Seattle singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato is premiering his highly anticipated, eighth studio album, Hospital Handshakes last week on Billboard.com. The record will be released on Tuesday, April 21st on No Sleep Records and can be pre-ordered now at iTunes and No Sleep records website.
“This is the most exciting creative project I’ve been a part of in nearly a decade,” Votolato tells Billboard.com. “I knew I needed to push some boundaries and reinvent things for myself to keep it interesting. It feels urgent and impulsive to me and I’m glad I was able to find people to work with that I trusted and embrace a real spirit of collaboration. It was really important to me not to over-think things on this record. I’m really happy with how it turned out and with the energy that we captured on it.”
Votolato’s latest effort was produced by former Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla (Tegan and Sara, The Decemberists) and features a slew of Seattle guest collaborators, including his brother Cody Votolato on electric guitar (The Blood Brothers), Eric Corson on bass (The Long Winters), Andy Lum on drums (Craft Spells/My Goodness) and Casey Foubert on Aux instrumentation (Sufjan Stevens).
On eleven tracks, Votolato bares his soul to fans with candid songs about traumatic experiences and the long road to redemption. Soul-stirring tracks like “The Hereafter,” “Hospital Handshakes” and “The Finish Line,” wrench with heartache and pain yet shimmer with glimmers of hope and resurrection. The end result is a stunningly beautiful record and another impressive addition to his celebrated catalog.
Votolato is currently performing secret, intimate shows for fans across the country on his “Living Room Tour.” Tickets are available now at his website.
“Hospital Handshakes is a bona fide indie-rock masterpiece” – Alternative Press
Rocky Votolato Tour Dates:
April 21 – Santa Rosa, CA
April 23 – Portland, OR
April 24 – Seattle, WA @ The Freemont Abbey (Album Release Show)
[Photo By: Amber Zbitnoff]
