Shawnee, OK’s alt/folk/indie singer-songwriter Samantha Crain will hit the road in October, playing 20 dates across the U.S. with the Swedish duo First Aid Kit. On these dates, Crain will perform a special solo acoustic set that will feature songs from her past three albums (Kid Face/2013, You (Understood)/2010, and Songs In The Night/2009), as well as a brand new song or two. The tour kicks off on Friday, October 24 at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York and wraps up in Chicago at the Vic Theatre on November 22.
“I toured with First Aid Kit here in North America when the band first played here in 2012,” said Crain. “We became fast friends, performed songs together on stage, and I became a full-on fan. Our friendship is easy as we all respect each other as songwriters, singers, hard workers, and women. I new we’d do more touring together eventually, so I am really looking forward to these upcoming dates.”
Crain is a gifted storyteller who weaves intricately poignant and often jagged tales of love, loneliness and desperation, all rendered with a blue-collar authenticity – and all praised by Rolling Stone, SPIN, New York Times and NPR. Crain has spent much of 2014 touring the UK and Europe extensively, headlining shows and supporting Deer Tick. Over the summer, she was a staple on the UK/Euro festival circuit, playing major festivals including Green Man, Haldem Pop and the Cambridge Folk Festival. While there, she amassed some great reviews: “A remarkable voice; an instrument that both booms and quivers”/Mojo; “Songwriting of this quality heralds a powerful new talent”/The Times; and from the NME, “Fuses classic Bob Dylan and Neil Young.”
Once the dates with First Aid Kit have concluded, Crain will return to the studio with producer John Vanderslice (Kid Face) to record a new album for 2015. “I’ve been writing songs for the new album since the summer of 2013,” said Crain. “I’ve been taking my time completing the songs because I’ve been very focused on experimenting with new guitar playing techniques and tunings. I’m also writing this record with a specific instrumentation in mind, as I will be having Minna Choi and the Magik Magik Orchestra play on this record. Anne Lillis will be playing drums again and John Calvin Abney will, again, be doing keyboards, and, likely, some guitars. While ‘Kid Face’ was very autobiographical, these new songs are heavily influenced by my political and social beliefs, and reflect a strong running theme about the plight of the working class American woman.”
Confirmed dates for Samamtha Crain with First Aid Kit are as follows:
OCTOBER
24 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY
26 The National, Richmond, VA
28 The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
29 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
NOVEMBER
1 Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
2 Music Farm, Charleston, SC
4 The Beacham, Orlando, FL
5 The Ritz Ybor, Tampa, FL
6 House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
7 Granada Theatre, Dallas, TX
10 The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
12 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
13 Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
14 Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR
15 Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA
17 The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT
18 Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO
20 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
21 Lakeland College, Plymouth, WI
22 Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
