John Prine to Release First Album of All New Songs in 13 Years with “The Tree of Forgiveness”
It’s not often that 71-year-old songwriters enjoy a massive resurgence in their careers, but that is exactly what is going on with John Prine. With so many other legacy songwriters vacating the mortal coil over the last few years, Prine is one of the final living links to a time in music when songwriters were revered universally throughout music, instead of being relegated to obscurity and $0.0009 payouts on Spotify.
The reigning Americana Artist of the Year will release his first record of all original songs in 13 years when The Tree of Forgiveness hits shelves on April 13th. Produced by Dave Cobb at Nashville’s historic Studio ‘A,’ it features appearances by Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, and co-writes with Dan Auerbach, Keith Sykes, Phil Spector, Roger Cook, and Pat McLaughlin who Prine co-wrote the first single from the record with, “Summer’s End.” It will be released on Prine’s own label, Oh Boy Records.
Prine’s last album of all original material was 2005’s Fair and Square. He also released a duets album of previous material duet style called For Better Or Worse in 2016. Along with the new album, Prine will be going on an extended tour, sharing dates with Sturgill Simpson, Sam Outlaw, Margo Price, Tyler Childers, Kelsey Waldon, and others.
See the track list, tour dates, and new song below. The Tree of Forgiveness is now available for pre-order.
TRACK LIST:
1. “Knockin’ On Your Screen Door” (by John Prine and Pat McLaughlin)
2. “I Have Met My Love Today” ft. Brandi Carlile (by John Prine and Roger Cook)
3. “Egg & Daughter Nite, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967 (Crazy Bone)” (by John Prine and Pat McLaughlin)
4. “Summer’s End” (written by John Prine and Pat McLaughlin)
5. “Caravan of Fools” (by John Prine, Dan Auerbach, and Pat McLaughlin)
6. “The Lonesome Friends of Science” (by John Prine)
7. “No Ordinary Blue” (by John Prine and Keith Sykes)
8. “Boundless Love” (by John Prine, Dan Auerbach, and Pat McLaughlin)
9. “God Only Knows” (by John Prine and Phil Spector)
10. “When I Get to Heaven” (by John Prine)
TOUR DATES:
April 11—Woodstock, NY—Levon’s Place
April 13—New York, NY—Radio City Music Hall (co-headline with Sturgill Simpson (solo))
April 14—Philadelphia, PA—Merriam Theatre (with Kurt Vile)
April 25—Milwaukee, WI—Riverside Theatre (with Milk Carton Kids)
April 27—Chicago, IL—Chicago Theatre (with Milk Carton Kids)
April 28—Champaign, IL—Virginia Theatre (with Milk Carton Kids)
May 11—Beaver Dam, KY—Beaver Dam Amphitheater* (with Tyler Childers)
May 12—Indianapolis, IN—Clowes Hall (with Tyler Childers)
May 18—Los Angeles, CA—Ace Theatre (with Sam Outlaw)
May 19—San Diego, CA—Balboa Theatre (with Sam Outlaw)
May 23—Folsom, CA—Harris Center (with Ramblin Jack)
May 24—San Francisco, CA—The Warfield (with Sam Outlaw)
June 1—Vienna, VA—Wolf Trap (with Margo Price)
June 2—Norfolk, VA—Chrysler Hall (with Margo Price)
June 8—Louisville, KY—Palace Theatre (with Colter Wall)
June 9—Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre (with Tyler Childers)
June 13—Burlington, VT—Flynn Theatre (with Valerie June)
June 15—Boston, MA—Wang Theatre
June 16—Concord, NH—Capitol Theatre (with Valerie June)
June 29—Dallas, TX—AT&T Center (with Amanda Shires)
June 30—Austin, TX—Bass Hall (with Amanda Shires)
July 14—Somerset, KY—Musicians Festival
July 20—Pittsburgh, PA—Heinz Hall (with Langhorne Slim)
August 2—Glasgow, U.K. – Kelvingrove Bandstand (with John Moreland)
August 3—Birmingham, U.K.—Town Hall (with John Moreland)
August 5—Cambridge, U.K.—Cambridge Folk Festival
August 8—Oslo, Norway—Konserthurst (with Tanya McCole)
August 10—Amsterdam, Netherlands—Paradiso (with Tanya McCole)
August 13—Dublin, Ireland—National Concert Hall (with Tanya McCole)
September 14—Huntsville, AL—Von Braum Center (with Kelsey Waldon)
September 15—Memphis, TN—Orpheum Theatre (with Kelsey Waldon)
September 19—Eugene, OR—Hult Center (with Todd Snider)
September 21—Portland, OR—Schnitzer Theatre (with Todd Snider)
September 22—Seattle, WA—Paramount Theatre (with Todd Snider)
September 28—Columbus, OH—Ohio Theatre (with Lilly Hiatt)
October 3—Knoxville, TN—Tennessee Theatre (with Kelsey Waldon)
October 5—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
October 6—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
November 7—Breckenridge, CO—Riverwalk Center (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
November 8—Grand Junction, CO—Avalon Theatre (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
November 10—Denver, CO—Buell Center (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
December 12—Las Vegas, NV—Westgate Theatre (with John Paul White)
December 14—Phoenix, AZ—Celebrity Theatre (with John Paul White)
December 15—Tucson, AZ—Fox Theatre (with John Paul White)
hoptowntiger94
February 9, 2018 @ 9:43 am
This is a first …. I’ve never heard “per our conversation” used in a line of a song. Personally, I’ve only ever used it in emails to express my disappointment in having to repeat myself.
