The Volebeats celebrate the release of "Lonesome Galaxy"
THEIR FIRST NEW MUSIC IN OVER TEN YEARS WITH SET OF HOMETOWN SHOWS AND RADIO VISITS
ALBUM BREAKS INTO TOP 30 NACC ADDS IN FIRST WEEK OF RELEASE
Photo Credit: Leni SinclairRAIN PHOENIX WELCOMES BAND ON HER PODCAST LaunchLEFT
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It’s been a whirlwind two weeks for Detroit’s beloved band The Volebeats, who released Lonesome Galaxy on June 10, 2022 on Ben Harper’s Mad Bunny Records.
Veteran rock journalist and fellow Detroit native Gary Graff noted in the Oakland Press, “Longtime Detroit favorites the Volebeats celebrate the release of its first album in 12 years, “Lonesome Galaxy,” with a two-set show on Saturday, June 11, at Trinosphes”.
That was the first time the band - Jeff Oakes (vocals), Matthew Smith (guitar, vocals, keyboards, trumpet), Peter Andrus (guitar), Russell Ledford (bass) and Scott Michalski (drums, backing vocals).- performed together in Detroit in a very long time, which included two sets at the legendary art gallery/literary cafe/free jazz hotspot/underground cultural nexus Trinosophes. The Volebeats dug deep into their catalog and played songs spanning their 35 year career. “It was great to play together again and especially to see the reaction to our new songs - which we sometimes added long extended guitar improvisations to - including Diamond Ring and Whisper to Me. We also got into spontaneous guitar workouts on older songs like Empty Streets and I'm Not Gonna Change My Mind,“ said Matthew Smith. Kara Meister joined the group onstage to sing the background vocals she contributed to the studio version of "The Third Time", while the rest of the set featured Jeff and Matt's post-Everlys harmony intervals sounding as great as ever.
The band also popped by Detroits’ own Public Radio Station WDET-FM for an in-studio acoustic performance and interview with Ann Delisi for her Essential Music program. Ann has been a longtime supporter of the band, inviting them to appear on radio and TV broadcasts throughout the years, and she's been playing tracks from LONESOME GALAXY on her radio show. The band played unplugged acoustic versions of "Diamond Ring" and "You Get Closer" and gave an interview, all of which can be heard here.
While together in Detroit, the band caught up with Leni Sinclair, the prestigious photographer, who is known for her iconic photos of the MC5, Stooges, Aretha, Coltrane, Fela, Prince, Sun Ra, and many, many others. The photo above was taken on a desolate street in Detroit a block from the only remaining stretch of Detroit's legendary Hastings Street.
The Volebeats appeared on Rain Phoenix’s LaunchLeft podcast, and were joined by musician and label founder Ben Harper, listen here.
Listen to LONESOME GALAXY here.
Link to Visualizer for Diamond Ring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yp5t9udU6E