Happy Release Day to Jake Xerxes Fussell.

Happy Release Day to Jake Xerxes Fussell.

Well, so far 2022 looks as ragged as the last one, but as a wise man once said, “Never mind, we are ugly, but we have the music.” We appreciate your continuing support—in all forms—as we continue to navigate these sad waters with you. It’s a brutal time to run a label, or verily, to run anything.

Today our friend Jake Xerxes Fussell, pride of Columbus, Georgia and Durham, North Carolina, has released his exquisite fourth album. This is the tonic we require and deserve this harsh winter. Raise a glass and take a dram, friends. Turn your glasses over.

Good and Green Again finds the acclaimed folksong interpreter, guitarist, and singer navigating fresh sonic and compositional landscapes on the most conceptually focused, breathtakingly rendered, and enigmatically poignant record of his wondrous catalog. Produced by James Elkington (Jeff Tweedy, Michael Chapman, Steve Gunn, Nap Eyes, etc.) and featuring formidable players both familiar (Casey Toll, Libby Rodenbough) and new (Joe Westerlund, Bonnie “Prince” Billy), it includes Jake’s first original compositions; atmospheric arrangements with pedal steel, horns, and strings; and cover art by Art Rosenbaum.

Listen and buy the record below. Read more about the record here, and see below for some of the effusive critical acclaim it’s earned (so far), as well as tour dates, which begin today with a sold-out release show at the legendary venue and longtime PoB haunt Nightlight in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Stay warm, healthy, and lively, y’all.

$9.00 – $29.00

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9/10, Album of the Month. Good and Green Again is his most thoughtful, his most eloquent, and his most poignant explication of the idea … [that] for him a song is no older than the last time it was sung. – Uncut

4 stars; lead Filter review. Fussell’s the sort of folk singer who makes an art of picking the richest songs, honoring their cultural and historical contexts, and making something new and idiosyncratic out of them. He has the charm of the best bar raconteur, a storyteller who can sell fantastical yarns in a companionable way. – MOJO

[‘Love Farewell’ is] a heartbreaking song of love during war time that Fussell reinterprets and refreshes masterfully, his tender vocals and acoustic guitar turning the minimal source material into something rich and beautiful. — NPR Music

4 stars. A cohesive, brilliant collection… [of] breathtaking, empathic power. – Record Collector Magazine

Another spell-binding album from the inimitable Jake Xerxes Fussell. – Folk Radio UK

Equal parts earthy and ethereal, melancholic and hopeful, its nine songs also deliver several career superlatives for the Durham-based folk song interpreter, guitarist, and singer. – INDY Week

Fussell is creating his own legacy within the long lineage of traditional folk musicians and storytellers that have come before him. – The New York Times

So elegant … It’s relaxing in the way that pondering a Zen koan is relaxing, and sweet in the way that the wounded, honey-voiced blues of Mississippi John Hurt are sweet. – Pitchfork

Music that resides at the seams of Appalachia and the cosmos. – NPR

Deluxe LP edition features 140g virgin vinyl; heavy-duty board jacket with song sources, credits, & artwork by Art Rosenbaum; & high-res Bandcamp download code.
CD edition features gatefold jacket with LP replica art.
All preorders include an immediate 320k MP3 download of lead single “Love Farewell” (featuring Bonnie “Prince” Billy)
RIYL: Bob Dylan, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Ry Cooder, Bill Frisell, Dave Van Ronk, Michael Chapman, Jim Dickinson, Michael Hurley, The Youngbloods, Raccoon Records, James Elkington, Nathan Salsburg, William Tyler, Bonnie “Prince” Billy

Jake Xerxes Fussell 2022 Tour Dates

Jake is hitting the road in the US, UK, and EU, starting this weekend. Get those tickets now.

Sat. Jan. 22 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel w/Deau Eyes, Saw Black
Sun. Jan. 23 – Washington, DC @ Pie Shop w/Sam Moss
Tue. Jan. 25 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA #
Wed. Jan. 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory w/Allegra Krieger
Thu. Jan. 27 – Boston, MA @ Club Passim
Fri. Jan 28 – Keene, NH @ Nova Arts
Sat. Jan. 29 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Caffe Lena

Fri. Feb. 4 – Record Release Show: Chapel Hill, NC @ The Nightlight ^ (SOLD OUT) *postponed from Jan. 21 due to weather concerns*

Thu. Feb. 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers * (presented by Aquarium Drunkard)
Sat. Feb 19 – Santa Monica, CA @ McCabe’s Guitar Shop *
Tue. Feb 22 – Portland, OR @ The Old Church *
Wed. Feb 23 – Seattle, WA @ Fremont Abbey *

Sun. May 1 – Kilkenny, IE @ Kilkenny Roots
Mon. May 2 – Kilkenny, IE @ Kilkenny Roots
Tue. May 3 – Dublin, IE @ Bello Bar
Wed. May 4 – Belfast, UK @ Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
Fri. May 6 – Manchester, UK @ Gulliver’s
Sat. May 7 – London, UK @ Oslo
Sun. May 8 – Glasgow, UK @ Glad Cafe
Mon. May 9 – York, UK @ Fulford Arms
Wed. May 11 – Ultrecht, NL @ Tivoli (Club Nine)
Fri. May 13 – Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn
Sat. May 14 – Cologne, DE @ King Georg
Mon. May 16 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus
Tue. May 17 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso

^ w/ special guest Rosali
# w/ special guest Mike Polizze
* w/ special guest Tom Brosseau

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Jake’s self-titled 2015 album is a casualty of the current vinyl supply-chain shortages and manufacturing delays, but rest assured, we have an LP repressing in process, and you can purchase it now on backorder. All other Fussell titles are currently in print and shipping. Thank you for your patience as we navigate the Great Vinyl Doldrums of 2021–22.

Jake Xerxes Fussell Links