Each week Release Day Picks profiles new LPs and EPs Team JamBase will be checking out on release day Friday. This week we highlight new albums by Hard Working Americans Fruit Bats, Hot Buttered Rum, Darrell Scott and Grateful Dead. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.

Hard Working Americans – Rest In Chaos

The Scoop: Rest In Chaos marks the point whereby we can stop referring to the Hard Working Americans as a supergroup and start referring to them as a band. The word supergroup can connote a one-off project, while this sophomore record signifies a unified band with plans to stick together. Rest In Chaos consists of thirteen original compositions, twelve of which were written on the road collaboratively by the band, while one came from Grammy-winning Texas songwriter Guy Clark. With Dave Schools providing the low end and manning the producer chair, Todd Snider singing his clever tongue-in-cheek poetic verses, and Neal Casal coloring it in around the edges, it’s hard to imagine this album being anything but enduring. Have a listen to the aptly named opening track, “Opening Statement,” from Rest In Chaos below:

Label: Melvin Records/Thirty Tigers

Producer: Dave Schools

Number Of Tracks: 13

Running Time: 66:44

Musicians: Todd Snider (vocals), Dave Schools (bass), Neal Casal (guitar), Duane Trucks (drums), Chad Staehly (keys), Jesse Aycock (lap steel guitar, guitar), and Guy Clark (guitar, vocals)

Tracklist:

1. Opening Statement
2. It Runs Together
3. Half Ass Moses
4. Dope Is Dope
5. Burn Out Shoes
6. Roman Candles
7. Ascending Into Madness
8. Throwing The Goats
9. Something Else
10. Massacre
11. The High Price of Inspiration (Guy Clark, songwriter, on guitar)
12. Acid
13. Purple Mountain Jamboree

Stream / Download / CD, Vinyl, Digital, and Merch Bundles

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Fruit Bats – Absolute Loser

The Scoop: In 2014 Eric D. Johnson dropped his Fruit Bats moniker following a cancer scare that affected his voice and his wife’s miscarriage. Johnson subsequently issued a self-titled album EDJ, but has now returned to his familiar name for the sixth Fruit Bats LP. A times utilizing up to 10 guitar tracks layered on a given song, this is the first album released by Fruit Bats since Tripper in 2011 and the first on Easy Sound Recording Co. after leaving Sub Pop Records after a long relationship with the Seattle-based label. The record features the single “Humbug Mountain Song,” watch its official video here:

Label: Easy Sound Recording Co

Producer: Thom Monahan

Number Of Tracks: 10

Running Time: 37:25

Guest Musicians: David Dawda, Brian Kantor, Kevin Barker, Tim Ramsey, Thom Monahan

Tracklist:

1. From A Soon-To-Be Ghost Town
2. Humbug Mountain Song
3. None Of Us
4. Absolute Loser
5. Baby Bluebird
6. My Sweet Midwest
7. Birthday Drunk
8. Good Will Come To You
9. It Must Be Easy
10. Don’t You Know That

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Hot Buttered Rum – The Kite & The Key

The Scoop: Composed of three previously issued EPs, Hot Buttered Rum’s The Kite & The Key pieces together three distinct recording sessions helmed by three different producers and with three separate themes. The “darker” Part I was recorded in July 2015 with Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth. HBR enlisted Sally Van Meter to produce Part II in September of last year featuring songs inspired by Ralph Stanley. The String Cheese Incident’s Kyle Hollingsworth produced Part III, which like the second installment was tracked at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, resulting in a “late night” vibe. Here’s “Pig In A Pen” from Part II:

Label: Self-released

Producer: Tim Carbone (Part I), Sally Van Meter (Part II), Kyle Hollingsworth (Part III)

Number Of Tracks: 19

Guest Musicians: Tim Carbone, Rob Hooper, David Thom

Tracklist:

Part I

1. Weary Ways
2. I Wanna Know
3. Maybe I Just Feel That Way
4. First Rodeo
5. So Much
6. You Be the Fiddle

Part II

1. Pig in a Pen
2. Ramshackle Shack on the Hill
3. A Lonesome Night
4. How Mountain Girls Can Love
5. Red Wicked Wine
6. Uncloudy Day

Part II

1. Cherry Lake
2. Music’s Been Good to Me
3. Desert Rat
4. Great Many Things
5. Entangled
6. Middle Country Stars
7. House On the Hill

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Darrell Scott – Couchville Sessions

The Scoop: Americana legend Darrell Scott recorded the songs on Couchville Sessions 15 years ago and was waiting for just the right time to add finishing touches. That time finally came last spring when Scott recruited Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne to record overdubs for a collection of songs that stood the test of time for the famed songwriter. Couchville Sessions features nine originals as well as five covers that Scott calls “tributes” to his masters, Townes Van Zandt, James Taylor, Johnny Cash, Peter Rowan, Hank Williams, and a rare narration from Guy Clark. Listen to “Down To The River” off Couchville Sessions:

Label: Full Light

Producer: Darrell Scott

Number Of Tracks: 14

Running Time: 60:16

Guest Musicians: Danny Thompson, Kenny Malone, Dan Dugmore, Bill Payne, Richard Bennett, Dirk Powell, Shad Cobb, Mike McGooldrick, Yvette Landry, Guy Clark, Peter Rowan, John Cowan, Andrea Zonn, Jason Eskridge, Blue Mother Tupelo, Lauren Tyler Scott, Angela Scott, Erick Jaskowiak

Tracklist:

