Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter Hugh Masterson is set to release a new album, Lost + Found, his first solo effort, on June 2, 2017 via Rock Ridge Music. The six songs cover a heartfelt journey through surviving loss and life changes while gaining self-awareness through experience. His self-deprecating way of viewing himself is endearing, and his songs are deeply personal. "I use songwriting as therapy," he says. "I think other people will relate to these songs. Finding happiness daily is not an easy thing."
Recorded at
Key Club Recording Co. in Benton Harbor, Wisconsin, the album was co-produced by Masterson and Bill Skibbe, best known as engineer for The Black Keys, Dead Weather,
The Kills and many others. The duo succeeded in bringing Masterson's own unique perspective to the Americana music he makes, his sound boasting a Midwestern bounce and jangle coupled with Nashville wail and grit. It's easy, it's familiar, it's twangy-goodness, pedal-steel
Southern rock; it's a dusty ride down a road winding through rural Wisconsin (he grew up in the small town of Butternut, Wisconsin) or backwoods Tennessee.
The first single, the title track "Lost + Found," tells the story of Masterson getting mugged one night in Milwaukee. He was hit in the head with a tire iron and his jaw was broken in two places. I got beat up just walking around town/Hold my head up high still on the ground/Don't know why I came here/Don't know what I'm fighting for. Masterson explains: "It's about when you feel like you're not sure why things happen to you. You're not sure how to navigate life the best way that you possibly can, because you're not seeing the signs that you need yet."
Several years after the mugging, and following the death of his mother, Masterson made the move from Milwaukee to Nashville. Unbeknownst to him, this move would end up being the catalyst for the breakup of his band, Hugh Bob and the Hustle, who were starting to enjoy both industry and fan attention. Masterson was set on leaving Wisconsin while the rest of his band decided to stay put. He quickly took to the East Nashville music community, befriending a number of artists with whom he's toured recently, such as The Lone Bellow, Margo Price, Nikki Lane,
Anderson East and several others. Additionally, he's drawn attention from the Americana Music Association, CMT, KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic," Rolling Stone, World Café, and South by Southwest.
Masterson plans to hit the road prior to the album's release; he's got a handful of co-headlining dates planned with Brian Elmquist of The Lone Bellow. The tour schedule is below.
Hugh Masterson Tour dates:
5/13/2017 - Milwaukee, WI / Pabst Street Fair
5/15/2017 - Madison, WI /
The Frequency *
5/16/2017 - Appleton, WI /Mill Creek Blues *
5/17/2017 - St. Louis, MO / Blueberry Hill Duck Room *
5/18/2017 - Louisville, KY /
Zanzabar *
5/19/2017 - Nashville, TN /
High Watt *
* denotes date with Brian Elmquist (of The Lone Bellow)
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