John Moreland Announces Tour Dates, Talks New Album

photo: Crackerfarm

Devastating songwriter and performer John Moreland recently announced the release of his fifth record called LP5 due out February 7th, 2020, and released a new song as well called “East October.” Along with the new album will come a tour in 2020, with the initial dates just released (see below).

Many consider John Moreland to be one of the greatest living songwriters around. But as he explains in prepared statements ahead of the release of LP5, this praise put difficult expectations on him that started affecting the creative process.

“I’m hesitant to talk about it because I know people don’t want to hear some dude complaining that his dream of being a successful musician came true, but there are things about it that you don’t expect that can mess you up,” Moreland says. “One of the results of that was I really didn’t want to write songs for a couple of years.”

This explains why Moreland seemed to fade into the shadows a bit over a period, though he continued to tour off and on. But alleviating the pressure he was putting upon himself was one of the keys to kickstarting his creativity once again.

“One of the ways I got back into liking music again was to let go of the idea that every time I’d go mess around with an instrument, I’d have to be writing a really good song,” Moreland says. “I just gave myself the freedom to go into my little music room every day and mess around with different instruments and different sounds. It doesn’t have to be anything. It doesn’t have to result in anything … This past year, I’ve been getting into mindfulness and being kinder to myself. I was really on that wave when I started writing these songs.”

Matt Pence from Centro-Matic is the producer on the new album, and it was recorded in Denton, TX at The Echo Lab. LP5 will be the first time Moreland is not the primary producer on one of his records. The new album also marks John Moreland’s return to Thirty Tigers after releasing his last record via 4AD.

“I can’t dress myself up and be some folk singer character that I’m not really,” Moreland says. “I figured, I can’t dress up these songs and try to sell them that way. All I can do is be me. I definitely am wiser than I was five years ago––I guess anybody would hope to be wiser than they were five years ago. But I do feel more mellow. Settled. I don’t feel as antsy or think I’ve got to prove myself anymore. I feel really comfortable and free to just do what I want to do.”

LP5 is due out February 7th, 2020, and is now available for pre-order.

John Moreland Tour Dates:

March 14 – Bentonville, AR – Meteor Guitar Gallery
March 15 – Little Rock, AR – South on Main
March 17 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
March 18 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
March 20 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
March 21 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
March 22 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
March 24 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom
March 25 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
March 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
March 28 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
March 29 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
March 31 – Montreal, QC – L’Esco
April 1 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
April 3 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
April 4 – East Moline, IA – The Rust Belt
April 5 – Milwaukee, WI – The Back Room at Colectivo
April 7 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
April 8 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
April 11 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
April 30 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater
May 1 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
May 2 – Austin, TX – Antone’s
May 5 – Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole
May 7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Teragram Ballroom
May 8 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
May 10 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
May 12 – Vancouver, BC – Wise Hall
May 13 – Seattle, WA – The Neptune Theatre
May 15 – Salt Lake City, UT – State Room
May 16 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
May 17 – Colorado Springs, CO – Lulu’s Downstairs

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