New Record, Shows from Alela Diane

A few years ago a friend of mine turned me on to a singer/songwriter by the name of Alela Diane. At first, all of the music I had from her consisted of four tracks that are still available for download from Daytrotter.com and one or two stray tracks. Since then, Diane has recorded four more tracks for Daytrotter, and I acquired her album The Pirate's Gospel. Diane's voice and music remind me of the romantic stories I've heard about the old west. Washing clothes by hand, drawing water from a well, chopping firewood... Songs like "The Pirate's Gospel," "Can You Blame the Sky?" and "Pieces of String" are haunting and beautiful. I can only hope that some of the Daytrotter songs, especially "Age Old Blue" made it onto the new record (I haven't been able to find a track listing).

I mention all of this because Diane has a new record coming out on February 17th called To Be Still. Diane has said that on the new record she experimented much more with instrumentation and percussion. Judging by the tracks Diane has on her myspace, the added instrumentation is a good thing. Check out the Daytrotter version of "White As Diamonds" and then listen to the version on myspace: the differences are striking, but wonderful. You can preorder the album on either CD or vinyl from Beggars Group USA, here.

In addition to all of this, Diane will be on tour starting February and going through mid-April. The US and Canadian dates are below. For the European dates, see her myspace page. Note that her first show after the release of the record is right here in Minneapolis!

• 2/18 - Cedar Cultural Centre - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 2/19 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, Illinois
  
• 2/20 - Magic Stick - Detroit, Michigan
  
• 2/21 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, Canada
  
• 2/22 - La Sala Rosa - Montreal
  
• 2/24 - Bug Jar - Rochester, New York
• 2/25 - Pearl Street Nightclub - Northampton, Massachusetts
• 2/26 - Paradise - Boston, Massachusetts
• 2/27 - Bowery Ballroom - New York City, New York
• 2/28 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
• 3/1 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 3/2 - Black Cat - Washington, D.C.
• 3/4 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, Georgia
• 3/5 - Orange Peel - Ashville, North Carolina
• 3/6 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, Tennessee
  
• 3/7 - The Bottle Tree - Birmingham, Alabama
  
• 3/8 - Hi-Tone Cafe - Memphis, Tennessee
  
• 3/9 - The Opolis - Norman, Oklahoma
  
• 3/10 - The Jackpot Saloon - Lawrence, Kansas
• 3/12 - Hi Dive - Denver, Colorado
• 3/13 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, Utah

Alela Diane:
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/alelamusic
Website: http://www.aleladiane.com/
Blog: http://aleladiane.blogspot.com/