LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ New West Records) - Steve Earle's Townes debuted today at number 19 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, the highest Top 200 debut in his career. Townes also debuted at No 6 on the Billboard Country Chart.
Incidentally, it is also the highest position on the Top 200 chart for New West Records, who release the record. The news comes on the heels of Earle's seven in-store appearances in major indie retailers in eight days with an upcoming headline tour that begins May 28th in Portsmouth, NH (see full itinerary below).
Townes is garnering major worldwide critical acclaim, receiving 4 stars in Uncut, 4 out of 5 stars in The Sunday, Daily Express (UK), 3 out of 4 stars in USA Today and 8 out of 10 stars in Spin Magazine which claims that "...he does his idol justice." Of the songs, Rolling Stone's 3 � star review states that Earle "...delivers them with the ease of breathing..." and in Best Life Magazine, Anthony DeCurtis stated that the album is "beautiful and scarifying."
A major profile on Steve Earle was featured on the cover of the Arts & Leisure section of the Sunday New York Times on May 10th, he was interviewed on both NPR's All Things Considered and Here and Now and also appeared on the Tavis Smiley show the week of release. Steve Earle will be performing on The Late Show With David Letterman on June 3rd.
Townes, a 15-song set, is comprised of songs written by Earle's friend and mentor, the late singer-songwriter, Townes Van Zandt. It was produced by Earle at his home in Greenwich Village, at Sound Emporium and Room and Board in Nashville, TN and The Nest in Hollywood, CA. The track, "Lungs," was produced and mixed by the Dust Brothers' John King and features Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine/Street Sweeper Social Club/The Nightwatchman on electric guitar.
Earle's wife, the acclaimed singer-songwriter Allison Moorer, is featured on backing vocals on "Loretta" and "To Live Is To Fly." Three songs cut in Nashville, "White Freightliner Blues," "Delta Momma Blues," and "Don't Take It Too Bad," feature a bluegrass band consisting of Dennis Crouch, Tim O'Brien, Darrel Scott and Shad Cobb.
TOUR DATES:
May 28 / Portsmouth NH / The Music Hall
May 29 / Boston MA / Berklee Performance Center
May 30 / Albany, NY / Swyer Theater
June 2 / South Orange NJ / South Orange PAC
June 4 / Princeton NJ / McCarter Theater
June 5 / Vienna VA / Wolf Trap Filene Center (with John Prine)
June 6 / Charlottesville, VA / Paramount Theatre
June 7 / Princeton, WV / Mountain Stage
June 9 / Richmond, VA / The National
June 10 / Carrboro, NC / Carrboro Arts Center
June 12 / Atlanta, GA / Atlanta Botanical Garden
June 13 / Savannah, GA / Fine Arts Auditorium
June 14 / Jacksonville, FL / Florida Theatre
June 16 / Knoxville, TN / Bijou Theatre
June 18 / Houston, TX / Crighton Theater
June 19 / Austin, TX / Paramount
June 20 / New Braunfels, TX / Whitewater Ampitheatre
June 21 / Dallas, TX / Lakewood Theatre
June 24 / St. Louis, MO / Pageant
June 25 / Chicago, IL / The Vic
June 26 / Bloomington, IN / Buskirk-Chumley Theatre
June 27 / Cincinnati, OH / Memorial Hall
July 8 / Burlington, VT / Waterfront Festival
July 9 / Montreal, QUE / Le National
July 10 / Ottawa, ONT / Ottawa Blues Fest
July 17 / South Park, PA / South Park Amphitheatre
July 18 / Windsor, ONT / Bluesfest International
July 19 / London, ONT / Bluesfest International
July 21 / Chatauqua, WI / Lake Superior Big Top
July 23 / Minneapolis, MN / Pantages Theatre
Aug 1 / Canandaigua, NY / Performing Arts Center (w/ Jackson Browne)
Aug 2 / Camden, NJ / Susquehanna Bank Center (w/ Jackson Browne)
Sept 6 / West Hampton, NY Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
** additional dates to be announced
