William Elliott Whitmore to Release New Album “I’m With You”

photo: Chris Casella

Legacy folk country punk blues artist William Elliot Whitmore will be releasing a new record via Bloodshot Records on October 16th, 2020 called I’m With You. It’s Whitmore’s first record of original music since 2015’s Radium Death released on ANTI before the songwriter moved to Bloodshot. He also released a covers record called Kilonova in 2018 after signing to Bloodshot.

Before the recent emergence of throwback folk country blues performers such as Colter Wall and Ian Noe, William Elliott Whitmore was one of the originals to hit the open road as a one man band with a bass drum and an arsenal of stringed instruments, singing his heart out in a billowy low register that awakened the ghosts of American music’s past. Since he was too folk for country, and too blues for folk, Whitmore often found himself opening for punk bands, and spreading the roots music gospel to new converts.

A couple of things make the announcement of new album I’m With You especially interesting. First, it signals that Bloodshot Records continues to be forward looking and conducting business despite some recent drama involving the label’s ownership. Secondly, the debut song Whitmore has released from the record called “My Mind Can Be Cruel To Me” has a much more country heart than most of his previous material (listen below), and finds Whitmore singing in a slightly higher register than some of his blues and folk stuff.

Fans are said to also expect plenty of William’s darkish folks song from behind the guitar and banjo as well, along with more “twangy, punked-up country” in another song called “Black Iowa Dirt.” Originally from the Hawkeye state where he was born and raised on a farm that he still lives on, Whitmore’s now a 20+ year veteran of roots music, releasing his first record in 1999, and later signing with Southern Records before being picked up by ANTI.

I’m With You is now available for pre-order, and will also be available in deluxe edition opaque grass green vinyl.

TRACK LIST:

  1. Put It to Use
  2. Solar Flare
  3. My Mind Can Be Cruel to Me
  4. MK Ultra Blues
  5. History
  6. Everything We Need
  7. Save Ourselves
  8. I’m Here
  9. Black Iowa Dirt
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