Ruston Kelly will release his debut album 'Dying Star' on September 7th via Rounder Records and to coincide the singer-songwriter has a show booked for London's Slaughtered Lamb on September 17th. This is obviously good news, but the very good news is Kelly will return to the UK in November for a run of shows with Cardiff, Ramsgate, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Islington Assembly Hall in London amongst the dates on a wide-ranging tour. The good news continues as fast-rising UK act The Wandering Hearts will join Kelly for the November/December dates. More about Ruston Kelly, 'Dying Star' and those tour dates follow:
Dying Star was co-produced by Kelly and Jarrad K (Kate Nash, Weezer) and recorded at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, TX. It includes 14 songs written/co-written by Kelly and features Kelly (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, xylophone, harmonica), Jarrad K (12-string guitar, background vocals, electric guitar, Rhodes), Tim Kelly (pedal steel), Ian Fitchuk (piano, organ, drums, percussion), Eli Beaird (bass) and Kyle Ryan (banjo) as well as background vocals from Jon Green, Natalie Hemby, Kacey Musgraves, Kate York, Abby Sevigny and Joy Williams.
The release of Dying Star follows a breakout year for the Nashville-based artist, whose debut EP, Halloween, was released last April to widespread acclaim. Of the music, Rolling Stone praised, “…shows a powerful grasp on storytelling gleaned from his love of the Carter Family and Townes Van Zandt, but also a more ragged rock & roll soul: it’s Americana, if your Americana is Bruce Springsteen with an acoustic guitar, sung by someone who spins a little heavy metal too,” while the HuffPost declared, “simultaneously current and effortlessly timeless.”
Additionally, Kelly was recently selected as one of NPR Music’s 2018 Slingshot Artists, a collection of exceptional up-and-coming artists chosen by public radio stations across the country. NPR Music praises, “Damn, is he good…Kelly digs down deep on Dying Star to fearlessly put forth a set of songs steeped in emotional twists, turns and complications…This here is powerful stuff.”
“A lot of my music is focused on suffering, or trying to understand the human condition through the lens of suffering…which probably sounds totally depressing, but it’s actually the flipside of that. Sometimes you’ve gotta go into that darkness—you need to get lost and then figure out for yourself how to find your way back. That’s the only way we can find pure joy, and really be thankful for the life we’ve been given.”
RUSTON KELLY UK TOUR DATES
September 17—London, U.K—The Slaughtered Lamb
November 21—Bath, U.K. —Komedia†
November 22—Brighton, U.K.—Patterns†
November 24—Exeter, U.K. —The Phoenix†
November 26—Norwich, U.K. —Norwich Arts Centre†
November 27—Ramsgate, U.K. —Ramsgate Music Hall†
November 28—London, U.K. —Islington Assembly Hall†
November 30—Cardiff, U.K. —The Globe†
December 1—Liverpool, U.K. —Arts Club Upstairs†
December 3—Newcastle, U.K. —The Riverside†
December 4—Edinburgh, U.K. —The Caves†
December 5—Birmingham, U.K. —Institute2†
†supporting The Wandering Hearts
Born in South Carolina, Kelly started playing guitar under the guidance of his dad, Tim “TK” Kelly, a pedal steel guitarist who now performs in his band. Since his father worked for a paper mill and often changed job locations, Kelly grew up frequently moving, living everywhere from Alabama to Belgium, including time in Michigan—where the young one-time figure skater went to train with an Olympic coach in the hope of furthering his career, and where he first began writing songs. At 17, he moved to Nashville to live with his sister and went on to land a publishing deal with BMG Nashville, placing songs with several high-profile artists.