Buy “The Great Despiser” from iTunes

Buy “The Great Despiser” from Amazon

Sampler Track Listing (press play above to listen):

1. Hymn #101
2. Nation of Heat
3. Not So Sure
4. How Good You Are
5. Dodging the Wind

Current Tour Dates
For Tickets to any of the shows Click Here

April 20 Dallas, TX–Club Dada (Supporting Jason Isbell)
April 21 Austin, TX–The Parish
April 22 Oklahoma City–Blue Door
April 24 Albuquerque, NM–Low Spirits
April 25 Phoenix, AZ–Crescent Ballroom
April 26 San Diego, CA–The Casbah
April 27 Los Angeles, CA–The Satellite
April 29 Pioneertown, CA–Pappy and Harriet’s
April 30 Santa Cruz, CA–Crepe Place
May 1 San Francisco, CA–Bottom of the Hill
May 3 Vancouver, BC–The Media Club
May 4 Portland, OR–The Doug Fir
May 5 Seattle, WA–The Crocodile
May 6 Pullman, WA–Bell Tower
May 9 Boise, ID–Neurolux
May 10 Salt Lake City, UT–Kilby Court
May 12 Denver, CO–The Bluebird
May 13 Kansas City, MO–Record Bar
May 14 St. Louis, MO–Off Broadway
May 15 Iowa City, IA–The Mill
May 16 Madison, WI–Frequency
May 17 Minneapolis, MN–7th Street Entry
May 18 Chicago, IL–Lincoln Hall
May 19 Chicago, IL–Lincoln Hall
May 20 Bloomington, IN–The Bishop
May 22 Columbus, OH–Rumba Cafe
May 23 Cleveland, OH–The Beachland Tavern
May 24 Pittsburgh, PA–Club Cafe
May 25 Ann Arbor, MI–The Blind Pig
May 26 Toronto, ON–The Horseshoe Tavern
May 27 Ottawa, ON–Mavericks
May 29 Boston, MA–Brighton Music Hall
May 30 Philadelphia, PA–Johnny Brenda’s
May 31 New York, NY–Bowery Ballroom
June 2 Washington DC–9:30 Club
June 3 Charlottesville, VA–The Southern
June 4 Chapel Hill, NC–Local 506
June 5 Charlotte, NC–Evening Muse
June 6 Atlanta, GA–The Earl
June 8 Houston, TX–Fitzgerald’s

Today we’re releasing a live album recorded at Lincoln Hall in Chicago last spring. It’s seventeen songs- from Nation of Heat, In the Meantime, and Messenger- played with the band to our hometown crowd. Our live show has defined us for the last three years. If you subscribe to these emails, there’s a good chance you’ve caught one yourself. So we had the whole night properly mixed and mastered, and we’re offering it up at our website for only for 5 bucks.

In a few months we’ll release our next studio album, The Great Despiser. There are plenty of new songs to come, plenty of new shows to be played, and a whole new chapter that we look forward to in its due time. But it’s been quite a wait since the last album, so here is Live at Lincoln Hall. It’s what I consider to be a proper document of our last three years. Damn it’s been fun.

Yrs in music,

Joe

Buy Joe Pug–Live at Lincoln Hall from directly from us for $5 here
Buy Joe Pug–Live at LIncoln Hall at iTunes here

Track Listing:

1. Nobody’s Man
2. Lock the Door Christina
3. I Do My Father’s Drugs
4. Messenger
5. In The Meantime
6. Unsophisticated Heart
7. How Good You Are
8. The Door Was Always Open
9. Disguised As Someone Else
10. Hymn #101
11. Deep Dark Wells
12. Hymn #35
13. Call It What You Will
14. Nation of Heat
15. Speak Plainly Diana
16. Leave Ruin (Strand of Oaks)
17. Dodging The Wind

Friends,

Thanks to everyone who caught a show on our epic, two-month sojourn across the country this spring. Your support and appreciation helped us through the marathon.

I’m pleased to let you know that we just finished recording a new album. We had the great fortune of spending the last few weeks with producer Brian Deck in Chicago. I can’t wait for you to hear the fruits of our labor. We’re not sure of the exact release date yet, but we have some good surprises in store until then. More on that in next month’s newsletter.

Meanwhile, see below for a few things we’ve been up to, including some free music, a new video, and some fantastic photos of the last tour.

There’s a few festivals on our upcoming calendar, and a string of shows in the pacific northwest in September. I’ll also be playing in Austin, TX this weekend. Maybe we’ll see you there.

Thanks, as always, for your support.

-Joe Pug

Video for Speak Plainly Diana

Check out the new video for Speak Plainly, Diana, which we put together with footage we shot over the last year. It’s not a very glitzy affair, but a good snapshot of our life on the road.

Free Music

If you weren’t able to catch the last tour, someone was good enough to record the show in Chapel Hill from April 11th. You can listen to the whole thing, and download it for free here.

Jim Bennett Photos

One of our favorite photographers, Jim Bennett, came out to shoot the Seattle show in May, and captured some great behind the scenes stuff, along with some gorgeous shots from the show itself. Take a peek at them here.

