FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SINGER-SONGWRITER/GUITARIST JOHN SMITH ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM THE LIVING KIND SET FOR RELEASE ON MARCH 15TH
Listen To The Title Track Ahead Of Release (HERE)
John to Perform at Nashville’s The Basement Prior To Kicking Off
Headlining Tour In The UK
Album Pre-Order Available (HERE)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 25, 2024) - Critically-acclaimed Singer-songwriter/Guitarist John Smith announces new album The Living Kind (Thirty Tigers/Commoner Records) set for release on March 15th. The Living Kind is the first body of new music since his sixth studio album The Fray, which helped him amass over 100 million streams on Spotify. The announcement arrives with the new single and title track, written about living life to its fullest, and follows his previously-released song “The World Turns.” In support of the album’s release, John will perform at Nashville’s The Basement (1604 Eighth Ave. South) on Feb. 20th, prior to kicking off a major headlining tour in the UK in April (full list of tour dates below).*
The album pre-order with two IG tracks including “The Living Kind” and “The World Turns” is available here: https://orcd.co/thelivingkind.
Watch the live performance video of ‘The Living Kind’ here.
The Living Kind highlights John Smith’s generational talent on the guitar and unique synthesis of styles. Produced by Joe Henry (Lisa Hannigan, Rhiannon Giddens, Guy Pearce, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez), it is a gloriously subtle and moving 10 track collection that is a truly contemporary body of work.
Recorded entirely live at Joe Henry’s home in Maine, the idea for the album was first cooked up at the start of 2022, when Joe and John decided to make an intimate record together – “an acoustic album that sounded like Spirit of Eden”, Smith explains, referencing Talk Talk’s 1988 classic. Along with John Martyn’s Solid Air and Joni Mitchell’s electro-acoustic odyssey Hejira, it was one of the three creative inspirations for The Living Kind.
The Living Kind is a truly cohesive song-cycle that seems to be cast in one rich tone-colour, one powerful mood. As John explains, the album is about “responsibility and being keenly aware of your place within a family dynamic. When I started writing these songs, I knew immediately what was happening; in the space of three years, I had essentially become a different person and had a lot more to deal with. I wrote the songs just as we were beginning to rebuild our lives. They are about changing for the better in the face of loss. Celebrating the good things and facing up to the bad. Staying positive, trying to keep an eye on the centre, holding on to those we love and working towards a better future.”
Currently touring in support of his new album, John has upcoming tour stops in Decatur, GA (2/17), Nashville, TN (2/20) and Canada prior to kicking off his headlining tour in the UK in April. Tickets are on sale now, here: http://johnsmithjohnsmith.com.
THE LIVING KIND
TRACKLISTING
“Candle”
“Milestones”
“The Living Kind”
“Trick of the Light”
“Silver Mine”
“Dividing Line”
“Too Good To be True”
“Horizons”
“The World Turns”
“Lily”
JOHN SMITH 2024
UK TOUR DATES*
April 3rd - Beacon, BRISTOL
April 4th - Union Chapel, LONDON
April 5th - Stables, MILTON KEYNES
April 6th - Arts Centre, COLCHESTER
April 10th - Trades Club, HEBDEN BRIDGE
April 11th - The Wardrobe, LEEDS
April 12th - CCA, GLASGOW
April 13th - The Caves, EDINBURGH
April 17th - The Brook, SOUTHAMPTON
April 18th - Phoenix, EXETER
April 19th - Storeys Field, CAMBRIDGE
April 20th - Storyhouse, CHESTER
April 24th - Upper Chapel, SHEFFIELD
April 25th - Glasshouse 2, GATESHEAD
April 26th - Brewery Arts, KENDAL
April 27th - Arts Centre, WARWICK
ABOUT JOHN SMITH
Steeped in the lineage of British folk and American guitar music, taking his cue from Richard Thompson, John Martyn and Ry Cooder, John has evolved a transatlantic blend of guitar techniques. Sometimes using a slide, sometimes with guitar on his lap, sometimes detuning mid-song or pulling subtle expressions out of an array of effect pedals, Smith’s obsession with the instrument has made a master of him. His deeply romantic and vivid songwriting, combined with his innovative guitar work, have won him a loyal following and amassed over 110 million streams on Spotify alone.
His career began opening for folk greats including John Martyn, Davy Graham and John Renbourn, who called him “the future of folk music.” He has since opened for Iron and Wine, Patty Griffin and Ben Howard, and guested with artists such as Jackson Browne, Martin Carthy, Roseanne Cash, Gomez, Richard Hawley, Jarvis Cocker, Jerry Douglas, Glen Hansard and Rodney Crowell. In his occasional role as sideman, he has played guitar for artists as diverse as David Gray, Lisa Hannigan, Lianne La Havas, Joe Henry and Joan Baez.