Renowned singer, songwriter and musician Tyler Childers and his longtime band The Food Stamps will return to the stage next year with their newly confirmed “Send in the Hounds Tour.” Kicking off April 14 at New Orleans’ The Fillmore, the nationwide run will include a show at Santa Barbara Bowl on April 26, 2023.
Special guests on the tour include Charley Crockett, Drive-By Truckers, S.G. Goodman, Wayne Graham, Abby Hamilton, Elle King, Marcus King, John R. Miller, Miles Miller and Margo Price.
The upcoming shows add to a yet another landmark year for Childers, who released his new triple album, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, earlier this fall via Hickman Holler Records/RCA Records (stream/purchase here). Produced by Childers and The Food Stamps and recorded in guitarist’s James Barker’s home studio, Dragline Studios, the record features eight songs presented in three distinct sonic perspectives—Hallelujah, Jubilee and Joyful Noise.
The Hallelujah version captures Tyler and the band playing live in a single room, while the Jubilee version builds on it with the addition of strings, horns and an array of worldly instruments such as dulcimer, mbira and sitar. Meanwhile, The Joyful Noise version consists of remixes created with DJ Charlie Brown Superstar (Brett Fuller) that include samples from sources such as “The Andy Griffith Show,” theologist Thomas Merton and comedian Jerry Clower as well as church service excerpts pulled from the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music archives.
Critical acclaim for Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?:
“Eight songs so good he had to record them thrice”—NPR Music
“Who’s doing it better than Childers in roots music these days? No one.”—Esquire
“soaring gospel country, an easygoing groove that gets layered with strings and horns until it sounds positively like a gig in the sweet hereafter”
—Rolling Stone
“fearless exuberance…one of country music’s most compelling and unpredictable artists”
—Associated Press
“lushly orchestrated, with extra studio flourishes that make it sound full and vibrant”
—Consequence
“bold and fascinating…it confirms Childers’ burgeoning reputation for thoughtful, provocative work and his willingness to pursue his own muse without catering to audience expectations”
—No Depression
“you didn’t have to have the same religious upbringing as Tyler for this album to resonate. He conveys the emotion in these songs in a way that feels universal.”—Brooklyn Vegan
“marks a new chapter for the storytellin’ Kentucky songwriter”—The Tennessean
“boldly imaginative…there is no denying the sense of salvation and renewal embedded in these songs”—Lexington Herald Leader
“an ambitious and unique new project”—The Boot
“epic…proof that artists like Childers should never be pigeon-holed; they can bring to life anything they set their minds to with flawless execution”—Holler
“a record that comfortably fits into American roots lineage while making a convincing case for Tyler Childers as a singular artist”—AllMusic
Tyler Childers and The Food Stamps (L-R: Jesse Wells, James Barker, Tyler Childers, Chase Lewis, Craig Burletic, Rod Elkins), photo credit: Emma Delevante
The Food Stamps are: Barker (pedal steel), Craig Burletic (bass), CJ Cain (guitar), Rodney Elkins (drums), Chase Lewis (keyboards) and Jesse Wells (guitar, fiddle).
The new album is the first new music from Childers since 2020’s Grammy-nominated surprise release, Long Violent History, which NPR Music called an “explicit and remarkable stand in solidarity.” His two previous releases, 2019’s #1 Country Squire as well 2017’s RIAA Platinum debut, Purgatory, were released to overwhelming critical and commercial acclaim. In the years since his debut, Childers has earned two Grammy nominations and has been featured on “CBS This Morning,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series and “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.”
CAN I TAKE MY HOUNDS TO HEAVEN? TRACK-LIST:
HALLELUJAH
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin’
JUBILEE
1.Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin’
JOYFUL NOISE
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin’
