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Physical Box Office Hours:
Tuesday - Friday 10:00am - 2:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 12:00pm
Phone Hours:
Monday - Friday 10:00am - 5:00pm

10 A Street
Derry, NH 03038
(603) 437-5100

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
 
 
“I wanted to make an album of great American roots music, and the end result is something that I’m really pleased with.” Kenny Wayne Shepherd says of the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band’s hard-hitting new release Lay It On Down. “I wanted to play to our strengths, but I also wanted to make an album full of music that people haven’t heard from us before. I’m pulling from a lot of different periods and genres on this one. I wanted to strike a balance between the heavy emotional stuff and the stuff that will put a smile on your face. A new album should feel new and refreshing, and this one definitely feels that way to me.”

More than two decades into a recording career that began when he was 16, Kenny Wayne Shepherd has built a powerful reputation as a visionary recording artist, a riveting live performer and one of the most talented and distinctive guitarists of his generation. He’s also earned his stature as one of the contemporary blues world's leading lights, standing at the forefront of a widespread revival of interest in the blues.

Lay It On Down’s ten original songs explore some vital new creative territory while embodying the same raw, rootsy musicality that’s been a common thread in the nine acclaimed albums that Shepherd’s released since he first emerged as a teenaged guitar wunderkind nearly a quarter-century ago. “I wanted to touch on all of the different musical influences that I’ve had over the years,” Shepherd says. “With solid grooves, strong lyrics, good stories and a lot of different sonic textures.”

Shepherd’s deeply expressive songwriting and fiery, forceful playing are in abundant supply throughout the album. Such tunes as the insistently catchy, R&B-inflected “Diamonds & Gold,” the raucous rocker “Baby Got Gone,” the stately country ballad “Hard Lesson Learned,” the slyly humorous “She's ${4}rdquo; and the sensitive, bittersweet title track find Shepherd and band—longtime vocalist Noah Hunt, drummer Chris “Whipper” Layton (renowned for his prior work with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble), veteran bassist Kevin McCormick and keyboardist Jimmy McGorman—delivering a memorable mix of smart songcraft and blues-steeped instrumental intensity.

Shepherd wrote all of Lay It On Down's songs, with a variety of co-writers, including longtime collaborators Mark Selby and Tia Sillers, and noted tunesmiths Dylan Altman, Brian Maher, Danny Myrick and Keith Stegall.

“For about two years, I’d make trips to Nashville every chance I got to write songs with different people,” Shepherd explains. “When you’re writing with someone else, it’s inevitable that they bring something different to the table, something that I might not have thought of myself. So in an effort to grow as an artist and as a musician, I wanted to write with some different people and see what would come of that. It was kind of a roll of the dice, but it worked out really well, and we got a good mixture of songs from these different collaborations.”

Lay It On Down is the second consecutive album that Shepherd’s recorded in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. There, he, his band and co-producer Marshall Altman, along with various guest players providing horns and pedal steel guitar, cut the tracks with an eye towards looseness and spontaneity. Continue Reading
 
 
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**Each ticket includes 1 promo code which can be redeemed for a digital download of Lay It On Down (available August 4). Ticket buyers are able to share their extra codes with family and friends if they wish.

10 A Street • Derry, NH 03038 • 603-437-5100

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