Iconic singer, songwriter, guitarist, and ALICE IN CHAINS co-founder Jerry Cantrell has announced a North American tour, beginning on March 24, 2022, in support of his soon-to-be-released solo album, “Brighten”. Tickets go on sale on Friday, August 27 at 10 a.m. local time.
The trek kicks off at the legendary First Avenue in Minneapolis and will wind its way across the country hitting major cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Los Angeles, to name a few.
Jerry Cantrell Tour 2022 Dates:
Mar. 24 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Mar. 26 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
Mar. 28 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
Mar. 29 – Toronto, ON – History
Mar. 31 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
Apr. 02 – Atlantic City, NJ – Music Box @ Borgata
Apr. 03 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre Of Living Arts
Apr. 05 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Apr. 06 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live
Apr. 08 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live
Apr. 09 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Apr. 10 – Charlotte, NC – Fillmore
Apr. 12 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
Apr. 13 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
Apr. 15 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Apr. 17 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Apr. 19 – New Orleans, LA – Fillmore
Apr. 21 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Apr. 22 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theatre
Apr. 23 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
Apr. 25 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
Apr. 27 – Denver, CO – The Summit
Apr. 28 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
May 01 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
May 02 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
May 04 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
May 05 – Los Angeles, CA – Belasco Theatre
May 07 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues
May 08 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues
Late last month, Cantrell returned with “Atone”, the first single from “Brighten”. The song’s accompanying video was creatively directed as a group effort by Jerry; photographer/musician Jim Louvau; singer/guitarist Greg Puciato; visual artist Jesse Draxler; and photographer Tony Aguilera.
Right from the start, the album opener’s riff rolls like a runaway freight train underscored by cinematic twang. As the momentum builds, he intones the hummable hook before a psychedelic break, and a hard-hitting hook evocative of the album’s incendiary spirit. The video is a perfect accompaniment to the song as it is a compilation of black-and-white footage of Jerry playing the song in outdoor locations such as Joshua Tree, the Salton Sea, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. It was creatively directed as a group effort by Jerry; photographer/musician Jim Louvau; singer/guitarist Greg Puciato; visual artist Jesse Draxler; and photographer Tony Aguilera.
Talking about “Atone”, Jerry said: “As a fan of Ennio Morricone scores and Sergio Leone movies, it’s got a bit of that outlaw vibe, with a cool psycho hillbilly stomp. It’s been kicking around in my head for like 20-plus years, haunting me. Sometimes it takes a while for a good idea to find its best form. Such was the case with ‘Atone’.”
The veteran rock artist delivers by offering up another dimension of his recognizable guitar sounds while at the same time featuring his signature vocals.
“I’ve been in the band for almost 34 years now,” says Jerry. “It’s always my first and foremost commitment, but it’s nice to explore different things and add another chapter to a growing body of work. After the last AIC tour wrapped, I geared my mind towards the possibility of making another record of my own.”
Over the past year, Jerry co-produced “Brighten” with film composer Tyler Bates (“300”, “John Wick”) and long-time engineer Paul Fig. Reflecting a classic spirit, they welcomed a dynamic cast of supporting players, including drummers Gil Sharone and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney), pedal steel master Michael Rozon, Vincent Jones on piano, Wurlitzer, and organ. Other rock legends added to the fun of this LP, including Duff McKagan (GUNS N’ ROSES) on select bass tracks, Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) handling all of the background vocals and Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) overseeing the mixing of “Brighten”. Together, they recorded eight originals and the LP closes with an approved-by-Elton John cover of his classic “Goodbye” as the finale.
“‘Madman Across The Water’ is one of my favorite records of all time,” Jerry exclaims. “Out of respect to Elton, I wouldn’t include it unless he said it was okay. He’d played piano on ‘Black Gives Way To Blue’, which I wrote for [late ALICE IN CHAINS singer] Layne [Staley], so I reached out to Elton, he listened to it, and told me ‘You should absolutely use it.’ I got the signoff by the man himself. I couldn’t think of a better way to close the record!”
Cantrell played a pair of sold-out solo shows in Los Angeles joined by an eclectic group of musicians and friends, several of whom appear on “Brighten”.
“It was fun to play tunes I hadn’t performed in years from ‘Boggy Depot’ and ‘Degradation Trip’,” Jerry continues. “Tyler Bates not only introduced me to a lot of cool players, he also helped me put the band together for the shows, and performed with me.”
“Brighten” spawned from those gigs.
“It was like an old-school ’70s record where a multitude of musicians played,” smiles Cantrell. “So it’s not a set band. I got to make music with a bunch of people I never had before, along with friends like Duff, Tyler and Gil who I’ve worked with previously.”
Jerry‘s expansive sonic palette incorporates everything from moments of moody organ and powerful pedal steel to the cathartic choruses and airtight riffs which is the hallmark of Cantrell‘s sound.
To commemorate its release, “Atone” will be available in multiple configurations including a 12-inch vinyl single with a B-side that includes an exclusive instrumental version (with glow in the dark packaging), 180-gram heavyweight vinyl and a blood red colored vinyl exclusive to the Jerry Cantrell webstore. Each “Atone” vinyl single purchase includes a red flexi disc, red pick set, and an instant download of the song.
“Brighten” is available for pre-order everywhere now and will be offered in an exclusive bone with gold splatter color 180-gram vinyl via Jerry‘s webstore. Limited signed CDs will also be available in the webstore for pre-order.
“Brighten” track listing:
1. Atone
2. Brighten
3. Prism of Doubt
4. Black Hearts and Evil Done
5. Siren Song
6. Had To Know
7. Nobody Breaks You
8. Dismembered
9. Goodbye (Elton John cover)
The cast of players on “Brighten”
- Jerry Cantrell / Guitar, bass, vocals, keys
- Greg Puciato / Background vocals
- Duff McKagan / Bass
- Gil Sharone / Drums
- Abe Laboriel Jr. / Drums
- Tyler Bates / Strings, percussion, guitar
- Vincent Jones / Piano, keys, & strings
- Jordan Lewis / Piano
- Michael Rozon / Pedal steel
- Lola Bates / Background vocals
- Matias Ambrogi-Torres / Strings
