Travelling US roots singer-songwriter Otis Gibbs returns to the UK and Ireland from late June, through July and early August to promote his new album Harder Than Hammered Hell which continues his acute observations of the society around him and the people he’s met on his travels.
“The album title was inspired by experiences Otis had when he worked as a tree-planter in Indiana. Much of what he learned came from a 70-year-old friend/co-worker. The man would describe ground that is too hard to dig as, ‘harder than hammered hell’. He would also use the phrase when referring to a difficult job, or a particularly tough person. Otis found it a fitting metaphor for the difficulties of leading a creative life.”
Featuring Thomm Jutz on guitar, Mark Fain on bass, Paul Griffith on drums and Amy Lashley on vocals, plus Gibbs producing and Jutz engineering (their third time collaborating), Otis’ approach to making records is simple: ‘I’m silly enough to believe that I’m the world’s foremost authority on what an Otis Gibbs record should sound like. I tend to enjoy stripped-down arrangements that highlight the song and the vocal.’”
“Rougher of voice than a chain-smoking drill sergeant, Otis Gibbs’ big-hearted album of grizzled country-folk is a low-key pleasure…a satisfyingly bittersweet record for fans of hard-boiled Americana.” Guitarist Magazine (4 stars)
Listen to Otis performing Detroit Steel from his new album Harder Than Hammered Hell and catch him playing live at the venues below.
No shows booked at the moment.
