New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Mark Pucci Media) Rick will celebrate the release of his new album with extensive touring around California and the southwest into Texas. Shows already booked include
September 12 at the Coffee Gallery in Altadena; and on
September 14 with Mary McCaslin at The Fret House in Covina. In addition, Rick will be a part of the "Roots on the Rail" music series dubbed the "Kings of California" with Dave Alvin, Chris Smither and
Peter Case. The October 20-25 tour will offer fans a chance to ride on a vintage steam locomotive-powered train from Los Angeles to Seattle and back again, as the four musicians perform a wide variety of shows and workshops throughout the trip.
A riveting songwriter who spins tales that reverberate with visions of both the old and contemporary American West, Rick Shea's music is firmly steeped in the classic bedrock of folk and country, flavored with the spices of the Mexican music he grew up with in his San Bernardino upbringing, and filtered by the rock sounds that impacted so many musicians of his generation. A collection of personal stories and stories of California and beyond, Sweet Bernardine may be Shea's most compelling album yet. The arrangements are spare and simple, based on acoustic guitar, mandolin, accordion and drums, although Shea does pull out his Telecaster on a few for some extra juice.
The ten tracks on the new disc reflect Rick Shea's take on everything from love, sin and salvation to American history as seen through his eyes. "The opening song on the new album, 'Mexicali Train,' is about a train ride I took years ago from Mexicali to Puerto Vallarta," Rick states. "I was heartbroken and trying to forget, and I found out you really can't run from your memories, they travel along with you.
"'Mariachi Hotel' is the story of the old Boyle Hotel in East Los Angeles and the Mariachi musicians who have lived there. Like many who come to California, they found new identities, calling themselves names like the Falcon and the Dragon. And like many, they've known struggle, calling on St. Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians, to look over them," he adds.
One of the most personal and fascinating songs on Sweet Bernardine is "John Shea from Kenmare," which is about Rick's great-great-grandfather, John Shea, who emigrated to the U.S. from Kenmare in County Kerry, Ireland. "He was the first to enlist in the Union Army from the
State of New Hampshire and was captured and held at prisoner of war camps in Virginia," offers Rick, "and 'John Shea from Kenmare' is his story as taken from his sworn testimony before Congress in 1869."
Sweet Bernardine also includes two covers: Rick's mournful take on the Hank Williams classic, "Honky Tonk Blues," and the album's closer, "Streamline Cannonball," written by Roy Acuff and recorded live as a duet with Mary McCaslin on the revered long-running radio show, "Folkscene," hosted by Roz Larman.
Rick is backed throughout the album by a cadre of top West Coast players, including Don Heffington on drums; Tony Zamora,
David Jackson and Bob Glaub on bass; Skip Edwards on accordion; and
Danny McGough on keyboards.
An evocative singer with a haunting voice and an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Rick Shea grew up in San Bernardino and cut his teeth in the bars and honky-tonks there, later building a career as a singer, guitarist and songwriter. In addition to his solo work, he's been a much in-demand musician on other artists' recordings and tours, and has played with Los Lobos, Rosie Flores and
R.E.M. among many others. As a member of Dave Alvin's "Guilty Men" band, he toured all over the country with Alvin for seven years and recorded on most of Dave's albums during that time, most notably the Grammy-winning Public Domain.
"If I had to compare myself, I would say that when I was younger, Merle Haggard cast a long shadow," says Rick about his influences. "But since then, Dave Alvin, Jim Ringer and all the other music I grew up with has found its way in."
Rick Shea's previous albums have garnered universal acclaim; in one review, OC Weekly writer Jim Washburn called Rick, "…a powerful musical personality... Shea's best songs rank with anybody's best."
To watch a new video of the album's title track, click on this link: https://youtu.be/Te3HNdT6OlI.
For more information, visit www.rickshea.com
