marathons blurred the line between theatre and reality."
The Land That Time Forgot is available for pre-order today: https://ffm.to/landtimeforgot
Prophet has already released the album's call-to-arms closer, "Get Off the Stage," a political takedown akin to the classic protest songs of the '60s via The Great Dictator:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRLPZvyO4ic
This spring, Prophet will tour around the world, playing both solo gigs and with his longtime band The Mission Express. He'll also play various showcases at this year's SXSW, including Willie Nelson's Luck Reunion. Full touring route is below.
The Land That Time Forgot Tracklist
Best Shirt On
High As Johnny Thunders
Marathon
Paying My Respects to the Train
Willie and Nilli
Fast Kid
Love Doesn't Come from the Barrel of a Gun
Nixonland
Meet Me at the Roundabout
Womankind
Waving Goodbye
Get Off the Stage
Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express Tour Dates
Feb 28 - Swallow Hill/Daniels Hall - Denver, CO*
Feb 29 - Magic Rat - Fort Collins, CO*
March 11 - Club Congress - Tucson, AZ*
March 13-14 - Continental Club - Austin, TX
March 15 - Devils Backbone Tavern - Fischer, TX
March 19 - Luck Reunion - Luck, TX
March 20 - Lucy's South By South Austin Fried Chicken Revival - Austin, TX
March 21 - Burgermania IX at Hotel
Vegas - Austin, TX
May 2 - Pappy & Harriet's - Pioneertown, CA
May 3 - Beachlife Festival - Redondo Beach, CA
May 8 - Hopmonk Tavern - Sebastopol, CA
May 9 - Harlow's - Sacramento, CA
May 16 - Hipnic - Big Sur, CA
May 25 - Hare & Hounds - Birmingham, UK
May 26 - The Fleece - Bristol, UK
May 27 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK
May 28 - Saint Luke's - Glasgow, UK
May 29 - The Met - Bury, UK
May 30 - Red
Rooster Festival - Suffolk, UK
Jun 1 - Blues & Ribs Festival - Raalte, Netherlands
Jun 2 - De Zwerver - Leffinge, Belgium
Jun 3 - Ekko - Utrecht, Netherlands
Jun 4 - Loaded Festival - Oslo, Norway
Jun 6 -
Oasis Club - Zaragoza, Spain
Jun 8 - Sala Apolo - Barcelona, Spain
Jun 12 - Metronome - Nottingham, UK
Jun 13 - Lafayette - London, UK
*solo Chuck Prophet show
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