Jolene

New album 'The Pretty Dive'
released 19th November through Blue Rose Records

- UK live dates confirmed -

American genre-blending rockers JOLENE return to the UK with their new album 'The Pretty Dive' released 19th November, coinciding with an eight-date city tour in November and December.

'The Pretty Dive' is the fourth full-length record from the North Carolina quintet, and the follow-up to 1999's critically acclaimed 'Antic Ocean'. With lead singer John Crooke's distinctive vocals at the fore, the album again proves Jolene's determination to defy easy musical labels with another powerful cross-pollination of styles and genres. The band's songwriting duo of cousins John Crooke and Dave Burris (guitar) have once again shared production responsibilities: the result is a record of complex textures, lush production and an urgent intensity.

Always compellingly honest, Crooke and Burris' cathartic lyrics are inspired by deeply personal experiences, many of which of the duo describe as "exorcisms". "I normally like the listener to interpret the songs and lyrics as they hear them," says Crooke. "I think a song is like a painting or a photograph that you have to stand over for a while to uncover its intent, and just when you thought you'd figured it out, you hear it in a different light and something else rings more obvious."

With critics comparing the band's songwriting prowess with such Southern luminaries as Big Star, Wilco and REM, UK audiences will have the opportunity to witness Jolene's intense live performances when they perform at the following venues:

November

December

- Plus UK live dates -

"Already inviting comparisons with REM and Big Star in the States, Jolene's debut suggested a promise that is
borne out on 'In The Gloaming'. Principal songwriter John Crooke has gone out of his way to pull together a
collection of songs that are as melodic as they are lyrically perceptive. Set in an aural landscape where guitars
take pride of place, songs like 'Pensacola' and 'Two Sisters & The Laureate' possess a melancholy warmth, while
others have an impressive accessibility that lingers on long after the song has died away." - Mojo

"Jolene are well worth your time and, indeed, money. Vocalist John Crooke continues to hold
centre stage but, while 'Hell's Half Acre' depended on his storytelling prowess set against rolling
steel guitar and understated melodies, 'In The Gloaming' fully accentuates his off-kilter lyrical bent
and Jolene's jangling fusion… This all adds up to the album that REM might have made if they
hadn't been so difficult in the early days…." - Q Magazine

American genre-blending rockers JOLENE return to the UK with their second release for Blue Rose Records on 19th November coinciding with an eight-date city tour.

'The Pretty Dive' is the fourth full-length record from the North Carolina quintet, and the follow-up to 1999's critically acclaimed 'Antic Ocean'. Recorded against the shoreline setting of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina over an intensive 13-day period, 'The Pretty Dive' aggressively proves Jolene's determination to defy easy musical labels with another powerful cross-pollination of styles and genres. The band's songwriting duo of cousins John Crooke (lead vocals) and Dave Burris (guitar) have once again shared production responsibilities: the result is a record of complex textures, lush production and an urgent intensity.

Like all good stories, there's a sprinkling of serendipity in the story of Jolene's inception. Frontman John Crooke remembers the moment it all fell into place for him: "I was playing basketball one day while in my first year at University. The ball bounced into a very large outdoor garbage dumpster. I was elected to jump in and rescue it. When I picked up the ball, underneath was a cassette copy of REM 'Fables of the Reconstruction'. I grew up in a very small town in North Carolina and had only vaguely heard of REM and there was no college radio in my town, so the band was pretty foreign to me. The tape was cued to 'Life and How to Live It'. I played it and it changed my life. It was Southern, but it was gothic. It was lazy, but fierce and moving at the same time. Needless to say, I quit the University Basketball team, bought a guitar, started a band, and never looked back."

"The fire had first been kindled with the hand-me-down records of American 70's rock my brother gave me while I was growing up, but even more important were the tapes my cousin Dave passed along to me at family vacations… Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, some early NC punk rock stuff. He was the cool older cousin and he knew people in rock bands. Suffice to say I was getting hooked. Dave and I lost touch over a couple of years during my first years at University, so it was around the time of discovering REM that we reconnected. At that point, Dave promptly began sending me The Smiths, The Jam, Echo and the Bunnymen, U2, the Church, The Chameleons, etc... It was at that time I truly believe that we began forming the creative partnership that defines our music and our vision."

