Roky Erickson Returns This Week With Celebrated New Album
One of the most inspiring comebacks in rock and roll culminates this week with the April 20th Anti-Records release of Roky Erickson's heralded new masterwork True Love Cast Out All Evil. After decades lost to the seemingly insurmountable forces of mental illness, neglect and incarceration, the forefather of psychedelic rock returns with his first album in fifteen years and the emotional songs of a lifetime. Produced by Will Sheff, and backed by his talented band Okkervil River, True Love Cast Out All Evil features 12 songs written throughout Erickson's harrowing struggles and sonically enhanced by archival recordings from home videos and recordings made during Erickson's confinement to the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The end result is an anything but sorrowful affair, with Erickson and Sheff interjecting the dramatic compositions with a sense of hope and grace that transcends genre to create a timeless and affecting document of one artist's unlikeliest of resurrections.
Early Acclaim For True Love Cast Out All Evil:
"Eccentric and fascinating, this almost feels like Erickson's "Pet Sounds.' - Boston Globe
"these songs are impossibly poignant, Erickson's voice transparent and vulnerable, the lyrics direct yet poetic, sifting through years of pain for signs of hope. Erickson at 62 remains one of rock's greatest singers." - Chicago Tribune
"the whole album is stunning." - Esquire
"a serious contender for the best album the guy's ever made. He's always been here before, but what a treat to have him here now." - LAist.com
"a genuine triumph of the spirit and heart" - Mojo
"This is redemptive and remarkable stuff." - Penthouse
"On this affecting and ultimately triumphant album, Erickson comes out on top." - Pitchfork
"a staggeringly life-affirming work that sticks to your soul long after the final notes ring out. It's a tale of redemption that earns the right to be mentioned in the same breath as Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind or Johnny Cash's American series." - Popmatters.com
"songs of disarming autobiographical clarity, warmth and resilience." - Relix
"wizened and epic...Erickson's devotion to purity is as inspiring as it is miraculous." - Spin
Roky Erickson with Okkervil River Live Dates:
April 24 - Austin, TX, Paramount Theater
May 18 - Los Angeles, CA Mayan Theater
May 20 - San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
May 25 - New York City, NY Webster Hall