Milwaukee, WI-based Buffalo Nichols today announced his anticipated new album The Fatalist will be released on September 15th, 2023 via Fat Possum, and released its lead single: a dusky take on Blind Willie Johnson’s original “You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond.” The follow-up to his 2021 self-titled debut LP for Fat Possum–a critically acclaimed record that earned him his network television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and various major festival performances.
The Fatalist sounds unlike any blues record you’re likely to hear in 2023. The lead single’s video, directed by Samer Ghani, captures songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist Carl Nichols singing of salvation and relief in his soundscape that teems with the joyous claustrophobia of classic gospel. Sampled triggers of Charley Patton’s version connect the earliest blues recordings to the present, both singers’ voices urgent in their message. Nichols explains: “A traditional song made modern. Which aspects of ‘the Blues’ are essential? Is it a melody? A certain vocabulary? Delivery? Instrumentation? Is this still a blues song? And most importantly: who gets to decide? I tried to reimagine the blues with this song as if it were allowed to grow and progress uninterrupted, uncolonized and ungentrified.”
Nichols—who is currently on a summer tour across the U.S.—has also announced an expanded headlining fall tour, including album release shows at NYC’s Mercury Lounge on September 22nd and LA’s Gold Diggers on November 18th. Tickets for all new shows go on-sale Friday, June 16th at 11am EST; a full itinerary is listed below.
The Fatalist LP tracklist:
- Cold Black Stare
- You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond
- Love Is All
- Turn Another Stone
- The Difference
- The Long Journey Home
- The Fatalist Blues
- This Moment (feat. Samantha Rise)
Buffalo Nichols tour dates
06/09 – Flagstaff, AZ – Flagstaff Blues Fest
06/10 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
06/11 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
06/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy
06/16 – Philadelphia, PA – WXPN Free at Noon
06/16 – Monkton, MD – The Loft at Manor Mill
06/17 – Bowie, MD – Juneteenth Jubilee
06/17 – Columbia, MD – Columbia Fest for the Arts
06/18 – Berryville, VA – Barns of Rose Hill
06/19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe
06/23 – Des Moines, IA – Des Moines Arts Festival
06/24 – Madison, WI – Memorial Union Terrace at Univ of Wisconsin
06/29 – Hamilton, OH – Riversedge Amphitheater
06/30 – Memphis, TN – Overton Park
07/06-08 – Winnipeg, MB – Winnipeg Folk Fest
07/20 – San Francisco, CA – SF Jazz Summer Fest
07/21-22 – Marquette, MI – Hiawatha Music Festival
07/27-30 – Calgary, AB – Calgary Folk Fest
08/10 – Fort Collins, CO – Bohemian Foundation
08/12 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Arts Celebration
08/18 – Roxbury, NY – Roxbury ARts Center
08/19 – Portsmouth, NH – The Music Hall – Live Under the Arch Series
08/24-27 – Tønder, DK – Tønder Festival
08/28 – London, UK – Rough Trade East
09/06 – Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
09/07 – Newport, KY – Southgate House
09/08 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
09/09 – Bowling Green. OH – Black Swamp Arts Festival
09/14 – Denver, CO – Levitt Pavilion
09/15-17 – Telluride Blues & Brews
09/20 – Elkton, MD – Elkton Music Hall
09/21 – Southampton, PA – Stone Turtle House Concert
09/22 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
09/23 – New Haven, CT – Cafe Nine
09/24 – North Adams, MA – Freshgrass
10/05 – Madison, WI – High Noon
10/06 – Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village
10/07 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
10/12 – Grand Rapids, MI – Midtown
10/13 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
10/14 – Jackson, MI – Jackson Symphony Orchestra
10/15 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe – WCBE Happy Hour
10/18 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Iron Works
10/19 – Rochester, NY – Abilene Bar & Lounge
10/20 – Providence, RI – Askew
10/21 – Portland, ME – One Longfellow
10/22 – Waterbury Center, VT – Zenbarn
11/10 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
11/13 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
11/14 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
11/15 – Eugene, OR – Hult Center
11/16 – Grass Valley, CA – Grass Valley Center for the Arts
11/17 – Livermore, CA – Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center
11/18 – Los Angeles, CA – Gold Diggers
11/29 – Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor
11/30 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
12/01 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
12/02 – Nashville, TN – Blue Room
12/03 – Memphis, TN – B-Side / Folk All Y’all
12/05 – Little Rock, AR – White Water Tavern
12/06 – Dallas, TX – Sundown at Granada
12/07 – San Antonio, TX – Sam’s Burger Joint
12/08 – Austin, TX – Antone’s
12/09 – Houston, TX – Continental Club
12/15 – Waverly, AL – Standard Deluxe
12/16 – Macon, GA – Society Garden
