Social Distortion has set a date. Their first new album in six years, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, will hit stores January 18th. The first single from the effort, "Machine Gun Blues," will be released on iTunes on November 9th.
After years of working with various producers in the studio, Mike Ness took on the duty for the first time with their new album. "It's something I've always wanted to do," Ness explains. "I love being on that side of the board. Even though I've co-produced all of our records, I always was there for everything. It just came to a point where I was like 'I think I want to try this, I want to do this ourselves.' By being at the helm this time allowed so much more focus for me to the fine details of every aspect of it, whether it was performances, or tones, or arrangements, backing vocals....everything."
According to Epitaph Records, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes builds on singer Mike Ness' twin footings, one in the haunted American landscapes of Hank Williams and the other in the raw swagger of Exile-era Rolling Stones. While these twin pillars have always been behind Social Distortion's anthemic songs, on Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes they come roaring to the fore, in one of the hardest rocking, most soulful, albums of Ness' career.
Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes Track Listing:
01. Road Zombie
02. California (Hustle and Flow)
03. Gimme The Sweet And Lowdown
04. Diamond In The Rough
05. Machine Gun Blues
06. Bakersfield
07. Far Side Of Nowhere
08. Alone And Forsaken
09. Writing On The Wall
10. Cant Take it with You
11. Still Alive
Social Distortion Tour Dates:
Oct 19 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Oct 20 - Chicago, IL - Riviera (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Oct 21 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Oct 23 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Oct 24 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Oct 26 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Oct 28 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Oct 29 - Philadelphia, PA - The Electric Factory (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Oct 30 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 1 - Boston, MA - House of Blues (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 2 - Portland, ME - State Theatre (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 4 - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 5 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 6 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live! (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 8 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 9 - Knoxville, TN - Valarium (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 10 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 12 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 13 - Miami Beach, FL - Fillmore Miami Beach (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 14 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 16 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 18 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheatre (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 19 - Houston, TX - House of Blues (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 20 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 22 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 23 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre (w/Lucero & Frank Turner)
Nov 24 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre (w/Lucero & TBA)
