Song Premiere: Gregory Alan Isakov, “Saint Valentine”

“The idea of a weatherman is really powerful,” says Gregory Alan Isakov, an indie-folk troubadour whose voice channels Paul Simon and whose songs combine the rootsy influence of Bruce Springsteen with the sharply-worded insight of Leonard Cohen. “There’s a guy on television or on the radio telling us the future, and nobody cares. It’s this daily mundane miracle, and I think the songs I chose are about noticing the beauty in normal, everyday life.”

Isakov recorded The Weatherman, his third full-length album, in the cozy mountain town of Nederland, Colorado. The songs were tracked on analog gear and mixed to tape, resulting in a record that evokes the vintage sounds of its creator’s influences. Take that, digital.

The Weatherman will be released on July 9, three days into a summertime tour that will take this South Africa-born/Colorado-based traveler across the continent. In the meantime, fans can stream “Saint Valentine” below. Come for the finger-plucked guitar arpeggios; stay for the vocal harmonies, which swirl in the background like a well-played B3.

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV, THE WEATHERMAN

1. Amsterdam
2. Saint Valentine
3. Second Chances
4. Living Proof
5. Time Will Tell
6. O’ City Lights
7. Astronaut
8. California Openback
9. The Universe
10. Suitcase Full of Sparks
11. Honey, It’s Alright
12. All Shades of Blue
13. She Always Takes It Black

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV TOUR DATES

May 8 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge
May 9 Jackson, MS Duling Hall
May 10 Atlanta, GA Smith’s Olde Bar†
May 11 Nashville, TN The Basement
May 12 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle†
July 7 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room
July 8 Columbia, MO Mojo’s
July 9 St. Louis, MO The Old Rock House
July 10 Louisville, KY Zanzabar
July 11 Charlottesville, VA The Southern Café and Music Hall
July 12 Mount Solon, VA Red Wing Roots Music Festival
July 14 Cincinnati, OH Bunbury Music Festival
July 16 Washington, DC The Hamilton#
July 17 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s#
July 18 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom#
July 20 Cambridge, MA Club Passim (two shows) #
July 21 Portland, ME One Longfellow Square#
July 22 Montreal, QC Petit Campus
July 23 Toronto, ON Drake Hotel
July 24 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
July 25 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme††
July 26 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
July 27 Madison, WI The Frequency††
July 28 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center††
July 30 Cedar Rapids, IA CSPS††
July 31 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room††
August 4 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater*
August 16 Loveland, CO Arise Music Festival
August 18 San Diego, CA Soda Bar‡
August 20 Los Angeles, CA The Troubadour‡
August 21 Santa Barbara, CA Soho Restaurant & Music Club‡
August 23 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall*
August 27 & 28 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
August 29 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
August 31 Salt Spring Island, BC Southend Grooveyard
September 1 Vancouver, BC The Railway Club
September 4 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room

†with support from Angel Snow
#with support from David Ramirez
††with support from Jeffrey Foucault
*with support from Sera Cahoone
‡with support from Kris Orlowski

(additional dates to be announced)