Chris Shiflett Shares L.A.-Meets-Nashville Country Rocker 'Dead And Gone'

04-26-2023

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(IVPR) Chris Shiflett turns out another L.A.-meets-Nashville country rocker "Dead And Gone". A full album is due out later in 2023 and Shiflett just announced on the initial Americanafest lineup.

"It's kind of classic country chords," says Chris Shiflett about his brand new tune "Dead And Gone." He's not wrong, but it's so much more than that. The two-step-ish feel is there, as are the sweet dobro playing of Charlie Worsham and the swampy tremolo guitar tones of Tom Bukovac, but a wildly fuzzy electric guitar fills the space between Shiflett's slightly overdriven and doubled vocal lines. He stomps on another pedal for his solo that splits his guitar into three whole octaves of in-your-face chicken pickin' licks. That's country, for sure, but it's also very rock and roll. The first song he tracked with Jaren Johnston (The Cadillac Three) producing, "Dead And Gone" touches on some old friends of Shiflett's who, as the first verse goes, "Passed away, just another Saturday night mystery." "My hometown was an odd mix of luxury paradise and working-class grit and continues to be a bottomless pit of lyrical inspiration," says Shiflett. "Sad to say there's been more than a few friends who've left us too soon, so there are lots of stories there...kind of a lost generation."

Written spring 2020, recorded spring 2021, and played live ever since, "Dead And Gone" is the second look into a brand new Chris Shiflett album due out in 2023 via his new label home at Blue Élan Records, the Los Angeles-based independent label celebrating its 9th anniversary this year. Fans will hear more about the Jaren Johnston-produced LP in the coming months but can count on hearing an album that represents Shiflett's fully-realized vision of connecting L.A. to Nashville. "A big part of my inspiration to work with Jaren on this record was because I knew he'd push me out of my comfort zone into new territory," Shiflett says. Fans can also check out the first track from the upcoming album, "Black Top White Lines," at this link.

In addition to the release of "Dead And Gone," Shiflett was just announced as part of the AMERICANAFEST 2023 lineup. The long-running event takes place in Nashville on September 19-23.