Fairground Saints Release Self-titled Debut Album Today

The Los Angeles based trio Fairground Saints' self-titled debut album is now streaming. Listen to the album below! The band will be touring in conjunction with the release of the album, out on Verve today, August 21.

Fairground Saints will celebrate with a release day show at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica on August 28 with a special CD & ticket bundle. The band also plays Kaaboo Festival on September 18 and a string of West Coast tour dates with Marc Broussard. Last week, the band added even more new tour dates with Striking Matches kicking off September 29 at Rockwood Music Hall in New York. See below for full tour itinerary.

The album -- produced by Matthew Wilder (No Doubt/Christina Aguilera) -- is now available for pre-order on iTunes. The first four tracks from the band, including debut single "Can't Control the Weather," "Ain't Much for Lyin'," "Turn This Car Around" and "All For You" are streaming on Spotify HERE and available for purchase on iTunes HERE.

Mason Van Valin (vocals and guitar), Elijah Edwards (vocals, guitar, mandolin, keyboards, Dobro, accordion) and Megan McAllister (vocals, guitar, dulcimer) met by chance. "We gelled quickly and started making music together right away," says McAllister, "it was almost like we were already family." The trio began getting songs together for their debut album and in 2014 landed a deal with The Verve Music Group/Universal Records to release it.

In making Fairground Saints, the band shook off all inhibitions in their creativity, taking a playful approach in writing and recording. This allowed them to hold true to their vision of creating what McAllister calls a "very love-driven album." "There's no filter on the emotion coming through in our songs," notes Edwards, "they're all based in visceral feeling, and the lyrics are as real as a conversation you could be having with an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend." For instance, "'Ain't Much for Lyin' is a song about being with somebody else while you're dating somebody," says Van Valin, "it was my lack of bravery to have that conversation with my girlfriend at the time so I put it in a song." However, in "Turn This Car Around," where all three members wrote the lyrics, you get both sides of the story. "It's kind of that back and forth story where you get it from his perspective and then her perspective," McAllister explains.

"If the upside of focusing in on something you don't necessarily like about yourself is that other people might eventually benefit from it, then that's all right with us," says Van Valin. "Music has made me realize I wasn't alone more times than I can count, and I want to put that back into the world."

FAIRGROUND SAINTS TOUR DATES:

* with Marc Broussard
† with Striking Matches

August 28 McCabe's Guitar Shop Santa Monica, CA
September 18 Kaaboo Festival San Diego, CA
September 22 City Winery Napa, CA *
September 23 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA *
September 24 SLO Brewing Company San Luis Obispo, CA *
September 25 The Troubadour Los Angeles, CA *
September 28 Ramshead Live Annapolis, MD †
September 29 Rockwood Music Hall New York, NY †
September 30 Café 939 at Berklee Boston, MA †

October 1 World Café Upstairs Philadelphia, PA †
October 3 Avalon Theatre Easton, MD †
October 5 The Basement Columbus, OH †
October 6 The Space Evanston, IL †
October 7 The Pike Room Pontiac, MI †
October 16 3rd and Lindsley Nashville, TN †
October 17 Cask & Drum Fest Birmingham, AL†
October 28 The Foundry Athens, GA†
October 29 Eddie's Attic Decatur, GA†
October 31 The Evening Muse Charlotte, NC†

FAIRGROUND SAINTS TRACK LIST:
1. Ain't Much for Lyin'
2. Can't Control the Weather
3. All For You
4. Church
5. Still
6. Gossip Land
7. Wish I Was
8. Until Then
9. Sunday Lover
10. Made to be Forgotten
11. Turn this Car Around
12. Somethin' from Nothin'

CONNECT:
www.fairgroundsaints.com
www.facebook.com/FairgroundSaints
www.twitter.com/FGSaints
www.instagram.com/fairgroundsaints

Photo Credit: Gus Black

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