Blue Yonder’s ‘Rough and Ready Heart’ is out June 8, 2018.

 

 

“A mix of virtuoso musicianship and original songwriting that plays as well in a hipster coffeehouse as it does in a small town concert hall.” –Larry Groce, Mountain Stage

 

“Blue Yonder is a serious West Virginia treasure.” –Vince Herman, Leftover Salmon

 

“An uncommon combination of toe-tapping, foot-stomping, and cry-in-your-beer fun….”—Live In Charleston WV

 

Charleston, West Virginia-based trio Blue Yonder—John Lilly (vocals/songwriter, rhythm guitar), Robert Shafer (electric guitar), and Will Carter (acoustic bass, harmony vocals)—are set to release their second full-length album, Rough and Ready Heart, on NewSong Recordings June 8. The album was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC. It was produced by NewSong founder Gar Ragland .

 

The seasoned trio was joined by guest musicians Russ Hicks (pedal steel guitar) and Tony Creasman (drums/percussion) for the album, which is comprised of 12 original songs. Offering a range of Americana—honky-tonk to swing, rockabilly to bluegrass—the album’s songs range from barn-burning rockers to gentle waltzes to mournful ballads to inspirational anthems.

 

 

 

Featuring three musicians with distinctive and notable skills; award-winning songwriter John Lilly; two-time flat picking champion guitarist Robert Shafer; and bassist Will Carter, who has played with numerous bluegrass and old-time bands and is the founder of the “Clifftop” festival, an annual global summit of old-time musicians in West Virginia.

 

With universal themes about “living, loving, losing along life’s back roads and highways,” says John Lilly, the trio’s vocalist and songwriter. “Our songs tell stories that anyone who’s been in relationships or set out on a road trip can relate to, no matter where they come from.”

 

Best known for their memorable original songs, virtuoso musicianship and feel-good stage presence, every Tuesday evening since 2013, the band has given people in Charleston, WV, a venue for a soul-cleansing way to connect with themselves and each other. “The stories we tell take me out of my specific situation and connect me, through shared experiences and emotions, with everyone in the room,” offers Will Carter.

 

Of Lilly’s many songwriting styles, Robert Shafer, notes “with Blue Yonder I can stretch out more than I can with most bands.” One of few to win the prestigious Winfield Walnut Valley national flat-picking contest more than once, he is also known as a “spectacular rockabilly guitarist who also brings swing and bop influences to his playing” (Washington Post).

 

Bassist Will Carter says that for him “an evening with Blue Yonder is like telling tales around a campfire—the stories we tell take me out of my specific situation and connect me, through shared experiences and emotions, with everyone in the room.”

 

The band’s debut, Bittersweet Road, reached #2 on the Freeform American Roots radio chart in 2013.

 

BLUE YONDER TOUR DATES

July 6 – Isis Restaurant & Music Hall – Asheville, NC

July 13 – Red Wings Roots Festival – Mount Solon, VA

August 8 – Davis Park – Charleston, WV

August 11 – MOUNTAIN STAGE: Myles Center for the Arts – Elkins, WV

August 16 – Queen’s Place Emera Centre – Liverpool, Nova Scotia

 

Rough and Ready Heart Tracklisting:

1. Standing by the Side of the Road
2. Rough and Ready Heart
3. Lost In Yesterday
4. I Dream of Jeanie
5. Lonely Hour
6. Well-Acquainted with the Blues 
7. Memories and Moonlight
8. Emerald Eyes
9. Windswept
10. Tombstone Charlie
11. You Can’t Get There From Here
12. Green Light

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For more information, please contact Lellie Capwell at Lellie@lpc-media.com or 818.384.1180