Tift Merritt Announces Additional Tour Dates

This summer Tift Merritt will tour with Gaslight Anthem throughout the Northeastern U.S.; please see below for a list of dates.

Tift's busy spring continues with the release of Markings, an official limited edition Record Store Day 12", onApril 20. The LP features three unreleased tracks and an acoustic version of the title track of her latest albumTraveling Alone. The LP is packaged with hand-made silkscreened artwork, ready for framing. Tift will also be featured on an upcoming episode of "Last Call with Carson Daly" airing April 2.

Tift's most recent releases-Traveling Alone (Yep Roc Records) and Night (Sony Classical), the latter a collaboration with classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein-are available now and have both received critical praise. Of Traveling Alone, The New York Times notes "the touch of sweet sadness in Tift Merritt's voice has rarely served her better" while TIME raves that "Merritt's achingly beautiful country-tinged tunes hark back to the musical work of Joni Mitchell, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Leonard Cohen." Of Night, NPR Music says that "the songs...are of the introspective, after-dark variety, perhaps best heard alone by candlelight" and The Huffington Post calls it "a ferociously ambitious CD." Furthermore, Tift and Simone were recently featured together on NPR's "Weekend All Things Considered," which can be heard at http://n.pr/ZeoGUD.

Tift Merritt lives in New York City with her husband and longtime collaborator Zeke Hutchins. Her debut albumBramble Rose came out in 2002 and she has since released three full-length albums and two live records. Merritt has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, performing with artists including Iron & Wine, Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris. Her 2004 release Tambourine was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Album as well as three Americana Music Awards. Tift is also beginning her fifth year as the host of monthly interview show "The Spark" for NPR/KRTS Marfa, TX Public Radio; guests on the show have included Emmylou Harris, writer Nick Hornby, artist Kiki Smith and singer-songwriter Roseanne Cash.

TIFT MERRITT TOUR DATES

* with Simone Dinnerstein

† with Gaslight Anthem

April 4 (two shows) Durham, NC Duke Performances*

April 5 Gainesville, FL Univ. of Florida*

April 6 Tampa, FL Straz Center for the Performing Arts*

April 7 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Broward Center

April 11 Minneapolis, MN Dakota Jazz Club*

April 12 Chicago, IL Old Town School of Folk Music*

April 17 Bainbridge Island, WA Tree House Cafe

April 18 Seattle, WA Triple Door*

April 19 Saratoga, CA Montalvo Arts Center*

April 27 Richmond, VA Capital Ale House

April 28 Wilkesboro, NC Merlefest

May 2 Washington, DC The Hamilton*

May 4 Phoenix, AZ Musical Instrument Museum*

May 11 Napa, CA Bottle Rock Napa Valley

May 19 Norfolk, CT Infinity Hall

May 25 Old Saybrook, CT Katharine Hepburn Theater

June 8 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel†

June 9 Huntington, NY Paramount Theatre†

June 10 Norfolk, VA The NorVa†

June 12 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small's Theatre†

June 13 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's†

July 12-14 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival

July 16 Aspen, CO Aspen Music Festival*

July 19 Denver, CO Swallow Hill Music

July 20 Telluride, CO Telluride Americana Festival

July 21 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room

July 28 Newport, RI Newport Folk Festival

August 2-4 Happy Valley, OR Pickathon