Jake Xerxes Fussell Unveils New Recording of Arthur Russell’s “Close My Eyes”

Last summer, singer, guitarist, and folk music interpreter Jake Xerxes Fussell released his fifth album, When I’m Called, via Fat Possum to widespread acclaim, with The Wall Street Journal praising it as a “terrific argument for the power of the folk tradition, and a convincing demonstration of how much a thoughtful singer and musician can communicate through the words of others.” Today, Fussell unveils his version of Arthur Russell’s “Close My Eyes,” a song which he has frequently performed live in the last year, and in conjunction, announces new dates on his massive spring/summer North American and EU/UK tour. Fussell kicks off the North American leg later this month in Denver and will continue through the West Coast and South, followed by a June European tour. He will pick back up in North America in July and continue into the fall in the EU/UK. A full list of dates are below, and tickets and further information are available here.

Of Russell’s “Close My Eyes”, Fussell says: “I’ve long felt partial to the country waltz as a song form. I enjoy playing them. And like so many of us record listeners, I became intrigued a number of years ago with the posthumously released recordings of the beautiful composer / cellist / singer / producer Arthur Russell. ‘Close My Eyes’ naturally became something I’d slip into my shows every now and then. People began requesting it and in time it became something of a setlist fixture and it seems to have developed a life of its own there.”

Recognized for his compelling transliterations of traditional music, Fussell took an atypical approach to the material on When I’m Called, often constructing the music from the ground up before considering what existing source material could be applied to the song. It’s Fussell’s richest work to date, and sees him returning to a well of music that holds lifelong sentimental meaning, contemplating the passage of time and the procession of life’s unexpected offerings.

Listen to “Going To Georgia”
Listen to “Leaving Here, Don’t Know Where I’m Going”
Listen to “Gone To Hilo”

Jake Xerxes Fussell Tour Dates
(New Dates in Bold)
Wed. March 26 – Denver, CO @  Lost Lake Lounge
Thu. March 27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
Fri. March 28 – Boise, ID @ Treefort
Sun. March 30 – Trout Lake, WA @ Trout Lake Hall
Tue. April  1 – Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom
Wed. April  2  – Eugene, OR @ Wow Hall
Thu. April  3 – Arcata, CA @ Richard’s Goat
Fri. April  4 – Novato, CA @ Hopmonk
Sat. April  5 – Templeton, CA @ Club Car Bar
Sun. April  6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Digger’s w/ Harrison Whitford
Mon. April  7 – Santa Monica, CA @ McCabe’s Guitar Shop w/ Amps For Christ
Sat. May 3 – Jacksonville, FL @ Intuition Ale
Sun. May 4 – Mobile, AL @ Callaghan’s
Mon. May 5 – Columbus, GA @ The Loft
Tue. May 6 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
Wed. May 7 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Fri. May 9 – Asheville, NC @ AyurPrana
Sat. May 10 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
Sun. May 11 – Paducah, KY @ Barrel & Bond
Tue. May 13  – Evanston, IL @ SPACE w/ Sam Moss
Wed. May 14 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Thu. May 15 – Lexington, KY @ The Burl
Sat. May 24 – Bowling Green, KY @ The Old Get Together
Sun. May 25  – Charleston, SC @ Spoleto Festival
Thu. June 5 – Lyon, FR @ Marche Gare w/ Naima Bock, Clara Mann
Fri. June 6 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain w/ Richard Dawson, Naima Bock, Clara Mann
Sat. June 7 – Le Havre, FR @ Le Tetris w/ Naima Bock, Clara Mann
Mon. June 9 – Groningen, NL @ Lutherse Kerk w/ Naima Bock
Tue. June 10 – Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn w/ Naima Bock
Wed. June 11 – Rotterdam, NL @ Lantaren Venster w/ Naima Bock
Thu. June 12 – Ghent, BE @ Palmarium at the Botanical Gardens
Fri. June 13 – Amsterdam, NL @ Zonnehuis
Thu. July 17 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
Tue. July 22 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Caffe Lena w/ Christian & Cole
Wed. July 23 – Exeter, NH @ Word Barn
Thu. July 24 – Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square
Fri. July 25 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz w/ Nora Brown with Stephanie Coleman
Sat. July 26 – Woodstock, NY @ The Colony w/ Nora Brown with Stephanie Coleman
Fri. Aug. 29 – Sun. Aug. 31 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
Tue. Sept 2 – Bristol, UK @ The Fleece
Wed. Sept. 3 – York, UK @ National Centre for Early Music
Thu. Sept. 4 – Hebden Bridge, UK @ The Trades Club
Fri. Sept. 5 – Liverpool, UK @ Philharmonic Music Room
Sat. Sept. 6 – Gateshead, UK @ Glasshouse
Sun. Sept. 7 – Edinburgh, UK @ The Caves
Thu. Sept. 25 – Luxembourg @ Philharmonie Luxembourg
Sun. Sept 28 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus
Tue. Sept 30 – Warsaw, PL @ BARdzo
Wed. Oct. 1 – Berlin, DE @ Silent Green
Thu. Oct. 2 – Jena, DE @ Trafo

 

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