Blackberry Smoke Premiere New Song, "Best Seat in the House"
Southern rock powerhouse Blackberry Smoke have premiered a new song, "Best Seat in the House," and you can hear it below. The upbeat rocker represents the second official taste of Find a Light, the band's new album, which'll be released April 6 via Thirty Tigers. For the first taste, a sneaky, Led Zeppelin-esque tune called "Flesh and Bone," step right this way.
"Best Seat in the House" is an engaging slice of power pop that recalls mid-period Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, complete with a 12-string electric riff, snarling vocals and—as always—guitars a-plenty, including a tasteful—not to mention "hummable"—solo that kicks off at 2:53. Like most of the band's best tracks, it was written by frontman/guitarist Charlie Starr, this time with Keith Nelson.
“['Best Seat in the House'] is sort of a sarcastic complaint," Starr says. "We all want what we ain’t got. It’s not enough to get in, people want [the] front row.”
In addition to Starr and band members Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals) and Brandon Still (keyboards), the album features Robert Randolph (“I’ll Keep Ramblin’”), Amanda Shires (“Let Me Down Easy”) and the Wood Brothers (“Mother Mountain”).
Find a Light is available for pre-order. For more about the band, visit blackberrysmoke.com.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.

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