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GRAMMYs

The Raconteurs

Photo credit: Olivia Jean

News
Jack White On The Raconteurs' Long-Awaited Return jack-white-and-brendan-benson-talk-raconteurs%E2%80%99-return-and-why-no-one%E2%80%99s-stepping-out

Jack White And Brendan Benson Talk The Raconteurs’ Return And Why "No One’s Stepping Out" In Guitar Music

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The recently reunited quartet are grappling with a glaringly different rock landscape these days—but that hasn't altered their trademark freewheeling sound
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Jun 14, 2019 - 10:47 am

Jack White was in a fit of mania while making his last solo album, 2018’s Boarding House Reach. Ever the mad scientist, he recorded through electronic instruments with his teenage recording equipment in an empty Nashville apartment. He blasted Kanye West and Nicki Minaj for inspiration and slept on an army cot on the floor. The album was White's most severe detour in a career already full of them.

One song stood out from those sessions: "Shine the Light on Me," a sweet, straightforward soul song that sounded nothing like his gonzo experiments. "It’s strange to think of a song that couldn’t fit on Boarding House Reach," he tells The Recording Academy with a chuckle. "But I just couldn’t make it work."

To his surprise, the song reminded him of the Raconteurs, a project of his that hadn’t put out music since 2008. He called up its co-leader, Brendan Benson, who caught the same vibe from the rejected solo song, and, just like that, the Raconteurs were back.

White and Benson, along with bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler, jumped back into the studio and cranked out an entire new album: Help Us Stranger, out Friday, June 21 via White's Third Man Records. After time off and experiments galore, the album marks White's return to simple, heartfelt rock 'n' roll.

"It’s such a good thing when you get together for the right reasons for any project," White says. "And you’re working on it for the love of it, for the fact that you want to write music and express it and share it with other people."

White and Benson first met in 1997, when the White Stripes were playing their first shows at a club in Detroit called the Gold Dollar. Benson, who had recently signed to Virgin Records and was working with L.A. whiz-kids like producer Ethan Johns and guitarist Jason Falkner, had begun to fancy himself a sophisticated pop-rock pro. The White Stripes’ racket blew that notion right out of his brain.

“I was in the songwriting-as-craft school of thought, writing the ultimate pop music, the Beatles, the Beach Boys,” Benson says. "I thought that was cool. Then I saw the White Stripes, and I was like, 'No, that’s what's cool." Suddenly, he longed to make music that was more like a charcoal sketch than the Mona Lisa.

Benson and White ended up jamming that week and, years later, their collaboration resulted in two inspired albums, 2006’s Broken Boy Soldiers and 2008’s Consolers Of The Lonely. Soon after, the band fell silent for 11 years — not because of any acrimony or creative differences. All four members kept in touch; they were simply occupied with other things.

White and Benson each made solo albums; both raised children. Drummer Patrick Keeler moved from Nashville to L.A. and joined alternative rockers the Afghan Whigs. Bassist Jack Lawrence collaborated with artists like Karen O, JEFF the Brotherhood and City And Colour.

Still, when the Raconteurs got back together, they didn’t sound like an amalgam of all these side gigs; they returned to their initial sound and played imperfectly on real instruments. Highlights like "Help Me Stranger," "Don’t Bother Me" and "Sunday Driver" signal that all four members find common ground in an earthy, kick-the-tires approach.

In this regard, Benson feels like a stranger in a strange land when it comes to modern music. "No one’s really stepping out with guitar music — with people playing instruments," he says. "It's almost played too well. It's boring."

In 2019, music feels like it’s either hewing very traditional or very far-out: the minimal Black Keys or studio-glossed Panic! At The Disco sparring with the provocative Billie Eilish. The Raconteurs are somewhere in between. Help Us Stranger has futuristic flourishes and rich, boomy production, but at its core, it could have been made in any decade.

"Our record is full of mistakes," Benson says. "Bad notes. Pitchy singing. Pitchy harmonies. Tempos are going all over the place. I love that sh*t. It’s kind of bucking the system a little bit." In an over-processed, focus-grouped era of music, Help Us Stranger proves there's still room for music shot from the hip rather than conceptualized with the brain.

It couldn't have been done if every member wasn't on the same page. "We’re all lucky in this band," White says. "We have multiple things going on in our musical worlds, but we could take that much time off and come right back to where we started."

