For Immediate Release           

February 3, 2012

NPR IS EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST SYNDICATION PARTNER

“A vaudeville night that combines music and literature, resulting in one of the finest nights of entertainment this city has to offer.”—The New Yorker

 “Inspired silliness…the audience roared in delight.”—Wall Street Journal

Musician/author John Wesley Harding once again brings his Cabinet of Wonders back to New York’s City Winery for a 3-show residency on February 4, March 10 and April 28. Drawing together collaborators from the worlds of music, literature and comedy, the Cabinet of Wonders features Harding curating, hosting and performing with a number of hand-picked artists in a variety show format. The February 4 show features Edie Brickell, Eugene Mirman, Tom Perrotta, the Punch Brothers, Josh Ritter, Haley Tanner, Sarah Vowell, and the Spinto Band performing alongside John Wesley Harding and the English U.K. Participating artists in the upcoming March and April performances include musicians A.C. Newman, Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Sondre Lerche and Meg Baird (Espers), authors Colson Whitehead, Rick Moody and Megan Reilly and comedians Fred Armisen, Reggie Watts and Janeane Garofalo. “I wanted to bring together my novel writing friends (who mostly envy my musician friends) and my musician friends (who mostly envy my novel writing friends) under one flag,” says Harding. “The fact is: I like everyone who’s performing.” Additional artists to be announced, line-ups are subject to change.

The Cabinet of Wonders is joining together with NPR to record, broadcast and exclusively distribute the show beginning this spring. Recorded live at City Winery this past winter and airing in six one-hour episodes, NPR’s “Cabinet of Wonders” features an exciting mix of musicians, authors, comedians and other artists including Ted Leo, Josh Ritter, Craig Finn, Nicole Atkins, comedy from Eugene Mirman and John Hodgman, and readings from authors Patrick McGrath, Colson Whitehead and Rick Moody among many others.

The Cabinet of Wonders premiered in the spring of 2009 to packed houses in New York City presenting a diverse lineup of performers. Many talented artists have joined in. Past collaborators include Andrew Bird, Colin Meloy, Rosanne Cash, Jonthan Ames, Daniel Handler and Patton Oswalt. The Village Voice calls the Cabinet of Wonders “a brilliant evening of laid-back fun,” while Time Out New York compares it to “an awesome mythological beast…another fantastic hybrid creation.”

Since his critically acclaimed 1990 debut Here Comes the Groom (lauded by the LA Times as “the first great rock record of the `90s”) John Wesley Harding has recorded 18 records for both major (Sire, Hollywood) and independent (Mammoth, Rhino, Appleseed) labels alike, with his most recent release The Sound of His Own Voice (Yep Rock Records) being hailed as “Wes’ most exciting album ever” by Magnet and “first-rate folk-rock” by the Utne Reader. His novels have been published by Little Brown and Picador in the U.S.

See http://www.jwhcabinetofwonders.com/ for additional info.

An amazing deal on The Sound Of His Own Voice. It’s now available via Amazon for $5.

I’ll put that link BIG STYLE here so you don’t miss it. And I’ll also EMBED it here.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-His-Own-Voice/dp/B005J2A1NK/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpd_1/184-0933436-9782031

And if by any chance you already own this work, do feel free to tell your friends about it.

What’s coming up? I’m just about to announce some dates in the august company of Joe Pernice and Rick Moody.

And don’t forget some amazing Cabinets. The first one, this saturday, is sold out, but you can get tickets to the others:

here here and of course here

They all differed slightly, but this is a good standard example.

I’d like to thank The King Charles Trio for an amazing tour. The Bellhouse in Brooklyn was filmed, and there are plenty of photos floating around the Facebook page. My best Thanksgiving wishes to all!

Not only is it my mother’s 66th birthday, but SING YOUR OWN SONG is Amazon’s Free MP3 of the Day.

