Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road are heading out west, for an extended tour of California, followed by even more shows in Ontario, before heading back to North Carolina at the end go March.
The keeper of the True Grass and Country Grass tradition and her band will hit several stops along the coast, starting tomorrow in Huntington Beach, before heading back for shows in central California, Las Vegas, and the Lake Havasu festival in Arizona. While out west, they will spend 4 days on the Danny Stewart Bluegrass Cruise, departing from Long Beach at the end of this month. From there it’s up north for ten days in Canada.
The California trip is especially meaningful for Carolina Road vocalist and guitarist Randy Graham, who got his start in bluegrass there 45 years ago with The Bluegrass Cardinals.
“I’m really looking forward to this, especially to see how the it grown and changed since the last time I was there, and when I was a kid. Folks find it hard to believe, but the southern California of my childhood was quite rural and agrarian… lots of large citrus groves, vegetable farms, cattle ranches, and dairies. A drive from Los Angeles to San Diego was mostly through open countryside. I doubt if we’ll see anything like that now.”
Jordan has promised to send us regular reports while they are gone, including news about the tour, and photos of the sights along the way.
She also tells us to be watching for their next single, Bill Monroe’s Old Mandolin.
“David Stewart writes songs that speaks to our love of traditional, first generation-inspired bluegrass. I think this just an incredibly well-written song and a perfect follow up to True Grass. Stay tuned we will be sending in tour updates as we roll along. This is going to be a lot of fun.”
You can find information on all the shows on the tour at the Carolina Road web site.
And keep an eye out for their travelogues here at Bluegrass Today.
