For Immediate Release— Rodney Rice Checks Out When He Checks Into The “Rabbit Ears Motel” New single from upcoming album Rodney Rice; Out May 19th; Watch the neon-soaked “Rabbit Ears Motel” video today March 10, 2023 - Denver, Colorado - “My wife and I got married outside of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, along a county highway that overlooked the valley,” recalls West Virginia-born songwriter Rodney Rice. “When we were leaving town she said, ‘You should write a song about this place.’” “This place,” specifically, was the Rabbit Ears Motel, a Steamboat Springs staple marked by its classic neon sign. Today, Rice released a new song from his upcoming self-titled album; a rambunctious country shuffle called “Rabbit Ears Motel.” Echoing classics from the likes of Pure Prairie League, the Supersuckers, Jason & the Scorchers, and Jimmy Buffett’s first couple of albums, “Rabbit Ears Motel” is about so much more than a place to stay in Colorado. Telecaster licks jump around pedal steel fills between Rice’s refrain of “Checking out when I check in to the Rabbit Ears Motel.” But what’s it really about? “The power of suggestion is real. So is the power of love, encouragement, and support,” says Rice. “I have been lucky enough to find myself surrounded by great people who have provided me with an abundance of love, encouragement, and support.”  “Rabbit Ears Motel” is part of Rice’s third full-length album, the upcoming Rodney Rice. Out on May 19th, Rodney Rice finds Rice traveling over a wide terrain of emotion; from the death of beloved grandparents and the loss of a cherished pet to the grueling monotony of the road and the joyful celebration of marriage. Rice knows just how to capture the fleeting glimmers of an emotional moment in life and turn them into songs that evoke our own feelings of despair and hope; loss and love. And he delivers those lyrics with a knowing nod and wink, creating memorable characters in his songs whose foibles remind us of folks we know. As he says, “Music is a common language that reaches all and brings people from worlds apart together.” Rice cannily matches music with lyrics, pairing a glimpse of a world turned upside down with a jaunty New Orleans jazz swing melody or an ode to young love with a lively country shuffle.   Fans can stream or purchase “Rabbit Ears Motel” right now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Rodney Rice ahead of its May 19th release right here. “Rabbit Ears Motel” also has an accompanying music video by director Joshua Shoemaker which follows Rice on a time-warped, neon-soaked journey through the lyrics, and characters, of his brand-new tune. Watch the video right here.  Aside from his regular tour dates—which resume on March 24th in Boulder, Colorado—Rice will be fronting the infamous Ice Cold Pickers house band at Santa’s Pub in Nashville on Sunday, April 30th. A full list of tour dates can be found below or at rodneyrice.com/tour.

"Rabbit Ears Motel" - Rodney Rice Rodney Rice Tracklist: How You Told Me So Get To Where I’m Going Nothing To Lose Rabbit Ears Motel Roll River Roll Little Pieces Set Em Up Wonder Where I Came From Every Passing Day More About Rodney Rice (The Album): On his self-titled third album, Rodney Rice, Rice is joined by a host of stellar musicians: Dave Racine on drums; Dennis Crouch and Jack Lawrence on bass; Jeff Taylor and Micah Hulscher on keys; Steve Daly and Sean Thompson on guitars; Kirk Donovan on trumpet; and Sam Hoffman, Maureen Murphy, Kyshona Armstrong, and Nickie Conley on background vocals. Drew Carroll produced Rodney Rice, which was recorded at Nashville’s Bomb Shelter studio. More About Rodney Rice (The Artist): Rice was surrounded by music growing up, whether on radio, kitchen tape deck, or television. When he was about 12, he started playing the guitar. “I knew a couple chords and started writing soon after learning them, actually I think I still only know a couple chords” he laughs. Rice worked for a while on oil and gas rigs in Texas. One night he talked to Jason McKenzie, (longtime drummer for Billy Joe Shaver), and McKenzie pointed him to the Congress house studio in Austin, where Rice made his first two albums, Empty Pockets and a Troubled Mind and Same Shirt, Different Day.  His first album found success on the Freeform Americana Radio chart, while his second album reached number 30 on the Americana Music Association albums chart, after debuting at number 9 on the European Americana Chart. For his eponymous third album, Rodney Rice, Rice found a studio, through album notes, the Bomb Shelter, in Nashville, and finally reached out to them amid the pandemic. For this album, he says, “The process was more analog, and combined with changing all the variables it’s no surprise there is a distinct difference between this one and my first two albums.” Rice’s warm, gritty vocals, his ingenious and canny lyricism, and his ability to lay down a melody move listeners emotionally and physically, encouraging them to get up and dance even as they let the lyrics settle into their hearts.  Catch Rodney Rice On Tour: March 24 - BOCO - Boulder, CO March 25 - Zuni Street Brewing Company - Denver, CO March 31 - Snowpack Taproom & Kitchen - Conifer, CO April 7 - Taos Lifestyle - Taos, NM April 15 - The Speakeasy - Longmont, CO April 30 - Santa's Pub - Nashville, TN * May 19 - Broadway Roxy - Denver, CO  May 20 - Trinidad Lounge - Trinidad, CO May 26 - Swing Station - Laporte, CO June 16 - Reed's Package Liquors - Laramie, WY June 17 - the press. - Steamboat Springs, CO June 23 - Soulcraft Brewing - Salida, CO June 24 - Benson's Tavern and Beer Garden - Salida, CO  July 7 - The Bull Pin Bowling Alley & Sports Bar - Estes Park, CO July 8 - The Speakeasy - Longmont, CO July 14 - Stagecoach Saloon - Franktown, CO  August 5 - Stagecoach Saloon - Franktown, CO  Sept 1 - Stagecoach Saloon - Franktown, CO Sept 9 - The Speakeasy - Longmont, CO *With the Ice Cold Pickers For all dates and ticket information, please visit rodneyrice.com/tour. ###