Nashville based singer/songwriter Callaghan is set to release her second album, A History of Now, on April 7, 2015, via her own label, Green Town Music. Featuring Callaghan’s trademark sound, which blurs the edges between pop, adult contemporary and Americana, the new record is the latest chapter of a success story based on hard work and a strong connection with a growing army of fans for the artist who moved to the U.S. from London in the summer of 2010.
A History of Now was recorded in Nashville with producer Dennis Matkosky (a songwriting legend whose credits include Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me” and the Flashdance soundtrack’s “Maniac,” as well as several co-writes on the Callaghan album) and features contributions from some of Nashville’s best session players. Casey Brown, a member of Owl City, made loops for several songs, adding a modern edge to the album’s analog vibe. On a record filled with musical all-stars, Callaghan is easily the most impressive player, singing all 12 songs in a sweet, soaring voice that booms and breaks at all the right moments.
The other half of the team behind the record is Callaghan’s fans, who gave an overwhelming response to the Pledge Music campaign which financed the recording. It comes as no surprise that she garnered such an outpouring of support. Since moving to the U.S. to record her debut album, Life in Full Colour, with Atlanta singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins, Callaghan’s enjoyed four years of touring, recording and growing appreciation in the U.S. She’s transformed from a burgeoning indie songwriter — playing to 20 people during her first U.S. show — to a full-fledged headliner who’s toured across 46 states, played the Cayamo Cruise, shared the stage with artists such as Mullins, Jake Shimabukuro, Ed Kowalczyk and more, headlined at packed venues around the country, and logged more than 50,000 highway miles per year.
Along the way, Callaghan has developed a close connection with her fans, even booking a series of annual cross-country tours consisting of nothing but performances in people’s homes. Her very first house show tour — which stretched from coast-to-coast in 2013 — earned Callaghan a four-page spread in Billboard Magazine. The magazine credited her with “helping reshape the business of touring, if not music consumption entirely,” and praised her for her strong vocals and do-it-yourself work ethic.
The connection with her fans is more evident than ever in A History of Now, whose songs reflect moments and experiences from Callaghan’s own life, as well as stories that people have shared with her. While often intensely personal, Callaghan’s songs are written with a universal quality, which allows her audience to connect them to their own lives. On “Who Would I Be,” one of the album’s many highlights, she pays tribute to those supporters, thanking them for allowing her music to enter their lives and for enabling her to do what she loves. Meanwhile, “Crazy Beautiful Life” — the album’s lead single — celebrates the joys found in the sheer unpredictability and exuberance of life, and “Best Year” — a re-recording of a bouncy, breezy song that also appeared on Life in Full Colour — is a seize-the-day anthem aimed at anyone who’s longed to “tear up the rulebook, leave it all behind… and find some bluer skies.” The Huffington Post wrote, “She’s one of those performers whose genuine sweetness is transparent in her voice, and it shines through her writing.”
When Callaghan made the move across the pond she was still a relatively unknown name in the States. She had reached out to Mullins via Myspace, and after being knocked out by her voice and songwriting he agreed to a rare collaboration. Now that she has enjoyed success in the U.S., Callaghan also plans to focus her promotion and touring efforts across the pond in 2015. She was recently featured in the BBC TV documentary “Bob Harris: My Nashville” and will tour the UK later this year. She will also embark upon extensive touring in the U.S. (see full list of confirmed tour dates below), including an official showcase at the Folk Alliance conference, 30A Songwriters’ Fest, and a planned “All Four Corners” house concert tour throughout May and June which will travel from Tampa to Boston, across to Seattle, down to San Diego and back to Nashville.
If Life in Full Colour was an album all about chasing dreams, then A History of Now is an album about achieving them. “We are all, right now, writing a story which will one day fascinate someone,” Callaghan says. “The way we live, the decisions we make, and the moments of hope, grief and happiness which punctuate all our lives will one day make someone stop, think and wonder. All of us are writing our own ‘history of now.’”
Callaghan Tour Schedule:
Sat., Jan. 10 – Duluth, GA / Red Clay Music Foundry
Fri., Jan. 16 – Seaside, FL / 30A Songwriters’ Fest
Thu., Jan. 29 – Columbia, MO / The Bridge
Fri., Jan. 30 – Minneapolis, MN / Aster Cafe
Sat., Jan. 31 – Perry, IA / Hotel Pattee
Feb. 18 – 22 – Kansas City, MO / Folk Alliance Conference
Wed., Mar. 11 – Nashville, TN / 3rd & Lindsley
Fri., Mar. 13 – Marshfield, WI / Vox Concert Series
Sat., Mar. 14 – Evanston, IL / SPACE
Sun., Mar. 15 – Valparaiso, IN / Chicago St Theatre
Sat., Mar. 21 – Grande Ronde, OR / Spirit Mountain
Mar. 28-29 – Safety Harbor, FL / Safety Harbor Songfest
Thu., Apr. 2 – Seaside, FL / The REP
Sat., Apr. 4 – Decatur, GA / Eddie’s Attic
May & June – Callaghan All Four Corners House Show Tour
… more dates to be announced soon!
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