Rod Picott (2017, photo by Neilson Hubbard)
Nine albums into his career and Rod Picott is more prolific than ever. The Nashville based singer-songwriter has a sprawling new 22 track album 'Out Past The Wires' set for release February 16th via Welding Rod Records (2CD, 2LP & DL) and UK tour dates set for March. The album will be accompanied by a book which will expand on the stories of the people featured on the album (Picott worked with his hands before branching out as a singer-songwriter so has an empathy for the working man). The book follows on from 'God In His Slippers' (Mezcalita Press), his recently published book of poetry and he's also completed a screenplay. 'Out Past The Wire' was produced by Neilson Hubbard and features ace guitarist Will Kimbrough amongst a host of fine players. More about the album, a video or two and those tour dates follows:
Seventeen years ago Rod Picott dropped his tool belt, picked up an acoustic guitar and released his first album Tiger Tom Dixon’s Blues. The acclaimed debut put a nail in the coffin of his construction career and ignited his second career as a singer-songwriter. With his new album, Out Past The Wires, that second career reveals itself in full flame.
The sprawling twenty-two song Out Past The Wires ranges from whispery ballads to guitar driven rockers and hits every musical spot between. Like much of Picott’s catalogue, many of the songs on Out Past The Wires centre around the lives of working people and the losses, defeats and small victories that can come hard won in a calloused world. It is here in the ordinary where Picott finds the gold he mines so beautifully on songs such as ‘Take Home Pay’ – one of four songs written with long-time friend and co-writer Slaid Cleaves.
“I'm on my way down to the pawnshop
A couple hundred is all I need
If I have to I’ll hit the blood bank
I’m bone dry but I can always bleed”
But there is also an air of defiance that runs through many of the songs this time around. On ‘Fire Inside’ Picott growls.
“I got fire down inside
A heart darlin’ beating hard and wild
In the pouring rain
I will stand and testify
Cause I got a fire down inside.”
Picott’s eye for the revealing detail and sense of empathy has brought praise from music critics since his debut and those qualities, as well as a potent defiance is on full display across Out Past The Wires. Now 53 years old and nine albums into his music career Picott is more prolific than ever. The twenty-two songs were culled from a staggering number of seventy-eight. In the three years between Fortune and Out Past The Wires, Picott has also become a published poet (God In His Slippers – Mezcalita Press), written a screenplay and is releasing collection of short stories, also titled Out Past The Wires, that accompanies the release of the album. Many of the characters from the songs on the album find their stories expanded and even more finely detailed in the book.
For production duties Picott turned again to Neilson Hubbard (Kim Richey, Matthew Perryman Jones) who produced Picott’s most recent album Fortune. The recording band consisted of Will Kimbrough/Electric Guitars (Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell) Lex Price/Bass (K.D. Lang), Evan Hutchings/Drums (Brandi Carlisle) and Kris Donegan/Electric Guitars (Sara Evans). The band worked quickly in studio, relying on the instincts of world-class players and Hubbard’s steady hand to guide the ambitious project.
Out Past The Wires is the latest and one of the most potent pieces of work from Rod Picott since he left his hammer to rust and sharpened a new set of tools all those years ago. Picott will be touring throughout 2018 and 2019 in support of the album and book release.
ROD PICOTT · MARCH 2018 UK TOUR
Wed 14 London What’s Cookin'@ Leytonstone Ex-Servicemens Club
Thu 15 Barnacre, nr. Garstang Garstang Unplugged at The Kenlis Arms
Fri 16 Sheffield The Greystones
Sat 17 Davenham, nr. Northwich Davenham Players Theatre
Sun 18 North Lincolnshire Private House Concert
Tue 20 Leicester The Musician
Wed 21 Biddulph, Staffordshire The Biddulph Arms
Thu 22 Glasgow The Doublet – N.B. Change of venue (previously advertised at Woodend Bowling and Tennis Club)
Fri 23 Kinross Backstage @ The Green Hotel
Sat 24 Leeds Seven Arts
Sun 25 Nottingham The Maze
Mon 26 Brighton The Greys
Tue 27 High Wycombe Kingsmead House Concert
Wed 28 Basingstoke The Forge @ The Anvil
Thu 29 London Green Note Presents @ The Old Queen's Head, Islington
Fri 30 Bristol The Tunnels