"Could You Be Mine?," the new song from rising singer-songwriter Billy Raffoul debuts today-listen/share it here. Of the track, Raffoul says, "'Could You Be Mine?' contains bits of some of the first songwriting I had ever done. Going back to when I was just a kid. This was also my first collaboration with MoZella, and one of my first with Mike Crossey." More music from Raffoul is to come as he continues to work on his forthcoming EP.
Most recently, Raffoul confirmed summer tour dates with NEEDTOBREATHE, which includes stops at Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater, Washington's The Anthem, Boston's Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Philadelphia's Festival Pier and more. Raffoul spent the past two years on the road sharing the stage with Kings of Leon, ZZ Ward, Mondo Cozmo,Judah & The Lion and more. Tickets are available at www.billyraffoul.com/tour. See below for complete tour details.
At just 23 years-old, Raffoul's signature sound is powered by his soulful voice and deep lyrics. "That's one thing for me-a song needs to be about something I've experienced or something someone close to me is going through," Raffoul says of his sources of inspiration. "I find myself going back to moments of time from the past, picking apart these little experiences and building them into bigger things. I want people to know that the songs are genuine, that they've been lived in."
Raffoul was fairly certain of what he wanted to do with his life from a young age. He grew up in a creative family in the small farming town of Leamington, Ontario. His mother is an artist, writer, and teacher and his father Jody Raffoul is a solo artist and hometown hero who has opened for everyone from Joe Cocker to Bon Jovi. Raffoul's earliest musical influences come from his dad. "The Beatles were like Jesus in our house," he recalls, adding that he also listened to soul singers like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. On his tenth birthday, Billy received a 'British Invasion'-inspired guitar with a Union Jack on its front from Jody and started teaching himself to play. By 16, had bought his first real guitar-a 1968 Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty. "It's the same model and year as the only one Jimi Hendrix was ever photographed playing," Raffoul says.
BILLY RAFFOUL LIVE
August 10-New Braunfels, TX-Whitewater Amphitheater*
August 11-Oklahoma City, OK-Zoo Amphitheatre*
August 12-Memphis, TN-Mud Island Amphitheater*
August 14-Rochester Hills, MI-Meadow Brook Hall*
August 15-Toronto, ON-RBC Echo Beach*
August 17-Washington, DC-The Anthem*
August 18-Boston, MA-Blue Hills Bank Pavilion*
August 19-Philadelphia, PA-Festival Pier*
August 21-Charlotte, NC-Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre*
August 22-Raleigh, NC-Red Hat Amphitheater*
August 24-Alpharetta, GA-Verizon Amphitheatre*
August 25-Nashville, TN-Ascend Amphitheater*
August 26-Indianapolis, IN-The Lawn at Great White River Park*
*Supporting NEEDTOBREATHE
Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels
Videos