UK/Ireland rearview

UK/Ireland March 2022

It’s happening! Next month I’ll be playing some shows in England and Ireland. Full details and tickets can be found at my www.johnstatz.com/calendar

March 16 – The Greystones, Sheffield, UK
March 17 – Green Note, London, UK
March 18 – Kingsmead House Concerts, High Wycombe, UK
March 19 – Sir John Moore Foundation, Appleby Magna, UK
March 20 – Square and Compass, Worth Matravers, UK
March 21 – Ballymore Acoustic, Ballymore Eustace, Ireland
March 22 – The Workman’s Club, Dublin, Ireland
March 26 – Levis Corner Bar, Ballydehob, Ireland

New Album – Grounded

Grounded comes out on August 20th! My tenth album and first done almost entirely solo. I bought some recording equipment and software last year and taught myself to engineer, so I recorded these tracks in my guest bedroom at home in Denver. Mixing and mastering is beyond my pay grade, still, so I sent the album to my good friend Nate Edwards for those steps, who kept a light, warm touch with the recordings. I designed it, shipped it off to Sooper Dooper for CD pressing in Wisconsin, and here it is. Available only at my Bandcamp – https://johnstatz.bandcamp.com/album/grounded – in CD, digital downloads, and for streaming. Shipping this week, release show 8/21 at the Broadway Roxy!

No Depression reviews Early Riser

“Throughout Early Riser, Statz showcases the tremendous band he surrounded himself with — including Billy Conway on drums and Jeremy Moses Curtis on bass — while shining a light on his own stunning songwriting skills.

He pivots from singing about his own privilege on the jaw-dropping “What Would You Call That” — “As I enjoy, as I inhale / Thousands of people still sittin’ in jail / And I can go anywhere” — to lamenting his complete lack of survival skills on “Take Me in the First Wave” — “I ain’t got, I ain’t got no basement bunker or canned goods or a gun or a plan / I’ll just be, I’ll just be sitting on my back porch, just my cat, some books, my guitar, and weed.” Regardless of where Statz draws inspiration, though, his voice and focus are clear on every track as he strives to give listeners something to cling to.”

Read the full article here

Early Riser released!

It was somewhere in England while on tour in September of 2019 that Colorado songwriter John Statz – stressed out by rainy days, Brexit anxiety, and a disintegrating relationship back home – began to feel optimistic and plan his new record. Early Riser is a balancing act between the experiences in modern life that cause us worry or pain and those that bring us joy. The album is very much a product of the year 2019 and the cultural scene at the end of a decade, with songs referencing political divisions over Brexit, the destruction of Notre Dame, and the racist dog-whistles of a xenophobic president. John presents those weighty topics alongside more personal songs of reverence for travel and the outdoors, falling in and out of love, and his parents’ relationship. These songs are brought to life by an ace band featuring Billy Conway (Morphine) on drums, Jeremy Moses Curtis (Booker T) on bass, and Denver multi-instrumentalist Kate Hannington on keys, backing vocals, woodwinds, and guitars.

Listen and Download: