Visionary singer-songwriter-guitarist José González has announced plans for a U.S. co-headline tour alongside 2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. The eagerly awaited dates will see Jose performing solo beginning September 20 at Kansas City, MO’s Uptown Theater and then travel through an October 1 performance at Glenside, PA’s historic Keswick Theatre.
Fan presales begin tomorrow, May 5 at 10am local; presales follow on Thursday, May 6 at 10am local. All presales conclude Thursday, May 6 at 10am local. All remaining tickets will be released to the general public on Friday, May 7 at 10am local. Limited VIP tickets and an exclusive merch bundle will be available for purchase as well. González has also confirmed two ticketed interactive online performances. The first, “Up Close & Personal” on June 10 will be live from the Botanical Garden in Gothenburg followed by an interactive Q&A. The second on September 12 will also be live from Gothenburg and will feature the first full LOCAL VALLEY show with full production that will include pre and post-show interaction with González. Both shows will have features that include the possibility for the viewer to seamlessly switch camera angles, show appreciation by digital applause, enter chat rooms and more. The streams will be available at http://www.gigset.io/event/jose-gonzalez. For complete details and ticket availability, please visit jose-gonzalez.com/tour-dates.
“I am very much looking forward to perform for all my fans worldwide again,” says González. “First with the up and close interactive online event on June 10, and later on with some summer shows and touring once my album is released. I am also especially excited to be able to present the world premiere of my new tour online for all the fans worldwide that won´t have the chance to catch any of my shows this fall and winter.”
JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ X RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
U.S. TOUR 2021
JUNE
10 – “Up Close & Personal” Livestream Performance*
SEPTEMBER
12 – Livestream Performance*
20 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
21 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place
23 – Minneapolis, MN – Northrop At UMN
24 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre
25 – Carmel, IN - The Palladium at The Center For The Performing Arts
26 – Detroit, MI –Cathedral Theatre at The Masonic Temple
28 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
29 – Boston, MA – The Orpheum Theatre
30 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
OCTOBER
1 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
* Not a Rufus Wainwright show
# # #
JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ EUROPEAN TOUR 2021
JULY
30 – Madrid, Spain - Noches del Botanico
AUGUST
7 – Shambrook, UK - DJ Koze presents @ Tofte Manor
27 – Neustrelitz, Germany – Immergut Festival
SEPTEMBER
5 – Cabane des Becs de Bosson, Switzerland – PALP Festival
NOVEMBER
4 – Antwerp, Belgium – Da Roma
5 – Paris, France – Trianon
6 – Köln, Germany - Carlswerk Victoria
7 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
8 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje
9 – Berlin, Germany – Astra
DECEMBER
1 - Brighton, UK – Brighton Dome
2 – London, UK – Cadogan Hall
3 – Gateshead, UK – Sage Gateshead
4 – Liverpool, UK – Grand Central Hall
5 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy
6 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
# # #
The upcoming tour celebrates the release of González’s eagerly awaited fourth solo album. LOCAL VALLEY will arrive via Mute on CD, standard black vinyl, limited edition colored vinyl, and at all digital platforms on September 17. Pre-orders are available now, with all pre-orders including immediate registration for the upcoming tour. González’s first new studio recording in more than five years, LOCAL VALLEY is heralded by today’s premiere of the official music video directed by Mikel Cee Karlsson (Fever Ray, Junip) for his current single, “Visions.”
“Mikel Cee Karlsson is always in tune with the underlying thoughts of the lyrics,” says González. “I like how he used the angle from above to look at our surroundings, both natural and man-made as the backdrop to the song which is directed to humanity as a whole. I also like the twist of a tool falling from space as a visualization that we can’t always know what might happen next.”
“The video is made (mostly) through animated images from Google Earth,” says Karlsson. “It was the best way I could think of to get the right perspective, scale and atmosphere for a song like “Visions” – a way to visualize the vast beauty and absurdity of the human condition; the constant natural changes and the impact of the human race; the good the bad and the ugly. Utopian dreams, greed and hope, all linked together on a little blue rock in space.”
González recently performed “Visions” as part of National Geographic’s Earth Day Eve celebration. Watch HERE.
Recorded at Studio Koltrast Hakefjorden, which González set up in his family's summer house north of Gothenburg, LOCAL VALLEY "is similar to my other solo albums in sound and spirit," he says, "a natural continuation of the styles I've been adding through the years both solo and with Junip. I set out to write songs in the same vein as my old ones: short, melodic and rhythmical, a mixture of classic folk singer songwriting and songs with influences from Latin America and Africa. It's more outward looking than my earlier works, but no less personal. On the contrary, I feel more comfortable than ever saying that this album reflects me and my thoughts right now."
LOCAL VALLEY – which follows the 2015 release of González’s acclaimed third solo album, VESTIGES & CLAWS – includes the recently premiered singles, “Visions” and “El Invento,” both available now at all DSPs and streaming services.
“Visions” was met by immediate widespread applause from Pitchfork, FLOOD, Brooklyn, Vegan, Far Out, NME and more upon its debut last month. Stereogum said the song is “a soft, thrumming acoustic track about finding peace in uncertainty,” and added, “In a multi-tracked, reverbed voice, González harmonizes with himself over the sound of a guitar, and the track also features birdsong and other nature sounds.” “‘Visions,’ like the rest of González’s releases, nurtures a sense of comfort with its light and effusive sweetness,” declared Paste. “The singer builds an atmosphere of serenity with warm folk guitar, otherworldly layered harmonies and philosophical lyrics.”
González’s only publicly released song to feature lyrics in Spanish, for which he credits his young daughter with helping him during the writing process, “El Invento” is joined by an official music video streaming now at YouTube. The track – which was first debuted by González during a special live performance as part of the 2020 Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies – was equally acclaimed upon its arrival earlier this year, with Paste writing, “The song asks questions of creation and purpose against a gentle Spanish guitar as the video offers a sweet glimpse into simple, domestic life,” adding, “The music video for ‘El Invento’ features the song’s lyrics in both Spanish and English, making it easy to enjoy the profound lyrical work of González in either language.” “El Invento” “is a quiet and truly pretty piece of music,” wrote Stereogum. “González’s multi-tracked voice sounds as beautiful as ever, and other than a fluttery fingerpicked guitar and a soft metronomic beat, it’s all we hear on the song.” “When the world feels particularly intense and anxiety-ridden right now,” declared Far Out, “González breaking his six-year silence with ‘El Invento’ is an appreciated gift that we should all indulge ourselves in.”
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “someone whose subtle, carefully crafted music delivers rewards to listeners who know how to wait,” José González’s stellar career can only be described as a dream. Throughout it, he has won a range of honors, performed on high-profile network television shows, headlined prestigious festivals, sold-out concert venues on virtually all continents, and collaborated with Ben Stiller on his film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. González’s warm, intimate voice and tender harmonies, underlined by a dexterously plucked Spanish guitar and muted percussion, deliver profoundly thoughtful lyrics largely revolving around ideas of civilization, humanism, and solidarity. A sincere, artful performer whose singular approach to songwriting and sonics sets him worlds apart, José González is in a class by himself.
JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
LOCAL VALLEY
(Mute)
Release date: September 17, 2021
