We were absolutely blown away by this incredible review of Champion on NPR’s “Fresh Air” – a HUGE thank you to Ken Tucker for the kind words. We laughed out loud as his description of, uh, well … “a song about a time-specific conjugal assignation” (‘Let’s Get the Day Started Right’). And this is so wonderful: “Nora Jane Struthers has one of those strong, clear voices that cuts across the grain of a melody with a bracing sharpness…Nervier, thornier than most of the Americana I force myself to listen to.” Really, just check the whole thing out because it’s SO GOOD, y’all.
I’m beyond honored and so grateful to have found such enduring champions in Ann Powers and NPR. Thank you for this beautifully crafted First Listen feature and for helping my music reach new ears.
“Champion is beautifully structured, recalling the best work of Struthers’ elders, like Rosanne Cash and Nanci Griffith. It starts out in sweet pastoral mode with the love song “Each Season” and proceeds through playful bluegrass-tinged outings, quiet ballads, some vintage country sexiness (“Let’s Get The Day Started Right,” which sounds a little like Faith Hill circa 1998), and even a punk-inspired scorcher.”
Check out our new album via NPR now, and get ready for the official release on October 13!
A couple of months ago, Joe and I came home from tour to find that the ceiling in our house had collapsed! What began as a very stressful discovery turned out to be a happy accident, though – we ended up filming the video for our new song “Each Season” in our empty house. Oh, and we had friends and family who helped us put up brand new, vaulted ceilings! Every cloud has a silver lining.
Special thanks to directors Neilson Hubbard and Joshua Britt for their ability to turn lemons into lemonade. Check out the new video on Billboard and let us know what you think!
We’ll be hitting towns from coast to coast to celebrate the release of “Champion” – join us, won’t you? Tickets are available now for the following shows:
10/12 – Norfolk, CT @ Infinity Music Hall
10/13 – New York, NY @ American Beauty
10/14 – Round Hill, VA @ B Chord Brewing Company
10/15 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
10/18 – St. Louis, MO @ The Stage @ KDHX
10/19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
10/20 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
10/21 – Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
10/26 – Washington, DC @ Gypsy Sally’s
10/28 – Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theatre
11/2 – Denton, TX @ Dan’s Silverleaf
11/4 – Houston, TX @ The Mucky Duck
11/5 – Austin, TX @ Cactus Café
11/8 – Holland, MI @ Park Theatre
11/9 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
11/10 – Benton Harbor, MI @ The Livery
11/11 – Belleaire, MI @ Short’s Brewing Company
11/16 – Asheville, NC @ Isis Music Hall
11/17 – Roanoke, VA @ 5 Points Music Sanctuary
11/18 – Charlotte, NC @ Evening Muse
11/29 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
11/30 – Prosser, WA @ Brewminatti
12/1 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
12/2 – Lincoln City, OR @ Lincoln City Cultural Center
12/4 – Felton, CA @ Don Quixote’s
12/5 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
12/6 – Costa Mesa, CA @ The Wayfarer
12/7 – Berkeley, CA @ Freight & Salvage
12/8 – Redding, CA @ The Dip
12/9 – Eugene, OR @ Sam Bond’s Garage
We’re thrilled to announce that Vice Noisey is premiering the title track to our new album “Champion” – which will be released October 13 via Blue Pig Music. “Now, with Champion, Struthers and her band sound ready to take over Americana completely, having built on Wake‘s cohesiveness and bringing a fuller, harder sound to the table,” says writer Annalise Domenighini. Check out the full article and stream “Champion” via Vice Noisey.