Western Publicity press release:
Bradenton, Florida's Have Gun Will Travel have a natural instinct for combining folk, pop, rock and country influences to create a distinctive sound all their own. "Their music has a great energy to it with infectious, sing-along choruses and refrains", remarked NPR's Robin Hilton. American Songwriter magazine called HGWT's music "organic, infectious Americana pop. Their music has a refreshing immediacy to it.” Their latest album will be released on colored vinyl (white and blue) –add date here - the CD is already available. Have Gun Will Travel will tour in February and March in support of Mergers and Acquisitions with the first round of dates listed below, more will be announced shortly.
There is a new video for “Thirteen Miles to Empty” with guest appearances by Micah Schnabel of Two Cow Garage and Devon Stuart from The Takers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImCdnljWJTU The new album will appeal to fans of current Americana artists such as The Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show as well as fans of early Bob Dylan, John Prine and Gram Parsons. "Singer-songwriter Matt Burke's reedy vocals are an ideal vessel whether he's trying to find right in a "wicked, wicked world" over a beautifully sad, banjo-driven melody (the album opener "Dream No More"); or sneering through the harmonica-laced locomotive romp "Song of Seven Sisters", commented Wade Tatangelo, The Bradenton Herald. The band recorded much of the album at their rehearsal studio while other parts were recorded with co-producer Andy Feldman. Scott Anderson (of HGWT) mixed the album and Steve Connelly (Roger McGuinn) handled the mastering.
The band formed in 2006 and released their full-length debut Casting Shadows Tall as Giants in 2008. It received critical praise from regional and national media outlets across the country. The album's opening song "Blessing and a Curse" was chosen to appear on every episode of the 2009 season of PBS's Roadtrip Nation, as well as a regional credit union’s TV and radio ad campaign.
HGWT’s follow-up album Postcards from the Friendly City debuted at #72 on the CMJ Radio Top 200 chart. The album climbed to #56 within three weeks and spent three full months on the chart. PBS's Roadtrip Nation came calling again and featured HGWT's "Kerosene & Candlelight" in an episode of their seventh season. At Creative Loafing's Best of the Bay Awards show held in Tampa, HGWT took home the Readers' Poll Award for Best Americana Act and Staff pick for Local CD of the Year.The album ranked No. 3 on WMNF 88.5 Tampa's list of most-played albums of 2010.
You can view a video of the single “Salad Days” from that album here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X56ld7oePGs HGWT toured extensively in support of these two releases, playing showcases at some of the major festivals and music conferences including South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, the Americana Music Festival in Nashville, the Atlantis Music Conference in Atlanta, Gainesville's FEST and Orlando's Anti-Pop Music Festival to name a few.
The band began working with The Music Playground, a music licensing company based in New York. Within just weeks of working together, The Music Playground landed HGWT's ever-popular "Blessing and a Curse" in a national Chevy television ad that began airing in April 2011.
Visit www.hgwtmusic.com for more information on the band. Have Gun Will Travel On Tour
February 3 Islander - Pawleys Island, SC
February 4 Slims - Raleigh, NC
February 7 The Well - Knoxville, TN
February 8 One Stop - Asheville, NC
February 9 Melting Point - Athens, GA
February 11 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
February 17 - The Nick - Birmingham, AL
February 22 - White Water - Little Rock, AK
February 24 - City Tavern - Dallas, TX
February 25 - Lambert's - Austin, TX
Listen to three tracks from "Mergers and Acquisitions" here.
