Chris Shiflett is adding new dates to his U.S. tour including stops at Chicago’s Schubas Tavern, Milwaukee’s Backroom at Colectivo, Indianapolis’ Hi-Fi and Cincinnati’s Top Cats among others. Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 12, at 10 a.m. local time. See below for a complete tour itinerary.
The tour is in celebration of Shiflett’s new solo album, Hard Lessons, which is out now on East Beach Records & Tapes/Thirty Tigers. Purchase/stream the record HERE.
The album was recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studio A and produced by Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton). Hard Lessons features ten new songs with Shiflett on electric guitar, Cobb on acoustic guitar and an all-star collection of studio musicians including Chris Powell (Brent Cobb, Jamey Johnson) on drums and percussion, Brian Allen (Jason Isbell, Jamey Johnson) on bass, Michael Webb (Ashley Monroe, Eli Young Band) on keyboards, Paul Franklin (Vince Gill, Dire Straits) on pedal steel and Kristen Rogers (Anderson East, Lori McKenna) on harmony vocals. The album also features special guest guitarist Laur “Little Joe” Joamets on the track “This Ol’ World.”
Of the album, Shiflett comments, “I remember one night between Foo Fighters gigs last year I went out for dinner with Dave Cobb to chit chat about making this record. He said he had a vision of me playing through an old Marshall JCM-800. So, when it came time to record, we found one on Craigslist, cranked it up and it was perfect. I think this record hits a little closer to mixing everywhere I’ve been musically into one big blender and comes out something a little different. Since it was my second time working with Cobb and Co. out there at RCA Studio A, I kind of knew what to expect as far as his process, so I intentionally didn’t overthink or over-demo the songs because I didn’t want to get too stuck on any ideas I brought with me. I couldn’t be more excited about the results.”
Hard Lessons is Shiflett’s second album in collaboration with Cobb, who produced 2017’s widely praised West Coast Town. VICE declared that West Coast Town “immediately puts you in the mood for a good-ass time,” while Rolling Stone added that the record “flawlessly blends blue-collar country punk with a catchy Bakersfield bounce. Borrowing the rowdy swagger of Prison Bound-era Social Distortion and the SoCal sheen of Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam, Shiflett crafts a sound that is both geographically grounded and wholly his own.”
Born in Santa Barbara and now based in Los Angeles, Shiflett is widely known as the guitarist for the Foo Fighters as well as for his previous work with Dead Peasants and No Use for a Name. In addition to his work as a musician, Shiflett is the creator and host of the biweekly podcast “Walking the Floor with Chris Shiflett” which Entertainment Weekly named one of “The best podcasts of 2018,” stating that “the lively, genial, and deeply knowledgeable host puts his musician guests—from critical favorites to superstars, and ranging from country to punk—at ease, allowing them to expound on everything from inspiration to gearhead talk. A must for fans actually interested in hearing about the music.” Past guests include Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, Mike Ness, Steve Earle, John Doe, Sturgill Simpson, Lee Ann Womack and Vince Gill.
HARD LESSONS TRACK LIST
1. Liar’s Word
2. This Ol’ World
3. Welcome To Your First Heartache
4. The Hardest Lessons
5. The One You Go Home To (feat. Elizabeth Cook)
6. Fool’s Gold
7. I Thought You’d Never Leave
8. Weak Heart
9. Marfa On My Mind
10. Leaving Again
CHRIS SHIFLETT TOUR DATES
July 12—Pioneertown, CA—Pappy & Harriets
July 13—Bakersfield, CA—Temblor Brewing
July 14—Los Angeles, CA—Moroccan Lounge
August 31—Buena Vista, CO—Seven Peaks Music Festival
September 3—Milwaukee, WI—Backroom at Colectivo
September 4—Chicago, IL— Schubas Tavern
September 5—Indianapolis, IN—Hi-Fi
September 6—St. Louis, MO—Sons 4 Soldiers Event
September 7—Cincinnati, OH—Top Cats
September 8—Louisville, KY—Zanzabar
September 9—Asheville, NC—The Grey Eagle
