In sultriest days of summer, Lyle Lovett and his Large Band take to the road, delivering sweet relief with their distinctive style of soulful Americana. Kicking off July 30 in Montana, their 26-city stateside tour follows a trek through Europe to showcase Lovett’s latest album, Natural Forces (Curb/Lost Highway).
The critically acclaimed late-2009 release stands as a testament to both his versatile songwriting and peerless ability to interpret material by fellow Texas songwriters who inspired him. Recorded with his Large Band, the album includes gorgeous versions of Townes Van Zandt’s “Loretta,” Eric Taylor’s “Whooping Crane,” and Vince Bell’s “Sun and Moon and Stars,” along with memorable Lovett-penned tunes such as “Farmer Brown,” “Pantry,” and “Natural Forces.”
For the last few years, Lovett has maintained a busy schedule, alternating Large Band tours and acoustic shows paired with John Hiatt, as well as songwriter swaps with Hiatt and their longtime friends Guy Clark and Joe Ely.
During the past year, he’s also been busy with activities including taping the final Austin City Limits episode done in Studio 6A, the show’s 36-year home; visiting policymakers on Capitol Hill and performing at the Library of Congress during ASCAP’s “We Write the Songs” event; singing the national anthem at Game Four of the World Series; performing with the Kansas City Symphony for the annual environmental fundraiser “Symphony in the Flint Hills”; honoring Kris Kristofferson at Leadership Music’s Dale Franklin Award gala; performing at Lincoln Center to benefit Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps; and recording tracks for forthcoming Guy Clark and Buddy Holly tribute albums. Lovett also has begun recording songs for his next album.
Lovett recently stepped in front of the camera to perform a prominent supporting role in When Angels Sing, a holiday film starring Harry Connick, Jr. and played a mysterious federal agent in the ABC crime drama Castle.He also was featured in the documentary For the Sake of the Song: The Story of Anderson Fair. In December, he participated in the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles’ production of Much Ado About Nothing, alongside Helen Hunt, David Ogden Stiers, and Sara and Sean Watkins.
In his 14-album career, Lyle Lovett has earned four Grammy awards, the Americana Music Association’s inaugural Trailblazer Award and the Texas Medal of Arts Award, and recently he was named the 2011 Texas State Musician. Since his self-titled debut in 1986, he’s scored seven Top 10 albums on the Billboard charts and appeared in 13 feature films. Lovett’s inimitable songwriting style, a fusion of country, Texas swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues, and his unique gift for storytelling, continue to resonate with fans and critics across the globe.
LYLE LOVETT AND HIS LARGE BAND – SUMMER 2011 ITINERARY
7/30 White Sulphur Springs, MT Red Ants Pants Festival
7/31 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Garden
8/2 Missoula, MT Allegiance Field
8/3 Billings, MT Alberta Bair Theater
8/5 Vancouver, BC Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
8/6 Calgary, AB Century Casino Calgary
8/7 Edmonton, AB Edmonton Folk Festival
8/8 Regina, SK Casino Regina
8/9 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre
8/10 Moorehead, MN Bluestem Center for the Arts
8/12 Appleton, WI Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
8/13 Mt. Pleasant, MI Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
8/14 Milwaukee, WI Northern Lights Theater
8/16 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
8/18 Burnsville, MN Burnsville Performing Arts Center
8/19 Madison, WI Overture Center for the Arts
8/20 Carmel, IN Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts
8/21 Chicago, IL Ravinia Festival
8/22 Grand Rapids, MI Meijer Gardens
8/23 Pittsburgh, PA Trib Total Media Amphitheatre at Station Square
8/25 Cohasset, MA South Shore Music Circus
8/26 Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody Tent
8/27 Canandaigua, NY CMAC
8/28 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre
8/29 Morristown, NJ Mayo Performing Arts Center
8/30 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
Visit online at www.lylelovett.com
