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Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol II, album details and first single featuring John Baizley & Katie Jones released‏

February 6, 2014

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SONGS OF TOWNES VAN ZANDT VOL. II,
ALBUM DETAILS AND FIRST SINGLE FEATURING JOHN BAIZLEY & KATIE JONES RELEASED
RELEASE DATE: 10/03/2014
In 2012 the label My Proud Mountain was established specifically to pay tribute to Townes Van Zandt. The first release, Songs of Townes Van Zandt featured Scott Kelly & Steve Von Till from Neurosis, as well as Scott ‘Wino” Weinrich from Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and more, each taking on the troubadour’s music.

On Monday 10th March, My Proud Mountain shall release Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol. II in the UK/Europe in partnership with Neurot Recordings, who shall take care of the US release. This second volume features an outstanding cast of artists who front full-time bands in addition to releasing their own solo and collaborative works, these are; Mike Scheidt (YOB, VHÖL), Nate Hall (USX), John Baizley (Baroness), Katie Jones, Stevie Floyd (Dark Castle, Taurus) and Dorthia Cottrell (Windhand).

We reveal a stream of the album’s closing rendition of “If I Needed You”, as performed by John Baizley and Katie Jones, who both provide a mixture of heartfelt vocals to an acoustic backdrop in their remake of this beautiful yet gloomy classic.
LISTEN NOW: http://noisey.vice.com/blog/baroness-us-christmas-windhand-yob-townes-van-zandt-baizley
Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol II Track Listing:
1. To Live Is To Fly (Mike Scheidt)
2. Pancho & Lefty (Nate Hall)
3. St. John The Gambler (John Baizley & Katie Jones)
4. Rake (Mike Scheidt)
5. Waitin’ Around To Die (Nate Hall & Stevie Floyd)
6. For The Sake Of The Song (John Baizley & Katie Jones)
7. Highway Kind (Mike Scheidt)
8. Our Mother The Mountain (Nate Hall & Dorthia Cottrell)
9. If I Needed You (John Baizley & Katie Jones)
The music of Townes Van Zandt has touched and influenced almost every other artist on this list, there could hardly be three more appropriate musicians to contribute to an album that is not so much about exploratory interpretations – despite the electrified ‘Lungs’ or the lysergic ‘Snake Song’ – as it is about faithful and reverential eulogies to a talented yet difficult and troubled man.” – THE QUIETUS
This affectionately crafted tribute record is a thing of subtle beauty.– KERRANG!
“The two Neurosis men plus kindred spirit Wino pay homage to one of the all-time great songwriters, the legend that is Townes Van Zandt, through a small but endlessly deep collection of songs that are processed through the very soul of these three musicians, becoming as much their own as Townes’ after they’re done.” – ROCK A ROLLA
 
“Wino’s seething version of Rake most closely evoking Van Zandt’s spit and defiance, and Scott Kelly’s seven minute Tecumseh Valley showcasing the enormous power of the silence between notes…Despair feels strangely comforting” – METAL HAMMER
 
“The result is a downbeat delight deserving of a far wider audience than the three men are accustomed to. Crucially, each of them provides standouts: Von Till is a revelation on the beautiful If I Needed You; Wino chronicles life on the road with Rake, while Kelly piles on the heartbreak with the movie-in-music that is Tecumseh Valley. You’ll be left wanting much, much more – hopefully they can continue this journey on tour. “ – RTE
“The song selection has ensured that there is something here for fans of all of Van Zandt’s work but it will also serve as an excellent introduction to those less familiar with his catalogue.” – SLEEPING SHAMAN
 
“Tributes such as this are an important way of keeping the legacy of important and influential musical figures alive, and this particular attempt achieves that without question.” – SCRATCH THE SURFACE

“On paper there’s no faulting this and thankfully the realisation lives up to the concept. The song selection is strong with St. John the Gambler, Rake and Black Crow Blues getting the treatment; the melancholy and regret of Van Zandt’s earthy folk entirely suiting the vocal and guitar styles of all three musicians. I have to say the Neurosis frontmen versions come off a tad better, but maybe that’s because they’ve chosen some of my personal favourite Van Zandt songs. A faithful and moving celebration of one of American Folks greatest unsung heroes. “ – MASS MOVEMENT ZINE

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