As the Netherlands Government has now placed US Citizens on a 'Very High Risk' footing, five members of the band cannot enter the country without ten days mandatory quarantine, which is impossible for a touring group.
Sadly the dates there and in Belgium in November will have to be cancelled.
Sorry to all our European fans - this is really sad for us as we looked forward to these gigs finally happening this year.
Be safe, stay healthy!
Alan Gorrie has released a new four song EP,
Alan describes the project:
"The EP is entitled "The Blue Workshop" after the Perth Jazz/Blues/Soul club where Molly (Duncan), Roger (Ball), myself and Robbie McIntosh first met and jammed together in the mid - sixties, and which led eventually to the formation of AWB in 1971 - 1972 in London."
"A somewhat reflective collection of four tunes with some optimism and a bit of humour thrown in lyrically, it is a solo lockdown labour of love, with a couple of cool contributions from Joe Najmy (keyboards on Wait And See) and Cliff Lyons (horns and solo on Music - State Of Mind). Everything else is self - propelled with isolation preventing studio sessions with others"
The Blue Workshop is available on all streaming and download platforms.
Other tracks from the EP:
Two more Average White Band releases are coming to you on vinyl in August!
‘On The Strip – The Sunset Sessions’. To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of ‘Shine’, the album has been reconfigured to a longer 2LP edition that is pressed on clear heavyweight vinyl. It includes the singles ‘Let’s Go Round Again’ and ‘For You, For Love’, as well as ‘Whatcha’ Gonna Do For Me’. ‘Miss Sun’ also makes its long-awaited inclusion on the album.
‘Cupid’s In Fashion’ was originally released in 1982 and is now reissued on clear heavyweight vinyl. Includes the singles ‘Easier Said Than Done’, as well as the title track.
Order your copy: https://smarturl.it/AWB_clear_vinyl_4
Alan Gorrie has been putting his time off to good use!
He’s recorded a new song, a bit of “Eco-Soul” called “Take Me Back”. The single will be available on all your favorite streaming/download portals on Sunday, July 19. Here’s a little sample. Enjoy!
Friday, June 19th is the date for the North American digital release of Average White Band's AFTERSHOCK CD. This CD has never been available for streaming/download until now. Recorded in 1989, it features the reformation of AWB with special guest appearances by Chaka Kahn, Ronnie Laws and Alex Ligertwood. Available next 6/19/20 on all your favorite streaming and download services!
I want to wish all our friends, fans, colleagues and co – conspirators a very happy New Year 2020, in but a few hours from now. They say 2020 is a characteristic of hindsight, but we are looking for an onrush of foresight, as we say goodbye to what was for us possibly the most difficult year ever. Two major injury / illnesses and a couple of bereavements this past autumn rather derailed our cruise and caused the postponement of our UK /EU tour until May ’20. That, and the theft of three of our main instruments on the eve of London’s Royal Albert Hall concert in July, all add up to pretty comprehensive roadblocks, the likes of which we hope not to see again.
Nonetheless, the year had its highs to compensate these giant lows, and some of our memories of 2019 are happy ones, and were mildly - to - heroically triumphant in several cases. I have to congratulate the guys for pulling off five major US west coast concerts in my absence after I was hauled in for emergency eye surgery in Los Angeles and forbidden to move for weeks! By all accounts they were splendid, and it goes to show nobody’s indispensible, and everything’s possible when you have that caliber of stalwart musicians and highly trusted people in your ranks. Bravo, chaps and my heartfelt thanks, again. The aforementioned Albert Hall show also turned out to be a much – acclaimed and revelatory experience for us all.
So, we are cautiously optimistic that this new decade will dawn without storm clouds on its horizon for everyone we know, and those we haven’t yet met. May your celebrations be warranted, and may the hangover tomorrow be short and mild, especially if you’re having Scottish-style “Hogmanay” tonight! We are looking forward to a resumption of full-service AWB activities without hindrance, and as we say goodbye to several close and long–time friends & family that departed this past year, I am sure that there will be a lot of fun to be had in 2020 and beyond – some of it I hope you’ll share at AWB concerts coming up – and if the last show of 2019 was anything to go by, breaking a string as soon as I picked up my guitar just put the end-page seal of farce on what had been our 2019.
Once again, a very happy and prosperous New Year – and new decade – to you all, and, as brother Ray Charles sang, Let the Good Times Roll. Hail 2020, y’all.
A.G
We are saddened to learn of the passing of our old friend and tenor player, Molly Duncan.
