Sunday, February 28, 2016

Blues-Rock Guitarist Walter Trout Announces U.S. Tour

Walter Trout's Battle Scars
Blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout has announced an upcoming tour of the United States that launches on March 10th, 2016 in Las Vegas and runs through the end of June. Aside from headline dates across the country, Trout will perform several festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Tampa Bay Blues Festival, and the Beale Street Music Fest in Memphis, Tennessee. The guitarist will also appear at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville for the Leadbelly Fest, and will perform a live HD broadcast on Music City Roots. After the U.S. tour, Trout will return to Europe for a festival tour, so if you don’t catch him this time around, maybe he’ll do another North American tour in the fall.

Touring in support of his excellent new studio album, Battle Scars, the U.S. tour is a triumphant homecoming, of sorts, for the beleaguered guitarist, who returned to the stage in June 2015 after a life-threatening illness and subsequent liver transplant. The album reflects Trout’s near-death experience and is a stunning, masterful set of songs; in my review for Blues Music magazine, I wrote that “Battle Scars is Trout’s Inferno, a tale of redemption and rebirth that doesn’t shy away from reality but rings loudly with hope…it’s also the best album, in all facets, that Trout has ever recorded.”  

“I’m thrilled about this album, about my life and about my music,” says Trout in a press release for the tour. “I feel that I’m reborn as a songwriter, a singer, a guitarist and a human being. I have a new chance at being the best musician and the best man that I can be. And I’m incredibly happy and grateful.” Trout looks forward to playing the songs from his recent release for his US fans. “The songs come out a little bit different each night, as I feed off inspiration from the audience. It is still a therapeutic experience for me to play these songs about my journey to death’s door and back, and each time I share them with a live audience, I heal a little bit more.”

Trout’s blues bona fides can’t be argued with – the guitarist made his bones touring with legends like John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Lowell Fulsom, and Percy Mayfield during the 1970s – and later became a member of two hard-touring bands, Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Trout went solo and formed his own band in 1989, releasing his debut album Life In The Jungle in Europe, and making his U.S. debut with his self-titled 1998 album. In the 27 years since launching his solo career, Trout has earned multiple awards and nominations, including being named the “Overseas Artist of the Year” three times by the British Blues Awards.

Walter Trout’s current band includes bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Sammy Avila, and drummer Michael Leasure, with special appearances by his son Jon. Elated to be back on the stage, Trout delivers an electrifying and dynamic performance each and every night and, with Battle Scars, he has an emotionally-charged buffet of blues songs from which to choose. “I don’t take this lightly,” Trout declares. “My wife, Marie says that all of the people who donated to our fundraiser for my medical expenses bought stock in me and my liver. When I play for them now, I have a responsibility to give back and offer the very best that I have.”

Walter Trout U.S. Tour Dates:
3/10 @ Boulder Station Casino, Las Vegas NV
3/11 @ Rhythm Room, Phoenix AZ
3/30 @ Taos Mesa Brewing, Taos NM
4/01 @ Dosey Doe - The Big Barn, Woodlands TX
4/02 @ Scoot Inn, Austin TX
4/04 @ The Kessler Theater, Dallas TX
4/07 @ Mojo Kitchen, Jacksonville FL
4/08 @ Funky Biscuit, Boca Raton FL
4/09 @ Terra Fermata, Stuart FL
4/10 @ Tampa Bay Blues Festival, St. Petersburg FL
4/13 @ BB King's Blues Club, New York NY
4/14 @ Daryl's House, Pawling NY
4/15 @ Narrows Center For The Arts, Fall River MA
4/16 @ Infinity Music Hall, Norfolk CT
4/19 @ Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta GA
4/20 @ Music City Roots, Franklin TN (Live HD Webcast)
4/22 @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans LA
4/25 @ Howard Theatre, Washington DC
4/26 @ River City Ale Works, Wheeling WV
4/27 @ Woodlands Tavern, Columbus OH
4/30 @ Old Rock House, St. Louis MO
5/04 @ Shank Hall, Milwaukee WI
5/05 @ Famous Dave's, Minneapolis MN
5/06 @ Surf Ballroom, Clearlake IA
5/07 @ Knucklehead's Saloon, Kansas City MO


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