THE VOLEBEATS CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF
THEIR FIRST NEW MUSIC IN OVER TEN YEARS WITH SET OF HOMETOWN SHOWS AND RADIO VISITS
ALBUM BREAKS INTO TOP 30 NACC ADDS IN FIRST WEEK OF RELEASE
Photo Credit: Leni Sinclair
RAIN PHOENIX WELCOMES BAND ON HER PODCAST LaunchLEFT
Thursday June 23, 2022 – It’s been a whirlwind two weeks for Detroit’s beloved band The Volebeats, who released Lonesome Galaxy on June 10, 2022 on Ben Harper’s Mad Bunny Records.
Veteran rock journalist and fellow Detroit native Gary Graff noted in the Oakland Press, “Longtime Detroit favorites the Volebeats celebrate the release of its first album in 12 years, “Lonesome Galaxy,” with a two-set show on Saturday, June 11, at Trinosphes”.
That was the first time the band - Jeff Oakes (vocals), Matthew Smith (guitar, vocals, keyboards, trumpet), Peter Andrus (guitar), Russell Ledford (bass) and Scott Michalski (drums, backing vocals).- performed together in Detroit in a very long time, which included two sets at the legendary art gallery/literary cafe/free jazz hotspot/underground cultural nexus Trinosophes. The Volebeats dug deep into their catalog and played songs spanning their 35 year career. “It was great to play together again and especially to see the reaction to our new songs - which we sometimes added long extended guitar improvisations to - including Diamond Ring and Whisper to Me. We also got into spontaneous guitar workouts on older songs like Empty Streets and I'm Not Gonna Change My Mind,“ said Matthew Smith. Kara Meister joined the group onstage to sing the background vocals she contributed to the studio version of "The Third Time", while the rest of the set featured Jeff and Matt's post-Everlys harmony intervals sounding as great as ever.
The band also popped by Detroits’ own Public Radio Station WDET-FM for an in-studio acoustic performance and interview with Ann Delisi for her Essential Music program. Ann has been a longtime supporter of the band, inviting them to appear on radio and TV broadcasts throughout the years, and she's been playing tracks from LONESOME GALAXY on her radio show. The band played unplugged acoustic versions of "Diamond Ring" and "You Get Closer" and gave an interview, all of which can be heard here.
While together in Detroit, the band caught up with Leni Sinclair, the prestigious photographer, who is known for her iconic photos of the MC5, Stooges, Aretha, Coltrane, Fela, Prince, Sun Ra, and many, many others. The photo above was taken on a desolate street in Detroit a block from the only remaining stretch of Detroit's legendary Hastings Street.
The Volebeats appeared on Rain Phoenix’s LaunchLeft podcast, and were joined by musician and label founder Ben Harper, listen here.
For More Information Please Contact: Elizabeth Freund
Elizabeth@Beautifuldaymedia.com
More about The Volebeats:
Before Americana caught on as a phenomenon in the mid-'90s, The Volebeats were hot on the trail of such seminal groups as Rank and File, The Long Ryders, and others who were combining roots rock with a British invasion hookiness and a healthy dose of twang. Born in and around the Motor City in 1988, the Volebeats formed when Jeff Oakes and Mattthew Smith gathered together an informal assemblage of musicians and songwriters from different bands in Detroit's underground music scene to jam on cheap hard to tune guitars in Jeff’s basement. Starting as an acoustic outfit, lead guitarist/vocalist Matthew Smith and vocalist/guitarist Jeff Oakes began writing songs along with Terry Rohm and Jeff's brother Al. With Keir McDonald (from Detroit's Medusa Cyclone) on drums, The Volebeats began performing on street corners throughout the Detroit suburbs. Their first album "Ain't No Joke" came out in 1989, and won them a loyal following. In 2005 the band was featured in Steve Martin’s “ShopGirl.” The Volebeats have released 9 albums to date, as well an EP and singles, including: Ain't No Joke (1989) Up North (1994) Sky and the Ocean (1997) Bittersweet e.p. (1995) Solitude (1999) Mosquito Spiral (2001) Volebeats County Favorites (2004) Like Her (2005) The Volebeats (2010) Lonesome Galaxy (2022).
About Mad Bunny Records:
Mad Bunny Records was founded by multi-GRAMMY Award winning musician Ben Harper, and they recently signed with INGROOVES as their distributor. Mad Bunny offices are based in Silver Lake, California and Brooklyn, New York. The impetus for creating Mad Bunny Records is to provide a home for great music and Harper intends to populate the roster with eclectic musicians who all share the desire to stay true to their creative vision.
