Josh Ritter and JJ Grey & Mofro Set for Idaho Botanical Garden This July

By: Apr. 14, 2016
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Josh Ritter will set out on an extensive U.S. headlining tour in 2016 in support of his latest album Sermon On The Rocks (out now out now via Pytheas Recordings/Thirty Tigers). Joined by The Royal City Band, this run of dates will include performances in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia and more.

Ritter recently released the official music video for his new song "Homecoming," which features thousands of hometown images submitted directly to Ritter by his fans. Of the video, The Huffington Post raves, "'Homecoming' moves from a solo piano setting a butterscotch tone, to the voice of a young man backed by a band chugging in the background; to an acoustic middle eight and back to the glorious rhythm...It's seamless, sweet, and real."

Released to widespread critical praise, Sermon On The Rocks was recently named one
of PopMatters' "80 Best Albums of 2015" with NPR Music including his song "Getting Ready To Get Down" in their "Favorite Songs Of 2015" list, and Paste Magazine naming "Birds of the Meadow" in their "50 Best Songs of 2015" list. The New York Times asserts, "The literary-minded songwriter Josh Ritter...recharges his music on his eighth studio album, Sermon on the Rocks...Harking back to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and maybe a little Mark Knopfler, Mr. Ritter has always been a slinger of serious ideas and high-flown imagery," while The Wall Street Journal declares, "The new album's music is airy, propulsive and more often than not, catchy." NPR Music's Stephen Thompson raves, "...it's an approach that brings out some of Ritter's slipperiest, nimblest wordplay...and a few genuine head-turners. Not many singers could pull off a whopper like, 'If you wanna see a miracle, watch me get down,' but when Ritter gets there near the end of 'Getting Ready To Get Down,' it lands like a grand punchline."

Tickets available at the Idaho Botanical Garden box office, Taco Bell Arena box office, online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 208-343-8649 or 208-426-1766

About JJ Grey & Mofro - Celebrated soulful ensemble JJ Grey & Mofro will release their newest recording Ol' Glory on March 3rd. This album marks their debut on Provogue Records, which is part of the Mascot Label Group. Ol' Glory contains 12 new songs that feature the deep, soulful blend of blues, rock, folk, funk, gospel, gritty R&B and personal, Southern-inspired narratives that have become synonymous with JJ Grey & Mofro. A true Southern renaissance man, JJ Grey's Intensely charismatic live performances, combined with the incredible musicianship of Mofro, have connected with audiences all over the world. Their work has been praised by the press, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Relix, The Oxford American and many more.

The material on Ol' Glory reflects two themes that run through JJ Grey & Mofro's entire body of work, a strong sense of place, and finding happiness with where you are in life. The opening track, "Everything Is A Song" is prime example, as is the joyous "Every Minute" with its mantra "loving every minute of living". "Home in the Sky" allows listeners a glimpse at Grey's spirituality strongly rooted in his Florida home and the land he grew up on. JJ Grey is a natural storyteller with a gift for delivering thoughtful and profound messages in a down-to-earth, laid-back way, while maintaining a level of intensity that goes straight to your core.

Ol' Glory was recorded at Retrophonics Studio in Saint Augustine, FL, where Grey has tracked many times. An avid surfer, Grey often spent the mornings at the beach and the afternoons recording, a formula that has proven very effective in creating inspired recordings. Ol' Glory showcases the strength of Mofro members Anthony Cole (drums and percussion), Andrew Trube (guitar), Anthony Farrell (piano/organ), Todd Smallie (bass) and Dennis Marion (trumpet) and Jeff Dazey (saxophone). Special guests include Luther Dickinson on dobro and electric slide guitar and Derek Trucks on electric slide guitar.

JJ Grey & Mofro have captivated audiences at some of the largest festivals worldwide, including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits Festival, Glastonbury, North Sea Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival and Fuji Rock in Japan.

The band, who play over 120 dates per year, will be hitting the road in February in support of Ol' Glory, including a trip to Europe and Australia. JJ Grey is as genuine as they come, a do-it-yourselfer who is committed to making music that's true to his heritage and full of integrity. In this day and age, that's a rare thing.



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