Acoustic Autumn: Ten Tours You Should See in 2014

Noooo! It can't be! Summer is just about over.

But here's something to help ease you into autumn. It's ten great live acoustic tours that will be sure to warm your musical heart as the leaves change color.

Are you looking for a raucous good time, or a meaningful musical moment? There's something here for everyone, I assure you!

I'll be at most of these when they hit the Boston metro area, and I advise you to mark your calendar as well.

So, get off your couch, put your laptop in sleep mode and get out there and see some amazing live shows. You won't regret it!

Jason Mraz

Have you checked out Jason Mraz's new album, YES!? Really great writing, fun to listen to, all the elements that lead to a great live show.

Mraz knows how to do it!

Since getting his start 15 years ago performing in coffeehouses in his adopted city of San Diego, Mraz has brought his positive message and soulful, folk-pop sound to rapt audiences around the world through his recordings, vibrant live performances, and philanthropic efforts.

With YES!, Mraz has released his first-ever acoustic album, which he wrote and recorded with his friends in the L.A.-based folk-rock band Raining Jane.

“The whole album is the product of yes,” says Mraz. “Whether it’s Raining Jane saying yes to our annual songwriting retreats, which led to this collection of songs, or my label giving us the green light to let them become my next album. If anyone on our journey had said no, we wouldn't be where we are. YES! really is the connector.”

Here's "Love Someone" from YES!

Aug 26 Davies Symphony Hall San Francisco, CA
Aug 28 Pantages Theatre Hollywood, CA
Aug 29 Pantages Theatre Hollywood, CA
Aug 30 Pantages Theatre Hollywood, CA
Aug 31 Comerica Theatre Phoenix, AZ
Sep 02 AT&T Performing Arts Center Winspear Opera House Dallas, TX
Sep 03 AT&T Performing Arts Center Winspear Opera House Dallas, TX
Sep 05 Cullen Performance Hall, University of Houston Houston, TX
Sep 06 Tobin Center for the Performing Arts San Antonio, TX
Sep 07 Bass Concert Hall Austin, TX
Sep 09 FOX THEATRE Atlanta, GA
Sep 10 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
Sep 12 Citi Wang Theatre Boston, MA
Sep 13 Citi Wang Theatre Boston, MA
Sep 14 The Bushnell - Mortensen Hall Hartford, CT
Sep 17 Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts New York, NY
Sep 18 Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, CUNY Bronx Bronx, NY
Sep 19 Colden Auditorium at Kupferberg Center for the Performing Arts, Queens College Queens, NY
Sep 20 St. George Theatre Staten Island, NY
Sep 22 Radio City Music Hall New York, NY
Sep 23 Radio City Music Hall New York, NY
Sep 26 Royal Albert Hall London, United Kingdom
Sep 27 Corn Exchange Cambridge, Uk
Sep 28 Lowry Theatre Manchester, United Kingdom
Sep 30 Casino de Paris Paris, France
Oct 01 Carre Theatre Amsterdam, Netherlands Sold Out
Oct 02 Alte Oper Frankfurt, Germany
Oct 03 Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Germany
Oct 07 Place Des Arts Montreal, Canada
Oct 08 Massey Hall Toronto, Canada
Oct 09 Massey Hall Toronto, Canada
Oct 11 Benedum Center Pittsburgh, PA
Oct 12 Academy of Music Philadelphia, PA
Oct 13 Warner Theatre Washington, DC
Oct 15 Palace Theatre Columbus, OH
Oct 16 Peabody Opera House St Louis, MO
Oct 17 Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI
Oct 18 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
Oct 21 Benaroya Hall Seattle, WA
Oct 22 INB Performing Arts Center Spokane, WA
Oct 23 Queen Elizabeth Theatre Vancouver, Canada
Oct 24 Keller Auditorium Portland, OR
Nov 05 Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Indianapolis, IN
Nov 06 Fox Theatre Detroit, MI
Nov 07 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL
Nov 08 The Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL
Nov 11 Orchard Hall Tokyo, Japan
Nov 13 Grandcube (International Convention Center) Osaka, Japan
Nov 14 Forum A Tokyo, Japan

More at jasonmraz.com

Can’t wait to check out the new album, Allergic to Water.

Set for an October 14 release on DiFranco's groundbreaking Righteous Babe Records label, Allergic To Water was recorded at her Victorian home in New Orleans and at a larger studio in an old church.

Throughout the disc, DiFranco, her small group and a couple prominent guests create melodies that are lilting and funky, imaginative and personal: so personal that she also took the lead in producing and mixing the record.

