Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway Release New Song 'San Joaquin'

“San Joaquin,” the latest song from GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Molly Tuttle and her band, Golden Highway, is out now. Watch a live performance video, filmed at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios below.

Tuttle says of the song, “I’ve always loved singing songs about trains and this one takes place in my home state of California. Ketch and I had the idea for writing ‘San Joaquin’ while looking at a map of different train lines that run through the state. Ketch loves writing geographical songs and I have many fond memories of road trips taken through the Central Valley when I was a kid, so we dreamed up this story of a wild ride down the San Joaquin railway.”

The track is the third unveiled from Tuttle’s new album, City of Gold, which will be released July 21 via Nonesuch Records (pre-order/pre-save here).

Ahead of the release, new songs “Next Rodeo” and “El Dorado,” recently debuted, of which Billboard calls “a vibrant blend of bluegrass with flashes of Old West, anchored by Tuttle’s earthy-yet-angelic vocal and the entire group’s ace musicianship.” Additionally, American Songwriter praises, “Tuttle, one of the world’s best guitar players, soars on this country song.”

The new album follows Tuttle’s acclaimed 2022 record, Crooked Tree, which won Best Bluegrass Album at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards and also led to a Best New Artist nomination.

Produced by Tuttle and Jerry Douglas andrecorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios, City of Gold was inspired by Tuttle’s constant touring with Golden Highway these past few years, during which they have grown together as musicians and performers, cohering as a band. These 13 tracks—mostly written by Tuttle and Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show)—capture the electric energy of band’s live shows by highlighting each members’ musical strengths. 

In celebration of the new music, the band will tour through this summer including dates supporting Dave Matthews, Tommy Emmanuel, Greensky Bluegrass, Charley Crockett and Marcus King, as well as festival appearances at Under the Big Sky Music & Arts Festival, Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Rebels and Renegades Music Festival and more. See below for complete tour itinerary. 

Reflecting on the project, Tuttle shares, “When I was a kid, we took a field trip to Coloma, CA to learn about the gold rush. I’ll never forget the dusty hills and the grizzled old miner who showed us the nugget around his neck. Just like gold fever, music has always captivated me, captured my heart, and driven me to great lengths to explore its depths.

On my new album I dug deep as a songwriter (with Ketch Secor) and co-producer (with Jerry Douglas) and surfaced with a record that celebrates the music of my heart, my life, the land where I grew up, and the stories I heard along the way. I made this record with my band Golden Highway after playing over 100 shows across the country last year. On the road and in the studio, we are inspired by artists such as John Hartford, Gillian Welch and Peter Rowan to name a few, whose records are like family albums to us.

Just like them, on this album we chart some new territory along some old familiar ground. The songs span from breakdowns to ballads, fairytales and fiddle tunes, from Yosemite up to the Gold Country and out beyond the mountains. That visit to Coloma, site of California’s first gold strike is where I first heard about El Dorado, the city of gold. Playing music can take you to a place that is just as precious. I hope you like this record!” 

In addition to Tuttle (vocals, acoustic guitar), Douglas (dobro) and Golden Highway—Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle, harmony vocals), Dominick Leslie (mandolin), Shelby Means (bass, harmony vocals) and Kyle Tuttle (banjo, harmony vocals)—City of Gold also features special guest Dave Matthews on “Yosemite.” 

MOLLY TUTTLE & GOLDEN HIGHWAY CONFIRMED TOUR DATES

July 6—Sheboygan, WI—John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s Levitt AMP Music Series
July 7—Harbor Springs, MI—Blissfest Festival Farm
July 14—Columbia Falls, MT—UTBS Official After Party
July 15—Whitefish, MT—Under the Big Sky Music & Arts Festival
July 16—Ketchum, ID—Whiskeys’
July 18—Sandy, UT—Sandy Amphitheater‡
July 19—Boise, ID—Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden
July 21—Redding, CA—Cascade Theatre
July 22—Redmond, OR—FairWell Festival
July 30—Lyons, CO—RockyGrass Festival
August 3—Corning, CA—Rolling Hills Casino
August 4—Stateline, NV—Harveys Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
August 8—Bozeman, MT—Rialto Bozeman
August 9—Bonner, MT—KettleHouse Amphitheater+
August 12—Edmonton, AB—Edmonton Folk Music Festival
August 18—Chicago, IL—Thalia Hall
August 19—Wellston, MI—Hoxeyville Music Festival
August 21—Richmond, VA—Virginia Credit Union Live^
August 22—Cincinnati, OH—Andrew J Brady Music Center^
August 24—Bloomington, IN—Switchyard Park Thursday Night Summer Music Series
August 25—New Braunfels, TX—Whitewater Amphitheatre‡
August 26—Lawrence, KS—Kaw River Roots 2023
September 1—Quincy, WA—The Gorge Amphitheatre#
September 8—Nashville, TN—Under the Stars Concert Series at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens
September 15—Flagstaff, AZ—Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival 
September 21—Nashville, TN—Tommy’s Emmanuel Guitar Camp USA
September 26—Blacksburg, VA—Lyric Theatre
October 6—Monterey, CA—Rebels and Renegades Music Festival
December 1—Lake Wales, FL—Orange Blossom Revue
*supporting Dierks Bentley
‡supporting Charley Crockett
+supporting Greensky Bluegrass
^supporting Charley Crockett and Marcus King
#supporting Dave Matthews Band

photo credit: Chelsea Rochelle

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