We’ve a special premiere today from the New Orleans country-soul band The Deslondes who will be returning to the UK for a series of shows (dates below) and to coincide with it, the band are releasing a 2-song 7-inch via New West Records with two new songs this Friday, June 10.
Listen to What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? below. The track which is an arrangement of an old gospel hymn, features their good friend Twain who will be playing in The Deslondes on this tour in place of their pedal steel/fiddle player John James Tourville, as well as opening the shows. The flipside is “Tres Grand Serpent” which premiered via Rolling Stone last Friday.
Comprised of five songwriters – Sam Doores (vocals/guitar), Riley Downing (vocals/guitar), Dan Cutler (vocals/stand-up bass), Cameron Snyder (vocals/percussion) and John James Tourville (pedal steel/fiddle) – The Deslondes are a unique democratic collective where each musician contributes writing and arrangements and members take the lead at different times. The band endeavors to carry on the traveling troubadour tradition of their heroes Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley and John Prine and their music production and vocal arrangements are inspired by the rhythmic, high energy, and harmony-driven sounds of their other heroes, The Band and Allen Toussaint.
The Deslondes grew out of The Tumbleweeds, a project that Doores, Downing and Cutler began in 2010. Doores and Cutler were also core members of Hurray For The Riff Raff and performed on last year’s breakout album, Small Town Heroes, before leaving the band to focus on The Deslondes. Like the traveling troubadours they fashion themselves after, they have toured the country extensively and have supported the Alabama Shakes, Old Crow Medicine Show, Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Lumineers, John Fullbright, Michael Kiwanuka, Spirit Family Reunion and have performed at New Orleans’ Jazz Fest and the Newport Folk Festival.
The band is touring in support of their self-titled debut which was released last year to critical acclaim.Pitchfork awarded it a 7.9/10 and said, “Their debut introduces a band that sounds confident and fully formed…. They take nothing about country or R&B or New Orleans for granted, but consider everything anew.” Uncut gave it an 8/10 and called it “a rich, nuanced, fantastically enjoyable album that understands great music is often the product of a historical continuum rather than radical innovation.”
Read our live review of The Deslondes at The Islington in 2015.
UK Tour Dates
June 15 – London, UK @ O2 Academy 2 Islington w/ Twain
June 16 – Bristol, UK @ The Tunnels w/ Twain
June 17 – Cardiff, UK @ The Moon Club w/ Twain
June 18 – Newcastle Upton Tyne, UK @ The Cluny w/ Twain
June 20 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast w/ Twain
June 21 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club w/ Twain
June 22 – Oxford, UK @ The Bullingdon w/ Twain
June 23 – Brighton, UK @ The Prince Albert w/ Twain
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Photo credit: Sarrah Danziger