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PRESS RELEASE: MOLLY HATCHET “BATTLEGROUND” LIVE ALBUM
Promo cover art MOLLY HATCHET
Battleground | Steamhammer / SPV | 29 November 2019
*STEAMHAMMER / SPV – NEW LIVE CD RELEASE* | MOLLY HATCHET “Battleground”
Release Date : November 29th, 2019
Format: – 2CD DigiPak – 3LP Gatefold, 140g black vinyl, printed inner sleeves
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It’s no secret that a lot of fans measure the artistic value of a rock band mainly by the quality of a group’s live performance. The Allman Brothers without their legendary concerts? Unthinkable! Lynyrd Skynyrd as just another anemic studio project? Impossible to imagine! The same goes for Molly Hatchet as another legendary force among these protagonists of the longstanding history of Southern rock that, alongside lots of outstanding studio recordings, the band’s full potential comes into effect live on stage. Again and again, the musicians surrounding guitarist Bobby Ingram have reinforced their reputation as an awesome live act in brilliant live “battles”, so it comes as no surprise that requests by their international fan base for a new live recording have been growing increasingly insistent for a number of years. Now it’s ready to be unleashed at last: Battleground, a live offering consisting of a total of 19 songs, will be available on Steamhammer/SPV from 29 November 2019 as 2-CD Digipak, triple LP in a gatefold cover, and for digital download.
The fact that Molly Hatchet are scheduled to embark on a major tour of Germany and Switzerland almost simultaneously with the release of Battleground increases their fans’ anticipation of the new recording, which the band members consider to be a first-rate document of their creative power. Ingram refers to it as “the rewards of seeing and meeting generations of fans, hearing their life stories, listening to them speak of when they first heard a Molly Hatchet song on the radio.”
The upcoming shows will see Ingram & Co. not only present their greatest hits, they will also introduce their new vocalist Jimmy Elkins, who has joined the fold to replace the late Phil McCormack, who sadly passed away in April 2019. Elkins was the frontman of Florida band Bounty Hunter for a number of years, an act who has shared a stage with Molly Hatchet on various occasions over the past two decades. “To us it was the logical next step to ask Jimmy to become our new vocalist,” Ingram explains. “You can tell that he has the Southern rock gene and is a perfect match for Molly Hatchet, not only on a musical but also on a personal level.”
With Elkins at the centre of their high-decibel Southern rock music, Ingram and his longstanding band mates, keyboardist John Galvin, bassist Tim Lindsey and drummer Shawn Beamer, continue to be a powerful musical force. Which is one of the reasons why the Molly Hatchet classics – from the opening track ‘Bounty Hunter’, the hard-drinking ‘Whiskey Man’, the programmatic anthem ‘Son Of The South’ and fan faves such as ‘Edge Of Sundown’ and ‘Fall Of The Peacemakers’ right up to the breath-taking finale, ‘Flirtin‘ With Disaster’ – really get down to business from the very first chords. Ingram: “In recording this album, we compiled a four-decade long catalogue of the songs that our friends wanted to hear. They would tell us what songs they wanted on the album, and we recorded them. Some of these songs have never been recorded on a live stage before, and we were honoured and proud to be able to perform them for many generations of past, present, and future Southern rock fans.”
Battleground was recorded in Pratteln, Switzerland, in Ludwigsburg, Germany, and during Molly Hatchet’s 40th anniversary tour of the United States and features amazing cover artwork created by Paul Raymond Gregory (Saxon, Motörhead, Uriah Heep, among others). Ingram looks back with legitimate pride and unmistakable modesty not only at the new live album but also at the band’s career to date: “Molly Hatchet has now been in the mainstream of Southern rock for over forty years and still counting. That in and of itself is an honour for every band member who experienced the journey along the way.” It’s this honour that listeners sense in every note on Battleground. Each season has a unique story and emotion.
Current Line-Up:
Bobby Ingram – guitars
Tim Lindsey – bass
John Galvin – keyboards
Shawn Beamer – drums
Jimmy Elkins – vocals
Live 2019:
17.10. Daytona Beach,FL – The Doghouse
19.10. Palm Bay,FL – Palm Bay Harley Davidson
31.10. Des Moines,IA – Val Air Ballroom
02.11. Dubuque,IA – Diamond Jo Casino and Resort
07.11. San Juan Capistrano,CA – The Coach House
08.11. Montclair,CA – The Canyon
09.11. Agoura Hills,CA – The Canyon
10.11. Santa Clarita,CA – The Canyon
15.11. Viera,FL – Space Coast Daily Park
16.11. Winter Haven,FL – Jessie’s Concert Venue
17.11. Venice,FL – Performing Arts Center
20.11. Warrendale,PA – Jergels Rhythm Room
21.11. Harrisburg,PA – XL Live
22.11. Woodstock,GA – Madlife Stage & Studios
06.12. DE-Flensburg – Roxy
07.12. DE-Lübeck – Werkhof
08.12. DE-Hamburg – Downtown Blues Club
10.12. DE-Bremen – Meisenfrei
11.12. DE-Essen Turock
12.12. DE-Siegburg – Kubana
13.12. NL-Drachten – Iduna
14.12. DE-Bensheim – Rex
15.12. DE-Obermarchtal – Kreuz
17.12. CH-Pratteln – Z7
18.12. DE-Nürnberg – Hirsch
19.12. DE-Munich – Backstage
20.12. DE-Torgau – Kulturbastion
22.12. DE-Augsburg – Spectrum
