Joe Bonamassa tears up the road around new album >> Tour dates and concert ticket info >> LiveDaily

Joe Bonamassa tears up the road around new album

Published June 7, 2007 04:06 PM

By Kym Kilgore / LiveDaily Contributor

Blues-rock guitarist/singer Joe Bonamassa [ tickets ] is beyond busy this year with a slew of US and UK tour dates underway and a new album due in August.

Bonamassa is currently making rounds on the East Coast and will spend July and the beginning of August playing blues, jazz and rock festivals in Europe. He'll be back in the US at the end of August and has gigs scheduled all over the country through November. US dates are listed below, while overseas shows can be found at Bonamassa's website.

The guitar virtuoso's seventh solo album, "Sloe Gin," is due out on his own J&R Adventures label Aug. 21. In a statement, Bonamassa said the set--which reteams him with producer Kevin Shirley (Joe Satriani, Led Zeppelin)--is different than anything he's ever done before.

"The songs are more refined, and I was concentrating on them as a whole rather than only thinking about a 50-bar guitar solo," Bonamassa said. "Also, singing is a bigger part of it for me than ever before, and it's awesome to have that space--to connect with fans on a musical and lyrical level."

The set, which will follow last year's "You and Me," ranges from acoustic to heavy blues numbers. It includes several originals along with the Chris Whitley-penned "Ball Peen Hammer," the Ten Years After classic "One of These Days," Paul Rodgers' "Seagull," the John Martin classic "Jelly Roll," Charles Brown's "Black Night," and a version of the Bob Ezrin/Michael Kamen-penned "Sloe Gin" that clocks in at eight-plus minutes.

Bonamassa began playing guitar at age 4 and toured with legendary bluesman B.B. King by the time he was 12, according to his bio. He went on to work with guitar greats including Buddy Guy, Danny Gatton, Robert Cray and Stephen Stills.

At age 30, Bonamassa is the youngest member of the Blues Foundation's Board of Directors and is a spokesperson for the organization's Blues in the Schools program. The musician was also recently named Best Blues Guitarist in Guitar Player Magazine's 2007 Reader's Choice Awards.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

June 2007
6 - Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse
7 - Buffalo, NY - The Tralf
8 - Columbus, OH - The LC Pavilion
9 - Piercy, CA - Redwood Run
11 - Torrington, CT - Warner Theatre
12 - Newport, RI - Newport Blues Cafe
13 - Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center
14 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rivers Art Festival
15 - Struthers, OH - The Cellar
16 - Deansboro, NY - MKJ Farm

August 2007
27 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theatre
29 - Utica, NY - Saranac Brewery
30 - Harrisburg, PA - Sunoco Performing Theatre
31 - Kettering, IL - Fraze Pavilion at Lincoln Park Center

September 2007
1 - St. Marys, OH - KC Geiger Park/Riverside Bluesfest
2 - Rockford, IL - On The Waterfront Festival
3 - Indianapolis, IN - Military Park
6 - Apple Valley, MN - Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater
7 - Springfield, MO - Greater Ozark Blues Festival
8 - Clearlake, IA - Surf Ball Room
13 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
14 - Telluride, CO - Telluride Town Park
15 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre
20 - San Francisco, CA - Palace of Fine Arts
21 - Grants Pass, OR - Rogue Theater
22 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theater
23 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
26 - Oroville, CA - Feather Falls Casino
29 - Henderson, NV - Event Plaza
30 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern

October 2007
3 - La Cruces, NM - Rio Grande Theatre
5 - Stafford, TX - Stafford Centre
6 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
7 - Arlington, TX - Cowboys Arlington
19 - Rockville, MD - Robert Parilla PAC
20 - Staten Island, NY - St. George Theater
21 - Collingswood, NJ - Scottish Rite Auditorium
25 - New York, NY - B.B. King's Blues Club
26 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Hall
27 - North Hampton, MA - Academy of Music
30 - Muncie, IN - Emens Auditorium/Ball State University

November 2007
1 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
2 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
3 - Milwaukee, WI - Pitman Theatre/Alverno College
5 - Green Bay, WI - Oneida Casino
6 - Wausau, WI - Grand Theatre on Artbrook
14 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
15 - Morristown, NJ - Community Theatre
16 - West Hampton Beach, NY - Westhampton Beach PAC
17 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penns Peak
30 - West Palm Beach, FL - Kravis PAC