Two of our all-time time favorites, Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch are back in a big way today, this time in the guise of the Dave Rawlings Machine via their Nashville Obsolete album released today.  For the uninitiated, Rawlings and Welch have been putting out soul-rending music together (primarily under the “Gillian Welch” moniker) since 1996.  But a couple years ago, they leaned to the Rawlings side of the equation and released a well-received album under the Dave Rawlings Machine brand.  They’ve now returned with second album Nashville Obsolete, aided and abetted by Willie Watson on guitar/vocals and Paul Kowert on bass, with appearances by Brittany Haas on fiddle and Jordan Tice on mandolin.

To get a feel for their new album, go HERE to listen to fantastic song The Weekend off the new album. With the newly-added strings (to go with Rawlings’ usual guitar brilliance), the song feels a bit like Neil Young circa-Harvest (with Jack Nitzsche at the production helm, but minus some bombast).  And that’s a high compliment in our book.

About Nashville Obsolete Welch told the Wall Street Journal:  “In addition to the kind of 1930s/Depression/Dust Bowl thing we’ve always had going on, there’s a pretty strong 1970s thing going on, too.  We would be the first to admit [the first DRM album, A Friend of a Friend] was kind of cobbled together.” Rawlings added: “There’s an easy way for me to look at this as the first record that we’ve made, really–the first ‘Machine’ record.”

Go get the good goods over at Acony Records HERE.  You will not be disappointed.

After not headlining in Santa Barbara for a decade or more, the duo will perform at the Lobero Theater on October 1st (as “Gillian Welch“) and October 18th (as “Dave Rawlings Machine“).  We can’t wait.  Their entire tour schedule is set forth below.

Dave Rawlings Machine Tour: