New album, Still Here, forthcoming in April 2018
Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter Don Gallardo has signed a label deal with Rock Ridge Music. His new album, Still Here, is set for release on the Nashville label in April 2018. With music that walks the line between Americana, folk, and roots-rock—mining the influence of classic 1970s singer-songwriters while still pushing ahead toward something new—Rolling Stone called Gallardo “a singer-songwriter that is one of the Country and Americana scene’s true journeymen.”
Says Gallardo about the label partnership: “I’ve been playing music for close to 20 years and had many meetings with people from major record labels to indie. From my first meeting with Rock Ridge Music, I knew there was no BS, just straightforward, positive feedback. I had put so much time, energy, and emotion into this album that it felt rewarding that these wonderful people wanted to work with me.”
Says Rock Ridge Music President Cynthia Cochrane: “We’ve been fans of Don’s for a while and when we heard his new record, we knew we wanted to be involved. He’s an incredible artist, as genuine and authentic as they come, and we’re confident that Still Here will be among the best of what 2018 has to offer.”
Gallardo’s forthcoming album, Still Here, was self-produced, and it’s different from any of his previous efforts. “My prior albums had almost no co-writes on them; I usually just wrote my own material,” says Gallardo. “This time, I sought out songwriters that I really respected for co-writes—Tim Easton, Carey Ott, Mando Saenz, Luke Amelang, Robby Hecht, Doug Williams, David Borné and Jesse Cole.” The resulting collection includes songs about Gallardo’s son, past relationships, the music industry, the late 16th Century, and some songs with UK references, with a common theme running among them: no matter how grueling life can be, giving up is not an option, and persistence and positivity can prevail over anything.
Gallardo grew up in Northern California and spent years building his songwriting career on the West Coast before relocating to Nashville in 2008. With four full-length albums, a live acoustic release, and an EP under his belt, Gallardo has earned a devoted audience on both sides of the Atlantic. A road warrior who frequently tours the UK, he earned praise from Rolling Stone, who named him one of “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know” in September 2017 and called Gallardo’s music “the intersection of folk, road-worn country and amplified bluegrass, performed by a singer-songwriter who began earning his road-dog stripes before the new millennium.” No Depression deemed him “one of those rare gems… Don’s writing style harkens back to a time when Nashville was overflowing with great storytellers.” Nashville Scene said Gallardo “writes intelligently about the boredom and charm of small-town life” and praises his “country-rock with brains, charm and experimental impulses that are perfectly integrated into a familiar context.” Glide Magazine declared that “our ears deserve something that’s righteous, honest and ballsy in just the right spots and Gallardo nails that equation.” His most recent album, Hickory, received a four-star rating from MOJO and was named one of 2015’s best country albums by The Telegraph, proof that Gallardo’s career has truly gone global.
In addition to catching one of his live shows, fans can hear Gallardo’s music prominently featured in films like “Jolene” and Jackass Presents “Bad Grandpa,” as well as television series such as “The Vampire Diaries,” ABC/CMT’s “Nashville,” and the Netflix series, “The Ranch.”