Edith Grove & Bottle Tree: News

Just wanted to mention that we've gotten some wonderfully supportive press lately. Check out the Press page for quotes and links to articles. Also keep an eye out for the October issue of Albuquerque the Magazine...we just recently did an interview and photo shoot with them.

Wow, what a fabulous release party! Thanks to all the folks that packed the Press Club to the gills and thanks to the musicians who joined us in celebration. We're lookin' at you Johnny Burns, Rivet Gang, Dave, Catherine and Richard!

We have a bunch of new reviews and article links up in the Press section so you can see what other folks have to say about Highway of Diamonds. We'll get a photo gallery from the release party up on online shortly.

We're pleased to announce that Johnny Burns has signed on to play a half hour solo set to kick off the festivities. Johnny was John Prine's guitar player for many years, co-wrote songs with Prine and played on some of his most famous albums (like Bruised Orange). He's a top notch songwriter and guitarist and it will be a lot of fun to hear him. A rare opportunity to catch a great songwriter live!

We're flexing our fingers, adjusting our guitar straps and talking amongst ourselves...the CD Release Party for Highway of Diamonds is just a couple weeks away on August 18th at the Press Club. San Fran band Merch had to drop out, but we've still got the Rivet Gang on board!

In the meantime, if you just can't wait...Highway of Diamonds is available on iTunes. Just look it up!

AMERICANA BAND EDITH GROVE RELEASES SECOND ALBUM,
“HIGHWAY OF DIAMONDS”
New album by mostly female band features cello and vocal harmonies on 12 songs that explore the gritty roads and whiskey-laden back lanes of Americana music.
Recorded by Brett Sparks of the Handsome Family at Handsome Family Studios in Albuquerque, NM, “Highway of Diamonds” finds Edith Grove filtering their rock, country and folk roots through Amanda Kooser’s distinctively lyrical songwriting lens. Her original songs share the stage with two reworked traditionals: “Man of Constant Sorrow” and “Rye Whiskey.” Themes of travel, heartbreak, trains and whiskey flow across the album and tie the songs together.

Edith Grove explores the borders of Americana by revisiting the tale of Romeo and Juliet in “Lovers Always Run Before the Clock” and stretches across the ocean and time to retell the story of Hitler’s clairvoyant in “Fire Eater.” In “Jonas” a young man finds his fate at the hands of an infamous hanging judge in the 1800s in Arkansas. It’s an updated take on the old genre of the murder ballad.

Guest musicians fill in on pedal steel, violin, banjo, dobro and blues harp, adding layers to songs like “Rye Whiskey” and “Darlin’.” Flowing cello lines and Kooser’s world-weary voice are etched across every song. Ultimately, “Highway of Diamonds” searches for solace in the sound of train wheels on metal and seeks hope and redemption between the lines of the road.

“Highway of Diamonds” will be celebrated with a release party at the Albuquerque Press Club on Friday, August 18th. Edith Grove will be joined by local favorites the Rivet Gang. Admission is free and music starts at 7 PM.
Photos, interviews and further information available on request.

Oh yep, Edith Grove had a blast checking out the recent Handsome Family CD release at the Launchpad...sounded great, guys! Thanks also to Jenny Gamble and Shelley Barratt for sharing the gig at Ralli's earlier this week. Nice sets! We'll aim to do it again soon.

We're starting to crank up the ol' promotional machinery for the Aug. 18th launch of Highway of Diamonds. Woo-hoo! Should be fun and we get to debut our fabulous new bass player.

Oh yeah, here we go: Highway of Diamonds will get the shindig 'n' hootenanny we've been threatening to throw on August 18th at the Albuquerque Press Club. San Francisco touring band Merch and local faves the Rivet Gang will join us in the lineup. We might even make this do double duty as our delayed Annual Edith Grove Mardi Gras Party '06. More details to come!

We seem to have a lot of weather questions lately. For starters, what's up with this raging heat rampage? Setting records on Sunday? Yikes, let's cool it down, New Mexico.

We've been teasing you with setting an actual official CD release party. The album is available through a few outlets, including CD Baby, but we want to have a real shindig to celebrate. Soon, soon.

In the meantime, we went to check out old time/bluegrass band extraordinaire Sweet Sunny South at the Botanic Gardens this past week. Yep, they rocked. Go check them out.

Hey, what happened? Did we blink and miss spring? Feels a bit on the summer-y side of things around here. Those nasty spikey weeds with the lovely delicate purple flowers are breaking through the ground at the Edith Grove Ranch.

Amanda had a delightful time at the Sundown House Concert this past weekend and thanks everyone for the big turnout.

Amanda just had a poem titled "Ice Storm" published in the prestigious Harwood Anthology. It's a collection of New Mexico poets released by Old School Books of the Harwood Art Center. It's an outstanding book, so check it out.

Email is working just fine now, so go ahead and send your love letters, advice, suggestions, requests, demands, etc. We also have t-shirts available online through the BUY page. We'll get some pictures up soon so you're not flailing about in the dark as to what they look like.

We're in the midst of bass audtions and you lovely folks will be the first to know when we bring someone on board.

We've had some hitches in the email service of late (thank you, Microsoft) and we're switching over to different provider. It could take about a day to sort out, so if you email us and don't hear back, please try again. Sorry for the inconvenience!

We just got a shipment of sweatshop-free Highway of Diamonds t-shirts in, we'll try to get some pics posted up soon...we'll figure out a way to offer them through the web site as well as at shows. We highly recommend our t-shirt makers: Acme Prints.

Why don't you tiptoe over to the MUSIC page and give a listen to a couple of sneak preview tracks from Highway of Diamonds. We have MP3s and lyrics for Slow It Down and Darlin'.

We also tallied the death toll for Highway of Diamonds. The body count is 86. Most of those are from one song, Jonas, about an outlaw and hanging judge in the 1800s in Arkansas.

Here's the album cover. Can you spot the chicken?

Well, folks, we've got some copies of Highway of Diamonds on hand now. Look for us to set an official release date for this spring. We will also soon have t-shirts on the way. The very talented Andre Monserrat at Rogue Factor is designing a new Edith Grove logo and shirts.

We're also up on SonicBids with our online electronic press kit: Edith Grove EPK.

We just received the design proofs for Highway of Diamonds and we're going to give them a good run through. In the meantime, Amanda is still flush with excitement from a trip to see the Stones in Vegas. She is now eyeing that silver sparkleflake electric guitar that's sitting in the corner. Hmm...could Edith Grove go electric? What would Gina think? Would Suzanne invest in a wah-wah pedal for her cello? Stay tuned...

Woot, ya'll. Mastering is done and the CD is on its merry way for art design and manufacturing. Hmm, art design. Might it involve a DeSoto? Or a chicken? Or both? How do we get the chicken to hold still? Trade secrets, my friend, trade secrets. But it helps if you speak poultry. An oddball collection of gigs and appearances are coming up quick, so check the Calendar and we'll see ya round town.

Okay, enough of the freezing night temperatures already. Edith Grove huddles around the sole gas heater at the Edith Grove Ranch and waits for the sun to heat up the back rooms. You might wonder just what goes on at the Edith Grove Ranch. Do they raise cattle? Some other more insidious form of livestock perhaps? We're not at liberty to discuss exactly what goes on here, but we can say that it may involve cat herding. But we're not confirming details at this time.

Here is what we can tell you: we have finished mixing Highway of Diamonds and are handing it off for mastering by Ysidro "Sid" Garcia at Sight 16 Studios.

We're zipping along in the new year with the album mixes nearly finalized. Everyone is back in town after scattering around during the holidays. Our honorary fifth band member, Lucinda the '56 DeSoto, is feeling peppy and reports that she is enjoying the mid-50s temps and is looking forward to cruising up Highway 14 to Santa Fe in the near future. We always try to accomodate her requests since sitting in the driveway of the Edith Grove Ranch hour after hour can become tedious.

Ah, winter in New Mexico. It's a bone-chilling 58 degrees today. Edith Grove is frolicing about en masse in a field of yellow daisies while bluebirds sing songs about flutes made from the bones of murdered princes. Heart-warming, isn't it? Actually, we're all ensconsed separately in dark rooms pouring over the mixes for Highway of Diamonds.

Happy holidays to all. If'n you're in Albuquerque, stop by on New Year's Eve at the Press Club where we will be enjoying the dulcet tones of one of our favorite americana bands...the Rivet Gang.

...back at the Edith Grove Ranch, the band is ensconsed in quiet discussions amidst the red painted walls, concert posters and Indonesian masks. Outside, a chill breeze flutters the dead grass and Albuquerque hunkers its shoulders against the oncoming night. A small black cat watches with raven eyes from her perch atop the mantle.

Mixing the new album is well underway and a tentative March release timetable is set. Today, Albuquerque. Tomorrow, Socorro. The day after that, Belen. And then, if we're still feeling peppy...the world. In the meantime, there are new photos up on the Photo page.

Don't tell anyone, this is entirely under the table. There are a couple sneak peeks uploaded to the music page. No saying how long they will be up there.

From music journalist Kevin Hopper in the Albuquerque Journal Venue supplement in his Backstage Pass column:

IN THE THICKET: Local folk unit Edith Grove has been hard at work recording the follow-up to its 2003 debut "Cravin' Love for Blazin' Speed." I just got word that though a completion date is still on the horizon, it has decided on a title: "Highway Of Diamonds." Taken from Bob Dylan's 1963 controversial composition "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," it's a promising
sign from a band that keeps its promises. The upcoming disc will have 12 or 13 tracks and will include guest performances from local pedal steel and dobro man Dave Gutierrez and his cohort Eric Johnson on banjo.

It's been a busy transition between October and November. The Albuquerque nights have a distinct chill to them and the mulberries are finally surrendering their reddened leaves to gravity.

We've settled on a title: Highway of Diamonds. If you don't recognize the reference, you could probably google it pretty easily.

Amanda says howdy to all the Shidoobees she met over the weekend in the LA area. Nice drinkin' with you folks!

We're heading into mixing the album and narrowing down album titles. We have guest musicians Dave Gutierrez (on pedal steel and dobro), Eric Johnson (banjo) adding their talents to the project.