photo by Kate Nutt

Lindi Ortega touring behind new concept album 'Liberty' (dates, LP stream)

April 12, 2018

photo by Kate Nutt

Canadian alt-country singer Lindi Ortega is on tour now in support of her seventh album, Liberty, which was recently released on her own Shadowbox Records. (Previous releases were on Last Gang.) Produced by Skylar Wilson (Justin Townes Earle, Caitlin Rose, etc), Liberty is a three-part concept album that combines Ortega’s trademark alt-country with both the themes and sounds of Western cinema. She’s got a haunting, atmospheric side, and one song (“Darkness Be Gone”) almost sounds a little like Tori Amos. Ortega, who is partially of Mexican descent, also honors her heritage and sings in Spanish for both the original “Pablo” and closing track “Gracias a la Vida,” written by Chilean composer Violetta Parra. Here’s a little more background via press release:

Recorded at Battle Tapes studio in East Nashville, Ortega and Skylar Wilson (Justin Townes Earle, Rayland Baxter) scaled back the boot-stomping, throwback country approach that she’s known for, instead polishing a set of music that reflects her Mexican lineage. Ortega and Wilson — who first bonded over their shared passion for Quentin Tarantino movies — then enhanced the sonic landscape with the help of Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy’s signature harmonica and Nashville-based band Steelism, drawing on the epic work of Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone, who became one of Ortega’s musical obsessions during the writing and recording of ‘Liberty.’

Lindi’s tour lands in NYC on April 26 at Mercury Lounge with support from Hugh Masterson (tickets). After that, she has more North American dates through May, and eventually heads to Europe where she has dates opening for Jason Isbell.

All dates are listed, with a stream of the new album and the video for “The Comeback Kid,” below.

Lindi Ortega — 2018 Tour Dates
Thurs., Apr. 12 / Festival Hall / Calgary, AB, Canada
Sat., Apr. 14 / West End Cultural Centre / Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Sun., Apr. 15 / Dakota Jazz Club / Minneapolis, MN, US
Mon., Apr. 16 / Shank Hall / Milwaukee, WI, US
Tues., Apr. 17 / Lincoln Hall / Chicago, IL, US
Thurs., Apr. 19 / Old Rock House / St. Louis, MO, US
Fri., Apr. 20 / 3rd & Lindsley / Nashville, TN, US
Sat., Apr. 21 / Eddie’s Attic / Decatur, GA, US
Sun., Apr. 22 / The Evening Muse / Charlotte, NC, US
Tues., Apr. 24 / Union Stage / Washington DC, US
Wed., Apr. 25 / Rams Head On Stage / Annapolis, MD, US
Thurs., Apr. 26 Mercury Lounge / New York, NY, US
Fri., May 4 / L’Escogriffe / Montreal, QC, Canada
Sat., May 5 / The 27 Club / Ottawa, ON, Canada
Sun., May 6 / Neat Coffee Shop / Burnstown, ON, Canada
Mon., May 7 / Centre in the Square / Kitchener, ON, Canada
Wed., May 9 / Mod Club Theatre / Toronto, ON, Canada
Thurs., May 10 / Aeolian Hall / London, ON, Canada
Fri., May 11 / Mills Hardware / Hamilton, ON, Canada
Sat., May 12 / Queen’s Grad Club / Kingston, ON, Canada
Sat., June 2 / The Grand Social / Dublin, Ireland
Sun., June 3 / Empire Music Hall / Belfast, UK
Tues., June 5 / The Leadmill / Sheffield, UK
Wed., June 6 / Oran Mor / Glasgow, UK
Fri., June 8 / The Cluny / Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
Sat., June 9 / Brudenell Social Club / Leeds, UK
Mon., June 11 / Manchester Gorilla / Manchester, UK
Tues., June 12 / Komedia Brighton / Brighton, UK
Wed., June 13 / The Fleece / Bristol, UK
Thurs., June 14 / The Garage / London, UK
Sat., June 16 / Sthlm Americana / Stockholm, Sweden
Sun., June 17 / Pustervik / Gothenburg, Sweden*
Mon., June 18 / Cafe Mono / Olso, Norway
Tues., June 19 / Kulturbolaget / Malmo, Sweden*
Thurs., June 21 / Tivoli Vredenburg / Utrecht, Netherlands*
Sat., June 23 / Komos Festival / Copenhagen, Denmark
Sun., June 24 / Knust / Hamburg, Germany