Welcomes Critical Acclaim from American Songwriter, PopMatters
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Erin O’Dowd makes her debut today (5/4) with the release of her new album, Old Town. Released on Horton Records and produced by Travis Linville, Rolling Stone acclaimed singer-songwriter and longtime guitarist for Hayes Carll, the record is a tribute to O’Dowd’s Oklahoma roots. To date, it has received praise from American Songwriter (“Best New Music”) and PopMatters, who said the album is, “Filled with songs that take listeners on unexpected routes, [Old Town] reveals O’Dowd’s talents for capturing human beings at both their most vulnerable and best.” O’Dowd will tour the Southeast, Midwest, and Texas through late July (tour dates below). Old Town is available today via Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify.
Noted for her skilled songwriting and often compared to legends like Emmylou Harris and Loretta Lynn, Old Town is a refined introduction to who O’Dowd is as an artist. The album offers a fresh perspective of roots music that weaves introspective lyrics through influences of classic country, psychedelic folk, and soul-driven Americana. In addition to a variety of instrumentation by Linville, Old Town has an all-star instrumental lineup, including Grammy-nominated John Fullbright on keys and legendary Midwest pedal steel player Roger Ray of Jason Boland & The Stragglers.
As the youngest daughter of a preacher, O’Dowd grew up singing in church and school talent shows, and wrote her first song on the family piano at age two. An avid writer ever since, she spent hours in the family treehouse dreaming up poems and short stories. A classically trained pianist, she taught herself guitar at age 15 and decided she would become a singer-songwriter. She still hasn’t changed her mind.
Growing up in both Tampa, Florida, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, O’Dowd dropped out of art school after discovering Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and began performing live.After a brief stint playing bass in an indie band with Broncho’s Penny Hill, she began gaining traction in the Midwest with her own band. She began appearing on lineups for festivals like the Oklahoma Songwriters Festival, the noteworthy Merle Haggard tribute G-Fest, MayFest, and the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, in addition to performing at notable venues like The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Tulsa’s historic Cain’s Ballroom. In 2014, her first single “Robin’s Egg Blue” won the prestigious Searchlight Songwriting Competition, founded by noted guitarist Jason Wilber (John Prine, Iris Dement, Todd Snider).
Now a Nashville local, O’Dowd considers herself “permanently touring,” recently opening for Kenny Rogers, writer David Sedaris, and Super Troopers’ theme song writer Jack Grace. She’s shared the stage with jazz legend/Kerouac collaborator David Amram, John Moreland, Terri Hendrix, Dixie Chicks producer Lloyd Maines, Jesse Aycock of Hardworking Americans, and Steve Young, writer of “Seven Bridges Road,” among others. Kicking off the year at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City, O’Dowd will begin touring the Midwest in April, the Southwest throughout summer, and the Northeast in the fall.
Tour Dates:
May 4 — Nashville, TN — Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge (Album Release Party)
May 10 + 11 — Key West, FL — Key West Songwriters Festival
May 17-20 — Black Mountain, NC — Southeast Regional Folk Alliance
May 26 — Franklin, TN — Cool Springs Galleria Live Music Series
May 30 — Nashville, TN — Crying Wolf
June 8 — Houston, TX — Truck Yard
June 9 — Spicewood, TX — Poodie’s Roadhouse
June 11 — Dallas, TX — Adair’s Saloon
June 12 — Tulsa, OK — The Hunt Club
June 13 — Eureka Springs, AR — Chelsea’s
June 14 — Muskogee, OK — Muskogee Country Club
June 16 — Stillwater, OK — Tombstone Saloon
June 23 — Atascadero, CA — Last Stage West
June 27 — San Francisco, CA — The Lost Church
July 9 — Stillwater, OK — Modella Art Gallery
July 12 — Okemah, OK — WoodyFest
July 15 — Nashville, TN — The Local
July 26 — Nashville, TN — Bobby’s Idle Hour
July 28 — Nashville, TN — Tennessee Brew Works
For more information, visit https://www.erinodowd.com/.