Today is the official release date for Plant and See! Pick up your copy here or from your favorite discerning local record shop. If you’re in the area(s), please join us at one of our release party events, featuring the Paradise of Bachelors Soundsystem and DJ pals:

+ TONIGHT: Tuesday, July 3rd at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, PA, featuring DJ Mental Feelings, DJ Bloodfaceman, DJ Mary Mare Lattimore (NC rep!), DJ Spacin’ Jason, DJ Hiding Place, DJ Max Milgram, and DJ Mikey Polizze

+ Friday, July 6th at Bowbarr in Carrboro, NC, featuring the Paradise of Bachelors Soundsystem, All Day Records DJs, and M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger

+ Saturday, July 7th at Lumbee Homecoming events in and around Pembroke, NC (We’ll be at the LRDA Powwow, in the parade, and at the Dark Water Rising “Red, White, and Boom” party at Locklear Winery in Maxton)

At noon on Friday, July 6th, tune into WUNC’s The State of Things to hear a tribute to Willie Lowery and a discussion of the Plant and See album with Malinda Maynor Lowery, M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger (who wrote this beautiful 2008 oral history of Willie for Southern Cultures), the band Dark Water Rising, and Bachelor Brendan Greaves. Keep listening to NPR on Saturday, July 7th to hear Joel Rose’s national story on Plant and See and Lowery. We’re honored and grateful to NPR for all the enthusiastic coverage.

Indian Country Today posted this piece on the Plant and See reissue, which serves as a preview to their forthcoming article in the magazine. The Fayetteville Observer will run an article tomorrow, on July 4th, but in the meantime, here’s Mike McCray’s Observer blog post about Plant and See.

Finally, in honor of Independence Day, and the forthcoming 42nd anniversary of the event, please enjoy Ed Buzzell’s beautiful photos of the Love Valley Rock Festival, which was held in the Western-themed town of Love Valley, North Carolina in July 1970. Plant and See, by then renamed Lumbee, opened for the Allman Brothers on July 17th at that concert, going on to tour with the legendary band.

We wish there was surviving footage of Lumbee’s Love Valley performance, but in lieu of that, there is this video of the Allmans at Love Valley:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joafeJQ890A&w=420&h=315]