Bob Weir Writing Cowboy Song With Lukas Nelson & John Perry Barlow

As previously reported, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir is hard at work on a new album of “cowboy songs.” Today, Weir’s longtime writing partner John Perry Barlow posted a photo from a recent writing session for the LP.

The image shows Barlow, Weir and Lukas Nelson with the caption, “Three Wise Men came together to write a cowboy song today. We, Lukas Autry Nelson, Robert Weir & I, got a start. What a privilege and delight it was to spend the afternoon and evening with 2 such heartful people and incandescent talents.” Past Weir/Barlow collaborations gave birth to such songs as “Estimated Prophet,” “Let It Grow,” “Cassidy” and “I Need A Miracle.” They also wrote the cowboy song “Mexicali Blues.”

Bobby discussed his new album in an interview published in a recent issue of Relix Magazine. “The idea came from Josh Kaufman and his circle of friends, particularly Josh Ritter. It’s, for the most part, all new songs. I’ve been working with Josh Ritter a fair bit on some ideas, and I’m going to also drag in (lyricists) John Barlow and Gerrit Graham as well.”

Relix added that The National’s Scott Devendorf and The Walkmen’s Walter Martin are both involved in the cowboy project. According to Relix, sessions for the new album have been split between New York and the Bay Area. “It’s going to be a pretty eclectic group of musicians kicking into this project. I’ve done a few sessions recently with Joe Russo,” Weir added. “We’re going to downplay the emphasis on the playing and play up the emphasis on the storytelling.”

There’s no word yet on a possible release date for the LP.

[Hat Tip – Jambands.com]