Get it HERE! And please let everyone else know they can get it too.

with my very best wishes

wes

Hear a new John Wesley Harding song “Live From the Library” every day leading up to the release of The Sound of His Own Voice 10/11

John Wesley Harding fans excited to get their hands on his upcoming album The Sound of His Own Voice can stream a track off the album each day leading up until its release on 10/11. Starting today on Amazon, fans can watch exclusive acoustic videos of Wes playing each song live in his library at home. It will stay up for 24 hours before the next song takes its place. You can visit John Wesley Harding’s Official Amazon Artist Page (linked right there) each day to watch the videos according to the schedule below:

9/28 – “Sing Your Own Song”

9/29 – “I Should Have Stopped”

9/30 – Captain Courageous (On Disko Island)”

10/1 – “I Might Be Dead”

10/2 – “Uncle Dad”

10/3 – “The Way We Weren’t”

10/4 – “There’s A Starbucks (Where the Starbucks Used to Be)”

10/5 – “The Colloquy of Mole & Mr. Eye”

10/6 – “Gentleman Caller”

10/7 – “Calling Off the Experiment”

10/8 – “The Examiners”

10/9 – “Good News & Bad News”

10/10 – “The World in Song”

Hear a new John Wesley Harding song “Live From the Library” every day leading up to the release of The Sound of His Own Voice 10/11

John Wesley Harding fans excited to get their hands on his upcoming album The Sound of His Own Voice can stream a track off the album each day leading up until its release on 10/11. Starting today on Amazon, fans can watch exclusive acoustic videos of Wes playing each song live in his library at home. It will stay up for 24 hours before the next song takes its place. You can visit John Wesley Harding’s Official Amazon Artist Page (linked right there) each day to watch the videos according to the schedule below:

9/28 – “Sing Your Own Song”

9/29 – “I Should Have Stopped”

9/30 – Captain Courageous (On Disko Island)”

10/1 – “I Might Be Dead”

10/2 – “Uncle Dad”

10/3 – “The Way We Weren’t”

10/4 – “There’s A Starbucks (Where the Starbucks Used to Be)”

10/5 – “The Colloquy of Mole & Mr. Eye”

10/6 – “Gentleman Caller”

10/7 – “Calling Off the Experiment”

10/8 – “The Examiners”

10/9 – “Good News & Bad News”

10/10 – “The World in Song”

THE SOUND OF HIS OWN VOICE
OUT OCTOBER 11 ON YEP ROC RECORDS

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE CABINET OF WONDERS
VARIETY SHOW AT NYC’S CITY WINERY

“A renaissance man”—The New Yorker

“A gifted songwriter, singer and novelist”—Wall Street Journal

“Harding’s strength lies in his pointed lyrics and biting humor…he shares his cynical observations through catchy, amusing melodies.”—NPR “World Café”

Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding is set to tour the U.S. this fall with the all-star King Charles Trio, whose lineup includes John Moen, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee-Drizos and Nate Query, all members of The Decemberists, Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey (Thee Minus Five, The Baseball Project). Thee Minus Five are tabbed to support (please see below for a complete list of dates).

Harding tours on the heels of his newest record The Sound of His Own Voice out October 11 on Yep Roc Records. The 13 song set features backing from the King Charles Trio along with guest vocals from Rosanne Cash, Laura Veirs and John Roderick (The Long Winters). Recorded at the Type Foundry in Portland, Oregon, The Sound of His Own Voice was produced by Harding and McCaughey and mixed by Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists, Spoon). The album also features artwork by acclaimed photographer Jamie Baldridge.

In addition to the U.S. tour dates, Harding is also returning to NYC with his critically acclaimed Cabinet of Wonders at City Winery on September 23, October 28 and November 18. Drawing together collaborators from the worlds of music, literature and comedy, the Cabinet of Wonders features Harding curating, hosting and performing with a number of hand-picked artists in a variety show format. New additions to the September 23 Cabinet of Wonders include Joe Pernice performing alongside Todd Barry, Eleanor Friedberger, Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT) and many others. John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats), Craig Finn (The Hold Steady) and Nikki Jean have been added to the October 28 show, joining Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen), Eugene Mirman, John Hodgman and more. Please see below for a current list of upcoming performers; additional artists to be announced, line-ups are subject to change.

In addition to his work as a recording artist, Harding has written three novels under his given name, Wesley Stace. His first book, Misfortune, was an international bestseller. His most recent, Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer, was published to rave reviews from The New Yorker, The New York Timesand the Huffington Post, among many others. The Los Angeles Times hailed the book as “carefully plotted and brilliantly executed,” while the Wall Street Journal called it “dazzling.”