Here's Ani's "As Is" Live

Tue 10/14/14 Kalamazoo, MI State Theatre
Wed 10/15/14 Chicago, IL Old Town School of Folk Music
Fri 10/17/14 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre
Sat 10/18/14 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Mon 10/20/14 Lincoln, NE Lied Center for Performing Arts
Wed 10/22/14 Bloomington, IL The Castle Theater
Fri 10/24/14 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
Sat 10/25/14 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Sun 10/26/14 Tulsa, OK Cains Ballroom
Mon 11/10/14 Brownfield, ME Stone Mountain Arts Center
Tue 11/11/14 Brownfield, ME Stone Mountain Arts Center
Fri 11/14/14 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
Sat 11/15/14 New York, NYTown Hall
Mon 11/17/14 Washington DC Lincoln Theatre
Tue 11/18/14 West Long Branch, NJ Pollak Theatre Monmouth University
Thu 11/20/14 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
Fri 11/21/14 Norwalk, CT Norwalk Concert Hall
Sun 11/23/14 Concord, NH Capitol Center for the Arts

More at http://www.righteousbabe.com/blogs/ani-difranco-news

Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile’s concerts are always intimate affairs – even when she’s headlining venues like the Beacon Theatre, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Chicago Theatre – but this fall she’s upping the intimacy quotient even further with the “Pin Drop Tour.”

Carlile will be playing completely unplugged – no amps, no microphones – at small theatres that are uniquely suited to such performances. She will be joined onstage by The Twins (band mates/co-writers Tim and Phil Hanseroth) and cellist Josh Neumann.

Dates are sold out but maybe you’re lucky enough to know someone with a ticket!

Here's "Keep Your Heart Young"

Brandi Carlile – “Pin Drop Tour”
10/1 – Portsmouth, NH @ Portsmouth Music Hall
10/3 – Cambridge, MA @ Sanders Theatre
10/4 – Philadelphia, PA @ Perelman Theater
10/6 – Vienna, VA @ The Barns at Wolf Trap
10/7 – Vienna, VA @ The Barns at Wolf Trap
10/9 – New York, NY @ New York Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall
10/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie Lecture Hall
10/13 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk
10/15 – Stoughton, WI @ Stoughton Opera House

More at brandicarlile.com/tour

There’s some bands that just have it. That unnamed something that makes for an amazing live show.

Did they make a deal with the devil to get to that place? Who cares!

Devil Makes Three will tour in support of their release I'm A Stranger Here.

Part road songs, part heartbreakers and part barnburners, I'm A Stranger Here is described by frontman Pete Bernhard as a "very dark record thematically, lyrically and sonically."

The Santa Cruz, Calif. by way of Vermont trio will surely show you a grand time. Check ‘em out!

Here they perform "Hallelu" at the Fresh Grass Festival.

09/13/2014 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
09/14/2014 Burlington, VT Grand Point North Music Festival
10/02/2014 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club
10/03/2014 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
10/04/2014 Chattanooga, TN 3 Sisters Festival
10/07/2014 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
10/08/2014 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
10/09/2014 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre
10/10/2014 Richmond, VA The National
10/11/2014 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
10/12/2014 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
10/15/2014 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
10/16/2014 North Kansas City, MO Harrah's Kansas City - Voodoo Lounge
10/17/2014 Tulsa, OK The Vanguard
10/18/2014 Ozark, AR Harvest Music Festival
10/22/2014 Jacksonville Beach, FL Free Bird Live
10/23/2014 Orlando, FL The Beacham
10/24/2014 Fort Lauderdale, FL CULTURE ROOM
10/25/2014 St Petersburg, FL State Theatre
10/28/2014 Gainesville, FL High Dive
10/29/2014 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
10/30/2014 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
10/31/2014 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works
11/01/2014 Lexington, KY Cosmic Charlie's

Find out more at http://www.thedevilmakesthree.com/

Dave Rawlings Machine

I'm not on the West Coast anymore, but if I were I'd be hightailing it over to check out the Dave Rawlings Machine.

The Dave Rawlings Machine released its acclaimed debut record, A Friend of a Friend. (Acony) in November 2009, and it sounds as good today as it did then.

This was the first record by Rawlings, the guitarist, producer, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Gillian Welch and Old Crow Medicine Show.

Dave Rawlings Machine features Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, John Paul Jones, Willie Watson and Paul Kowert.