Having shared production duties on an outside project, John and Dave consolidated their musical alliance and, after recruiting long-term friends Mike Kennerly and Mike Mitschele (drums and bass respectively), Jolene came into being. It was soon after their inception in 1995, that the band embarked on their first major tour of America, winning over a staunch grassroots following with their already adept and powerful live performances. A mere six months into their existence, Jolene were spotted at a show in Nashville and snapped up by Memphis-based independent label, Ardent. Their long-playing debut, 'Hell's Half Acre' swiftly followed, garnering praise from journalists and audiences alike.

John vividly remembers the vibe that surrounded the sessions for their debut album: "'Hell's half Acre' was kamikaze!" he recalls. "We'd only been a band for a few months. The timetable was really accelerated, so making a record quickly was priority number one. We plugged our amps in, wrote some songs, and started recording - it was a straight-up rock record with relatively non-linear lyrics. We worked fast and worked hard and I think the record reflects that mindset and emotional set."

Success continued to come swiftly to the band, and eighteen months later, major label interest came to fruition when they were asked to record their next album for Sire Records. 'In The Gloaming', their second LP, was unveiled in 1998, delivering a dark and brooding masterpiece which saw the band expand to a five-piece with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Rodney Lanier.

And now, following 1999's acclaimed 'Antic Ocean', comes Jolene's second release for Blue Rose Records, 'The Pretty Dive' released on 19th November. With John Crooke's distinctive vocals at the fore, the collected songs form a strong statement from the man whose "true passion is writing songs. I'm really trying to affect people one way or another. Affecting people in any manner is good - music shouldn't just be disposable."

Always compellingly honest, Crooke and Burris' cathartic lyrics are inspired by deeply personal experiences, many of which they describe as "exorcisms" for them. "The lyrical themes of 'The Pretty Dive' for the most part deal with the coming to terms with and the expressions of disappointment on all levels and how that can empower one's creative muse," explains John. "I normally like the listener to interpret the songs and lyrics as they hear them. That was my favourite part about deciphering Morrissey's or Paul Weller's lyrics. I think a song is like a painting or photograph that you have to stand over for a while to uncover its intent, and just when you thought you'd figured it out, you hear it in a different light and something else rings more obvious."

Crooke's fortuitous find at college has now come full circle, with critics comparing the band's songwiting prowess with such Southern luminaries as Big Star, Vic Chesnutt and (best of all) REM. "In my opinion of how I wanted to do things, REM set the template for being a band from Southern America," says John. "I got it. I understood it. They opened up a way of establishing your Southern geographics without screaming Southern rock, while diving headfirst into British influences that make the music unique and diverse. And they gave songwriters license to write intelligent lyrics -- maybe not always linear, but intelligent and thoughful nonetheless."

While a traditional rootsy twang may occasionally show through in Jolene's music, an aversion to the shackles of the alt-country tag runs deep through their core, their songwriting cannily side-stepping easy categorisation with numerous subtle twists and turns through a host of diverse influences. "To be squeezed into that constrictive genre is akin to the square peg in the round hole situation," says John. "As songwriters, we have much more in common with bands like The Catherine Wheel and The Chameleons than we do with George Jones and the Allman Bros. "

And don't be misled by the moniker: apocryphal anecdotes may attribute the band's name to the Dolly Parton classic, but it was actually inspired by John and Dave's great aunt, a Confederate war nurse who remains a formidable figure in the family tree.

British audiences will have the opportunity to witness Jolene's intense live performances when they tour the UK in November and December (see attached for details). Brand new album, 'The Pretty Dive' is released on 19th November through Blue Rose Records.

Jolene are:

Dave Burris - guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
John Crooke - lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion
Mike Kennerly - drums, percussion
Rodney Lanier - keyboards, pedal steel guitar
Mike Mitschele - bass guitar, bass synth, programming

The Cork County Singers - backing vocals

Album Discography

www.bluerose-records.com/e/artists/jolene.html