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Nov 16, 2018 By Christopher Roberts Ryley Walker

Ryley Walker released a great new album, Deafman Glance, only back in May via Dead Oceans. But today he has released another new album, The Lillywhite Sessions, also via Dead Oceans. It’s not your average follow-up album. Instead he has taken an unreleased Dave Matthews Band album from 2001 and covered it track-for-track. Now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing below. Also below are his upcoming tour dates.

Previously Walker shared the album’s first two singles: “Busted Stuff” (which was one of our Songs of the Week) and “Diggin’ a Ditch.”

Here’s some background on the album. Dave Matthews Band recorded the original The Lillywhite Sessions in 1999 and 2000 with producer Steve Lillywhite, as the follow-up to 1998’s Before These Crowded Streets. The band’s label rejected the album and Matthews instead teamed with producer Glen Ballard to write a new album, which only took them 10 days to write and resulted in 2001’s Everyday. The Lillywhite Sessions leaked to the Internet soon after Everyday‘s release, in the days of Napster, and some fans preferred it to Everyday. The Lillywhite Sessions was never officially released, but most of its songs were reworked (sometimes with new lyrics) and re-recorded with producer Stephen Harris for the band’s 2002 album Busted Stuff.

Dave Mathews Band have been very successful, all but their first two albums have debuted at #1 on the Billboard album charts, but they aren’t what you would call a cool band, or at least one that’s been all that embraced by indie rock fans and musicians. Walker, however, grew up listening to them. As a previous press release put it: “When he was a kid growing up in the Rust Belt suburbs of Chicago, worlds away from the city’s cultural stronghold, the Dave Matthews Band taught him how to play and love music.” The album features Walker’s frequent collaborators Andrew Scott Young and Ryan Jewell.

To be honest, here at Under the Radar we were sent an advance promo copy of Walker’s The Lillywhite Sessions a couple of months back and had no idea it was a Dave Matthews Band covers album until the album was announced and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Hopefully Walker fans won’t be put off by the album’s origin and Dave Matthews Band fans will discover Walker. When Walker performs in Charlottesville, VA on December 17 it will be interesting to see if longtime Charlottesville resident Dave Matthews shows up.

Ryley Walker Tour Dates:

Fri. Nov. 16 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Bogen F *
Sat. Nov. 17 - Rust, Germany @ Rolling Stone Park
Mon. Nov. 19 - Barcelona, Spain @ Sidecar *
Tue. Nov. 20 - Madrid, Spain @ El Intruso *
Wed. Nov. 21 - Sevilla, Spain @ Sala X *
Thu. Nov. 22 - Lisbon, Portugal @ ZDB *
Sat. Nov. 24 - San Sebastian, Spain @ Badabada *
Sun. Nov. 25 - Limoges, France @ Le Phare
Mon. Nov. 26 - Lille, France @ Le Bar Bulle de la Maison Folie Moulins
Tue. Nov. 27 - London, UK @ Scala *
Wed. Nov. 28 - Bristol, UK @ The Fleece *
Thu. Nov. 29 - Manchester, UK @ Band On The Wall *
Fri. Nov. 30 - Brighton, UK @ The Old Market *
Sat. Dec. 1 - Paris, France @ Point Ephemere *
Sun. Dec. 2 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso Noord *
Wed. Dec. 5 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin College Recital Hall ++
Thu. Dec. 6 - Detroit, MI @ El Club ++
Fri. Dec. 7 - Toronto, ON @ Baby G ++
Sat. Dec. 8 - Montreal, QC @ L’Esco ++
Sun. Dec. 9 - Portland, ME @ SPACE Gallery ++
Mon. Dec. 10 - Greenfield, MA @ Root Cellar ++
Tue. Dec. 11 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott ++
Wed. Dec. 12 - Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre ++
Thu. Dec. 13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle ++
Fri. Dec. 14 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right ++
Sat. Dec. 15 - Montclair, NJ @ Outpost In The Burbs ++
Sun. Dec. 16 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd ++
Mon. Dec. 17 - Charlottesville, VA - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
Tue. Dec. 18 - Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light ++
Wed. Dec. 19 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn ++
Thu. Dec. 20 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement ++
Fri. Dec. 21 - Indianapolis, IN @ White Rabbit Cabaret ++
Fri. Dec. 28 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle ***

* with Andrew Tuttle
++ with Mute Duo
*** with Ohmme and Ben Lamar Gay

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