Grammy-winner Tim O'Brien is back with a new album he collaborated on with Jan Fabricius, Paper Flowers, out June 6 on Howdy Skies Records. Today, they shared the album's first single, "Lonesome Armadillo," with The Bluegrass Situation. The song recalls classic cowboy songs of yore as he shares the story of a lonesome armadillo who longs for his home back in Amarillo. (Yes, there is yodeling!). It's one of 12 songs written by O'Brien, Fabricius, and folk artist Tom Paxton for the project.
O'Brien shares the song's inspiration with The Bluegrass Situation: "There’s an awful lot of talk about migrants invading from the South, but nobody’s talking about armadillos," O'Brien deadpans. "After we started trippin’ over little holes in our yard, Jan baited a raccoon trap, focused the security camera on it, and then we drove to Memphis to play a show. On the set break we saw we’d caught the hard-shelled offender, but after the show we saw that he’d arched his back, bent the trap, and escaped. We told Tom Paxton about it the next week and he said, ‘Let’s tell his story.’"
STREAM/ PURCHASE "LONESOME ARMADILLO" HERE
PRE-ORDER/ PRE-SAVE PAPER FLOWERS HERE
Paper Flowers will be O'Brien's first true collaboration and duo album with Fabricius, with Paxton co-writing 12 of the album's 15 original songs. It was recorded at Cowboy Arms in Nashville with Tim on guitar and vocal and Jan on mandolin and vocal, along with longtime collaborators Mike Bub (bass), Mike Rojas (accordion), Justin Moses (resophonic guitar), and Larry Atamanuik (drums).
"Jan and I started weekly co-writing sessions with Tom in the spring of 2023 and 12 of songs on our album come from those Wednesday afternoon Zooms. It's our first real collaborative project, and a narrative of Jan’s and my life together runs through the record, from courtship to growing old together, with a road trip, the Armadillo, and a granddaughter’s wedding in between."
While Tim O’Brien might operate a bit under music business radar, but he’s been an essential part of the fabric of the folk, bluegrass, Americana, and songwriter scenes for the past 50 years. Since his emergence as singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter with the iconic 1980’s bluegrass group Hot Rize, the West Virginia native has continued down a diverse and constantly evolving musical pathway. In the process he’s written songs for people like Garth Brooks and the Dixie Chicks, released rootsy classics like Red on Blonde and The Crossing and earned a few Grammy awards. He was recently tapped to join Steve Martin and Alison Brown for a new single, "5 Days Out, Two Days Back."
"I’m mighty excited for Tim O’Brien’s beautiful, introspective new record “Paper Flowers”. Along with partner Jan Fabricius, Tim weaves an even more heartfelt song cyclethan usual, full of soulful balladry and thoughtful notions of love, loss, and learning. Run out, get you a copy, and crank up one of the prettiest sounding new records to come out of Nashville this year." — Ketch Secor, Old Crow Medicine Show
TOUR DATES:
04-16-2025 Nashville, TN — The Station Inn
04-18-2025 Maplewood, MO — Focal Point
04-24-2025 Houston, TX — Mucky Duck
04-26-2025 Dale, TX — Old Settlers Music Festival
05-14-2025 Nashville, TN — The Station Inn
05-15-2025 Corrales, NM — Historic Old San Ysidro Church
05-16-2025 Santa Fe, NM — San Miguel Mission
05-17-2025 Aztec, NM — Tico Time Bluegrass Festival
05-18-2025 Aztec, NM — Tico Time Bluegrass Festival
05-25-2025 Cumberland, MD — DelFest
05-29-2025 Bozeman, MT — Pilgrim Church
05-30-2025 Missoula, MT — Long Staff House
