LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ Conqueroo Music) - The fall months will prove a busy time for three-time Grammy Award winning bluesy singer/songwriter Keb' Mo', who will embark on a 31-date coast-to-coast American tour while releasing his first indie album, Live & Mo', on October 20. A custom blend of songs handpicked by Keb' Mo' for the premiere release on his own label, Yolabelle International, the CD features six live performances harvested from pinnacle moments on the road and four new studio recordings, including the anthemic "A
Brand New America," an inspirational band version of "Victims of Comfort," the deep funky groove of "Government Cheese" and the back-porch blues of "Hole in the Bucket." Live & Mo' will be available through Keb' Mo's recently redesigned web site www.kebmo.com, and via The Orchard for digital distribution through 600+ digital stores worldwide.
The tour opens October 14, in Portsmouth, NH, and covers such major cities as Toronto, New York, Boston, Washington, Albany, Philadelphia, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, Ann Arbor, Salt Lake City, Oakland and Portland, OR. All dates find Keb' Mo' and his Band as the headliner with the exception of the November 21 Oakland date, which is a co-headline with Solomon Burke. (A full list of dates follows.)
While the tour proceeds, Keb' Mo's single from the Playing For Change CD, "Better Man," is impacting Triple A radio. Keb' is also the voice-over talent and has donated a song - an acoustic version of "A Brand New America" - to the NAACP produced Census 2010 informational video to be distributed virally this Fall. As evidenced by these tracks, Keb's songs about hope and bringing out the best in humanity are resonating on many levels and in various media.
Keb' Mo's web site now features a newly designed merchandise store called Mo' Stuff, which is stocked with a unique line of clothing and lifestyle items, a detailed discography featuring streaming music of his entire catalog, and a special section detailing his favorite guitars as well as his personal commentary on them.
Unrelated to all of this, flanked by fellow Los Angeles blues legends Roy Gaines and Finis Tasby, Keb' Mo' has taped an episode of The Sarah Silverman Program to air in February. According to Keb: "Sarah couldn't have been more gracious and warm. It was a great experience."
Keb' Mo's music is a contemporary link to the seminal Delta blues tradition that traveled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America - informing all of its musical roots - before evolving into a universally celebrated art form. Born Kevin Moore in South Los Angeles to parents originally from the Deep South, he adopted his better-known stage name when he was a young player who became inspired by the force of this essential African-American legacy. In the tradition of bluesmen before him, from Muddy Waters, also known as McKinley Morganfield, and Taj Mahal, who began his days as Henry St. Clair Fredericks, Moore became known as Keb' Mo'. His acclaimed self-titled 1994 debut album introduced that now famous appellation to the world, and his latest, Live & Mo' represents another musical experience to be savored.
Mo's music is also an expression of the artistic and cultural journey that has transformed the blues, and his own point of view, over time. His distinctive sound embraces multiple eras and genres - including pop, rock, folk and jazz - in which he is well versed. In total, it owes as much to the singer-songwriter movement, encompassing his longtime friends and collaborators Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne, as to the spirit of blues godfather Robert Johnson. For Keb' Mo', the common bond between these influences is the underlying storytelling ethic, the power of song to convey human experience and emotional weight.
Dates for the fall U.S. 2009 tour are as follows (*with Kristina Train; **Evening with):
Wed., Oct. 14 PORTSMOUTH, NH Music Hall**
Thurs., Oct. 15 MONTREAL, QU Metropolis
Fri., Oct. 16 TORONTO, ON Koerner Hall
Sat., Oct. 17 OTTAWA, ON Boulton Hall**
Mon., Oct. 19 NIAGARA FALLS, NY Niagara Casino**
Wed., Oct. 21 NEW YORK, NY Nokia Theater*
Thurs., Oct. 22 BURLINGTON, VT The Flynn*
Fri., Oct. 23 BOSTON, MA Somerville Theater*
Sun., Oct. 25 ALBANY, NY The Egg*
Mon., Oct. 26 ANNAPOLIS, MD The Rams Head
Tues.-Wed., Oct. 27-28 ALEXANDRIA, VA Birchmere
Thurs., Oct. 29 RED BANK, NJ Count Basie Theatre*
Fri., Oct. 30 GREENSBURG, PA Palace*
Sun., Nov. 1 WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY PAC*
Mon., Nov. 2 PRINCETON, NY McCarter Theatre**
Tues., Nov. 3 RIDGEFIELD, CT Ridgefield Playhouse*
Thurs., Nov. 5 ENGLEWOOD, NJ Bergen PAC*
Fri., Nov. 6 TARRYTOWN, NY Music Hall*
Sat., Nov. 7 PHILADELPHIA, PA Keswick Theatre*
Sun., Nov. 8 WILMINGTON, DE Grand Opera House*
Mon., Nov. 9 STATE COLLEGE, PA State Theater*
Wed., Nov 11 ANN ARBOR, MI Michigan Theater*
Thurs., Nov. 12 KALAMAZOO, MI State Theatre*
Fri., Nov. 13 CHICAGO, IL House of Blues*
Sat., Nov. 14 MILWAUKEE, WI Pottowatomie Casino**
Tues., Nov. 17 DENVER, CO Paramount**
Wed., Nov. 18 SALT LAKE CITY, UT Depot**
Fri., Nov. 20 SPARKS, NV Nugget**
Sat., Nov. 21 OAKLAND, CA Paramount Theater (SF Jazz Fest); co-bill with Solomon Burke
Sun., Nov. 22 CARMEL, CA Sunset Center**
Tues., Nov. 23 PORTLAND, OR Aladdin Theater**
