Alt-country/folk singer John Moreland recently surprise-released his great new album Visitor, a stripped-back, primarily acoustic album that followed two electronics-infused LPs, and now he has a music video for standout track “Gentle Violence” premiering in this post. The video was made by Rahul Chakraborty and it stars Jonah Lewis and Drew Pollock as a father and son dealing with addiction and substance abuse, with a storyline that runs parallel to the song’s own themes, which John says is about “a strained relationship with a loved one, in the hyper-political post-pandemic USA. The tension and sorrow around the tough relationship are a microcosm of the tension and sorrow we feel as citizens of this broken world.”
Rahul Chakraborty adds, “John Moreland’s genius songwriting allowed me to incorporate elements of magical realism within the story, oftentimes conveying emotional states while allowing the audience to interpret the experience independently. The story itself demanded an incredibly intimate approach, so for most scenes we kept the camera at a distance and had minimal setups to create our world- giving our actors the grace to let their craft shine.” The song and video are a powerful combo, and you can check it out below.
Along with the release of the video, John is encouraging fans to donate to Tulsa’s Zen Recovery organization, a nonprofit “that provides weekly addiction recovery support meetings (called Zen & the Art of Whatever Works) and sober community events. Radical recovery with a patchwork approach – Religion free, judgement free, harm reduction-focused and inclusive.”
John also announced new tour dates for September/October, including shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Nashville, and more. This Saturday (5/11), he plays NYC’s Brooklyn Made with Ken Pomeroy. Tickets are still available. All dates are listed below.
John Moreland — 2024 Tour Dates
Tue, 5/7 – Washington DC – Miracle Theatre ^
Thu, 5/9 – Ardmore, PA – The Ardmore Music Hall ^
Fri, 5/10 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios ^
Sat, 5/11 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Made ^
Thu, 5/30 – Spring Green, WI – Shitty Barn – SOLD OUT ^
Fri, 5/31 – Evanston, IL – SPACE ^
Sat, 6/1 – Evanston, IL – SPACE ^
Sun, 6/2 – Minneapolis, MN – The Cedar Cultural Center ^
Tue, 6/4 – Bloomington, IL – Castle Theatre ^
Wed, 6/5 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark ^
Fri, 6/7 – Madison, IN – Red Bicycle Hall ^
Sat, 6/8 – Glasgow, KY – The Grove ^
Thu, 9/5 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever *
Fri, 9/6 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever *
Sat, 9/7 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel *
Wed, 9/11 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom *
Thu, 9/12 – Seattle, WA – Neumos *
Sat, 9/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room *
Tue, 9/17 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theater *
Fri, 9/27 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom *
Tue, 10/8 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
Thu, 10/10 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
Feb 28 – Mar 7, 2025 – Cayamo Cruise
* w/ Justin Bloss
^ w/ Ken Pomeroy