London, UK (Top40 Charts) Americana music ensemble Auburn featuring Liz Lenten will be releasing their 5th album �Love & Promises� on June 17th 2016! The new album was mainly written in the mountains of eastern Crete last year, in a flurry of outpouring! As always with Liz Lenten's prolific songwriting, themes cover the usual range of reflections of emotions and situations � from love, loss, uncertainty and yearning to lucid dreaming, frustrating teenagers, imaginary lovers, and the sorry sad state of the world�. Remarkably it's pretty upbeat mostly actually....honest!
Says Liz, �Its been another crazy year for me, with huge personal life changes � which left me realizing that you really need to focus on the here and now and live for the moment � not in a 'I could die tomorrow' kind of way � just that there is no point on dwelling on the past and planning too far ahead in the future � you need to just focus on and enjoy the present � and realize that nothing is for ever! That's the 'Love & Promises' message anyway! I'm not saying it's the same for everyone of course, but that's how it is for me- hopefully there are other people out there that this will resonate with!�
As with Auburn's previous releases, the band's new album was recorded once again in Nashville. Says Liz, �Nashville is one of the most wonderful cities on earth to me � buzzing with music and creativity. My fantastic producer, Thomm Jutz, who totally brings my ideas to life is there, so I would go wherever he was! And the musicians are amazing � all so incredibly talented and sensitive � and just lovely people to be around. I have done 3 albums there and will be going back next year, hopefully, to record a duo album with Chet O'Keefe. I just feel at home there.�
With last year's release of Auburn's critically acclaimed album �Mixed Feelings�, 2015 proved to be a hugely exciting year for the band, who reformed in 2011 after almost a decade apart. The band embarked on a major UK tour again supporting the legendary Jefferson
Starship and then later in the year with
Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick, captivating audiences around the country with their unique blend of Americana, blues and roots music.
�Playing as a three piece acoustic unit, my first impressions (of Auburn) took me back to another 60�s trio, The Springfields (ask your parents!). I think the gentle, laid back nature of opening song �Sitia Bay� almost caught the crowd in two minds, so polite was the applause. Slowly, Liz and the boys started to win them over with a set of their bluesy, folksy story telling music, undoubtedly heavily influenced by sounds American. With solid support� from guitarist Mark Gustavina and bassist Jevon Beaumont, Liz Lenten at times sang with a frailty that gave her songs an atmosphere and emotion that a balls-out delivery might have ruined, not that she hadn�t got the power when needed! Given that we now had an hour to wait before the appearance of Jefferson Starship, could not Auburn have given us a couple more, I wonder?�
Live review
Robin 2, Feb 2015
Since achieving Indie Chart top 5 success with �Cry� in 2005, and then having a break from performing, (after becoming a Mum) in the last 3 years Auburn has released 3 CDs to critical acclaim (nearly 60K plays on ReverbNation), and toured extensively including appearing at The Blue Note, in New Orleans, LA.
Musicians featured on �Love & Promises� are:
Liz Lenten � vocals/guitar
Thomm Jutz - producer/guitars (Nanci Griffiths,
Peter Cooper, Max Wise)
Mark Fain � bass (Ry Cooder, Ricky Skaggs)
Evan Hutchings � drums (Amy Speace, Kim Richey)
Jen Gunderman � keys/accordion (Sheryl Crow, Jayhawks)
Justin Moses � Dobro (Alison Krauss, Bruce Hornsby)
Britt
Savage � harmony vocals (Garth Brooks, Crystal Gayle)
Chet O�Keefe � guest duet vocal (Kinky Freidman, Gibson Bros)
�CROSS THE DEEP ATLANTIC� Tour dates June 2016 - Liz Lenten & Chet O�Keefe - 2 guitars, 2 voices��Live and Acoustic
Thursday 16th � The Donkey, Leicester - www.thedonkeybar.com Tel: 01162705042
Friday 17th � Edinburgh � House Concert. contact:
[email protected] for tickets
Saturday 18th � The
Black Bull, Donington, Lincs Free Entry! www.blackbulldonington.com
Sunday 19th � The Convent, Stroud https://theconvent-manage.netgig.co.uk/event/chet-okeefe-auburn/ � net gig Tel: 0844 884 29 20
Tuesday 21st � Bar Wotever, Royal Vauxhall tavern, London www.woteverworld.com/events Tel: 020 7820 1222
Wednesday 22nd �
Roots sessions @ The Grain Bar, Frome www.facebook.com/Roots-Sessions-at-the-Grain-Bar-627953437276945 Tel: 01373 455 420
Friday 24th � Helmsley AC, Yorks www.helmsleyarts.co.uk/whats-on/cross-the-deep-atlantic Tel: 01439 771700
Sunday 26th � Enfield House Party (private)
Here's what the press has said about Liz Lenten and Auburn:
��..in delivering melodic dramatic monologue, Liz Lenten is among the best around� -
David Innes, R2 magazine (UK )
�Auburn makes wonderfully atmospheric music�like the kind of country that first turned rappers on to
Johnny Cash because he was such an OG� - Midwest Records (USA)
�Liz was damn well channelling her (Dusty Springfield) at times� It was like she was possessed!� - Jon Downes, GONZO blog (UK)
�A sound that is as evocative as it is moving� � Neil King, Fatea
�Auburn have cemented their place within the genre with this album� � Ravenheart
�We�ve been stopped in our tracks by Liz Lenten and Auburn's dramatic genre-amalgam Nashville� - Flying Shoes
�A cultural microcosm of the new sound for American roots music!� � Bop n Jazz