The second single from the album ‘River Fools and Mountain Saints’ (out on March 25th via Thirty Tigers), ‘River Fool‘ tells the tale of a well-known character in Southfork, Kentucky, who could be found playing his guitar in the middle of any body of water available to him. The story of this local inspired one half of the title for Noe’s upcoming record which is a portrait of life in contemporary Appalachia, reflecting on members of his community – a soldier who passed away, or a pot-dealer who lives at the foot of the mountains – as well as the natural disasters that are known to sweep through the region. Ian Noe brings a bigger and brighter tone to this record compared to his debut ‘Between The Country‘ – with a mix of country rock and folksy Appalachian ballads.
Recently touring with the late John Prine, Noe worked with producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Margot Price) in Nashville on the record. “The fact that I got to work with him is surreal to me after all these years later… romanticising the sound he’s getting here and the name of the place — The Bomb Shelter,” Noe declares. Noe expanded his sound with the help of band members including “Little” Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs) on bass and Derry deBorja (Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit) on keys.
