British singer-songwriter Bobby Long has scheduled a series of shows that will take him through to the end of the year as he plans for the release of what will be his fourth album. He is nearing completion on the recording of the album in New York, with the process interrupted by periodic U.S. shows and a lengthy tour of Europe. The 19-city "Renegade" European tour in early summer took him to cities all over Germany plus Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic along with his friend and fellow musician Sam Bradley as support.
Long's new album is being funded by his second successful PledgeMusic campaign. Collaborating with New York-based musician Jack Dawson, with whom he worked on his 2011 EP, THE BACKING SINGER, the new album promises to comprise a diverse collection of styles and songs. "I think it is a lot more psychedelic than my previous records and influenced by The Beach Boys, The Beatles and ELO," he explains. "We've been working on it bit by bit because of people's schedules, but that allows us to breathe in between sessions and come back to it fresh each time. The producer, sound engineer and I have let it naturally take shape." Attendees at his recent shows in the U.S. and Europe have been receiving a taste of some of the new songs. Long, whose catalogue includes three full CDs and an EP, has recently published his second collection of poetry called Losing My Misery, which follows Losing My Brotherhood, published in 2012. Known for his hauntingly poetic lyrics, writing poetry is a natural sidebar to his songwriting. Losing My Misery, infused with candor, raw emotion and his signature wry humor, is at once brash, funny and heartbreaking, exposing the writer's foibles as well as his poignant insights into the human condition.Videos