Loudon Wainwright III has released “Little Piece of Me,” the fourth and final preview of his highly anticipated new album Lifetime Achievement (August 19). The accompanying video features a slideshow of images spanning Wainwright’s 50+ year career. Starting with grainy images of the artist as a young man, the video includes snaps of Wainwright performing solo and with Richard Thompson, Joe Henry and his daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche, before concluding with a recent image in his man cave.
In Loudon’s own words: “I like the idea that everywhere you go you leave a part of yourself behind. Also I could be wrong but I’d guess that no one has used the word ‘subsumed’ in a song until now. I LOVE that idea!”
The single features Wainwright’s “power trio” of longtime collaborators; multi instrumentalist David Mansfield on violin, and Loudon and Chaim Tannenbaum on banjos. The single also features Tony Scherr on bass, Rich Pagano on percussion and handclaps, and Dick Connette and Wainwright also on hand claps.
His first album of original songs since 2014’s Haven’t Got The Blues Yet, Lifetime Achievement finds LWIII in a state of deep reflection at age 75, over a set of 15 insightful and incisive songs, some new and some old. The music has a 3-dimensional quality to it and is a reflection of his lifetime of achievements throughout his musical career.
Wainwright recently released “It,” an acapella duet with Chaim Tannenbaum. The dense lyrics – dark and jarring – unfurl over a melody that was inspired by a sea shanty. “It” is accompanied by a one-take performance video featuring Wainwright and Tannenbaum sharing a single microphone. Wainwright has also recently released the album’s title track and accompanying music video. It finds him recounting his accomplishments but realizing that: “All these honors don’t add up to all that much, it’s true, that the biggest surprise, the great surprise, is I managed to win you.” In June he also released “Town & Country” along with the album announcement. The single finds Wainwright returning to New York City after an extended stay in the country, framing the “city vs. country” debate in his own inimitable style.
After thirty albums, a Grammy, many film and TV credits, and songs recorded by such artists as Johnny Cash, Mose Allison, Bonnie Raitt and his son Rufus, Wainwright is perhaps our foremost six-string analyst and tragicomedian. And with Lifetime Achievement his “unmatched wit and wisdom” (NPR) has never been on sharper display. In the past few years, Wainwright has also published a widely celebrated memoir, Liner Notes, as well as Years in the Making – a 2-CD audiobiography of rarities, oddities, and never-before-released recordings made throughout his tremendous 50-year career.
Pre-save Lifetime Achievement here: https://ffm.to/lifetimeachievement
Tour Dates:
Tuesday, August 30 – City Winery, New York, NY
Thursday, September 1 – City Winery, Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, September 7 – Pocklington Arts Centre, York, UK
Thursday, September 8 – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, UK
Friday, September 9 – Sage Gateshead, Gateshead, UK
Sunday, September 11 – Liberty Hall Theatre, Dublin, Ireland
Monday, September 12 – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, UK
Wednesday, September 14 – St George’s Bristol, Bristol, UK
Thursday, September 15 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham, UK
Saturday, September 17 – Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK
Sunday, September 18 – Southbank Center, London, UK
Monday, September 19 – The Stables, Milton Keynes, UK
Wednesday, September 21 – De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea, UK
Thursday, September 22 – The Sub Rooms, Stroud, UK
Tuesday, October 4 – Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, OR
Wednesday, October 5 – Triple Door, Seattle, WA
Friday, October 7 – Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA
Saturday, October 8 – State Theatre, Auburn, CA
Sunday, October 9 – HopMonk Tavern, Novato, CA
Wednesday, October 26 – Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Old Saybrook, CT
Saturday, November 5 – Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
Sunday, December 4 – Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA
Friday, February 3 – The Soraya, Northridge, CA
Saturday, February 4 – The Soraya, Northridge, CA
Sunday, February 5 – McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts, Palm Desert, CA
Sunday, March 19 – Fostek Hall at Jefferson Center, Roanoke, VA
Friday, March 31 – Eddie’s Attic, Decatur, GA
Saturday, April 1 – Tryon Fine Arts Center, Tryon, NC
Wednesday, April 19 – Dakota, Minneapolis, MN
Thursday, April 20 – Stoughton Opera House, Stoughton, WI
Wednesday, May 10 – Natalie’s Grandview, Columbus, OH
Thursday, May 11 – Marathon Center for the Performing Arts, Findlay, OH
Friday, May 12 – The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
Saturday, May 13 – Listening Room, Grand Rapids, MI
