RUSTON KELLY CONFIRMS 2019 HEADLINE DATES

TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY

DEBUT ALBUM DYING STAR OUT NOW TO WIDESPREAD CRITICAL ACCLAIM

Ruston Kelly will continue his extensive headline tour in 2019 with stops at Dallas’ Cambridge Room, Houston’s Bronze Peacock, Austin’s Antone’s, Indianapolis’ Hi-Fi and Nashville’s The Basement East among several others. Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 9 at 10:00am local time. The newly confirmed dates follow Kelly’s fall headline tour, which includes upcoming performances at Los Angeles’ The Hotel Café (two nights, both sold out), Seattle’s Sunset Tavern (sold out) and Denver’s Globe Hall among others. See below for complete details.

These shows celebrate a landmark year for Kelly, whose full-length debut album Dying Starwas released earlier this fall on Rounder Records (purchase/stream here). Co-produced by Kelly and Jarrad K, Dying Star features 14 new songs written/co-written by Kelly and continues to garner widespread critical acclaim…

“Damn, is he good…Kelly digs down deep on Dying Star to fearlessly put forth a set of songs steeped in emotional twists, turns and complications…This here is powerful stuff.”

“…finds Kelly channeling the dark minimalism of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska
with a stark guitar-and-a-harmonica aesthetic.”

“…an emotional powerhouse…If you’ve ever had a taste for somber country songs
capable of ripping you apart, you ought to make time for Ruston Kelly’s opening blast.”

“…mesmerizingly smooth voice…”

“His rugged, vulnerable voice lends itself to the unguarded storytelling of his
latest album…suffering may be an artist’s greatest inspiration, but Kelly’s redemption
is the real song worth singing.”

“…it's a uniquely emotional and raw collection about our ability to build
a new life from the ashes."

“…a dazzling deep-dive to rock bottom.”

“…Dying Star is a triumph.”

“…a genre-defying singer-songwriter…”

“…Kelly defines modern folk-rock songwriting. It’s music with an ear-worm
melody that you can’t help but whistle along to but laced with sincere lyrics that
bare the deepest part of the singer’s soul.”

“It’s as heart-on-a-sleeve as they come. A flood of raw and intense emotions
coat Kelly’s self-deprecating ballads and late-night benders.”

“Dying Star is a confident and strong debut from an artist who feels already fully realized…It’s the kind of record you’ll turn to again and again, to keep you company whether you’re falling in love or falling down in the gutter.”

Of the album, Kelly comments, “A lot of my music is focused on suffering, or trying to understand the human condition through the lens of suffering…which probably sounds totally depressing, but it’s actually the flipside of that. Sometimes you’ve gotta go into that darkness—you need to get lost and then figure out for yourself how to find your way back. That’s the only way we can find pure joy, and really be thankful for the life we’ve been given.”

In addition to Kelly (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, xylophone, harmonica) and Jarrad K (12-string guitar, background vocals, electric guitar, Rhodes) , Dying Star also features Tim Kelly (pedal steel), Ian Fitchuk (piano, organ, drums, percussion), Eli Beaird (bass) and Kyle Ryan (banjo) as well as background vocals from Jon Green, Natalie Hemby, Kacey Musgraves, Kate York, Abby Sevigny and Joy Williams.

Photo credit: Alexa King

The release of Dying Star follows a breakout year for the Nashville-based artist, whose debut EP, Halloween, was released last April to widespread critical praise. Of the music, Rolling Stone praised, “…shows a powerful grasp on storytelling gleaned from his love of the Carter Family and Townes Van Zandt, but also a more ragged rock & roll soul: it’s Americana, if your Americana is Bruce Springsteen with an acoustic guitar, sung by someone who spins a little heavy metal too,” while the HuffPost declared, “simultaneously current and effortlessly timeless.”

Born in South Carolina, Kelly started playing guitar under the guidance of his dad, Tim “TK” Kelly, a pedal steel guitarist who now performs in his band. Since his father worked for a paper mill and often changed job locations, Kelly grew up frequently moving, living everywhere from Alabama to Belgium, including time in Michigan—where the young one-time figure skater went to train with an Olympic coach in the hope of furthering his career, and where he first began writing songs. At 17, he moved to Nashville to live with his sister and went on to land a publishing deal with BMG Nashville, placing songs with several high-profile artists.

DYING STAR TRACK LIST:

1. Cover My Tracks (written by Ruston Kelly, Jarrad K)
2. Mockingbird (written by Ruston Kelly)
3. Son Of A Highway Daughter (written by Ruston Kelly)
4. Paratrooper’s Battle Cry (written by Ruston Kelly)
5. Faceplant (written by Ruston Kelly, Jarrad K, Brendan Benson)
6. Blackout (written by Ruston Kelly, Jarrad K, Joy Williams)
7. Big Brown Bus (written by Ruston Kelly, Jarrad K, Ricky Brantley)
8. Mercury (written by Ruston Kelly)
9. Anchors (written by Ruston Kelly, Jarrad K)
10. Just For The Record (written by Ruston Kelly, Jarrad K, Lucie Silvas)
11. Trying To Let Her (written by Ruston Kelly, Joe Leathers, Kyle Jacobs)
12. Jericho (written by Ruston Kelly, Joy Williams, Natalie Hemby)
13. Dying Star (written by Ruston Kelly, Caitlyn Smith, Rollie Gaalswyk)
14. Brightly Burst Into The Air (written by Ruston Kelly)

RUSTON KELLY CONFIRMED TOUR DATES

November 6—Los Angeles, CA—Hotel Café* (SOLD OUT)

November 7—Los Angeles, CA—Hotel Café* (SOLD OUT)

November 8—San Francisco, CA—Hotel Utah Saloon* (SOLD OUT)

November 10—Portland, OR—Bunk Bar* (SOLD OUT)

November 11—Seattle, WA—Sunset Tavern* (SOLD OUT)

November 14—Denver, CO—Globe Hall*

November 16—Lincoln, NE—The Rye Room*

November 17—Davenport, IA—GAS Fest

November 18—St. Louis, MO—Blueberry Hill Duck Room*

November 21—Bath, U.K. —Komedia†

November 22—Brighton, U.K.—Patterns†

November 24—Exeter, U.K. —The Phoenix†

November 26—Norwich, U.K. —Norwich Arts Centre†

November 27—Ramsgate, U.K. —Ramsgate Music Hall†

November 28—London, U.K. —Islington Assembly Hall†

November 30—Cardiff, U.K. —The Globe†

December 1—Liverpool, U.K. —Arts Club Upstairs†

December 3—Newcastle, U.K. —The Riverside†

December 4—Edinburgh, U.K. —The Caves† (SOLD OUT)

December 5—Birmingham, U.K. —Institute2†

January 24—Dallas, TX—Cambridge Room @ House of Blues

January 25—Houston, TX—Bronze Peacock @ House of Blues

January 26—Austin, TX—Antone’s

January 27—Oklahoma City, OK—89^th Street Collective

January 30—Minneapolis, MN—Icehouse

February 1—Indianapolis, IN—Hi Fi

February 2—Nashville, TN—The Basement East

*with support from Katie Pruitt

†with The Wandering Hearts  

BOLD on-sale this Friday, November 9 at 10:00am local time

https://www.rustonkelly.com