• CURRENT RELEASE

    • Release
      The Tillers
      March 23, 2018
      BUY

  • Click here to download a few new hi-res band photos of The Tillers (credit: Michael Wilson) along with album cover art:

    THE TILLERS TO RELEASE THEIR NEW SELF-TITLED STUDIO ALBUM MARCH 23RD ON VINYL, CD, DIGITAL & STREAMING FORMATS VIA SOFABURN RECORDS

    The Tillers have been thumping their own distinctive sound of string band style folk music for a decade, riding it all over the country and across the sea. Four studio albums and one live record have won them praise as modern folk storytellers of the national soundscape.

    Mid-2017, The Tillers holed up at Candyland Recording Studio in Dayton, KY with producer Mike Montgomery (Jeremy Pinnell, The Breeders) and tracked ten new songs, live to 2” tape. The recordings showcase the diversity of their writing and musicianship, from hard-tackle thump to tender graceful melody – lightening-fast banjo to intricate guitar flat picking, plaintive fiddle, deep anchoring bass and clear tenor harmonies.

    Fueled by life, family, history, travel and politics, the new self-titled LP is the band’s most engaging record to date. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Sean Geil says of the new record, “This album is definitely more aggressive than past efforts. At our core we are still a traditionally rooted string band, but I’d say our punk rock roots are more visible on this album. And the addition of Joe Macheret on fiddle has added a new dynamic and allowed us to explore new territories as well as fill out the overall sound.”

    Out of the 10 compositions, nine are self-penned by the band. The one cover is a rousing version of the Woody Guthrie song “All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose,” where singer-songwriter-banjo player Mike Oberst even wrote the following two additional verses to reflect these tumultuous times, “Here comes a big machine surrounding all your hate, force it to surrender now let’s get this straight, you’re bound to lose…” and “Race hatred cannot break us, better learn it quick, our children won’t be sold your poison rhetoric, you’re bound to lose!”

    “Every song here is a story,” Geil says. “Some tell of our own personal experiences, while others are more topical, paying tribute to where we’re from or reflections on the state of our society.”

    The Tillers will be released worldwide on Vinyl, CD and Digital Platforms March 23rd via SofaBurn. Click here to pre-order the vinyl.

    THE TILLERS TRACK LISTING:
    1. The Weald & The Wild
    2. Migrant’s Lament
    3. Like A Hole In My Head
    4. The Old General Store Is Burning Down
    5. Dear Mother
    6. All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose
    7. Riverboat Dishwashing Song
    8. Revolution Row
    9. Mona
    10. Another Postcard

    Read on:
    In the beginning there were three of them – Mike Oberst on banjo, trading harmonies with Sean Geil on guitar, and carried along by Jason Soudrette and his big wooden bass. They busked for coins and burritos around Cincinnati, playing traditional songs; Woody Guthrie, southern blues laments, anonymous relics of Appalachian woods, churches, riverboats, railroads, prairies and coal mines. Six times they have received Cincinnati Entertainment Awards from CityBeat Magazine. The band caught wider attention nationally when they were featured by renowned news anchor Tom Brokaw in his documentary about the historic Route 50. They’ve played music festivals from coast to coast, toured Ireland and the UK, travelled with Pokey LaFarge and The Hackensaw Boys and shared a stage with countless icons like Doc Watson, Iris Dement, Jerry Douglas and Del McCoury.

    In order to pursue other passions, Soundrette chose his own replacement and handed over the bass reins to Sean’s brother, Aaron Geil and the band soon added Joe Macheret on fiddle.

    Tragedy struck a few years later when founding bassist Jason Soudrette passed after a long fight with AML leukemia.

    The band has continued on in Jason’s name, launching new tours, writing new songs and raising new offspring.

    MORE INFO ON THE TILLERS:
    http://the-tillers.com
    https://www.facebook.com/thetillers

    MORE INFO ON SOFABURN RECORDS:
    http://www.sofaburn.com

    MEDIA REQUESTS:
    Tony Bonyata
    Pavement PR
    e: tony@pavementpr.com
    https://pavementpr.com

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  • Here’s what media has been saying about The Tillers:

    • “Cincinnati-based Americana outfit The Tillers’ forthcoming self-titled album tells folk-inspired stories through traditional string band instrumentation. The band uses roots music traditions to share a heartfelt plea for folks to be better stewards of the land.” – WIDE OPEN COUNTRY

    • “The Tillers’ new track ’Revolution Row’ is a fiery, socially conscious bluegrass- folk tune that looks for hope in troubled times” – NO DEPRESSION

    • “The most tangible result from The Tillers’ diligent road ethic shows up on the new album as a fierce intensity, as well as a casual proficiency that has elevated every aspect of the musicians’ presentation. Their sharp songwriting has been honed to an even finer edge, their instrumental skills have matured and evolved and the chemistry between members has become richer and more complex with the addition of Macheret’s talents and the subsequent re-bonding that has taken place within the newly configured quartet.” – CITY BEAT

    • “With five albums, extensive touring at home and abroad, and accolades to their credit, The Tillers are no late-comers to the scene and that is perfectly evident in their latest (and arguably most powerful to date) release,
      The Cincinnati-based band are a prime example of the real deal, a group of musicians utterly committed to their genre, earning their pedigree the honest way by actually living it.” – CHATTANOOGA PULSE

    • “Call them recovering punk rockers. Call them modern folk storytellers. But don’t miss this Cincinnati-based four piece’s new self-titled studio album tha spans genres, including traditional folk, bluegrass, jazz and punk.” – ISTHMUS WEEKLY

    • “This self-titled album finds the Cincinnati string band folksters in fine fettle and with a sharply focused political edge and a punky energy to their bluegrassy roots. Old-school string bands have been seeing something of a revival in recent years, and The Tillers, as demonstrated on this album, are certainly up front leading the charge.” – FOLK RADIO UK (FRUK)

    • “… urgent and refreshing.” – ADOBE AND TEARDROPS

    • “This is roots/Americana/folk music at its best.” – THE SPILL MAGAZINE

    • “If you’re a fan of The Tillers you will love this album. They branch out into more aggressive roots sounds and show their bluegrass influences a bit more than they have in the past. This is a good thing and it creates a record with a good varied sound that touches all areas of Americana and roots music.” – GARY HAYES COUNTRY

    • “… evocative stories that really make the listener feel the lyrics. If you’re a fan of bluegrass, you’ll get big doses of it.” – AXS

    • Listen to premiere of The Tillers’ track “Like A Hole In My Head” via THE BOOT
      http://theboot.com/the-tillers-like-a-hole-in-my-head/

    • Watch to premiere of The Tillers’ video “Dear Mother” via Americana UK
      http://americana-uk.com/video-premiere-the-tillers-dear-mother