Last November we shared the shocking news that The Civil Wars would be going on hiatus just as their career was heating up. That hasn’t stopped band members Joy Williams and John Paul White from announcing a new album. The self-titled release is due late this summer and in announcements posted on the band’s website, there’s no word about whether this means the end of the hiatus.
“Patience is a virtue. Yours has been appreciated. Here’s to the hope you consider it rewarded,” said Williams in her statement, while White adds, “I’m grateful for your patient support.” He continues by saying, “I am very glad to say that new music is coming and I am finally proud of this album. A lot of soul, sweat and tears went into its creation. I hope you feel the heart in each song, that it might connect with yours. We are, each one of us, all journeying, learning and growing along this ever-evolving path.”
The album cover is ominous, but we’re just glad to hear new music is on the way from the duo.
We’ve really enjoyed the music of Americana act The Civil Wars, a Nashville-based duo who offered an inventive spin on the Nashville-meets-Woodstock sound, so we’re saddened to read that the band has canceled all of their upcoming tour dates due to “internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition.”
We sincerely apologize for the canceling of all of our tour dates. It is something we deeply regret. However, due to internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition we are unable to continue as a touring entity at this time. We thank each and every one of you for your amazing love & support. Our sincere hope is to have new music for you in 2013.
- Joy Williams & John Paul White.
We are a bit relieved to read the bit about having “new music for you in 2013,” but cancelling all your tour dates after your band has finally achieved a high level of critical and commercial success is not a good sign of the duo’s stability. In an unprecedented move, Joy and John Paul have committed to reimbursing non-refundable ticketing charges and more…
PS – We understand that there are many of you stuck with service charges and travel reservations due to our abrupt cancelations. Please email us at info@thecivilwars.com if there are costs incurred that you would like to be reimbursed for, include a scan or attachment to your receipt(s) of the costs, and we will do our best to reimburse you for non-refundable charges.
Let’s hope absence makes the heart grow fonder and the pair resolve their differences.
“Delicate” can be a dirty word; a few shades in the wrong direction and your sound is too quaint, or too cutesy, or too precious, or too twee, or so ethereal as to be vapor. So you have to hand it to Joy Williams and John Paul White, the singing, strumming duo that comprise The Civil Wars. They lean delicate and almost effortlessly find that sweet spot where gentle meets rich, holding steady in that spot with a combination of slightly mischievous personality, rock-solid chemistry, sturdy songwriting and that most reliable of musician crowd-slayers: the unimpeachably beautiful male-female vocal harmony.
I mean, wow. You hear these two flex their voices over song after song of longing – sometimes defiant, sometimes pensive, sometimes tragic – and your mind melts away into their narratives, hooked to every vocal cadence and gently nudged by the strum of White’s guitar or, on occasion, the twinkle of Williams’ keyboard.
The latest issue of SPIN magazine features a cover story on The New Americana Revolution, which includes interviews with members of The Felice Brothers, The Avett Brothers, The Head & The Heart, OCMS and The Low Anthem. The country-folk duo The Civil Wars, who earlier this year released their full-length debut Barton Hollow, is also profiled in the highly-recommended article. Comprised of John Paul White and Joy Williams, the pair play a brand of beautiful, haunting, Southern Gothic music reminiscent of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ collaboration.
