New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On the heels of releasing his acclaimed new album This Mess We're In last month, appearing on NPR Morning Edition, singing the national anthem at a recent Cincinnati Reds game, and playing his first series of international dates earlier this year, Arlo McKinley has just announced a coast-to-coast fall tour. From a return to the East Coast and the Healing Appalachia festival in September, to a run through his native Midwest in October, to his Los Angeles live debut and beyond in November, McKinely and his band are about to bring more than 35 shows his "best songs yet" (Top40-Charts.com).
Backed by an ace band of drums, bass, pedal steel, guitar and banjo, this tour will highlight the brilliance that is Arlo McKinley's This Mess We're In, out now on Oh Boy Records. Celebrated by NPR Music, Billboard, Consequence, FLOOD, No Depression and more, the album "solidifies Arlo McKinley's place as one of the most exciting new voices in country and Americana" (Billboard).
Listen to This Mess We're In and watch the new lyric video for "Rushintherug," a Neil Young-inspired standout that captures the album's rousing essence and steadfast mission to move forward here: https://youtu.be/mqVjfyfoR3U
Offering "consolation in the midst of darkness" (NPR Music), the album is a collection of the Cincinnati songwriter's most unabashed, unflinchingly honest music to date, spanning multiple lives' worth of experience with loss, addiction, mental health and self-forgiveness. While the record mixes Arlo's gentle rasp with the sympathetic, sturdy backing of his band, Arlo's live shows rev up his vibrant vignettes into a rocking spectacle. Listen to Arlo McKinley on NPR's Morning Edition to hear a bit about the man and mindset behind the record.
Arlo McKinley Tour Dates:
8/17 - Lakewood, OH - The Winchester
8/18 - Fort Wayne, IN - The Ruin
8/19 - Wellston, MI - Hoxeyville Festival
8/25 - Murfreesboro, TN - Hop Springs
8/26 -
Little Rock, AR - Stickyz Rock 'n' Roll Chicken Shack
8/27 - Fayetteville, AR - Fayetteville
Roots Festival Late Night
8/28 - Springfield, MO - Southbound Bar & Grill
9/3 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Blues Festival
9/4 - Frisco, CO - Copper Mountain Resort*
9/5 - Avon, CO - Avon Performance Pavilion*
9/9 - Morehead, KY - Frankie's Plaza
9/10 - Bristol, TN - Bristol Rhythm and Roots
9/11 - Bristol, TN - Bristol Rhythm and Roots
9/13 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right
9/14 - Philadelphia, PA - City Winery
9/15 - Boston, MA - Atwood's Tavern
9/16 - Portland, ME - Portland House of Music
9/17 - Burlington, VT - Nectar's
9/20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
9/21 - Richmond, VA - Richmond
Music Hall
9/22 - Washington, DC - Hill Country Barbeque
9/24 - Lewisburg, WV - Healing Appalachia
10/1 - Middlesboro, KY - Cumberland Mtn Fall Festival
10/7 - Memphis, TN - Overton Park Shell
10/15 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout
10/16 - Madison, WI - High Noon
10/18 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
10/19 - Des Moines, IA - xBk
10/21 - Boulder, CO -
Velvet Elk Lounge
10/22 - Denver, CO -
Globe Hall
10/23 - Frisco, CO - 10Mile
Music Hall
10/26 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
10/27 - Garden City (Boise), ID - Visual Arts Collective
10/29 - Whitefish, MT - Remington Bar
10/30 - Spokane, WA - Lucky You Lounge
11/3 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
11/4 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
11/5 - Bend, OR - Volcanic Theatre
11/8 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
11/10 - Los Angeles, CA - Gold-Diggers
11/11 - San Diego, CA - Voodoo Room at House of Blues
11/13 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's
*featuring Jeremy Pinnell
Praise for This Mess We're In:
"Draws the listener into its power and beauty in a subtle fashion…lifting up soft consolation in the midst of darkness" - NPR Music
"Heartwrenching, beautifully realized, an album that somehow blends the best of Merle Haggard and the Replacements" - Ann Powers
"McKinley's latest for Oh Boy Records solidifies his place as one of the most exciting new voices in country and Americana…further proving his ability to forge potent, impactful songs from moments of pain, loss, joy and longing" - Billboard
"These are Arlo's best songs yet. He sounds more distinct than ever on this album, and more somber doesn't mean less accessible; he delivers these personal stories with hooks you can't stop humming along to" - BrooklynVegan
"A heart-on-your-sleeve slice of down-on-your-luck Americana…In the mold of fellow alt-country troubadours Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, and Sturgill Simpson" - Consequence of Sound
"McKinley has a knack for turning everyday, mundane occurrences into vibrant vignettes that'll have you laughing, crying, angry and gracious all in the span of a few minutes" - The Boot
"An incredible record that makes no bones about f*cking you up good and proper" - TOP40-CHARTS
"An artist willing and able to dive headfirst into hurt and emerge with something empowering" - Tennessean
"An artist capable of not only Prine-approved songwriting but crafting a singular country sound that is as informed by the late icon as it is punk acts like
Black Flag and Social Distortion, something McKinley takes even further on This Mess We're In…the LP grapples with grief, depression and the messiness of human relationships, topics that should especially resonate with listeners after the turmoil of the last two and a half years" - Vinyl Me, Please
"Soul-wrenching sorrow can be a heavy load to bear for the most resilient heart, but Arlo McKinley is up to the challenge…this riveting self-portrait depicts the Cincinnati-bred troubadour as a battle-scarred truth-teller who prizes honesty above all" - No Depression
"Arlo McKinley once again proves he's a songwriting mastermind…one of the most authentic and honest artists in music" - WhiskeyRiff
"Proof that Arlo McKinley is a talent who's in it for the long haul. McKinley's voice conveys gentle gravitas to everything, while his band bolsters it with sympathetic, sturdy backing. The resulting album is as inspiring, often more so, as its predecessor" - Holler, 8/10
"The musical accompaniment and arrangements behind McKinley are as strong as ever. He has found his sound on This Mess We're In, and sinks himself into it confidently" - Saving Country Music, 8.5/10.
