John Craigie Announces Album OPENING FOR STEINBECK

With the clarity of vision of a millenial, the old soul of a troubadour, and the timing of a stand-up comedian, John Craigie's live shows have his rapidly growing audiences hanging on every word. The humor that runs throughout his songs and the narratives that accompany them touch on embarrassing iPhone photos, Election Night 2016, and "pants" vs "trousers," all presented with self deprecating wit.

Documenting a pair of sold out performances at Mississippi Studios and The Doug Fir late last year, the Portland, OR based Craigie will take the unique step of issuing a second live album in his relatively young career with the release of LIVE - Opening For Steinbeck (out March 16). With wry observational humor interwoven in both story and song, the album is an ideal introduction to an artist doing something that's simultaneously old and brand new.

Craigie truly has a unique live performance; between nearly each song of the set, there's a "bit" he's written that thematically leads into the next track. This moved the acerbic Seattle weekly The Stranger to dub him "the lovechild of John Prine and Mitch Hedberg."

A perfect example of Craigie's craft, Glide Magazine premiered "Presidential Silver Lining" and the song's intro bit, saying it "captures his dynamic talent and what makes him such a compelling and entertaining live act."

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"The significant part of my live shows is the story telling," explains Craigie. "Ever since I started people were always coming up to the merch table asking which album has the stories on it. The comedy bits don't work as well on a studio album, they need an audience there to respond to them. The live albums give the audience the option to take home the funny songs and stories with them."

Craigie's music is connecting with both audiences and various other famous folks. Fellow troubadour Todd Snider notably hand-delivered a gift on-stage, and action hero Chuck Norris remarkably sent Craigie fan mail. Most notably, Craigie caught the attention of one Jack Johnson. Through a serendipitous series of events, Craigie's 2016 live LP Capricorn in Retrograde... Just Kidding... Live in Portland landed in Johnson's car stereo during a California coastal road trip. Immediately becoming a fan, Jack reached out and Craigie found himself onstage for 12 shows during Johnson's 2017 summer tour including performances at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California and The Gorge in Washington state.

In his live performances, on his records, in his comedy bits and in his songs, Craigie's one goal is connecting with his listeners. "It's about transparency," he explains. "The storytelling enables listeners to relate. Really good music doesn't make you feel good; it makes you feel like you're not alone."

Tour Dates:

Feb 10 - Honolulu, HI - The Republik

Feb 16 - Grass Valley, CA - Center for the Arts *

Feb 17 - Sebastopol, CA - Hopmonk Tavern *

Feb 18 - Sebastopol, CA - Hopmonk Tavern *

Feb 19 - Chico, CA - Sierra Nevada Big Room *

Feb 23 - Sacramento, CA - Harlow's *

Feb 24 - Crystal Bay, NV - Crystal Bay Crown Room *

Feb 26 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown^

Feb 27 - Davenport, IA - Redstone Room^

Feb 28 - St Louis, MO - Old Rock House^

Mar 01 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck^

Mar 02 - Boulder, CO - The Fox Theatre^

Mar 03 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Rock the Boat Concert Series^

Mar 04 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up^

Mar 05 - Park City, UT - Park City Live^

Mar 06 - Ketchum, ID - Whiskey Jacques^

Mar 07 - Bend, OR - The Domino Room^

Mar 08 - Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo^

Mar 09 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile^

Mar 10 - Portland, OR - The Aladdin Theater^

Mar 11 - Arcata, CA - Humboldt Brews^

Mar 14 - Austin, TX - SXSW (March 14-15)

Mar 16 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore *

Mar 18 - Santa Cruz, CA - Kuumbwa Jazz

Mar 21 - Spokane, WA - The Bartlett

Mar 22 - Sandpoint, ID - Di Luna's (Two Shows March 22-23)

Apr 04 - Raleigh, NC - The Pour House

Apr 05 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse

Apr 06 - Atlanta, GA - Smith's Olde Bar

Apr 07 - Marianna, FL - Madison's Warehouse

Apr 08 - Tallahassee, FL - Purple House Concerts

Jun 15 - Hunter, NY - Mountain Jam (June 15-17)

Jul 05 - Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival (July 5-8)

Aug 03 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon (Aug 3-5)

* = opening for ALO

^ = opening for Donavon Frankenreiter