Today, Blues Traveler has announced that they will be releasing a brand-new studio album in the fall dubbed Hurry Up & Hang Around. The album, which is due out on October 12th via BMG Records, will mark the band’s 13th studio album, following up 2015’s Blow Up The Moon, and will be supported by an extensive fall tour.
Hurry Up & Hang Around was written and recorded by Grammy-winning producer Matt Rollings. The iconic five-piece composed of John Popper, Chan Kinchla, Tad Kinchla, Ben Wilson and Brendan Hill recorded the twelve-song album in Nashville.
As John Popper explained in a statement about creating the new album,
We were going through some changes as far as our infrastructure goes. … We parted ways with two different managers. No preparations had really been made, and it seemed like it might be too late to make new music. Between taking meetings, we were by ourselves writing in the garage every day of this Nashville house. That was pretty cool, because we felt like a garage band again. There was a spirit of survival. We had something to celebrate, so we really came together as a band.
Matt put it all on turbo boost, because he’s one of the finest producers we’ve ever worked with, period. … He can bring out any sound he wants. He got takes out of me that I couldn’t ever get out of myself, and I’ve tried. However, he also let me be me. It’s one of the best production experiences we’ve ever had. It was an unexpected musical education.
For those who pre-order Blues Traveler’s Hurry Up & Hang Around via the band’s web store here, they will receive a download of the band’s new single, “Accelerated Nation” on July 6th at 12 p.m. (ET). The album will be available to pre-order on all digital service providers on July 6th as well.
In addition to the forthcoming release of Hurry Up & Hang Around, Blues Traveler has a packed 2018 touring schedule. The band’s summer tour begins on July 4th, where they’ll celebrate the holiday by headlining the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre with support from G. Love & Special Sauce, The Wailers, and The Devon Allman Project with special guest Duane Betts. The Red Rocks show kicks off Blues Travelers’ summer tour, which spans through to August.
In addition to their summer tour, the group has announced a number their fall tour dates today to coincide with the album’s announcement. Starting on October 12th, the band will kick off their fall tour at Montclair, New Jersey’s The Welmont followed up by shows in Providence, Rhode Island and Torrington, Connecticut. A run through the South comes next, with dates in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Savannah and Athens, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama until October 27th. Blues Traveler will celebrate Halloween in Columbus, Ohio, with a performance at Newport Music Hall.
The group will continue on the road through to mid-November. Following their Halloween show, the band will roll through Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri. On November 6th, the band will hit Tulsa, Oklahoma, before heading to Texas for three nights across Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. From there, to wrap up the tour, the band will head to the West Coast, closing things out with shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, before their tour closer in Portland, Oregon, on November 18th.
For more information on the band’s new album, Hurry Up & Hang Around, due out on October 12th via BMG Records or for the group’s extensive 2018 touring schedule, head to Blues Traveler’s website here.