In an era when the guitar is becoming an anachronism or an afterthought, Help Us Stranger proves there’s still treasure in simply plugging in and playing.

The Met, "Play It Loud" & New York City's Love Affair With The Electric Guitar

Woodstock 50

Photo: Woodstock 50/Billboard

News
Woodstock 50 Music Festival Has Been Canceled funder-announces-woodstock-50-music-festival-has-been-canceled

Funder Announces Woodstock 50 Music Festival Has Been Canceled

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The three-day event in Watkins Glen was set to be the official 50th anniversary celebration of the iconic 1969 fest
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 29, 2019 - 12:03 pm

Today, the company funding Woodstock 50 released a statement that the music festival is canceled. Rumors have surrounded both the festival's details and feasibility long before the lineup was revealed on March 19, and were reignited following ticket sales not launching as planned on April 20. Woodstock 50 has not updated either their website or social accounts to reflect this news.

Dentsu Aegis Network, a multinational media and marketing company funding Woodstock 50, shared an official statement with Billboard this morning detailing the cancelation:

"It's a dream for agencies to work with iconic brands and to be associated with meaningful movements. We have a strong history of producing experiences that bring people together around common interests and causes which is why we chose to be a part of the Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival. But despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don't believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees.

As a result and after careful consideration, Dentsu Aegis Network's Amplifi Live, a partner of Woodstock 50, has decided to cancel the festival. As difficult as it is, we believe this is the most prudent decision for all parties involved."

Billboard also writes that over $30 million has already been spent on the festival's lineup, as most artists had already been paid. Festival organizers were concerned about the venue, Watkins Glen International Speedway, located in a remote area of upstate New York, being able to safely support a 100,000-person capacity event.

As previously mentioned, the Woodstock 50 site still reads that tickets will go on sale soon, although the organizers have yet to release an offical statement. Today, the Poughkeepsie Journal detailed the conflicting messages about the fest, including a note from the organizers that say it has not been canceled.

The three-day event was set to take place in Watkins Glen, New York on Aug. 16–18 to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the original Woodstock festival in 1969. The lineup boasted a range of big name acts including Jay-Z, The Killers, Miley Cyrus, Dead & Company, Imagine Dragons, Chance The Rapper and Santana.  

The unofficial 50th anniversary celebration to be held at the original fest's location at Bethel Woods is still set to take place during the same weekend, albeit in a smaller, non-festival format than originally announced. The 15,000 capacity venue sits on what was the farm where the first fest was held back in 1969 and has announced two nights of concerts with several '69 alumni.

GRAMMY-winning legends Santana will take to the Bethel Woods stage exactly 50 years after their breakthrough Woodstock performance, with the Doobie Brothers as part of their Supernatural Now tour.

Pieces Of Woodstock's Original Wooden Stage Are Now Collectibles

GRAMMYs

The Raconteurs

Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images

News
The Raconteurs Announce North American Tour raconteurs-announce-north-american-tour

The Raconteurs Announce North American Tour

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The band's first album in 11 years, 'Help Us Stranger,' drops on June 21
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Apr 8, 2019 - 2:00 pm

Shortly after revealing plans to release their first new album in 11 years, Help Us Stranger, the Raconteurs have revealed dates for an extensive North American tour. 

Kicking off on July 12 Detroit at the Masonic Temple Theatre, the Jack White-led troupe will roll through Seattle on July 18, Los Angeles on July 26, Washington, D.C. on Aug. 17, Nashville on Aug. 29 and 30, Manhattan on Sept. 6, and Brooklyn on Sept. 7 (and plenty more in between).

Get tickets via Ticketmaster here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv_0H1xl6yq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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A post shared by The Raconteurs (@theraconteurs)

Help Us Stranger arrives on June 21 and features two new songs, "Sunday Driver" and “Now That You’re Gone," which were released last December. Their last studio album, Consolers of the Lonely, came out in 2008.

The Raconteurs had previously shared that the album is mixed by GRAMMY-winning producer Vance Powell at Nashville's Sputnik Sound. Powell won the GRAMMY Award for the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for the band's previous album at the 51st GRAMMY Awards. 

Fans can now sign up for a limited edition vinyl LP now through April 30. More details at the Third Man Store. 