Gina
February 9, 2018 @ 10:07 am
I just heard Summers End. It’s beautiful, classic Prine.
Dan Morris
February 10, 2018 @ 4:26 am
Beautiful, classic Prine. That description nails it completely Gina. I heard Summers End on NPR yesterday and was deeply moved. I think I repeated it at least 15 times in a couple hours. Apparantly John did one of their Tiny Desk Concerts recently and played the song live. The NPR website says it will be available to watch very soon. I’ll be watching for that daily. I just wish his tour was coming to Ontario, Canada.
Bill Weiler
February 9, 2018 @ 9:44 am
As much as any perfomer, John Prine has provided over the decades, a musical soundtrack for the lives of old geezers like me. A national treasure.
Gina
February 9, 2018 @ 10:01 am
How exciting! What a tour too. Looks like we get Amanda Shires. I’ve see.n him twice, back in the lat 90s at festivals but a full concert will be a real treat.
jtrpdx
February 9, 2018 @ 10:18 am
Awesome. Looking forward to the Portland show. What a great selection of openers too.
Stringbuzz
February 9, 2018 @ 10:20 am
His songs really stand the test of time.
Paul
February 9, 2018 @ 10:28 am
I am so glad I got to see him live in an intimate setting with Sturgill Simpson last year. It was a wonderful concert and this new song has me excited for the new album.
BJones
February 9, 2018 @ 10:35 am
Legend
A.K.A. City
February 9, 2018 @ 10:48 am
And my concert budget is officially busted…
Corncaster
February 9, 2018 @ 11:30 am
How can you not love this guy. Like, LOVE this guy? He’s still like the best little brother you could possibly ask for.
KSU
February 9, 2018 @ 12:13 pm
Everyone skips Kansas. We like music too!
Ryan
February 9, 2018 @ 12:46 pm
He just played Salina last September, as did Ryan Adams, I think.
Kansas City (both sides of the state line) gets most tours.
Benny Lee
February 9, 2018 @ 12:52 pm
This guy is unreal. What a treasure!
Blackh4t
February 9, 2018 @ 1:05 pm
Wow. Just one song has already made me painfully nostalgic for someone elses life. The album will leave me a broken man. For a while anyway…. I’ll have the bottle of red wine ready for its release.
HayesCarll23
February 9, 2018 @ 8:06 pm
You’re somebody that I would not want to hang out with. Weird.
Dave
February 10, 2018 @ 4:14 am
Good ol’ John Prine. I’ve been listening to him since I was a little kid. My dad had “John Prine” and “Sweet Revenge” on cassette. I remember singing the chorus of “Please Don’t Bury Me” with Dad. Good times and great music. Years later when I started driving, before the days of ordering anything online, I remember going to the local video store and having them order a CD of “Sweet Revenge.” It was after listening to the CD that I had learned that there was a 3rd verse and final chorus to “Please Don’t Bury Me” because dad’s tape had gotten ate one time and he had to repair it and that’s what was missing. I don’t miss cassette tapes one bit!
Steph smith
February 10, 2018 @ 7:29 am
I love him and Iris Dement’s “in spite of ourselves”. great music
ScottG
February 11, 2018 @ 7:09 pm
The 2 apostrophes got me a thinkin. And that was just the first line.
Anxious for this one.
Anon5
February 12, 2018 @ 10:57 am
Holy shit, is this ever good. Thank you God for keeping Prine down here a little longer.