Acclaimed singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Baiman’s anticipated new album, Common Nation of Sorrow, is out today via Signature Sounds. Stream/purchase HERE
Already receiving critical acclaim, No Depression declares, “Common Nation of Sorrow is proof you can be tough without losing your center of gravity. Even when it’s condemning all that’s broken, the album has heart and the ever-important glimmer of hope,” while the Nashville Scene praises, “top-notch songsmith…a richly textured folk album with subtle rock underpinnings that faces the problems of our age with clear eyes and stout resolve” and Holler proclaims, “a compelling songwriter and captivating player…she delivers earnest, honest and moving performances.”
Produced by Baiman, mixed by Tucker Martine (Neko Case, The Decemberists, First Aid Kit) and recorded at The Tractor Shed outside of Nashville, the album offers an assessment of the country’s current state, telling stories of American capitalism as well as the individual and communal devastation it manifests. Across the record’s ten tracks, Baiman highlights these shared experiences with the hope they become a tool for activism.
“My generation has had to wake up to the intensity of our own economic oppression,” Baiman reflects. “The reality is that the vast majority of us are being taken advantage of by the same brutal economic and political systems. Maybe that shared oppression is a place in which we can meet and fight back.”
In celebration of the release, Baiman will tour through this summer including headline shows at Nashville’s Basement East, Milwaukee’s High Noon Saloon, Minneapolis’ Cedar Cultural Center, Denver’s Swallow Hill, Seattle’s Tractor Tavern, Cambridge’s Club Passim, Washington, DC’s Pearl Street Warehouse and Brooklyn’s Owl Music Parlor among many others. See below for complete itinerary. Full details can be found at www.rachelbaiman.com/tour.
In addition to Baiman, Common Nation of Sorrow also features Riley Calcagno (acoustic guitar, banjo), Miles Miller (drums - Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers), Josh Oliver (acoustic guitar, electric guitar- Watchhouse), Ashleigh Caudill (bass), Adam Chaffins (bass), Anthony De Costa (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Lauren Horbal (drums), and Tristan Scroggins (mandolin), and was recorded by GRAMMY Award-winning engineer Sean Sullivan, known for his work with Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers.
Raised in Chicago, Baiman moved to Nashville at age eighteen with the dream of becoming a professional fiddle player, before falling in love with songwriting. In the years since, she’s released two acclaimed full-length records—2021’s Cycles and her 2017 debut, Shame, of which NPR Music praised, “wry truth-telling…a jaunty banjo figure bobs above a strolling folk-rock groove and sets a playful tone, while her lyrics, delivered with reedy, willful nonchalance, critique the merging of religious, moral and political influence.” Additionally, Vice’s Noisey declared, “Shame will have you flipping authority off one song at a time.” In addition to her own releases, Baiman continues to work as a musician in a variety of forms, with credits including session and live side-person work for Kacey Musgraves, Amy Ray, Kevin Morby, Kelsey Waldon and Molly Tuttle among many others.
COMMON NATION OF SORROW TRACK LIST
1. Some Strange Notion
2. Annie
3. Self Made Man
4. She Don’t Know What to Sing About Anymore
5. Lovers and Leavers
6. Bad Debt
7. Old Songs Never Die
8. Bitter
9. Old Flame
10. Ways of the World
RACHEL BAIMAN CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
March 31—Jacksonville, FL—The Blue Jay
April 1—Tampa, FL—The Attic
April 3—Tallahassee, FL—Purple House Concerts
April 5—Nashville, TN—The Basement East*
April 6—Decatur, GA—Eddie’s Attic
April 7—Charlotte, NC—The Evening Muse‡
April 8—Durham, NC—The Pinhook
April 12—Madison, WI—High Noon Saloon
April 13—Milwaukee, WI—Anodyne Coffee
April 14—Berwyn, IL—Fitzgerald’s+
April 15—Minneapolis, MN—Cedar Cultural Center
April 16—Appleton, WI—Appleton Beer Factory
April 18—Ann Arbor, MI—The Ark
April 19—Columbus, OH—Rambling House
April 20—Newport, KY—Southgate House Revival
April 22—Lexington, KY—Sleeping in the Woods PreParty
May 2—Pittsburgh, PA—Club Cafe
May 3—Wayne, PA—118 North
May 4—Washington, DC—Pearl Street Warehouse
May 5—Cambridge, MA—Club Passim
May 6—Brooklyn, NY—The Owl
May 8—Northampton, MA—The Parlor Room
May 11—Seattle, WA—Tractor Tavern
May 12—Prosser, WA—Brewminatti
May 13—Portland, OR—Polaris Hall
May 20—Monticello, KY—Sleeping in the Woods Festival
May 24—Pueblo, CO—Brues Alehouse Brewing Co
May 25—Denver, CO—Swallow Hill
May 26—Carbondale, CO—Steve’s Guitars
May 27—Colorado Springs, CO—MeadowGrass Music Festival
June 23—Greenfield, MA—Green River Festival
July 23—San Luis Obispo, CA—Festival Mozaic
August 18—Manchester, VT—Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots
*with Nicholas Jamerson and King Margo
‡with Heather Maloney and High Tea
+with Seth Walker
