The date for the Austin CD Release Show of Stephen Doster’s newest album Arizona is set for Valentine’s Day Night at Strange Brew Lounge Side. Advance tickets are on sale through Strange Brew here. When Arizona was released in November, Stephen was on an acoustic tour of the UK with Bob Cheevers, so the February 14th show will be the first time anywhere that the songs from Arizona will be performed live with a full band, and in front of Stephen’s long time Austin fans.
For the live world premiere performance, Stephen has assembled a crack team of musicians including Dony Wynn (Drums), George Reiff (Bass), Brian Standefer (Cello), James Stevens (Guitars/Vocals) and Dave Madden (Keyboards/Vocals). All but Madden, who is subbing for Kevin Lovejoy, were part of the core studio team that produced Arizona. Stevens, who is the front man for Austin’s Moonlight Towers, recorded and mixed Arizona at Ear Studio in Austin and will be handling second guitar and harmony vocal duties for this special performance.
Arizona has been glowingly received already by Austin music writers Peter Blackstock of the American-Statesman and Jim Caligiuri of the Austin Chronicle both of whom placed Arizona at the top of their respective year end Best of 2014 lists. Blackstock hailed the album as an “exquisitely crafted classic” calling it “one of the best records our city has produced this year.” Mirroring Blackstock’s praise, Caligiuri rated Arizona a 4-Star “masterpiece” containing “one charmed melody after another.”
Keep an eye out for the Friday the 13th edition of the American-Statesman as Blackstock will be publishing a feature article on Doster on the eve of the Valentine’s Day CD Release Show. Also on Friday the 13th, Doster and band will join KUTX’s Jody Denberg in Studio 1-A at 2:00 PM for a live on air interview and performance of some of the songs from Arizona.
Tickets for this special world premiere live performance of Arizona in its entirety are selling briskly at the limited seating Strange Brew Lounge Side venue. The show itself runs from 9:30-11:00 and tickets are $15 in advance available through Strange Brew Lounge Side here. If advance tickets are not sold out, there will be limited tickets available at the door for $20.
If you can’t make the CD Release Show and you want to pick up your copy of Arizona, visit Waterloo Records in Austin where Arizona is currently on sale for only $9.99 through SXSW. Digital music fans can download the MP3 album at iTunes and Amazon.
Although released late in 2014 on Atticus Records, Doster’s Arizona quickly found itself atop “Best of the Year” lists at the Austin Chronicle and Austin American-Statesman. The Chronicle’s Jim Caligiuri praised Arizona’s “one charmed melody after another,” while the American-Statesman’s Peter Blackstock touted the album as an “exquisitely crafted classic.” Arizona features 10 Doster originals, including the edgy guitar driven title track and the R&B groover “Enough for Everyone.” The mystical love song “Baby, There’s No One Like You” is one of three songs Doster co-wrote with Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon of Double Trouble fame for their all star debut project, Been A Long Time, which featured Dr. John, Willie Nelson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang, among many others.
Over the course of his career, Stephen Doster has been described as one of Austin’s most ubiquitous musicians sharing stages and studios with a long and eclectic line of musical luminaries including Joe Cocker, Nanci Griffith, Lyle Lovett, Gatemouth Brown, Little Feat, Mark O’Connor, Storyville, Ricky Nelson, Squeeze, Ani DiFranco and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, among many others, He has produced over 60 albums, including projects for Carolyn Wonderland, Seth Walker, Uncle Lucius, Stanley Smith and newcomer Devin Jake. Arizona is Doster’s second solo album project, coming 18 years after his debut Rosebud. In between, he released two albums with Will Sexton, one of which included Bill Carter. Doster is also playing the part of music ambassador for the U.S. State Department with two tours of southern Africa in the books already in connection with his work as co-founder of Guitars for Swaziland.
Listen to Stephen Doster Music at: www.atticus-records.com
On Earth As It Is In Austin, released on Private Angel Records, presents 15 new Cheevers story songs recorded as musical duets with 15 noted Austin musicians performing on one song each. Uncut magazine lauded “On Earth…” noting that it “finds Cheevers in fine storyteller fettle,” while Rootstime approved of the collection calling it “one of his most beautiful albums ever.” Doster performs a sensitive acoustic guitar accompaniment on the track “My Guitar, The Man in the Moon & My Heart,” while the remainder of the the album includes stellar performances from Will Sexton (“Made in Mississippi”), Van Wilks (“One More Nail”) and Walt Wilkins (“The Sound of A Door”), along with 11 other star turn performances.
Cheevers has just entered his 50th year as a professional songwriter including stints in Los Angeles and Nashville before settling in Austin in 2008. In his long storied career he has won an Emmy, written over 3,000 songs and counting, released 10 full-length albums, amassed a deep archive of unreleased material and opened for Johnny Cash on what would be Cash’s final tour. Born in Memphis and raised in the rich musical legacy of the Mississippi Delta, Cheevers has travelled the long journeyman’s road, fine tuning a musical voice that expertly spins rootsy, blues-flavored tales of life in a conversational language of the heart. His Austin pal Ray Wylie Hubbard perhaps says it best: “Bob Cheevers is one cool scarecrow gypsy poet who writes and sings the romantic, beautiful truth. When he releases a record, I listen.”
Listen to Bob Cheevers Music at: www.privateangelrecords.com
For Bookings & Tour Info, Call (615) 300-1213