Ask any touring musician about their stand-out performances over the years and they’ll be quick to remember when and where they took place. But the flip side of that coin is always present in those memories as well. “To put it simply,” says lauded songwriter and perpetual road dog Vincent Neil Emerson, “‘The Golden Crystal Kingdom’ is my ode to all the hard shows I’ve played over the years.” The title track of his upcoming album—out on November 10th via Emerson’s longtime label home La Honda Records and new partner, RCA Records—“The Golden Crystal Kingdom” doesn’t come across as a hit piece, but more of a solemn recollection of his tough nights on stage, longing to be in front of his hometown crowd at the “Country Store,” or John T. Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas, for the uninitiated.
“[‘The Golden Crystal Kingdom’] is my tribute to all the crowds who didn’t really pay attention or care about what was happening on stage,” says Emerson. “It was inspired by all the loud people that talked over my songs, the hecklers, and the obnoxious, oblivious showgoers.” In typical fashion for the Choctaw-Apache musician, Emerson is gracious, giving even those aforementioned fans a slow-burning, guitar-centric number focusing more on the general grind of touring in lieu of a sharp-toothed message to anyone in particular. Spotted with shimmers of Emerson’s Grestch guitar and Jon Graboff’s reverb-laden pedal steel, “The Golden Crystal Kingdom,” along with his previously-released single, “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint,” affirms the Laurel Canyon-leaning influence Emerson and producer Shooter Jennings are introducing with this latest LP.
Fans can stream or purchase “The Golden Crystal Kingdom” today at this link, check out “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint” here, and pre-order or pre-save The Golden Crystal Kingdom ahead of its November release right here. Emerson will take the stage tonight at The Rialto in Bozeman, Montana. A full list of tour dates can be found below or at vincentneilemerson.com.
The Golden Crystal Kingdom Tracklisting:
Time of the Rambler
The Golden Crystal Kingdom
Time of the Cottonwood Trees
I’ll Meet You in Montana
Hang Your Head Down Low
Cod’ine
Blackland Prairies
On the Banks of the Old Guadalupe
The Man From Uvalde
Voices (On the Spanish Isle)
Clover on the Hillside
Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint
Catch Vincent Neil Emerson On Tour:
OCT 20, 2023 - The Rialto - Bozeman, MT
OCT 21, 2023 - Mangy Moose Steakhouse and Saloon - Teton Village, WY
OCT 25, 2023 - Aggie Theatre - Fort Collins, CO
OCT 27, 2023 - Globe Hall - Denver, CO
OCT 28, 2023 - Globe Hall - Denver, CO
NOV 1, 2023 - Saturn - Birmingham, AL
NOV 2, 2023 - Exit/In - Nashville, TN
NOV 3, 2023 - Growlers - Memphis, TN
NOV 4, 2023 - Songbirds - Chattanooga, TN
NOV 7, 2023 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
NOV 9, 2023 - Songbyrd - Washington, DC
NOV 10, 2023 - Elkton Music Hall - Elkton, MD
NOV 11, 2023 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
NOV 15, 2023 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
NOV 16, 2023 - The Southern Café and Music Hall - Charlottesville, VA
NOV 17, 2023 - Motorco Music Hall - Durham, NC
NOV 18, 2023 - New Brookland Tavern - Columbia, SC
NOV 19, 2023 - Charleston Music Hall - Charleston, SC
NOV 21, 2023 - Eddie's Attic - Decatur, GA
DEC 9, 2023 - Antone's Nightclub - Austin, TX
