Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir has signed with Columbia/Legacy Recordings and will release a new solo album, Blue Mountain, on September 30. It’s the guitarist/vocalist’s first release of all-new music under his own name since 1978’s Heaven Help the Fool. Weir has released other recordings with his bands Bobby and the Midnites and Ratdog, and a live album of duets with the late bassist Rob Wasserman, but the new set is his first true solo album featuring new material. It will be available on CD, 2-LP vinyl, and digital.
According to an announcement from Legacy, producer Josh Kaufman partnered with Weir on the album, which features songwriting collaboration with Josh Ritter and performances from guitarists Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner and bassist Scott Devendorf.
Weir will be performing in support of the album this fall on his “Campfire Tour.” Pre-sale tickets will be available on August 9 at 10:00 am local time and public on-sale on August 12 at 10:00 am local time here. Every online ticket order comes with one physical CD of Blue Mountain.
Here’s “Gonesville”…
The album was recorded at a variety of locations on both coasts, including studios in Woodstock, NY, and San Rafael, CA, over the spring and fall of 2015. Musicians contributing to the recording include Ray Rizzo (drums, harmonium, harmonica, backup vocals), Joe Russo (drums), Jon Shaw (upright bass, piano), Rob Burger (keyboard, accordion, tuned percussion), Sam Cohen (electric guitar and pedal steel), Nate Martinez (guitars, harmonium, backup vocals), Jay Lane (drums, vocals), Robin Sylvester (upright bass, vocals, hammond organ) and Steve Kimock (Lapsteel). Providing backup vocals are the Bandana Splits, comprised of Annie Nero, Lauren Balthrop and Dawn Landes. Kaufman produced the record with engineering by Dan Goodwin.
And here’s “Lay My Lily Down”…
Weir recently completed the most recent tour with Dead & Company, the Grateful Dead spinoff band featuring fellow former members Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, plus guitarist John Mayer.
Related: John Mayer thanks his Dead & Company bandmates
Blue Mountain Track List
1. Only A River
2. Cottonwood Lullaby
3. Gonesville
4. Lay My Lily Down
5. Gallop On The Run
6. Whatever Happened To Rose
7. What The Ghost Towns Know
8. Darkest Hour
9. Ki-Yi Bossie
10. Storm Country
11. Blue Mountain
12. One More River To Cross
BOB WEIR TOUR DATES (Tickets are available here; if sold-out try here)
October 7—Marin County Civic Center—San Rafael, CA
October 8—Fox Theater—Oakland, CA
October 10—The Wiltern—Los Angeles, CA
October 12—Tower Theatre—Upper Darby, PA
October 14 & 15—Kings Theatre—Brooklyn, NY
October 16—The Capitol Theatre—Port Chester, NY
October 19—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
October 20-The Chicago Theatre-Chicago, IL
