(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- The Scottish Rite Auditorium presents Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band on Wednesday, August 7, 2024. The five-time-Grammy-nominated guitarist is renowned for ushering American roots into the contemporary era. Doors are at 6:30pm, showtime is 7:30pm.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd's latest studio album, ‘Dirt On My Diamonds Volume 1’, was released in November 2023 via Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group. Birthed from the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, this project chronicles Shepherd’s journey of musical evolution, touching on stories of loss, redemption, and memorable melodies, all crafted by an elite team of songwriters. As Shepherd himself describes it, “Every record I make is a moment in time. And this is a really special moment.”
The album’s lead single, “Sweet & Low,” encapsulates modern urban influences blended with traditional blues undertones, bringing together the quintessence of Shepherd’s musical expertise. The track offers a fresh perspective on the old-fashioned courting ritual, emphasizing the irresistibly captivating groove. Shepherd recalls, “People I’ve played the album for, they consistently have the biggest reaction to that one.
Tickets range from $49.50 – $89.50 and are available for purchase online. The Scottish Rite Auditorium is located at 315 White Horse Pike in Collingswood, New Jersey.
Since the release of his debut album, 1995’s ‘Ledbetter Heights,’ this multi-platinum bandleader still sounds like the future of the blues. Approach ‘Dirt On My Diamonds Volume 1’ expecting autopilot twelve-bars and you’ll instead be thrown a volley of curveballs, from the modern urban edge of “Sweet & Low” to the speaker-tearing production from Shepherd and his partner-in-sound of recent years, Marshall Altman. “Working with Marshall, it’s like any productive relationship,” considers the guitarist. “We put our strengths together and push each other.”
Throughout, as the album title suggests, the grit and emotional honesty of these new songs is prized above guitar pyrotechnics (even for one of the modern scene’s most valuable players). Of the ‘Dirt On My Diamonds’ guiding philosophy, “Life has imperfections, and I actually prefer it that way. The imperfections are what make it interesting.”
"Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 2" will be released in September 2024. "I Got A Woman" is the first single from the album.
The Scottish Rite is one of the largest auditoriums in South Jersey. Voted one of the “150 Best Buildings and Places” by the American Institute of Architects in the 2011 AIA New Jersey Guidebook, the property rests on eight acres of land and comprises two separate buildings. The largest building is a five-story structure that houses the Collingswood Grand Ballroom and the 1,050 seat Scottish Rite Auditorium. The Scottish Rite Auditorium presents over twenty concerts per year by notable performers and bands such as America, Gordon Lightfoot, and Kansas to name a few. Musician David Crosby calls the stage “the coolest place I ever played!”
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