“Sweet, uplifting music...solid musicianship and
spot-on harmonies.” —Bluegrass Today
“Mixing elements of country, folk, bluegrass and
gospel into their own delightful sonic stew, The Bankesters knock it out of the park. Someone get them to the UK!” —Maverick Country
Magazine - UK
January
27th, 2017 - Nashville, TN
NIGHTBIRD is the sixth full length recording from bluegrass
darlings, The Bankesters, a family
band anchored by the immediately powerful sound of sisters harmonizing and
elevated by their clever song choices, a humble and approachable style, and
subtle musicianship. Sisters Alysha
(mandolin, fiddle), Emily (fiddle, banjo), and Melissa (bass) are further
supported by some of the men in their lives: their father, Phil on guitar, and
Kyle, husband to Melissa, on banjo, mandolin and additional guitar.
In
addition to a spirited and sultry cover of “Seven Nation Army”,
NIGHTBIRD also includes a cover of Collective Soul’s monster 90s radio hit, “Shine”
as well as two tracks written by eldest sister Melissa and songwriter Rick
Lang, who also wrote the title track. NIGHTBIRD is the follow up to their
Independent Music Award winning album, LOVE HAS WHEELS, which contained their
cover of “The Cups Song” featuring Sierra Hull that became a surprise hit on
bluegrass radio.
The album
coincides with another happy occasion for this family-first outfit: the January
birth of baby Evelyne to first time parents, Emily Bankester and country
singer, Mo Pitney.
NIGHTBIRD
dropped Jan 27, 2017
TRACK LISTING:
1. Nightbird 2. If It
Wasn't For The Rain 3. Wild Bill and Vivian 4. When I Die 5. I Need You Like
That 6. Seven Nation Army 7.
Nothing But Sky 8. For Every Valley (There's a Mountian) 9. Never Give the Devil a
Ride 10. Shine 11. He's Always Been Faithful
THE BANKESTERS COVER OF "SEVEN NATION
ARMY" BY THE WHITE STRIPES
Directed byCraig Aspen, this short film is a chronicle of
the extraordinary influx of new residents to the city of Nashville and the
resulting changes to the city's lifestyle and historic skyline.
“Imelda
May has found a new groove, exploring blues, soul, gospel, folk, rock,
acoustic, cinematic drama and explosive balladry. She is setting a new course
with a collection of the boldest, most personal and intimately autobiographical
songs she has ever written. This is the albums she’s always wanted to make.
“I’ve called it Life Love Flesh Blood because that encompasses everything,”
says Imelda. “It’s all in there: birth, sex, love, divorce and death. It’s the
story of my life.”
"She
has poured her heart and soul into her new album" Evening Standard
“I love the girl she used to be but I think I love even more the woman she’s
become. Still mischievous and playful, still a siren, but there’s an ache in
her voice now that has me with a glass at my ear to the wall of her world where
trouble has entered the room. There’s an erotic power here that’s not just
feminine power. She makes truth telling an invitation to intimacy.” Bono
“I’ve never met anyone quite like Imelda May. She is full of life…I was
inspired by her honesty and her generosity, and I continue to be
intrigued.” T Bone Burnett
Imelda May reveals her stunning new
album cover as she officially announces her fifth studio record, entitled ‘Life. Love. Flesh. Blood’, to be
released on Decca Records on 7th April,
2017.
