THE RIDES’ PIERCED ARROW OUT MAY 6 ON 429 RECORDS – GROUP FEATURES STEPHEN STILLS, KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD AND BARRY GOLDBERG
“PIERCED ARROW” TOUR KICKS OFF MAY 2
photo credit Eleanor Stills
“a diesel-fueled jam”—Rolling Stone
“[Stills] spits out lyrics with joyful abandon…slow, soulful blues don’t get more scorching than Stills’ cracked, craggy vocals and riveting dueling solos.”—American Songwriter
The Rides, the project of two time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stephen Stills, five time Grammy nominated guitar great Kenny Wayne Shepherd and celebrated Chicago rock/blues keyboardist Barry Goldberg, are set for the May 6 release of their sophomore album Pierced Arrow on 429 Records.
Pierced Arrow, the album title referencing the 1920s classic American car, follows the group’s chart-topping 2013 record Can’t Get Enough (#1 on the Billboard, Amazon and iTunes Blues Charts and a top 40 Billboard debut). The new record, which also includes performances by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton, features more original material from Stills, Shepherd and Goldberg. The record’s first single, “Virtual World,” recently premiered via Relix and can be streamed/shared at http://bit.ly/1YpEEID.
The group will celebrate the album’s release with a 16-date U.S. tour, kicking off May 2 in Minneapolis. Please see below for a complete list of dates.
For Stills, Shepherd and Goldberg, the process of writing songs from scratch and touring behind their first album opened an exciting new feeling of intimacy that fueled the creative process of writing and recording Pierced Arrow.
“We had so much fun playing on stage, we had to do it more,” explains Stills. “Lots of freedom. Kenny and I found a wonderfully exciting knack for playing lead at the same time without a real ‘arrangement,’ just sort of instinctive guessing, from watching each other’s hands. Neil Young and I used to do this with Buffalo Springfield. And the grooves are always right on the money, never rushed or jittery.”
Shepherd adds, “For me, it’s a liberating dynamic that’s different from my live solo band because I’m sharing the vocals and guitar playing with Stephen. I love being part of a unit where everyone weighs in with thoughts and opinions.”
Goldberg also notes, “It’s so great to be back recording and playing live on this high level again with Stephen and Kenny Wayne, and we’re really excited about the music on Pierced Arrow. The chemistry is just so good between the three of us. We all have so much respect for each other.”
A passion for rock and the blues isn’t the only thing The Rides have in common. Stills and Shepherd share a mutual love of classic cars which inspired both the band’s and the new record’s name. Pierced Arrow is a riff on the famed Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company, a maker of luxury cars in the first four decades of the 20th Century; it served as the ultimate musician’s mode of transportation in the ‘20s and ‘30s.
PIERCED ARROW TRACK LIST
1. Kick Out of It
2. Riva Diva
3. Virtual World
4. By My Side
5. Mr. Policeman
6. Use My Ima gination
7. Game On
8. I Need Your Lovin’
9. There Was a Place
10. My Babe (Willie Dixon)
“PIERCED ARROW” TOUR
May 2 – Burnsville, MN – Ames Center
May 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
May 5 – Springfield, IL – Sangamon Auditorium
May 6 – Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater
May 8 – Merrillville, IN – Star Plaza Theater
May 9 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
May 11 – Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
May 12 – New York, NY – Town Hall
May 13 – Kingston, NY – UPAC
May 15 – Bethlehem, PA – Sands Bethlehem Event Center
May 17 – Boston, MA – Wilbur Theater
May 18 – Pro vidence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
June 1 – San Diego, CA – Balboa Theater
June 2 – Berkeley, CA – UC Theater
June 4 – Scottsdale, AZ – Talking Stick
June 5 – Riverside, CA – Fox Performing Arts Center