He had a recent bout with cancer, and so one half of the "Dundee Horns" is with us no more. His was the world famous sax solo on Pick Up The Pieces, but apart from that, he was one of the funniest and most charming people you could ever meet. He was a founding member of the band - also from Dundee Art College, as are Roger Ball and Alan Gorrie - and will be sorely missed.
His son, Dan, was with him at the end, and our condolences are with him and other family members.
This has been a trying five weeks for the AWB collective, with not one, but two major surgeries among us – and one of our number sadly losing an immediate family member, to complete an unprecedented trio of dire and derailing situations.
The end result is that the UK / EU tour scheduled for this month has had to be postponed until next May, it being the earliest that all of the concert venues could re-accommodate us. We want to apologise to our fans who have tickets for these gigs (they remain valid for the May dates), and our greatest wish is that you can all make it to the rebooked shows next spring; promoters have even been able to add in a couple of new dates (see below).
Obviously, we are gutted to forgo this current mission, as it was looking like a bit of a victory–lap after our Royal Albert Hall show in July. All the hard work and heavy lifting had been done to prepare for that one, and we’ve planned the same concert programme for the rest of the UK.
In 47 years of travels together the band has never had to cancel a tour. We’ll rebound, however, and look forward to a fine run-out in May. Who knows – the weather may be better, summer will be coming, ...and so will Average White Band.
Thank you all for your patience. We will be back on the road in the States in October, and will see you in the UK and Europe in May!
The rescheduled 2020 UK dates are:
Sun. May 10: Perth Concert Hall
Mon. May 11: Aberdeen Music Hall
Wed. May 13: Glasgow Royal Concert hall
Thu. May14: Newcastle - Tyne Theatre
Sat. May 16: Minehead - Butlin’s Soul Festival
Sun. May 17: Bexhill - De La Warr Pavilion
Tue. May 20: Birmingham Town Hall
Wed. May 21: Guildford - GLive
Thu. May 22: Southampton - 02 Guildhall
And:
EU 2020:
Mon. May 25: The Hague – Paard Van Troje
Tue. May 26: Amsterdam Paradiso
Wed. May 27: Nijmegen - Doornroosje
Fri. May 29: Leuven – Het Depot
Tickets go on sale on Friday, 19th September. http://bit.ly/2O3TTsi
INSIDE OUT, AWB’s latest CD will be released tomorrow, Feb. 9th on all the download and streaming services: iTunes, AppleMusic, Spotify, Pandora, GooglePlay, Shazam, Deezer etc., etc.
The collection contains four new studio cuts-the first studio recording in fifteen years (that’s the “INSIDE” bit, get it?), and the “OUTSIDE” part is a live, 8-song set with an expanded horn section, recreating the original horn arrangements from the AWB, Cut The Cake, Soul Searching, Feel No Fret, Montreux '77, and Shine CDs.
So, if you're a fan from the original glory days, you will have those familiar pieces to enjoy - and if you are relatively new to AWB, the entire collection will give you a complete panorama of the old and the new in the band's repertoire.
Check it out, take your picks, and we will see you at some of this year's upcoming shows, for your comments and reviews. Enjoy!
Yes, we said that they would only be available at shows until 2018, but guess what? We have several dozen preview copies of the new AWB CD, "Inside Out" left over the tour. We've signed them and will make them available to anyone who acts fast. When these copies are gone, that's it until the official release in February.
Unfortunately, they won't arrive in time for Christmas, but what better way to cure those post-holiday blues than some brand new AWB music?
“AWB: Inside Out”, contains four new studio tracks, along with eight live tracks of classic AWB tunes, recorded with a five-piece horn section.
As we close out 2017 with our week-long residence at the Blue Note in Honolulu (jealous?) followed by our annual visit to Jazz Alley in Seattle (one of our favorite cities), we wanted to let you know about a couple of things to look forward to in 2018 (or maybe sooner if you’re lucky) . . .
First off, there’s the release by Demon Music Group of “Pick Of The Pieces: The Vinyl Collection” a five-LP box set, containing vinyl versions of “AWB”, “Cut The Cake”, “Feel No Fret”, “Soul Searching” and “Shine”. Each set also includes a print signed by Alan, Hamish, Onnie, Roger, Molly and Steve. This is a limited edition with only 500 sets available. This box set will be on sale January 26, and will be available for pre-order on Amazon within the next several days.
Also arriving in 2018 is our new release, “AWB: Inside Out”, containing four new studio tracks, along with eight live tracks of classic AWB tunes, recorded with a five-piece horn section. “AWB: Inside Out” will be released to the general public in early 2018, but you can pick it up now, if you come to one of our live shows.
Watch this space for more info.
Happy Holidays!
We're pleased to present the music video for our new single, "Harvest For The World". Thanks to Ronaldo Morais!