Here they are performing "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)"

September
22 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma Theater
23 - Spokane, WA - Bing Crosby Theater
24 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
25 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
27 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theater
28 - Arcata, CA - Van Duzer Theatre
29 - Grants Pass, OR - Rogue Theatre
30 - Redding, CA - Cascade Theatre

October
1 - Santa Cruz CA - Cocoanut Grove
3 - Sonoma, CA - Gundlach Bundschu Winery
4 - San Francisco, CA - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
5 - Santa Barbara, CA - Lobero Theatre
6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church

Tickets can be purchased via www.daverawlingsmachine.com/tour/.

Ok, I might be a little biased about this one. I just think that LP’s 2014 release, Forever For Now is truly remarkable.

The extraordinary LP has announced she will headline a series of West Coast dates in September, including a show at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles on September 26th

Forever For Now was produced by Grammy winner and Warner Bros. Records chairman, Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Dave Matthews Band).

Songs like "Heavenly Light,""Tokyo Sunrise," and "Into the Wild" (also heard in the Citi commercial) are brightly hopeful, showing the work of an artist always expanding and digging deeper.

She’s fantastic live!! A don’t miss!

Here's "Into The Wild" live:

Upcoming LP tour dates are as follows:
09/18 Seattle, WA Neumos
09/19 Vancouver, Canada Fortune Sound Club
09/20 Portland, OR Alhambra Theatre
09/21 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
09/23 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room
09/24 San Diego, CA Casbah
09/26 Los Angeles, CA Roxy Theatre

More at www.iamlp.com

Shovels & Rope

I just got turned on to Shovels & Rope, and I’m betting they know how to treat an audience.

Shovels & Rope is the acclaimed award-winning husband and wife duo of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent. Their new album, Swimmin' Time releases today.

Swimmin' Time is the follow up to the band’s 2012 breakthrough debut O’ Be Joyful, which received fantastic support in the press, from great reviews to major features to TV appearances to year-end lists.

Shovels & Rope took home two of the top honors, Song of the Year (“Birmingham”) and Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2013 Americana Music Awards.

Swimmin’ Time features 13 new songs that maintain a subtle aquatic theme throughout.

Can’t wait to hear more!

Here’s the first single off their new album, “The Devil Is All Around”

Aug 27, 2014 WFPK Waterfront Wednesday Louisville, KY
Aug 30, 2014 Sonic Boom instore - 3pm Seattle, WA
Aug 31, 2014 Music Millennium instore - 3pm Portland, OR
Sep 4, 2014 Amoeba instore - 6pm Hollywood, CA
Sep 18, 2014 Ziggy's Wilmington, NC
Sep 20, 2014 Jefferson Theater Charlottesville, VA
Sep 22, 2014 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Sep 23, 2014 Music Hall Of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
Sep 24, 2014 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA
Sep 26, 2014 Royale Boston, MA
Sep 27, 2014 Royale Boston, MA
Sep 28, 2014 Corona Theater Montreal, QB
Sep 30, 2014 Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, ON
Oct 1, 2014 St. Andrew's Hall Detroit, MI
Oct 2, 2014 Vic Theater Chicago, IL
Oct 3, 2014 First Ave Minneapolis, MN
Oct 4, 2014 Turner Hall Milwaukee, WI
Oct 5, 2014 Barrymore Theatre Madison, WI
Oct 7, 2014 The Bluebird Bloomington, IN
Oct 8, 2014 Bijou Theater Knoxville, TN
Oct 9, 2014 South Carolina State Fair Columbia, SC
Oct 10, 2014 Georgia Theatre Athens, GA
Oct 29, 2014 Cain's Ballroom Tulsa, OK
Oct 30, 2014 Stubb's Outdoorsw/ Hayes Carll Austin, TX
Oct 31, 2014 Fitzgerald's: Upstairs Houston, TX
Nov 1, 2014 Untapped Festival Dallas, TX
Nov 4, 2014 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
Nov 5, 2014 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA
Nov 7, 2014 El Rey Theater Los Angeles, CA
Nov 8, 2014 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Nov 9, 2014 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
Nov 12, 2014 Rickshaw Theater Vancouver BC
Nov 14, 2014 Pink Garter Theater Jackson, WY
Nov 15, 2014 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
Nov 16, 2014 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO

More at shovelsandrope.com

Trevor Hall surprised fans with the release of 2014’s Chapter of the Forest, and what a nice surprise it was!

His upcoming “Small is Beautiful” tour should be incredibly intimate and exceptional.

The “Small is Beautiful” tour will include stops in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston and New York City. See the full list of dates below.
Hall just wrapped up a 30+ city amphitheater tour with Michael Franti’s Soulshine Summer shows.