1. Down To The River
2. Waiting For The Clothes To Get Clean
3. It’s Time To Go Away
4. Big River
5. Live Is The Reason
6. Ramblin’ Man
7. It’s About Time
8. It’s Another Day
9. Moonlight Midnight
10. Morning Man
11. Come Into This Room
12. Loretta
13. Another Grey Morning
14. Free (This Is The Love Song)

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Grateful Dead – July 1978: The Complete Recordings

The Scoop: Taped by Grateful Dead sound engineer Betty Cantor-Jackson and marking the first release of the long-lost “Betty Boards,” Jeffrey Norman remastered Betty’s tapes for the extensive July 1978: The Complete Recordings limited edition 12-CD box set. Among the five shows offered in their entirety are the first soundboard recordings to circulate of the Dead’s appearances at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on July 1, at St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul on July 3 and at Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha on July 5, as well as their debut two-night stand at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on July 7 and 8. A three-CD set of just the Grateful Dead’s July 8, 1978 performance Red Rocks is also being released separately today. Below listen to “Wharf Rat” from Red Rocks on July 8:

Label: Rhino Records

Producer: David Lemieux

Number Of Tracks: 99

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

Show #1 Arrowhead Stadium: Kansas City, MO (7/1/78)

Disc 1

1. Bertha [7:02]
2. Good Lovin’ [6:30]
3. Tennessee Jed [8:49]
4. Jack Straw [6:03]
5. Friend Of The Devil [8:20]
6. Me And My Uncle [2:56]
7. Big River [5:16]

Disc 2

1. Terrapin Station > [11:01]
2. Playing In The Band > [8:56]
3. Rhythm Devils > [8:51]
4. Space > [3:51]
5. Estimated Prophet > [11:05]
6. The Other One > [5:13]
7. Wharf Rat > [10:01]
8. Around And Around [8:25]
9. Johnny B. Goode [4:15]

Show #2 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN (7/3/78)

Disc 1

1. New Minglewood Blues [5:40]
2. Loser [7:35]
3. Looks Like Rain [7:51]
4. Ramble On Rose [7:25]
5. Mexicali Blues > [3:26]
6. Mama Tried > [3:24]
7. Peggy-O [8:09]
8. Cassidy [5:08]
9. Deal > [6:13]
10. The Music Never Stopped [8:20]

Disc 2

1. Scarlet Begonias > [10:16]
2. Fire On The Mountain [9:39]
3. Dancing In The Street > [13:32]
4. Rhythm Devils > [11:10]
5. Not Fade Away > [6:46]
6. Stella Blue > [10:51]
7. Sugar Magnolia [9:19]
8. Werewolves Of London [7:12]

Show #3 Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, NE (7/5/78)

Disc 1

1. Sugaree [9:51]
2. Beat It On Down The Line [3:28]
3. They Love Each Other [7:12]
4. Looks Like Rain [7:59]
5. Dire Wolf [3:49]
6. It’s All Over Now [8:22]
7. Candyman [6:41]
8. Lazy Lightning > [3:27]
9. Supplication [5:27]
10. Deal [5:59]
11. Samson and Delilah [7:18]
12. Ship Of Fools [7:29]

Disc 2

1. Estimated Prophet > [12:42]
2. Eyes Of The World > [12:23]
3. Rhythm Devils > [7:56]
4. Space > [7:28]
5. Wharf Rat > [9:43]
6. Truckin’ > [7:29]
7. Iko Iko > [7:23]
8. Around And Around [8:27]
9. Promised Land [4:13]

Show #4 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO (7/7/78)

Disc 1

1. Jack Straw [5:49]
2. Candyman [6:40]
3. Me And My Uncle > [3:00]
4. Big River [5:53]
5. Friend Of The Devil [8:36]
6. Cassidy [5:06]
7. Tennessee Jed [9:11]
8. Passenger [5:31]
9. Peggy-O [9:10]
10. The Music Never Stopped [8:13]

Disc 2

1. Cold Rain And Snow [7:26]
2. Beat It On Down The Line [3:38]
3. Scarlet Begonias > [10:18]
4. Fire On The Mountain [8:10]

Disc 3

1. Dancing In The Street [8:57]
2. Rhythm Devils > [10:12]
3. Space > [6:09]
4. Not Fade Away > [11:04]
5. Black Peter > [10:29]
6. Around And Around [8:44]
7. U.S. Blues [5:55]
8. Johnny B. Goode [4:16]

Show #5 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO (7/8/78)

Disc 1

1. Bertha > [6:43]
2. Good Lovin’ [6:40]
3. Dire Wolf [4:07]
4. El Paso [4:25]
5. It Must Have Been The Roses [7:16]
6. New Minglewood Blues [6:09]
7. Ramble On Rose [8:34]
8. Promised Land [4:37]
9. Deal [6:26]
10. Samson and Delilah [7:44]
11. Ship Of Fools [7:29]

Disc 2

1. Estimated Prophet > [13:08]
2. The Other One > [8:51]
3. Eyes Of The World > [10:34]
4. Rhythm Devils > [10:29]
5. Space > [5:03]
6. Wharf Rat > [8:43]
7. Franklin’s Tower [10:39]
8. Sugar Magnolia [9:31]

Disc 3

1. Terrapin Station > [10:54]
2. One More Saturday Night [5:13]
3. Werewolves Of London [6:44]

Stream / CD

Compiled by Ryan Dembinsky, Andy Kahn and Scott Bernstein.