49 Winchester return with Leavin’ This Holler on Friday 2nd August via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced by the band and Stewart Myers and features appearances by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, singer-songwriter Maggie Antone, fiddler Philip Bowen, and guitarist Cole Chafin.
Yesterday (22nd May), the band shared the new single “Fast Asleep.” Gibson says, “This tune is an emotional sledgehammer. I wrote it when I was 19 years old, as one of the very first 49 Winchester songs. We used to play it live, back in those earliest days, but it somehow worked its way out of the setlist. We knew it was still a great song and wanted to breathe new life into it, and I think we achieved that. It features the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and the sounds they were able to capture really add a lot to this track. The pedal steel on the chorus is some of my favorite work on the record from Noah.”
The band previously shared the video for “Yearnin’ For You.” Gibson said: “When I wrote this song, I felt like it really encapsulated what it’s like to be a musician, and more specifically that other side of the coin that fans don’t see as often. The people you miss so badly, the sacrifice that it takes to forge out a living. I think more importantly it’s a love song. It’s about reuniting with the one that holds you down, and how great it is to finally be back where you are loved. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Leavin’ This Holler is the highly anticipated follow up to their New West debut Fortune Favors the Bold. Met with overwhelming critical acclaim, Rolling Stone called them “Country Music’s Buzziest of Buzz Bands,” and also named it one of the “25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2022.” Bandcamp named Fortune Favors the Bold one of the “Best Country Records of 2022” as did No Depression, Holler, PopMatters, Whiskey Riff, WMOT, and more. The album quickly generated over 150 million global streams and the band also received a nomination for “Best Duo or Group” at last year’s Americana Music Awards.
Last October, while standing on stage in front of 20,000 people at London’s 02 Arena, it dawned on 49 Winchester lead singer & guitarist Isaac Gibson that on the same day, exactly 10 years ago, he formed his rising alt-country band.
“There’s been nothing in my life that’s ever lasted a decade,” Gibson says. “We had just gotten out of high school when we played our first show – 10 years later, we’re on the road in the UK and Europe with Luke Combs.”
Gibson felt it was a moment where he could honestly reflect on the hard-earned, unrelenting determination and grit within the band that’s brought them to this current juncture of increasing notoriety. “It’s a testament to the uncommon fact that we’re musicians from a very specific place in the world,” Gibson says. “And it’s a testament to viewing each other more as family than as friends.”
Hailing from Castlewood, Virginia (population: 1,122) in Southern Appalachia – a place where opportunity seldom knocks – 49 Winchester came to fruition when Gibson, his childhood best friend, Chase Chafin, and his hometown crony, guitarist Bus Shelton, decided to step off the front porch (on Winchester Street) and take their music to whatever stage would have them.
On the heels of supporting Tyler Childers on his recent US arena tour, the band launched their debut European headline tour this week, selling out rooms across the continent. They have also announced additional tour dates and numerous festival slots throughout the rest of the year including their Bonnaroo and CMA Fest debuts as well as a 2-night stand at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom. And in a highly-anticipated appearance, 49 Winchester will also be headlining the famed Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in September – a homecoming festival of sorts for the band, who played some of its earliest gigs at the renowned gathering.
Captured in a handful of studios around the country whenever there was a rare moment between relentless touring schedules – the album has 49 Winchester’s signature sound of rollicking country and searing rock music, but with a matured approach this go-around. Leavin’ This Holler offers up a more focused sense of self – a new bountiful level of intent and purpose.
Gibson says: “We wanted to explore every possible sound we could on this record. No stone left unturned sonically — we got it exactly where we wanted it.”
Leavin’ This Holler will be available across digital platforms, compact disc, and numerous limited edition vinyl variants. The album is available for pre-order NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS.
Leavin’ This Holler Track Listing:
1. Favor
2. Hillbilly Happy
3. Yearnin’ For You
4. Make It Count
5. Leavin’ This Holler
6. Fast Asleep
7. Tulsa
8. Rest of My Days
9. Traveling Band
10. Anchor
Remaining Europe & UK Headline Tour Dates – 2024
** All dates supported by Drayton Farley
May 23rd – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Paradiso
May 24th – La Louvière, Belgium – Le Stock
May 26th – Bristol, England – SWX
May 27th – London, England – KOKO (Sold Out)
May 28th – Manchester, England – New Century Hall
May 30th – Glasgow, Scotland – SWG3 Galvanizers (Sold Out)
May 31st – Belfast, Northern Ireland – The Telegraph Building
June 1st – Dublin, Ireland – 3Olympia Theatre
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