Bob Weir Is Recording an Album of Cowboy Songs
With the Grateful Dead's Fare Thee Well concerts over and done with (at least for now), Bob Weir is ready to saddle up for his next project.
Relix (via Jambase) reports that Weir is working on "an album of cowboy songs" with an eclectic roster of musicians that includes singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. "The idea came from Josh Kaufman and his circle of friends, particularly Josh Ritter. It's, for the most part, all new songs. I've been working with Josh Ritter a fair bit on some ideas, and I'm going to also drag in [lyricists] John Barlow and Gerrit Graham as well," Weir told the magazine. "It's going to be a pretty eclectic group of musicians kicking into this project. I've done a few sessions recently with Joe Russo. We're going to downplay the emphasis on the playing and play up the emphasis on the storytelling."
"I have no words to describe what an honor and privilege it is getting to work with one of the defining figures in American music," added Ritter. "Bob Weir’s voice is like a lion, his bearing is wise. Being in the room with him is like being on the range somewhere in Wyoming. He expands the space he’s in until it’s all big-sky country. I hope that I managed to get some of that big sky into these songs, but if I didn’t, Bob will."
No title or release date has been announced for the project, but whenever it arrives, it'll break a fairly lengthy gap between studio recordings for Weir, who has focused on live performances in recent years. In the meantime, fans can check out the Weir documentary, The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir.
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