Marcia Ball
Mar 28, 2011
Marcia Ball has been delivering her own special brand of East Texas-blues-meets-Southwest Louisiana-swamp-rock since the late '70s and all along the way she has never wavered very far from the music she's most comfortable with. After six critically acclaimed albums for Rounder, Ball decided to join up with the folks at Alligator in 2001. That same year she released "Presumed Innocent," which grabbed the prestigious W.C. Handy award for Album of the Year. Next came "So many Rivers" in 2003 and then "Peace, Love & BBQ" in 2008.
Ball now retunes with "Roadside Attractions," which was produced by famed songwriter, musician and producer Gary Nicholson. Ball wrote or co-wrote every song on the new album -- something she had never done over the course of her 40-year career. Throughout the proceedings, a variety of stellar musicians added power and nuance to the music, perfectly complementing Ball's expert piano playing, slice-of-life lyrics and melodic, storytelling vocals.
According to Ball the new CD is the one she was born to make. "'Roadside Attractions' is my most personal album yet. It's full of short stories and tall tales. Not every word is true, but it's close enough. The songs reflect forty years of travel and a lifetime of experiences. Writing with Gary Nicholson, Dan Penn and Tom Hambridge was a thrill I've waited a long time for."
In addition to the title track, check out "That's How It Goes," "Look Before You Leap," "I Heard It All," "Everybody's Looking for the Same Thing" and the poignant "This Used to be Paradise."
Ball recently performed at the 2011 SXSW Music Festival and is getting ready to hit the road in support of her new album:
- 4/1 Showcase Live, Foxboro, MA
- 4/2 Knickerbocker Café, Westerly RI
- 4/3 FTC Stage One, Fairfield, CT
- 4/4 The Iron Horse, Northampton, MA
- 4/5 The Turning Point, Piermont, NY
- 4/6 World Café Live, Philadelphia
- 4/7 B.B. King Blues Club, New York
- 4/8 Rams Head Annapolis
- 4/9 The State Theatre, Falls Church, VA
- 4/13 The Triple Door, Seattle
- 4/14 Upstage, Port Townsend, WA
- 4/16 Cozmic Events Stage, Eugene, OR
- 4/17 Paul deLay Scholarship Benefit, Portland, OR
- 4/19 Yoshi's, San Francisco
- 4/20 The Big Room at Sierra Nevada Brewery, Chico, CA
- 4/21 Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz, CA
- 4/22 Fox Theater, Redwood City, CA
- 4/23 The Uptown Theater, Napa, CA
- 4/28 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Gala, New Orleans
- 5/4 Snug Harbor, New Orleans
- 5/6 The Maple Leaf, New Orleans
- 5/7 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
- 5/8 Sunday In The Park, Baton Rouge, LA
- 5/12 The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
- 5/13 Old Towne School of Folk Music, Chicago
- 5/14 Greater Cincinnati Performing Arts Society, Cincinnati
- 5/15 Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland
- 5/19 River Ranch Institute for the Arts, Lafayette, LA
- 5/21 Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival, Thomson, GA
- 5/28 The Acoustic Café Amphitheater, Haleyville, AL
For more information and more dates, visit www.marciaball.com
