"Heaven is a place where people die pretty. Skies don’t lie and there’s cash in the kitty. ” These are the opening lines to one of my favorite songs, Dead and Done by Bobby Long. This song is on his debut album, A Winter Tale and is one of eleven amazing songs that will have you listening to Mr. Long all day. His sophomore album, Wishbone, drops next month on the 19th and is sure to be just as great. Bobby Long is a British singer/songwriter, and also published author, living in New York City. Currently he is in Europe touring and playing to sold out audiences. Hopefully he will be releasing United States tour dates soon to help promote for Wishbone. With his incredible sound, a mix of folk music and blues, he is sure to stick around for a long time and continue to gain a dedicated following.
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| Courtesy of ATO Records |
I have had the pleasure of seeing Bobby Long perform live on three different occasions. The first time I saw him he played a show at WorkPlay Theater in April 2011. Then, a few months later in November 2011, he came through town again and played at The BottleTree Café. In September of last year I was fortunate enough to attend a private show that he and his friends were playing in Virginia. Every time I have seen him he does not disappoint. He is funny and interacts with the crowd in a way that I have never seen at a concert before. At his WorkPlay show he was accompanied by a band for some of the show. He commands the stage with confidence and charisma that leaves his audience in awe and pulls them in from the opening chords of his first song.
The next two times that I attended his shows he was alone on stage with his guitar. He was still wittingly hilarious and confident in his music. When he played at BottleTree his audience had grown a lot in such a short amount of time. The first time I met him I was slightly nervous, I had made a shirt that matched my friends, and I just knew he was going to judge us. We had taken the title of one of his songs, Penance Fire Blues, and put those words into a clever sentence. Our shirts said, "We need to pay a PENANCE because we're on FIRE for BOBBY LONG! We'll just have the BLUES if we don't get a picture with you." Instead, he read the shirt and smiled while saying, “That’s really nice. Thank you.”
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| Photo Credit: Kymber Hill |
Recently his street team hosted a question and answer session with him and they were talking about everyone’s efforts to promote him and his music he said this, “Thank you so much. So kind. Above and beyond.” He is so appreciative of the efforts of his fans and he is so deserving of it. He goes on later in the podcast to thank his fans once again, “I just want to thank them so much for doing it. I can’t reiterate how important it is for, you know, musicians, especially modern day, to have you guys backing them up.” He makes wanting to promote his new album so easy. A great guy like Bobby Long deserves to be noticed by his fans and helped to gain more success.
The question and answer session was mainly to ask questions about his new album, Wishbone. One fan wanted to know what this album had that made it different from his previous albums, A Winter Tale and a five song EP titled The Backing Singer. Bobby replied, “Lyrical content is still as heavy as it ever has been. I’m still singing just as hard. It’s just a varied thing and it’s not…it’s more modern in a sense that it’s not stylized to folk.” On this album Bobby was able to play electric guitar and be more a part of his band backing him up. He promises some more songs that will make you want to sing along at shows, which ultimately is what he wants. He also said, “I don’t want to make the same album twice.” This leads one to believe that his future albums will be just as different as these three and will not sound the same in any case. Another fan asked what his main end goal for Wishbone was. Bobby’s answer was this, “Always put the song first.” He is passionate about this new album and seems extremely proud of it. I cannot wait for my copy to come in the mail.
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| Photo Credit: Kymber Hill |
To find out more about Bobby Long you can visit his website, 'Like' him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter. Also, you can find plenty of pictures and videos from fans and several other exciting things on his fansite. Bobby Long’s fan base is wide spread around the world and we all have connected to each other in some way. I have met some pretty incredible people through following his music and made lifelong friends with some. Bobby Long’s music has brought so much in my life, not only with a new musician to follow, but with new friends to keep in touch with all over the country. If you are into smaller artists and amazing songs, give Bobby Long a listen. You won’t regret it!
You can now preorder Wishbone on his website, which comes with several perks for ordering off the online store. Or you can buy your copy of Wishbone on February 19, 2013 from your local record supplier. I was able to purchase A Winter Tale at Best Buy when it was released. You can find sneak previews for Wishbone below. If these songs are any indication of what the rest of the album holds we are in for a treat.
Additional photos by Kymber Hill
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You can find more information about Bobby Long at:
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