Tom Russell Teams with Calexico on New Album

Tom Russell recruits Arizona’s finest.

On September 15, veteran singer/songwriter Tom Russell will release his 26th album, Blood and Candle Smoke, a collaboration with the Arizona alt-rock group Calexico. Russell’s songs have been covered by Johnny Cash, Doug Sahm, k.d. lang, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Iris Dement, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, Ian Tyson, Nanci Griffith, and Guy Clark.

The new record was recorded in Tuscon at Wave Lab Studios. Studio owner Craig Schumacher (Neko Case, Iron & Wine, Calexico) co-produced the album, and Calexico provide instrumental support.

Russell was prompted to contact the band after he heard the soundtrack to the Bob Dylan biopic I’ m Not There, on which Calexico back up many artists, including Jim James and Iron and Iron and Wine, performing Dylan’s songs. “The ones that really stood out to me were the ones backed by Calexico,” says Russell. “I thought, how great is that–you’ ve got a new kind of world/mariachi sound but the great writing of Bob Dylan….So I did more research and I found that a lot of the records Calexico, Neko Case and others were making came out of this one studio in Tucson called Wave Lab. I went in there for two weeks and sat on a stool and sang everything live with my guitar, and they built it around that.”

Blood and Candle Smoke, follows the 2008 career retrospective Veteran’s Day: The Tom Russell Anthology, The album contains “Guadalupe”–which Russell calls “probably my favorite song that I’ ve written”; a song that examines the spirit and faith of Indians living in Mexico City.

Blood and Candle Smoke Track Listing:

1. East Of Woodstock, West Of Viet Nam
2. Santa Ana Wind
3. Nina Simone
4. Criminology
5. Crosses Of San Carlos
6. Finding You
7. Mississippi River Runnin’ Backwards
8. The Most Dangerous Woman In America
9. Don’ t Look Down
10. Guadalupe
11. American Rivers
12. Darkness Visible

Tom Russell 2009 Tour Dates

Sept 18 Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater
Sept 19 Durango, CO – Henry Strater Theatre
Sept 30 Cambridge, MA – Club Passims
Oct 2 Piermont, NY – Turning Point
Oct 3 New York, NY – Joe’ s Pub
Oct 4 Vienna, VA – Jammin’ Java
Oct 6 Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theatre
Oct 7 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
Oct 8 Columbus, OH – Columbus Maennerchor
Oct 9 Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
Oct 10 Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald
Oct 11 Fairfield, IA – Café Paradiso
Oct 13 Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
Oct 14 Kansas City, MO 0 Knuckleheads
Oct 15 Springfield, IL – Hoogland Center for the Arts
Oct 16 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
Oct 17 Mt. Olive, IL – Turner Hall
Nov 4 Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room
Nov 5 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
Nov 6 Pinos Altos, NM – Buckhorn Saloon
Nov 7 Las Cruces, NM – Rio Grande Theatre
Nov 8 Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Brewing Company
Nov 10 Fort Worth, TX – McDavid Studio
Nov 11 Dallas, TX – Allgood Café
Nov 12 Austin, TX – Cactus Café
Nov 13 Fischer, TX – Rice Festival
Nov 14 Houston, TX – Mucky Duck
Nov 15 San Antonio, TX – Casbeers at the Church
Dec 4 San Diego, CA – San Diego Acoustic Café
Dec 5 Santa Monica, CA – McCabes
Dec 6 Ojai, CA – Ojai Concert Series
Dec 7 Visalia, CA – Maverick’ s Roasting Company
Dec 9 Felton, CA – Don Quixote
Dec 10 Redwood City, CA – Little Fox Theatre
Dec 11 Berkeley, CA – Freight and Salvage
Dec 12 Winters, CA – The Palms
Dec 13 Sparks, NV – Great Basin Brewing Company
Dec 14 Sparks, NV – Great Basin Brewing Company
Dec 15 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre
Dec 16 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern