Pokey LaFarge will return with In The Blossom of Their Shade on September 10th via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced and arranged by Pokey LaFarge and Chris Seefried and recorded in Chicago, IL & Los Angeles, CA. The collection is the follow up to LaFarge’s critically acclaimed 2020 studio LP Rock Bottom Rhapsody which NPR’s Fresh Air named a “Best of 2020” and an “Album that made an art of escapism.”
Today, NPR All Songs Considered premiered the first single and lead off track “Get It ‘Fore It’s Gone.” Speaking to NPR Music, LaFarge offered, “This album is a result of my 2020 experience. Before the pandemic, I was in a dark place but the pandemic actually created the much needed space for me to reflect. Turns out that being completely sedentary for once was a good thing. I found peace in the stillness. I was able to recalibrate what it is I do and why I’m doing it. Who I’m to do it with and most importantly, who I’m doing it for.”
In March 2020, LaFarge packed up and left his Los Angeles abode behind, putting his belongings in storage in anticipation of spending extensive time on the road in support of his then-forthcoming album, Rock Bottom Rhapsody. He couldn’t wait to head down to Austin a few weeks later to showcase those songs and launch the album with his band at SXSW. Then the pandemic hit and all of LaFarge’s well-laid plans went into thin air.
Stuck in East Austin with nowhere to go, LaFarge did what he does best: he got to work. He used the sudden change in plans to his advantage, having perhaps his greatest period of personal growth in the midst of the crippling pandemic.
Unlike its melancholy predecessor, In the Blossom of Their Shade showcases the positivity of coming out of the darkness and into the light and is one of his strongest and most mature lyrical efforts to date. The record was nearly titled Siesta Love since it captures the thematic notion of being the perfect summer afternoon soundtrack and is a far cry from the swing and blues-infused songs of his earlier work. Looking in, inspired by the deep soul not just from these shores, but from distant geographical places like Africa or South America, LaFarge set out to create a body of work that paired emotional lyrics with a killer groove and grabby melodies.
Pokey LaFarge has also announced his initial tour dates in support of In the Blossom of Their Shade. He will begin the tour with a handful of solo appearances launching in Switzerland on August 7th. A full band tour featuring a brand new live lineup will follow on September 1st. Please see all dates below.
In The Blossom of Their Shade Track Listing:
1. Get It ‘Fore It’s Gone
2. Mi Ideal
3. Fine to Me
4. Drink of You
5. Rotterdam
6. To Love or Be Alone
7. Long for the Heaven I Seek
8. Killing Time
9. Yo-Yo
10. Goodnight, Goodbye (Hope Not Forever)
Pokey LaFarge On Tour:
August 7th – Bagnes, Switzerland – Palp Festival Rocklette (Solo)
August 24 – Ridgefield, CT – CHIRP (Solo)
August 25 – North Truro, MA – Payomet Music Tent (Solo)
August 26 – New Haven, CT – Folk at the Edge Concert Series (Solo)
September 1 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Maassilo
September 2 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje
September 3 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
September 4 – Schijndel, Netherlands – Paaspop
September 5 – Groningen, Netherlands – De Oosterpoort
September 6 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Effenaar
October 2 – Paducah, KY – YAC-toberfest
October 6 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom *
October 7 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick *
October 8 – Kalamazoo, MI – Bells Back Room *
October 9 – Milwaukee, WI – BackRoom @ Colectivo *
October 12 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre *
October 13 – Iowa City, IA – The Englert *
October 15 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note *
October 16 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads *
November 3 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line *
November 4 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall *
November 5 – Grand Rapids, MI – Wealthy Theatre *
November 6 – Indianapolis, IN – HiFi *
November 7 – Charleston WV – Mountain Stage
November 9 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird *
November 10 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom *
November 12 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live *
November 13 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall *
November 14 – Fairfield, CT – The Warehouse *
November 15 – Holyoke, MA – Gateway City Arts *
November 17 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Showcase Lounge *
November 18 – Ottawa, ON – Club Saw *
November 19 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern *
November 20 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern *
* with Esther Rose (duo)
Pokey LaFarge Photo By Eliot Lee Hazel
