Since the summer of 2015, Bob Weir has been on an electrifying kick—energetic performances, reinvigorated jams and rich, throaty vocals—that began with his Fare Thee Well performances and continued through the formation of Dead & Company. But in all these musical adventures, Weir has been one patch in a colorful tapestry. With Blue Mountain, he steps out with all new, original solo material for the first time in decades. At 12 tracks, Blue Mountain is a gorgeously soulful album of acoustic folk, blues and country cuts. Weir tapped Yellowbirds alum Josh Kaufman to produce and cowrite the set, with Josh Ritter stepping in for longtime lyricist John Perry Barlow and The National’s Scott Devendorf and Aaron and Bryce Dessner—who were in the process of recording their own Day of the Dead tribute—fleshing out many of the studio sessions. Weir’s steady collaborators Steve Kimock, Robin Sylvester, Joe Russo and newer friends like Sam Cohen also lend their talents, but all these names don’t take the spotlight away from Weir. Nearing 70 years old, he creates songs that feel like home—warm and quietly exhilarating. On the title track—a sparse, country ballad—Weir sings, “My days, they were troubled and restless. All the bad news I looked for, I found.” Lyrically, he’s a wise elder reflecting on an adventurous youth in these tunes: “I know what the ghost towns know—love comes and goes,” he sings on the gently grooving “Ghost Towns.” That vantage point plays out beautifully on tracks like “Cottonwood Lullaby,” a stunning meditation on passing time, anchored with gentle piano. Weir has climbed many mountains over the past 50 years—and this journey is a wonderful one to join.
News
Archive- Watch: Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and Bill Frisell Pay Tribute to Leonard Cohen with National Symphony Orchestra
- Iron Blossom Music Festival Returns with CAAMP, Mt. Joy, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and More
- The Disco Biscuits Continue Why We Dance Tour with Festival Appearances and Tractorbeam Show
- Joni Mitchell Revisits The Vault, Unveils Next Chapter of Archive Series ‘The Asylum Albums (1976-1980)’
- GoFundMe Launched to Support Memorial Costs for Nick Daniels III
- Dead & Company Detail Free Immersive Dead Forever Experience at The Venetian
- Galactic Welcome Grace Potter, Skerik and More at Tipitina’s
- Steve Earle, Guster, Sarah Jarosz and More Added to The Music of Crosby, Stills and Nash at Carnegie Hall
Most Popular
- Borderland Festival Plots 2024 Return with The Black Crowes, CAAMP, Marcus King, Dark Star Orchestra and More
- The Rolling Stones Announce North American Tour Openers: Widespread Panic, Tyler Childers, Bettye LaVette and More
- Latest Installment of Jerry Garcia Live Series, ‘February 13th, 1976 Keystone Berkeley’ Receives Release Date
- Marcus King Band Family Reunion to Return for First Time Since 2019 with The Avett Brothers, Sierra Ferrell and More
- Trey Anastasio Talks New Vermont Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program
- Neil Young and Crazy Horse Perform Augmented “Cortez The Killer” and Bust Outs During Love Earth Tour Opener
- Goose Goes Back to Class: Band Members Return to Former High School for Student and Staff Concerts
- Talking Heads to Reconnect for ‘A Night of Stop Making Sense’ Screenings in NY and LA
No Comments comments associated with this post