Facebook Update

We’re now completely up and running on the new facebook page. Check it out, and “like” the page to keep up with the latest.

Tour Dates

8/13 Austin, TX –Threadgills
8/26 Woodstock, VT–Suicide Six (supporting Levon Helm)
8/27, 8/28–Ottawa, ON–Ottawa Folk Fest
9/4 Seattle, WA–Bumbershoot
9/5 Bellingham, WA–The Green Frog
9/7 Spokane, WA–The A Club
9/9 Portland, OR–Music Fest NW @ The Aladdin (supporting Horse Feathers)
9/10, 9/11 Sisters, OR–Sisters Folk Festival
10/13 Houston, TX–The Mucky Duck
10/14 Utopia, TX–Utopia Music Festival
10/17 Burlington, VT–Higher Ground w/ The Low Anthem
10/21 Boston, MA–Somerville Theater w/ The Low Anthem

Lastly, if you’d like to pick up the CD or vinyl of Joe’s albums, you can find it all at the online store. Both albums are also available on iTunes.

Most importantly, thanks for checking out the music. Make sure to check out the upcoming tour dates too!

We’re very excited to have Strand of Oaks joining us for the spring tour this year. As a way to whet your appetite a bit, we each took a turn covering a song by the other. I recorded a song called “End in Flames”, and Strand of Oaks covered “Hymn #101″. You can download both for free below. Hope you enjoy the songs, and look forward to seeing everyone soon!

March 31 Austin, TX–Mohawk**
April 1 Houston, TX–Mucky Duck**
April 2 Dallas, TX–The Loft**
April 3 Knoxville, TN–Rhythm and Blooms Festival
April 5 Asheville, NC–The Grey Eagle**
April 6 Atlanta, GA–The Earl**
April 7 Birmingham, AL–Workplay**
April 8  Nashville, TN–The Basement**
April 9 Charlotte, NC–The Evening Muse**
April 11 Chapel Hill, NC–Local 506**
April 12 Charlottesville, VA–The Southern**
April 13 Washington, DC–The Black Cat**
April 14 Philadelphia, PA–Johnny Brendas**
April 15 Brooklyn, NY–The Rock Shop**
April 16 New York, NY–The Mercury Lounge**
April 18 Boston, MA–Middle East Upstairs**
April 19 Williamstown, MA–House Show**
April 20 Toronto, ON–The Horseshoe**
April 21 Buffalo NY–9th Ward**
April 22 Cleveland, OH–Beachland Tavern**
April 23 Pittsburgh, PA–The Club Cafe**
April 26 Columbus, OH–Rumba Cafe**
April 27 Champaign, IL–The Canopy Club**
April 28 Bloomington, IN–The Bishop**
April 29 Chicago, IL–Lincoln Hall**
April 30 St. Paul, MN–Turf Club**
May 1 Madison, WI–High Noon Saloon**
May 2 Iowa City, IA–The Blue Moose**
May 3 St. Louis, MO–Off Broadway**
May 4 Lawrence, KS–The Bottleneck**
May 6 Denver, CO–Hi Dive**
May 7 Colorado Springs, CO–Fuel/Friends House Show
May 8 Salt Lake City, UT–Kilby Court**
May 10 Pullman, WA–BellTower**
May 11 Bellingham, WA–The Green Frog**
May 12 Vancouver, CAN–The Media Club**
May 13 Seattle, WA–Tractor Tavern**
May 14 Portland, OR–The Doug Fir**
May 15 Willamina, OR–Wildwood Hotel**
May 17 San Francisco, CA–Bottom of the Hill**
May 18 Santa Cruz, CA–The Crepe Place**
May 19 San Diego, CA–The Casbah**
May 20 Los Angeles, CA–The Satellite** (formerly Spaceland)
May 21 Tempe, AZ–The Sail Inn**
May 22 Albuquerque, NM–Low Spirits**
May 24 Oklahoma City, NM–The Blue Door**

**with Strand of Oaks

If you’re insulted by the songs they loop on the radio all day. If you’re
tired of your parents repeating the phrase “music meant something in my day” with baseless contempt. Here’s a chance to do something about it…

I want you to give my music away.

The thing is, there’s no subsidiary of Viacom shoe-horning my latest single onto radio playlists. There’s no carefully worded advertisements assaulting you at the bus-stop. There’s no ringles.

You heard about my music from a friend. Simple as that. Which means you listen to music because of its substance, not its convenience. And that’s precisely why I’m asking for your help.

Think of some likeminded friends who haven’t heard my songs. Then let me know how many sampler CDs I should send you to give to them.

All I need…

Name
Mailing Address
Email Address
How many CDs you want.

Send the requests to nationofheat@gmail.com

Thanks for your interest, thanks for your help…

-Pug

I’m happy to announce that we’re expanding the no-fee ticketing to the entire spring tour. Now it’s still not perfect….we’re only allowed a small number of tickets for most of the shows, but we’re constantly working with promoters and venues to expand the number of tickets we can offer up with no-fees, and if all goes well on this first national rollout, we should be in a good position to offer a larger number of tickets for the fall tour.

In the meanwhile, get em while the gettin’s good and same yourself some cash….