With his critically acclaimed new album ‘Last of the Better Days Ahead’ now available on LP as well as CD and digital formats, US folk legend Charlie Parr has announced a 2022 European Tour, including an extensive run of UK & Irish dates. We recently raved about Charlie’s new record, describing it as “a pretty idiosyncratic kind of album, for all the simple, accessible musical formats and genres keeps its collective feet firmly on the ground. But that’s ultimately its strongest point, too.”
‘Last of the Better Days Ahead’ is the first release for Parr on Smithsonian Folkways, the non-profit record label of the Smithsonian Institute. The label is home to a diverse roster of contemporary artists such as Our Native Daughters and Kronos Quartet and also preserves and releases historical recordings from artists like Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Elizabeth Cotten and more.
Born and raised in northern Minnesota, Charlie Parr first grabbed a guitar at age 8. To date, he has never had a formal lesson, but over the course of a prolific career spanning 13 full-length albums, the Duluth virtuoso has earned a passionate following for his strikingly candid songwriting and stage presence. As his PR says: “These are songs from the iron country. They are tales from the paper mill. You can hear the fisheries and the Boundary Waters. In Last of the Better Days you are met by someone who prizes quiet reflection over hustle and who shuns distraction for a long walk in the woods.”
Parr recently unveiled an animated video for current single ‘817 Oakland Avenue’ directed by Seattle illustrator/animator Drew Christie which you can see below.
Parr’s vast knowledge of traditional Folk & Blues and renditions of his own songs and those from the folk repertoire, not to mention his fingerpicking on his trademark resonator guitar, have earned him a worldwide fanbase and a reputation as one of the best roots musicians to catch live.
CHARLIE PARR LIVE, MAY 2022
Wed 4 Bristol – Exchange
Thurs 5 Cork – Winthrop Ave
Sat 7 Dublin – Soundhouse
Mon 8 Belfast – The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
Wed 10 Glasgow – The Glad Cafe
Wed 11 Newcastle Upon Tyne – The Cluny 2
Thurs 12 London – The Lexington
Sat 14 Brighton – West Hill Hall
Sun 15 Forest Row – Hop Yard
Tues 17 Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
Weds 18 Sheffield – The Boardwalk
Thurs 19 Manchester – Gullivers
Fri 20 Birkenhead – Future Yard
Sat 21 Abergavenny – The Chapel
Sun 22 Norwich – Norwich Arts Centre
Tickets available from charlieparr.com/shows
