JD & The Straight Shot join Don Henley as special guests on his tour

JD & The Straight Shot – vocalist/guitarist Jim Dolan whose voice the New York Post calls “reminiscent of Tom Waits and Randy Newman,” guitarist/vocalist Marc Copely (B.B. King, Rosanne Cash), bassist Byron House (Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton) along with touring musicians guitarist JJ Appelton (David Bowie, Darius Rucker), percussionist Joe Magistro (The Black Crowes, Rich Robinson), violinist Mary Jo Stillip (Adele, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Sigur Ros), vocalist/guitarist Erin McCarley (Don Henley) – are hitting the road as Special Guests to Don Henley in support of their all-acoustic album Ballyhoo! Out now.

Produced by Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler, Miranda Lambert), Ballyhoo! Is steeped in the quiet fire of blues and roots music. The eleven lush tracks were written by Dolan, Copely and House along with Erin Slaver and Aidan Dolan, with additional contributions by Chris Carmack (who plays Will Lexington on TV’s Nashville) and Adam Levy (known for his work with Norah Jones and Tracy Chapman).

Roots music authority No Depression raves, “JD & The Straight Shot have written some really thought provoking and gripping songs; and this passionate and delicate treatment really makes them memorable, to the extreme.”

Frontman Jim Dolan explains that the decision to go acoustic on the band’s fifth record was a natural one. “We’ve always approached writing songs acoustically, so it made sense to go in that direction. They just sound right this way.”

The beauty of Ballyhoo!’s stripped-down instrumental approach is clear on the infectious tracks. From the swamp groove of “BetterFind A Church”  to the harmony-filled cover song “Nature’s Way,” Dolan’s love of classic rock songcraft shines bright.

Slide-blues album opener “Empty” tells the story of hitting rock bottom and climbing back up, while “Here He Comes” pays homage to the genius of Johnny Cash, “Glide” reflects on the pureness of childhood joy, and closing ballad “I’ll See You Again” offers a hopeful eulogy.

Having just toured with Jewel, JD & The Straight Shot have toured alongside luminaries such as the Eagles, Keith Urban, the Dixie Chicks, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Allman Brothers Band. JD and the band will head out with Joe Walsh on his ‘Walsh Toor’ through the U.S. this summer and recently performed on the “Today Show” and “Good Day New York.”

2016 Tour Dates

20 June         Sweden, Stockholm, Ericsson Globe

21 June         Amsterdam, Heineken Music Hall

25 June         Glasgow, The SSE Hydro

27 June         Manchester Arena

29 June         Ireland, Cork, Live at the Marquee

1 July             Ireland, Dublin, 3Arena