JD McPherson announced SOCKS: A Rock N’ Roll Christmas tour dates today. McPherson’s 5th holiday tour celebrating his critically acclaimed 2018 Christmas album SOCKS will launch December 4 in Louisville, KY and will feature stops at The Bowery Ballroom in New York City, First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN, The Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC, The Basement East in Nashville, TN and more. Tickets will go on sale this Friday at 10am Local Time. Please see tour dates below.
SOCKS has quickly become a perennial favorite since its release and was written, produced, and arranged by McPherson and his bandmates at the time. It is a record rooted in the same influences — from 1950s rock & roll to old-school rhythm & blues — that inspired his breakthrough release, Signs and Signifiers, back in 2010. The Los Angeles Times called it “irresistible,” saying “It’s an utter joy, a vintage jump-blues/R&B/rockabilly workout devoid of treacly sentiment, but brimming over with child-like spirit” while Newsweek said “It’s perfect for folks looking to celebrate…with some rocking and rolling holiday cheer.” Like all of JD McPherson’s work, SOCKS is a wonderful collection of opposites: new compositions inspired by old influences; familiar themes explored with fresh angles; classic sounds reinterpreted by a modern band. It’s the rare kind of holiday album that packs a punch at any time of year.
Upon its original release, McPherson said of SOCKS, “I’ve always loved Christmas music, especially popular Christmas music from the 1940s and ‘50s. There’s something classic about that sound. Something that keeps you coming back, year after year.”
Last year also saw the release of Socks: A Kid’s Christmas Lament, McPherson’s first ever children's book via Walker Books US, a division of Candlewick Press. Based on the title track from the album, McPherson paid hilarious homage to a stereotypically bad gift - and its disappointed recipients - in a deftly extended picture-book version of the song. Brought to energetic life in droll, retro artwork by Anika Orrock, who illustrated the original album cover, Socks proved a perfect fit for anyone who has ever gotten stressed over holiday gift-giving - and everyone, big or small, who's come to appreciate the love wrapped up in even the humblest present.
SOCKS, as well as McPherson’s critically acclaimed 2024 studio album Nite Owls, are both available NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS.
SOCKS: A Rock N’ Roll Christmas Tour Dates:
All Dates Featuring Support by Melissa Carper
12/4 Louisville KY Headliners
12/5 Nashville TN Basement East
12/6 Asheville NC Grey Eagle
12/7 Atlanta GA The Earl
12/9 Carrboro NC Cat's Cradle
12/10 Baltimore MD Ottobar
12/11 Wilmington DE Arden Gild Hall
12/12 New York NY Bowery Ballroom
12/13 Rochester NY Temple Theatre
12/14 Toronto ON Lee's Palace
12/16 Pittsburgh PA Thunderbird Music Hall
12/17 Cleveland OH Beachland Ballroom
12/19 Madison WI Majestic Theatre
12/20 Minneapolis MN First Avenue
