News

Here’s a copy of the official press release issued by Shore Fire Media today:

COLUMBIA RECORDS TO RELEASE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S ‘WE SHALL OVERCOME THE SEEGER SESSIONS’ ON APRIL 25

Columbia Records will release Bruce Springsteen’s twenty-first album, ‘We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions,’ on April 25. The album features Bruce’s personal interpretations of thirteen traditional songs, all of them associated with the legendary guiding light of American folk music, Pete Seeger, for whom the album is named. Speaking of the origins of the new music, Springsteen said, «So much of my writing, particularly when I write acoustically, comes straight out of the folk tradition. Making this album was creatively liberating because I have a love of all those different roots sounds… they can conjure up a world with just a few notes and a few words.»

Springsteen recorded the album with a large ensemble. The musicians on the record are Springsteen (guitar, harmonica, B3 organ and percussion), Sam Bardfeld (violin), Art Baron (tuba) Frank Bruno (guitar), Jeremy Chatzy (upright bass), Mark Clifford (banjo), Larry Eagle (drums and percussion), Charles Giordano (B3 organ, piano and accordion), Ed Manion (saxophone), Mark Pender (trumpet), Richie «La Bamba» Rosenberg (trombone) and Soozie Tyrell (violin). Lisa Lowell, Patti Scialfa, Springsteen, Pender, Tyrell, and Rosenberg contribute backing vocals.

‘We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions’ will be released in DualDisc format, with the full album on one side of the disc and DVD content on the other side. The 30 minute video side of the DualDisc contains extensive behind the scenes footage of the recording of the album. In addition, the DualDisc package will contain two bonus tracks and a special booklet including a note from Springsteen.

Springsteen is planning a short tour in the U.S. and Europe to accompany the release of the album. He will be appearing with most of the musicians who appeared on the CD. Details will be announced separately.

According to Springsteen’s longtime manager Jon Landau, «‘We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions’ has a lightness and ease to it, a sheer joyfulness, that makes it very special from top to bottom. Bruce has taken a core group of classic American songs and transformed them into a high energy, modern and very personal statement.»

‘We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions’ Track Listing

1. Old Dan Tucker
2. Jessie James
3. Mrs. McGrath
4. Oh, Mary, Don’t You Weep
5. John Henry
6. Erie Canal
7. Jacob’s Ladder
8. My Oklahoma Home
9. Eyes On The Prize
10. Shenandoah
11. Pay Me My Money Down
12. We Shall Overcome
13. Froggie Went A-Courtin’

Bonus Tracks:

Buffalo Gals

Bruce won a Grammy last night for «Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance» for the song Devils & Dust, which he performed live at the ceremony and ended it saying «Bring them home!». Later on he joined a super band which included Elvis Costello, Sam Moore, The Edge, Irma Thomas and others, and they played «In The Midnight Hour». See the Concerts section for two great pictures from last night’s performances.

Check out Wolfgang’s Vault. The site launched Vault Radio this week and they’re broadcasting live performances from the 60’s and 70’s recorded at different venues in California. The broadcasts include live Springsteen performances from his 70’s shows in Berkeley and Winterland in San Francisco. Impresario Bill Sagan recently bought for 5 million dollars all of Bill Graham’s archives, which included thousands of posters, tickets, Tshirts and rock memorabilia, plus thousands of live audio and video recordings of most of the concerts that promoter and rock manager Bill Graham organized for over three decades.

Tonight is Grammy Night. The 48th Grammy Awards Ceremony will take place at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Bruce will probably perform an acoustic «Devils & Dust», and he’ll join forces with Elvis Costello, The Edge, Allain Toussaint, Dr. John, Sam Moore and others in a New Orleans tribute. See picture below from the rehearsals.

Pending an official announcement, it has been widely commented on the net that Bruce Springsteen is about to release a new studio album, possibly titled «The Seeger Sessions», this coming Spring (as early as late March, according to several sources). Springsteen apparently has recently recorded a number of Pete Seeger songs in the studio and plans to release them in short, with a tour to follow. None of this has been officially confirmed yet but after checking with different sources it looks like this is for real. Look out for more details soon.