Jeff Austin announces winter tour behind Yep Roc solo debut ‘The Simple Truth’ – Madison Theater TONIGHT 2/12

The Jeff Austin Band will start the new year with a series of shows in Colorado before hitting the road in earnest in 2015. The initial tour dates in January and February focus on the Midwest. In March the band teams up with the Travelin’ McCourys featuring Bill Nershi for The Road to DelFest mini-tour; the two groups will perform at the Brooklyn Bowl on March 4 before making stops in Ardmore, Pa., Washington D.C., and Charlottesville, Va. 

The crackling new Jeff Austin Band, featuring long-time collaborator Danny Barnes on banjo and guitar, guitarist Ross Martin, and bass player Eric Thorin, played their first sold-out show last October at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Ore. “This is it. This is the band. We’re here and we’re focused,” singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Austin says with glee about his handpicked ensemble.

Bluegrass Today cited Austin’s “eclectic song choices and arrangements, reflecting Jeff’s range of musical interests.” The Bluegrass Situation “can’t wait to hear more of his genre-bending tunes.”

The Simple Truth, the group’s 2015 debut solo album and Austin’s first recording for Yep Roc Records, is no simple affair. Here, instead of familiar jam band motifs, listeners will find hints of power pop, country ballads, bluegrass and rock. Assisting the band is an array of acclaimed guests including Todd Snider, Jenn Hartswick, Brendan Bayliss of Umphrey’s McGee, Sarah Siskind, and Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars. His legions of fans have long known of Austin’s eclectic musical influences from his time as the dynamic front man and predominate songwriter for Yonder Mountain String Band.

The Simple Truth is available for pre-order at iTunes.