Americana-blues singer-songwriter Brigitte DeMeyer announces October UK dates

The South is more than just a place. It’s a feeling you get when you’re sitting on the porch on a warm summer night sipping sweet tea. It’s the haunting comfort that envelops you when you drive the wooded back roads in your hometown. It’s the sound of cicadas rustling in the trees. It’s the salt, grease and love that goes into every plate of grits served. The South is everywhere, especially in the stories told by Brigitte DeMeyer’s music.

With her sixth offering, Savannah Road, DeMeyer gives the listener access to a special place in her mind. The title track is inspired by Gregg Allman’s book My Cross to Bear. The celebrated musician’s biography was DeMeyer’s companion and took her in all different, musical and emotional directions. It helped her feel connected to Georgia, the South, and in the process, connected to herself. Released in May 2014, the widely acclaimed Savannah Road intermingles acoustic steel and slide guitar, fingerpicking, gospel-tinged vocals and literary imagery. DeMeyer writes songs as weavers thread tapestries. Poetry laden with southern groove, her music transports to another place and time. A self-produced collection of 13 songs written mostly by DeMeyer and frequent collaborator and string-master Will Kimbrough, Savannah Road has been described as “gorgeous and greasy.” DeMeyer simply calls it “acoustic soul”.

DeMeyer has built a solid foundation with her first five albums, collaborating with giants of the Americana world – drummer/producer Brady Blade, Buddy Miller, Sam Bush, and more recently, Kimbrough – and has shown herself to have a wonderfully natural feel for soul-steeped, blues-infused roots music. The daughter of Belgian and German immigrants, she was born in the Midwest, and at a young age moved to Southern California with her family where she started latching onto rootsy sounds, from Etta James, Mavis Staples and Sly Stone, to her discovery of The Allman Brothers, Steve Earle and of course, Patti Griffin.  Before embarking on the quest that brings Brigitte’s music to the main stage, she acquired a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of San Diego and, instead of sleeping on random couches and going the “starving artist” route, she took the road less travelled in rock and roll: she got a job. Not wanting to depend on anybody, she worked to make enough money to get her music career going, realizing that being self-sufficient was the only way to feel truly content while turning her musical dreams into a reality. Brigitte was able to pay rent and play music. Eventually, she was able to leave the marketing world behind and concentrate on her craft full-time.

With a 2010 relocation from California to Nashville, DeMeyer has gained much momentum and visibility as a performing artist, and has built strong musical partnerships through touring, writing and contributing to the community. She is a storyteller. She is the blues personified. Each lyric drips with emotion, curiosity and imagination. “There’s something sparkly about each song,” DeMeyer says about the story told by ‘Savannah Road’. ‘Boy’s Got Soul’ is a beautiful anecdote about finding someone who possesses or moves you unexpectedly, in which she uses the term “scrapyard lullabies” (a Chris Whitley reference) over smooth, yet haunting guitar strums. ‘Home Ground’ is a poignant, soulful adventure about finding that special place where you can be free. However, it’s ‘Build Me A Fire’ where Brigitte’s storytelling mastery really comes to life. It’s a personal story, an ode to the hardships her mother had to overcome during the Second World War. Besides the aforementioned standout tracks, the entire album is bursting with the same rare passion that is found on old Fleetwood Mac records. Savannah Road is teeming with elements of melancholy, longing, and most of all, each track brings its own little piece of the South.  “Mother Nature is boss here,” she smiles. “And, there’s a spirit here, a vibe in the air that gets absorbed, and it goes into the music.”

Brigitte DeMeyer · October 2014 UK Tour

with Pat Bergeson (Suzy Bogguss, Madeleine Peyroux, Lyle Lovett) guitar (October 4 & 6 only) & Johnny Duke (Little Big Town) guitar (October 8 onwards)

Sat 4             Ullapool                                       The MacPhail Centre, Ullapool Guitar Festival

Mon 6           Cottingham                                The Back Room

Weds 8         Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire         The Angel Inn, Llandeilo Acoustic

Thurs 9         Topsham, Devon                          The Bridge Inn

Fri 10            Easton, Suffolk                              Maverick at Easton Farm Park

Sat 11           Basingstoke                                 The Forge at The Anvil

Sun 12          Farncombe, Surrey                      St. John’s Church, Brian Player’s Acoustic Café   NB 2pm Show

Sun 12          London                                        Green Note

Praise for Savannah Road

“Ms. DeMeyer is drenched in pure southern country soul” Acoustic magazine

“Brigitte DeMeyer conjures up a glorious southern atmosphere” Country Music People