The Raconteurs Release Details On First Album in 11 Years, 'Help Us Stranger'

Wanda Jackson

Wanda Jackson

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage

News
Rockabilly's Wanda Jackson Stops Touring At 81 rockabillys-wanda-jackson-retires-performing-81

Rockabilly's Wanda Jackson Retires From Performing At 81

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The pioneer celebrated the unexpected step back from her tour schedule as "the beginning of a new chapter"
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 27, 2019 - 4:30 pm

Wanda Jackson shared "her retirement from performing" over social media on March 26. "This retirement is solely based on health and safety," her message read. "It has been a wild ride. Thank you all for all the years of continued fandom and support. This is not the end, just the beginning of a new chapter."

Born in 1937, by the time she graduated high school in Oklahoma City, Jackson had hosted a local radio show for years. Her stylistic range included pop, country and rockabilly and her friend and rock-mentor Elvis Presley encouraged her to follow his lead. Her outfits also helped establish a frillier side of country fashion. Jackson's eponymous 1958 debut album included her full range, but her cover in 1970 of Presley's "Let's Have A Party" set the direction of the public performances she continued until her retirement message, more than 60 years later.

https://twitter.com/wandajofficial/status/1095749957305409537

A rare vintage shot of the #wandawoman from 1956. Post your favorite #vintage #wandajackson photo to be featured as a #fanfavorite pic.twitter.com/BO9Og4BNbf

— Wanda Jackson (@wandajofficial) February 13, 2019

Wanda Jackson's 2011 album The Party Ain't Over was produced by Jack White, which followed the more stripped-down sound of her 2012 follow-up Unfinished Business. While her public appearances as a performer have come to an end, it is reasonable to believe this is an artist with more unfinished business ahead.

Robbie Robertson's Rock For The Ages

Jack White

Jack White

Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

News
Jack White Donates $10K To Restore Detroit Stadium jack-white-donates-10k-toward-detroits-hamtramck-stadium-restoration

Jack White Donates $10k Toward Detroit's Hamtramck Stadium Restoration

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A true baseball enthusiast and supporter, White's personal connection to the field's Detroit Stars is long-standing
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 6, 2019 - 1:57 pm

Jack White is among the Detroit natives who love their city's heritage and the game of baseball, so he's pitching in with $10,000 to help start a $50,000 crowdfunding campaign to restore his city's Hamtramck Stadium, a former local resource now one of few surviving fields from early black baseball history. Hamtramck hosted teams such as the Negro National League Detroit Stars and players such as Turkey Stearnes.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown blogged raves about Jack White's baseball acumen after his visit in 2014. "When Jack threw out a ceremonial first pitch in Detroit," they noted back then, "he wore a Stars jersey, out of respect to the Negro leagues team that called The Motor City home."

https://twitter.com/HamtownStadium/status/1102930657842466817

In case you missed it, @JackWhiteLive is helping us restore historic #Hamtramck Stadium! If we rebuild it, will you come? #Detroit #HistoricPreservation #NegroLeagueBaseball #JackWhite @nlbmprez https://t.co/q6eYfeuqIy pic.twitter.com/rQUiqKAHtU

— Hamtramck Stadium (@HamtownStadium) March 5, 2019

Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) and Piast Institute are behind the campaign and its plans to restore the playing area for community use, followed by restoration of the grandstand seating area.

"From its founding, the Piast Institute has focused on telling the story of Polish-Americans in Detroit and Hamtramck, which are intertwined with the stories of the historic African-American communities in both cities," said Piast Executive Vice President Virginia Skrzyniarz. "The revival of Hamtramck Stadium will be a living monument to Hamtramck’s legacy of diversity and tolerance."

Renowned names from the past, now in Cooperstown, that played on the field include Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and it was home field for Detroit Stars' Turkey Stearnes.

Supporters have until April 2 to raise the $50,000 needed. Contributions can be made at the campaign's Patronicity page. Success will be met with $50,000 in matching funds from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

In other news at the intersection of baseball and music, the GRAMMY Museum will open its new exhibit "Take Me Out To The Ball Game: Popular Music And The National Pastime"on March 14, accompanying the 2019 Major League Baseball season with a celebration of baseball's musical soundtrack

Jack White's 'Boarding House Reach' Reaches No. 1

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.