MARCUS KING BAND ‘EL DORADO’ 2020 TOUR DATES
Feb 21st – The Wardrobe, Leeds
Feb 22nd – Oran More, Glasgow
Feb 23rd – Whelans, Dublin
Feb 25th – Electric Ballroom, London
Feb 26th – Academy 3, Manchester
Feb 27th – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Feb 28th – Thekla, Bristol
Already a 23-year-old guitar phenomenon, El Dorado is set to further establish King as an innovative songwriter and one of the most soulful voices of his generation. With a hint of Van Morrison, the rasp of Joe Cocker, the emotion of Otis Redding and the sweetness of Sam Cooke, his remarkable voice shines to full effect on the gorgeously soulful new track, ‘Wildflowers & Wine’, which has just been released.
Discussing the song’s lyrics, King shares, “Driving from South Carolina to see a girl in Virginia. Stopping only to grab a bottle of red wine, and to pick some wildflowers by the interstate. With some help from Dan Auerbach and Ronnie Bowman, the song really came to life lyrically. This is one of my favourite memories and I'm so happy to share it with you.”
El Doradois acontemporary sonic exploration of timeless rock, blues, southern R&B and country-soul, where subtle acoustics and pedal steel shine bright alongside raucous electric guitars and blistering solos. Following their previous collaboration on the song ‘How Long’, from the current Carolina Confessions album (2018), King and Auerbach co-wrote the 12 songs for El Dorado in only three days…
On working with King, Auerbach states: "Marcus is known by so many as a phenom guitar player, and rightfully so. He’s regularly the best player in the room, hands down. I was equally blown away by the way he can sing – so effortless, so soulful, straight from the heart. He’s a naturally gifted writer too, which was clear straight away. Everything for him is so innate – that’s why he can always go right to the heart of a song and connect in a deeper way. He’s really one of a kind and I’m proud I got to work alongside him on this record.”
Debut single, ‘The Well’, a fuzzy, electric-blues composition which rumbles down the highway like Marcus’ jet black El Dorado, premiered with Rolling Stone who stated, “The result is an album that expands on King’s established Southern jam-rock sound. On ‘The Well’, the first song released from ‘El Dorado’, King embraces the blues, firing off ferocious solos and singing about the fantasy of ‘easy street’. In short, it doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t stop King from pining for better times.”
‘El Dorado’waswritten and recorded at Auerbach’s Nashville studio, Easy Eye Sound, with legendary writers including Paul Overstreet, Ronnie Bowman and Pat McLaughlin.
Auerbach also enlisted revered studio musicians including drummer Gene Chrisman and keyboard player Bobby Wood. Their renowned work as members of the American Sound Studio band includes Dusty Springfield’s ‘Son of a Preacher Man’, Elvis Presley’s ‘Suspicious Minds’ and hits by Bobby Womack, Joe Tex & many others.
El Doradois available to pre-order here: https://www.marcuskingband.colortestmerch.com/
Track-listing:
- YOUNG MAN'S DREAM
- THE WELL
- WILDFLOWERS & WINE
- ONE DAY SHE'S HERE
- SWEET MARIONA
- BEAUTIFUL STRANGER
- BREAK
- SAY YOU WILL
- TURN IT UP
- TOO MUCH WHISKEY
- LOVE SONG
- NO PAIN
Produced by Dan Auerbach.
Playing professionally since he was 11 years old, Marcus King is a fourth-generation musician who followed in his family’s footsteps. His grandfather was a country guitarist and his father continues to perform live. Marcus’ pursuit of music often made him feel like an outsider, but equally provided comfort, especially when he was 13 and lost a friend during a tragic car crash…
Reflects Marcus: “She was the first girl I had feelings for, that was a really heavy moment, and writing songs was my expression. I also had undiagnosed bipolar disorder and my appearance and interests were not embraced by my educators and their pupils. They were good folks, but it kind of felt like being in prison and all I really needed to learn was music.”
At the age of 23, Marcus King has already been performing live for 15 years, establishing himself as an enthralling world class live music talent. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, made his debut at The Grand Ole Opry and performed with Chris Stapleton on a US arena tour; he has also played at the Crossroads Guitar Festival (founded by Eric Clapton) and at sold-out headline shows including his namesake event – The Marcus King Band Family Reunion. Previous Marcus King releases have received critical acclaim from the likes of VICE Noisey and Rolling Stone, who described him as an artist you need to know plus an “electrifying rock performer”.
The Marcus King Band, formed in Greenville, South Carolina in 2013, is Marcus’ honoured foundation. Drummer Jack Ryan, bass player Stephen Campbell, trumpeter/trombonist Justin Johnson, sax/steel guitarist Dean Mitchell, along with Marcus himself, bring an irreplaceable combination of commitment, skill and soul to their craft and are one of the hardest working bands today.
Following numerous sold-out headline shows and triumphant festival performances with The Marcus King Band, Marcus recently started a 32-date US winter tour in support of the new music that’s being unveiled, followed by the UK tour in early 2020.
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