Phil Cook, who released his long awaited debut solo album Southland Mission last month, today announces tour dates in both the US and Europe, kicking off January 21st in Asheville, North Carolina and taking him Chicago, Seattle, Portland, LA, NYC and more. A full run of dates can be found below.
Southland Mission, which is now available for purchase at iTunes and Amazon, has been receiving stellar reviews, with Pitchfork writing “Southland Mission lights up tradition with rare and overt joy and palpable gratitude. It’s an open invitation from a man who’s found home. Say yes.” Aquarium Drunkard described the album, calling it “a record that swings and sways with passion, spirituality and love. It sounds full, vibrant, and bursting with life.”American Songwriter also went on to name Phil a Writer Of The Week earlier this fall.
No Depression recently premiered Phil Cook’s video for “1922,” a song that was written by Phil’s friend and collaborator Charlie Parr. Of the song, Phil says, “When I hear Charlie Parr sing his “1922 Blues” it feels like the gathering headwaters of the Mississippi River charging their way to New Orleans! When I sing 1922, it only seems fair to make it sound the way Charlie’s version makes me feel; destined, invincible and free.”
Cook has been an integral part of an incredible musical community that extends from his hometown of Eau Claire, WI to his current home of Durham, NC. After 10 years in the south, he has become a staple in the area’s studios and has produced, composed, written for, and recorded on dozens of regional and national releases including albums by The Blind Boys of Alabama, Hiss Golden Messenger, Matthew E. White, Amy Ray, and Alice Gerrard’s Grammy-nominated Follow The Music.
Now it’s time for Cook to step into the spotlight himself. He co-produced Southland Mission in a studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains, alongside his brother and co-producer, Brad Cook, and engineer Jon Ashley (The War on Drugs, Dawes, Zac Brown Band, Avett Brothers). The songs have no prerequisite, no pretension. Instead, as a collection, they call on listeners to witness and immerse themselves in their own journey.
While retaining the singular vision of a songwriter, instrumentalist and interpreter asserting his own, Southland Mission is a highly collaborative affair. For the recording of the album, Phil gathered his best friends and players from across the rich North Carolina musical community and beyond to bring his songs to fervorous life. The compositions are Phil’s testament to truth in music, integrity in creativity and reverence for those who paved the way for these sounds to fall on our ears. Southland Mission is certain to compel you to stomp your feet, pump your fist, and sway and spin with reckless abandon.
