CHICAGO, IL. (Top40 Charts/ Western Publicity) Grafting literate, character-driven song craft and Mid-American roots with a post-punk DIY attitude, Chicago-based songwriter, performer and instrumentalist Al Scorch charts a personal musical topography with a five-string banjo. Scorch is equally comfortable solo or with his band, in
September he heads out west on a solo tour that includes club dates and underground house shows, he will arrive back in
Chicago for a full band show at the Hideout on
September 28th.
He embraces the independence of house concerts -a loose circuit that extends from New Orleans to Portland, Missoula to San Francisco and all points in between. "Flyers go up, phone calls get made, a Facebook page appears and everyone brings their own beer. I've been touring this scene for eight years and it is expanding with more and more houses and spaces: store fronts, radical bookstores and lofts."
In his new full-length CD release, Tired Ghostly Town, Scorch delivers jubilant anthems and poignant reflections in 10 songs populated with a cast of vibrant characters. The protagonist wishing for a pair of gold cuff links to accompany his beau to her daddy's funeral; the deserting Civil War soldier headed across destroyed cotton fields beckoning to "Miss Rosie"; or a hearse driver bound for the cemetery accompanied by a sonorous clarinet. Scorch doesn't just introduce these denizens, he inhabits their world.
Self-described as a "fourth generation Chicagoan, born and bred," Al recalls that his Missouri-born mother played banjo and had one in the house, while his dad played piano and guitar. The sounds of his hometown began with the Irish and Eastern European music transported to the new world. "The WLS Barn Dance was a radio show that predated the Opry," he notes. "Chicago has music from Appalachian immigrants and jazz musicians from New Orleans and Memphis."
Scorch has big plans for the year ahead, a band tour will commence in October and November before he starts a musical residency at Chicago's Empty Bottle this winter and European touring in the spring. Tired Ghostly Town's timeless feel comes from the traditional instrumentation; Scorch's songwriting shines a light on the inner lives of his subjects.
AL SCORCH ON TOUR
8-29 Milwaukee, WI Quarters Rock n' Roll Palace
8-30 Winona, MN TBA
8/31 Minneapolis, MN Low Tech Palace
9/1 Duluth, MN Ochre
Ghost Gallery
9/2 Fargo, ND The Aquarium
9/3 Minot, ND Pangea House
9/5 Helena, MT Jesters
9/6 Missoula, MT VFW
9/7 Seattle, WA The Kraken Lounge
9/8 Portland, OR Waffle House
9/9 Weed, CA The Center for Railroad Culture
9/10 San Francisco, CA TBA
9/13 Berkeley, CA Space Lounge
9/14 San Francisco, CA The Knockout
9/15 San Pedro, CA Harolds
9/16 Los Angeles, CA The Redwood Bar & Grill
9/18 Tempe, AZ The Yucca Tap
9/19 Tucson, AZ TBA
9/21 Albuquerque, NM TBA
9/22 Taos, NM Taos Ale House
9/23 Denver, CO TBA
9/25 Lawrence, KS TBA
9/26 Kansas City, KS Speakeasy
9/27 St. Louis, MO Lemp Neighborhood Art Center
9/28 Chicago, IL The Hideout
For more information, check https://www.alscorch.com