1. Call
Me 2. Black Tears 3. Should've Been You
4. Sixth Sense 5. Human 6. How Bad Can a Good Girl Be 7. Bad
Habit 8. Levitate 9. When It's My Time 10. Leave Me Lonely 11. The Girl I Used
To Be
12. The
Longing 13. Flesh And Blood 14. Game Changer 15. Love And Fear
It is
clear that one of Ireland’s biggest exports has found a new groove, here
presenting the most personal and intimately autobiographical album she has ever
written. The album is produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett, who said of
Imelda:
Imelda May: Press/ Publicity Photo
“When I
first happened onto her music, she was a punky Irish Rockabilly singer with a
great band. When I ran across her several years later, she had gone through a
change of lives and was writing about it with a wild intensity and singing
about it in the most open hearted way” – T
Bone Burnett
Recorded over seven days in Los Angeles, the album features musical
contributions from guitar hero Jeff Beck
(on ‘Black Tears’), piano legend
Jools Holland (on ‘When It’s My Time’) and an accomplished group of backing
musicians including the core trio of guitarist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis
Costello), drummer Jay Bellerose (Elton John & Leon Russell, Ray
Lamontagne) and bassist Zach Dawes (The Last Shadow Puppets, Mini
Mansions), the same band that recorded Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’
Raising Sand.
The album marks a new direction for May who, in the time since her 2014 release
Tribal, ended her marriage of eighteen years. Imelda May’s new sound sits
firmly outside of any sharply defined genre box, widely spanning blues, rock,
soul, gospel and jazz. 'Life, Love,
Flesh, Blood' breathes new life into a classic sound, with Imelda’s
powerhouse vocal as distinctive as ever, cementing her position as one of the
strongest vocalists of her generation. The singer herself describes the record
as her most "honest" yet. Imelda’s life changed considerably in the
run up to recording, and this is documented in the only way she knew how. “It's
therapy, like keeping a diary that a lot of people read. Some of my favorite
songs don’t say much, but they reveal everything.” Imelda explains.
Single ‘Black Tears’, premiering Fri 27 January, is one such example. A
personal and heart-wrenching ballad, it features a distinctive slide guitar
part, coupled with a unique picking and guitar tone that could be the handiwork
of only one man – the legendary Jeff Beck. Jeff Beck says of Imelda,
“I knew it from the start ...you cannot ignore talent this unique” – Jeff Beck
Imelda showcases her raw yet restrained breathtaking lead vocal, complimented
by rich backing vocals and a super tight rhythm section. Written with Angelo
Petragalia (Kings of Leon), the inspiration for the song’s visual and poignant
lyrics were inspired by a very personal moment for Imelda:
“I wrote Black Tears with Angelo Petraglia after a heart wrenchingly difficult
goodbye. I closed my door and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror with
black tears rolling down my face. It's a sight and situation most women have
unfortunately seen ourselves in at some point in life. Angelo had a beautiful
guitar piece that fit the mood perfectly.”
Life
Love Flesh Blood Album Trailer:
Imelda saw 2017 in with this very track, as she impressed viewers of Jools Holland’s esteemed annual
Hootenanny on New Year’s Eve with a captivating live performance, which landed
hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube in just days of its upload and was
the most popular hootenanny video this year on BBC Music’s YouTube channel.
Imelda May, born and raised in The Liberties area of Dublin, has become one of
Ireland’s most celebrated female artists in history. Discovered by Jools
Holland, who asked Imelda to support him on tour, Imelda has gone on to perform
alongside legendary artists including Lou Reed, Bono and Smokey Robinson. Her
previous album ‘Tribal’ debuted at #1 in Ireland and #3 in the UK.
Imelda has also just announced her extensive 2017 UK Headline Tour in May, including a night at The London Palladium.
MAY 2017
Thu 4th May 2017 - Regent Theatre (Ipswich; 3 St Helen's Street, IP4 1HE)
Fri 5th
May 2017 - St David's Hall (Cardiff;
The Hayes, CF10 1AH)
Sat 6th
May 2017 - The Corn Exchange (Cambridge;
Wheeler Street, CB2 3QB,
Mon 8th
May 2017 - Cliffs Pavilion (Southend-On-Sea;
Station Road, SS0 7RA)
Tue 9th
May 2017 - G-Live (Guildford; London
Road GU1 2AA)
Thu 11th
May 2017 - The Hexagon (Reading;
Queens Walk, RG1 7UA)
