BEARTOOTH RELEASES THE BLACKBIRD SESSION EP
DOCUMENTARY DETAILING THE SESSION IS VIEWABLE HERE
BAND TOURING THIS FALL WITH A DAY TO REMEMBER + I PREVAIL + CAN’T SWIM
Every now and again, an artist that is already vital in their genre will take a complete 180º turn with their music and flex new creative muscles. That’s exactly what Ohio-based rock band Beartooth delivered with the folk and country music-inspired The Blackbird Session EP. The release arrives today, September 13, at all DSPs via Red Bull Records. Get it here.
The only physical form of this release will be a one-time-only pressing on 10″ vinyl, limited to 500 copies.
Fans can watch the documentary, which tracks the process and progress of creating The Blackbird Session EP, here.
The Blackbird Session EP reveals a fresh sound from the band — never seen and/or heard by fans — featuring twangy, stripped-down, and acoustic renderings of songs from Beartooth’s latest album Disease, out now via Red Bull Records.
The Blackbird Session EP is an ambitious and artistic left turn for Beartooth, exploring lead singer Caleb Shomo‘s musical roots. While not an indicator of what fans should expect on future releases, The Blackbird Session EP does show the depth and breadth of the band’s songwriting and mastery in instrumentation.
The band partnered with Taste of Country and Loudwire to premiere “Clever.” Listen here. Meanwhile, NME premiered “Afterall.” Listen here.
Presented in video format, Beartooth recorded The Blackbird Session EP at the famed Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Blackbird is owned by John McBride, an iconic producer and engineer in country music who has worked with artists such as Garth Brooks and Martina McBride, as well as pop titans Train. The idea of metal band Beartooth recording a stripped-down, folk-inspired album at Blackbird was a project welcomed by McBride, who encouraged the band to record and served as guest engineer for the EP.
“When the idea came up to do acoustic sessions, immediately my mind went to family holidays — constantly surrounded by singing old hymns and harmonies on harmonies. The idea of taking Beartooth in the direction of my first musical moments in life felt right,” said Shomo. “The songs came out better than I could have ever imagined. A massive, MASSIVE part of that was Blackbird. The love I have for that place goes beyond any studio in existence. The rooms are the best in the world, the gear is the best in the world, the consoles… etc. All of this would be enough to make it feel like home, but the icing on the cake is the people who work there. Every time I walk in, it’s nothing but good vibes and hard workers.”
He continued, “We had the honor of the studio owner and mastermind John McBride (look him up — it’s insane) requesting to engineer our session. This led to an environment that was amazing and free. No limits, no worries, just playing and singing. He handled the rest. Being able to mix tracks engineered by such a legend/tracked on his home turf was an honor.”
Shomo finished, “This is 100% live. No metronome, minimal rehearsal, just a bunch of musicians who love what they do getting in a room and going for it. If you want to see and hear Beartooth stripped down to one of its rawest and most emotional forms, please enjoy.”
In one full day, Beartooth reimagined four, full-band acoustic live recordings of “Disease,” “You Never Know,” “Afterall,” and “Clever.” The songs are arranged and enhanced with lap steel, violins, and female vocals.
In other Beartooth news, the band will be going back on tour later this fall with A Day to Remember, I Prevail, and Can’t Swim on one of the most-anticipated treks of the entire fall season. All dates, including the band’s upcoming festival appearances, are below.
THE BLACKBIRD SESSION EP TRACK LISTING:
“Disease”
“You Never Know”
“Afterall”
“Clever”
BEARTOOTH ON TOUR:
FESTIVAL DATES:
9/27 — Louisville, KY — Louder Than Life
10/11 — Sacramento, CA — Aftershock Festival
10/12 — San Bernardino, CA — Self Help Festival
10/19 — Las Vegas, NV — Las Rageous Festival
WITH A DAY TO REMEMBER + I PREVAIL + CAN’T SWIM:
9/28 — Simpsonville, SC — CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
10/15 — Boise, ID — CenturyLink Arena
10/16 — Salt Lake City, UT — USANA Amphitheatre
10/17 — Denver, CO — Fillmore Auditorium
10/21 — Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10/22 — Houston, TX — NRG Arena
10/23 — Corpus Christi, TX — Concrete Street Amphitheater
10/25 — Saint Charles, MO — Family Arena
10/26 — Chicago, IL — Credit Union 1 Arena at UIC
10/27 — Minneapolis, MN — The Armory
10/29 — Fargo, ND — Scheels Arena
10/30 — Des Moines, IA — Wells Fargo Arena
10/31 — Independence, MO — Silverstein Eye Centers Arena (SECA)
11/2 — Pittsburgh, PA — Petersen Events Center
11/3 — Fairfax, VA — EagleBank Arena
11/5 — Laval, QC — Place Bell
11/7 — Reading, PA — The Santander Arena
11/8 — Uncasville, CT — Mohegan Sun Arena
11/9 — Glen Falls, NY — Cool Insuring Arena
11/10 — Trenton, NJ — CURE Insurance Arena
11/12 — Syracuse, NY — The Oncenter War Memorial Arena
11/14 — Fort Wayne, IN — Allen County War Memorial Expo Center
11/15 — Cleveland, OH — Wolstein Center at CSU
11/16 — Ypsilanti, MI — Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center
11/17 — Huntington, WV — Big Sandy Superstore Arena
11/19 — New York, NY — Terminal 5
11/21 — Duluth, GA — Infinite Energy Center
11/22 — Nashville, TN — Nashville Municipal Auditorium
11/23 — Fayetteville, NC— Crown Coliseum