“This album is inspired by simplicity, by the roots of life, and by the beauty that one finds in solitude and in nature,” says Hall.

Here's Hall's live "Wish Man"

Check him out here:
September
10 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
12 Portland, OR Aladdin Theatre
13 Seattle, WA Nectar Lounge
14 Vancouver, BC Media Club
16 Missoula, MT Top Hat
18 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
20 Ft. Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
21 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
24 Lake Tahoe, CA Crystal Bay
27 San Juan Capistrano The Coach House
28 Los Angeles, CA The Troubadour

October
7 Charleston, SC Music Farm
10 Tampa, FL The Ringside Café
11 Orlando, FL The Social
12 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live
14 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
15 Atlanta, GA Eddie’s Attic
17 Ozark, AR Harvest Festival
18 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway
19 Evanston, IL Space
21 Cleveland, OH Music Box
23 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
24 Boston, MA Middle East
25 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre
26 Vienna, VA Jammin’ Java
28 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
29 Fairfield, CT Stage One

More at: http://thevillagers.tumblr.com/tour

David Gray has been on tour in support of his new album Mutineers and he'll continue on traveling throughout the U.S. this Fall.

The new album is super strong. The kind of music that sticks in your had long past the listening point.

The collection finds the singer-songwriter steering into unfamiliar territory while cultivating a pugnacious but respectful relationship with his own history.

Some of my favorites from the album include the lead single, "Back In The World," and the eclectic track "As The Crow Flies." Check it out and then go see him!!

Check out “Back In The World”:

28-Aug Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
29-Aug Reno, NV Silver Legacy Casino
30-Aug Las Vegas, NV The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
31-Aug San Diego, CA Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
3-Sep Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
21-Sep Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theatre*
23-Sep Dallas, TX Majestic Theatre*
24-Sep Austin, TX ACL Live at Moody Theatre*
26-Sep New Orleans, LA Saenger Theatre*
27-Sep Houston, TX Bayou Music Center*
29-Sep Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall***
30-Sep Miami Beach, FL Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre*
4-Oct Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre*
5-Oct Wallingford, CT Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre*
7-Oct Toronto, ON Massey Hall*
9-Oct Louisville, KY Palace Theatre**
10-Oct Pittsburgh, PA Benedum Center**
11-Oct Columbus, OH Palace Theatre**
12-Oct Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre*
14-Oct Minneapolis, MN Northrop at the University of Minnesota**
15-Oct Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre**
17-Oct St. Louis, MO Touhill Performing Arts Center**

More at http://davidgray.com/

Critically acclaimed trio The Stray Birds will embark on a fall US tour beginning September 18.

The band will be touring in support of their second full-length album, Best Medicine, out October 21 on Yep Roc Records.

I know you haven’t heard it yet, but take a leap of faith and check them out! From what we’ve previewed, it’s gonna be gorgeous!

Formed in Lancaster, PA in 2010, The Stray Birds consists of Maya de Vitry (vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddle, piano), Oliver Craven (vocals, guitar, resonator, fiddle), and Charles Muench (vocals, bass, banjo).

The itinerary includes a stop in Nashville at the Americana Music Festival and Conference, in addition to appearances in Philadelphia, Duluth, Boston, New York City, and more. Full list of dates below.

Hear new single “Best Medicine” below:

September 18 The Listening Room | AmericanaFest Nashville, TN
October 3 Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, VA
October 17 WXPN ‘Free@Noon’ Philadelphia, PA
October 21 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, PA*
October 22 Campus Theatre | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA
October 23 World Café Live Philadelphia, PA
October 24 Godfrey Daniels Bethlehem, PA
October 26 Tellus 360 Lancaster, PA
October 28 The Southern Charlottesville, VA
October 29 Ashland Coffee & Tea Ashland, VA
October 30 ISIS Music Hall Asheville, NC
November 1 Evening Muse Charlotte, NC
November 2 Red Clay Theatre Duluth, GA
November 12 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI
November 15 Natalie’s Worthington, OH
November 16 G.A.R. Hall Peninsula, OH
November 19 Caffe Lena Saratoga Springs, NY
November 20 One Longfellow Square Portland, ME
November 21 Higher Ground Burlington, VT
November 22 Circle of Friends Franklin, MA
November 23 Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton, MA
November 24 Rockwood Music Hall New York, NY
December 2 The Southgate House Revival Newport, KY
December 5 Music On Main Street N. Wilkesboro, NC
December 6 Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, NC
December 9 8x10 Baltimore, MD
December 14 Club Passim Boston, MA

*Album Release Day

Find out more at www.thestraybirds.com.