Since his critically acclaimed 1990 debut Here Comes the Groom (lauded by the LA Times as “the first great rock record of the `90s”) John Wesley Harding has recorded 18 records for both major (Sire, Hollywood) and independent (Mammoth, Rhino, Appleseed) labels alike. His novels have been published by Little Brown and Picador in the U.S.

JOHN WESLEY HARDING TOUR DATES

October 14    The Egg (supporting Josh Ritter)  Albany, NY*
October 15    Tarrytown Music Hall (supporting Ian Hunter)  Tarrytown, NY*
November 5     Red Devil Lounge   San Francisco, CA†
November 11   Aladdin Theater  Portland, OR†
November 12   The Sunset Tavern  Seattle, WA†
November 15  World Café Live  Philadelphia, PA†
November 16  Jammin’ Java  Vienna, VA†
November 19 The Bell House Brooklyn, NY†
November 20 Maxwell’s  Hoboken, NJ†
February 25  Jewish Community Center Scotch Plains, NJ*

* John Wesley Harding solo

† John Wesley Harding & the King Charles Trio with Thee Minus Five

JOHN WESLEY HARDING’S CABINET OF WONDERS

September 23 at City Winery, New York, NY

-       John Wesley Harding & the English U.K.

-       Todd Barry

-       Eleanor Friedberger

-       Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT)

-       Tony Visconti

-       Joe Pernice

-       Dan Zanes

-       Jami Attenberg

October 28 at City Winery, New York, NY

-       John Wesley Harding & the English U.K.

-       Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen)

-       Craig Finn (The Hold Steady)

-       John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats)

-       Eugene Mirman

-       John Hodgman

-       Emma Straub

-       Paul Harding

-       plus a special surprise guest!

November 18 at City Winery, New York, NY

-       John Wesley Harding & the King Charles Trio

-       Howe Gelb

-       Eugene Mirman

-       Audrey Niffenegger

-       Myla Goldberg

-       The Blue Fisherman (from Edinburgh, Scotland)

-       Plus many more TBA

New Album from John Wesley Harding – In Stores 10/11/11
Thoughts on The Sound Of His Own Voice, and its Pre-Order, from Doktor J.W.Harding

 
“I was lucky to get to make The Sound Of His Own Voice with such a startling array of talent, and I’m thrilled Yep Roc are releasing it. Even more than that, however, I’m thrilled Yep Roc are handling the pre-order, because doing it myself for the last album literally drove me insane – particularly after a friend suggested shipping framed posters, which was the worst idea of all time. So: go Yep Roc! Yep!
As for you, the listener, a suggestion: the vinyl with the digital download is the way to go. The amazing cover by Jamie Baldridge will never look better than twelve-inch squared, and those 180 grams, surrounded in a glossy and extravagant gatefold sleeve, will make you feel that you’re king of all you survey. Jamie Baldridge is a genius and it was so great that he wanted to take the photo for the cover. I have two Baldridge prints in my own front room, and now you can have one of your own – because, apart from the CD and the vinyl, and a resplendent T-shirt (in a color officially known as “cardinal”), there is also a beautiful print of the cover on offer, which will be signed by both Jamie and myself. As for the album, the music may speak for itself, but the lyrics will be available on my website shortly.
Who’s on the record? More people than you can shake a stick at: the band is John Moen, Nate Query, Jenny Conlee-Drizos and Christopher Funk (members of The Decemberists), Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Scott McCaughey (The Minus Five). The album also features the sounds of these people’s own voices: Rosanne Cash, John Roderick (The Long Winters) and Laura Veirs.
And now let me try this line out for the first, but probably not the last, time:
‘John Wesley Harding LOVES The Sound of His Own Voice, and hopes you do too.’

There are many nice pictures, and places to spend your money, HERE. I recommend you do so.

very best wishes from Watch Hill, RI, as Hurricane Irene knocks on our door,

JWH

In support of the release of “The Sound Of His Own Voice” on Yep Roc, I’m delighted to announce the following tour:

JOHN WESLEY HARDING & THE KING CHARLES TRIO

This will only happen once, so don’t miss it. And sorry if we’re not playing in your town.

For further details on all these dates – ticket links etc – please check:

http://wesleystace.com/events/