David Ford - Let The Hard Times Roll + March 2010 tour dates

British troubadour David Ford is set to release his third album Let The Hard Times Roll on April 20, 2010 via Original Signal Recordings.

Let The Hard Times Roll is Ford's third and boldest album, containing some of the most upbeat, rocking songs he's ever written, like the genuinely boisterous "She's Not The One."

Buy Music:

David Ford on amazon.com

David Ford on amazon.co.uk

The album represents the era in which it was created, so there's an underlying tension that runs throughout, as on opener "Panic," all strained nerves in its urgent bass groove, blistering electric guitar, and piano that keeps time like a wound clock; the pensive lament "Waiting For The Storm;" and dissatisfied barroom choral "Nothing At All." Already known for his searing political anthems ("State Of The Union" off 2006's I Sincerely Apologise For Any Trouble I've Caused; "Requiem" off 2008's Songs For The Road), the sultry, swaying backroom stomp "Surfin' Guantanamo Bay" and the solemn accordion and banjo-based elegy "Stephen" are among his most scathing and pointed indictments.

Yet relief and hope also weave through the album - in songs like the melodic, rolling ease of "Making Up For Lost Time" and the stately and inspiriting "Call To Arms" - which underline the fulfillment found in fundamental pursuits like love, friendship, honesty, music, and community. And there are a few love songs, too - the haunting, desolate beauty of fan favorite, piano and strings ballad "To Hell With The World" and the blithe swing of "Sylvia" - with charming, dark edges only Ford could pen.

In keeping with his reputation as a remarkable one-man band, Ford plays nearly every instrument on, produced, and engineered (with the help of James Brown, who's worked with Foo Fighters, Brendan Benson, Placebo) Let The Hard Times Roll, in addition to writing all the string arrangements and designing the artwork. The album was recorded throughout all of 2009 in a variety of settings, although not one of them a studio. All but one track were laid to tape in an industrial estate empty unit in Eastbourne, England; the concise, homesick "Missouri" was recorded in a room at the Rodeway Inn motel in Warrensburg, MO, while on a solo tour in 2008. Bits and pieces of piano parts and chorus vocals were also captured in a former convalescent hospital's family quarters in southern England.

Ford's distinction as a one-man band is well earned: his live show - which consists of him, an array of instruments, and a loop-generating machine - earned incredulous live reviews during his 2008 tours with Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Aimee Mann, Bell X1, and Augustana.

His live, one-take performance video of "Go To Hell" (from Songs For The Road) became a viral sensation, with hundreds of thousands of views to date and coverage in New York Magazine's Approval Matrix, AOL Music's Spinner blog, AM New York, and - even more than a year after the video's release - PasteMagazine.com.

Watch "Go To Hell" video:

Ford will head back out on a three and a half week headlining tour beginning March 3rd at the World Café Live in Philadelphia, PA, and wrapping up March 26th at Union Hall in Brooklyn, NY.

And he will, of course, be playing on his own: "I will be flying solo with as many machines and boxes of noise as the United States will allow me to bring within her borders. I enjoy the challenge of putting on the most elaborate musical performance possible within the limitations of two hands, two feet, the standard international airline baggage allowance and the available trunk-space of a reasonably priced rental car." Full itinerary below.

David Ford tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

March 2010

MAR. 3 PHILADELPHIA, PA WORLD CAFÉ LIVE
MAR. 4 NEW YORK, NY LE POISSON ROUGE
MAR. 5 ASBURY PARK, NJ THE SAINT
MAR. 6 PIERMONT, NY TURNING POINT
MAR. 9 TORONTO, ONT THE DRAKE HOTEL
MAR. 10 LONDON, ONT THE LONDON MUSIC CLUB
MAR. 12 CHICAGO, IL SCHUBA'S
MAR. 13 MADISON, WI THE PATIO (UWI)
MAR. 15 LOUISVILLE, KY ZANZABAR
MAR. 16 ATLANTA, GA EDDIE'S ATTIC
MAR. 18 RALEIGH, NC SIX STRING CAFÉ
MAR. 19 NORFOLK, VA ATTUCKS THEATER
MAR. 20 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA THE SOUTHERN
MAR. 21 ARLINGTON, VA THE IOTA
MAR. 23 NORTHAMPTON, MA THE IRON HORSE
MAR. 24 BOSTON, MA PASSIM'S
MAR. 25 PHILADELPHIA, PA WORLD CAFÉ LIVE
MAR. 26 BROOKLYN, NY UNION HALL

For the latest music, tour dates and more, go to:

David Ford Official Website
David Ford MySpace
David Ford on Twitter

Search for CDs, Mp3s, more: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk