Make plans to join us at Grimey’s on Thursday, February 12th at 4:00 PM for an intimate instore peformance & album signing with The Lone Bellow! We’ll be celebrating the release of their new album and Soundly Music debut, What a Time to Be Alive. This special performance falls just one day before their album drops, so not only do you get to enjoy a performance by The Lone Bellow but you’ll be able to meet the band and then take their new record home with you before a day before the album drops! You can preorder your copy of the album now on limited edition green colored vinyl or CD and score a wristband for the band’s post-performance signing. Wristbands are required for those 13+ and also guarantee your entrance to the event. (Kids under 12 don’t require a wristband if attending with a wistband-holding adult.) Read more about our upcoming event on our site here.

The Lone Bellow’s sixth studio album, What a Time to be Alive is more than just a self-portrait; it’s also the start of a whole new journey. With founding trio Williams, Brian Elmquist, and Kanene Pipkin along with drummer Julian Dorio and multi-instrumentalist Tyler Geertsma, the songs are earnest and poignant, full of ruminations of innocence, loss, and the mysteries of love, and the performances are rapturous to match, balancing raw, rock and roll swagger with tender, folk sincerity. While much is familiar — the band’s trademark lush harmonies and infectious hooks haven’t gone anywhere — it’s impossible not to sense the new horizons at play, to feel the palpable chemistry fueling these blissful, freewheeling celebrations of the human spirit in all its mixed-up, bittersweet beauty.

When it came time to write What a Time to be Alive, the band started in Henderson, KY, where producer Peter Barbee had converted an abandoned firehouse into a recording studio. There, they tapped into the playful energy of their soundchecks on the road, improvising a series of instrumental beds they could later write lyrics to. They headed to Muscle Shoals, AL next, to record the new material, tracking the foundation of each song live in the same room together before splitting off for intensive vocal and harmony workshopping. “We wanted to shake things up and try a new approach this time around,” says Elmquist, who took the lead in producing the album. “People just sat at whatever instrument they were feeling, and then we’d jam until we had a song. It felt like we were teenagers again playing in a garage, which is a magical thing for a band that’s 15 years into their career.”

The band soon hit a devastating twist of fate not long after when their van was broken into while out on tour, and amongst their equipment, gear, clothes, and other valuables, lost the hard drive that stored all their new recordings. The theft immediately set them back to square one with the album. When word got out, the band’s diehard fanbase stepped in, raising enough funds to replace their stolen equipment and get the group back into the studio within hours. It was a humbling experience that motivated them to push even harder, be more honest and brave and present, and record their best album yet for their devoted community of fans that have supported them over the past decade. What a Time to be Alive is a testament to the enduring bonds their music has forged, both on the stage and in the audience.

What a Time To Be Alive is available to preorder here on limited edition green colored vinyl LP (available exclusively at indie record shops) and on CD. Preorders are limited to total of FOUR TOTAL per customer / household. For each album preordered, you’ll receive a wristband such that two LPs preordered = two wristbands, one CD preordered = one wristband, etc. All who place preorders in advance will receive an email with preorder pickup and event details on or by the day before our event.

After the performance portion of our event, The Lone Bellow will sign albums for wristbanded attendees. Wristbands are required for the signing for all 13+ and guarantee entrance to our event. (Wristbands are not required for kids 12 & under attending with a wristband-holding adult.)

Preorders placed for local, event pickup will be available starting at 11:00 AM on Thursday, February 12th the day of our event with The Lone Bellow.

Event preorders for store pickup will be held for three months after the event date. Please pick up your copy of What a Time To Be Alive no later than May 12th.