Tift Merritt to release new record TRAVELING ALONE on Yep Roc Records – Out 10/2.
.........................................................

Yep Roc Records is proud to add Tift Merritt as the newest addition to its label family. Tift’s new album and label debut Traveling Aloneis due October 2. The album was recorded in Brooklyn with Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, Spoon) and features a guest appearance by Andrew Bird and well as performances by Marc Ribot, Rob Burger (Lucinda Williams, Iron & Wine, Rufus Wainwright), John Convertino (Calexico), Eric Heywood (The Jayhawks, Son Volt, Alejandro Escovedo) and Merritt’s longtime collaborator Jay Brown. From Tift:

I am awfully proud of and excited to announce this new record! We sure had a great time making it. To make a record that was raw & real & live off the floor – it was really a dream for me to do that with such an amazing cast. I’m also awfully excited to take it on home to Yep Roc. It feels like family to have this record cared for and coming to you from North Carolina. I can’t wait to get back out on the road with these new songs and my lovely musical family. I hope we see you soon out there.

Although it’s Tift’s first solo album with Yep Roc, she returns to the label after her first album appearance was released here in 1999. She joined the Two Dollar Pistols on its country duets album, the aptly titled The Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt.

Tift also hits the road this month, including a string of shows with Mary Chapin Carpenter.

6/27 Asbury, NJ - Stone Pony (with Josh Ritter)
7/18 Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Hall *
7/19 Kent, OH - Kent Stage *
7/21 Iowa City, IA Englert Theatre *
7/22 Wichita, KS The Orpheum *
7/25 Denver, CO - Denver Botanic Gardens *
7/26 Layton, UT - Edward A. Kenley Centennial Amphitheater *
7/28 Calgary, AB - Calgary Folk Music Festival
7/31 Fargo, ND - Fargo Theatre *
8/01 Apple Valley, MN - Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater *
8/03 Madison, WI - Barrymore Theatre *
8/04 Bayfield, WI - Big Top Chautauqua *
8/15 Englewood, NJ - Bergen Performing Arts Center *
8/22 Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre *
8/23 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre *
8/24 Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Botanical Garden *
9/14-16 Bristol, TN - Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion
9/22 Wilmington, NC - Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
9/23 New York, NY - City Winery
* with Mary Chapin Carpenter
Tags: Tift Merritt, Traveling Alone

BUMP: Cover art added to initial post (thanks, Patrick!).

Here's "To Myself", the first single from the album.



"Sweet Spot" is also available as a free download from Meritt's website.
http://www.tiftmerritt.com

Amazon is listing a 3LP expanded VINYL edition of “Traveling Alone,” with 10 unreleased acoustic tracks, for release on Sept. 17, 2013:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DRGR188/?tag=imwan-20

After The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and hometown newspaper The Raleigh News & Observer heralded Traveling Alone as her best album yet, it would have been easy for Tift Merritt to sit back and enjoy the praise. Instead, she embarked on national and international tours, released the classical hybrid album Night with pianist Simone Dinnerstein and dug even further into Traveling Alone to create the beautiful new expanded edition CD and LP box sets.

One year after its initial release, the exquisite expanded version comes packaged with an illustrated hardbound lyric book. Merritt commissioned the images from artist Diana Sudyka to help bring her words to life, packaged in a vintage book inspired by her travels and penchant for old fabrics, wallpapers and bookstores. Equally exciting, in addition to Traveling Alone, bonus album Traveling Companion features 10 unreleased acoustic tracks, including Merritt originals and two covers from Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits, recorded this year in Brooklyn's Mason Jar Music studio with guitarist Eric Heywood (The Jayhawks, Son Volt, Alejandro Escovedo).

The special companion package comes in both CD and LP formats. The CD version includes the hardbound, vintage-inspired book with two CDs in swinging pockets bound within the book's pages. The premiere vinyl LP version includes three 180-gram LPs that span both Traveling Alone and Traveling Companion, the hardbound lyric book and three custom postcards. Both come with a free digital download code insert, and are must-haves for Merritt fans new and old.