GRAMMY AWARD WINNER RAY LAMONTAGNE SUPERNOVA SUMMER TOUR McCALLUM THEATRE Tuesday – October 21 – 8:00pm

The McCallum Theatre presents Grammy Award winner Ray LaMontagne and his Supernova Summer Tour on Tuesday, October 21, at 8:00pm.

With his remarkable, rough hewn vocals and evocative, finely etched songs, Ray LaMontagne has, in but a few short years, become the rare artist of whom the world waits with to see what each new work will reveal.

Born in New Hampshire, the Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter LaMontagne came to music in one fell swoop: while working in a shoe factory in his twenties, he woke up to the Stephen Stills song “Tree Top Flyer” on the radio and had an epiphany this was his life’s calling. Five years later, in 2004, his debut album, Trouble, was released on RCA to much acclaim, including numerous notable cover versions of its title track. LaMontagne has built a devoted following ever since, over the course of three more studio albums. His fifth studio album, Supernova, was released in May.

LaMontagne’s followed up Trouble with Till the Sun Turns Black, which appeared in 2006 and widened LaMontagne’s palette by incorporating horns and strings.  He also placed songs in multiple television shows, including ER, Bones and One Tree Hill.  Gossip in the Grain followed in 2008 and was his biggest commercial success to that point.  The album debuted at number three on the American charts and again featured several songs later heard on television shows.

In 2010, LaMontagne returned with his fourth studio album, God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise which he produced at his home studio and was the first album he released with a billing for his backup band, the Pariah Dogs.  It peaked at number three on the Billboard charts and earned LaMontagne his first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Supernova was produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) and recorded in Nashville.  The first single, “Supernova” was released earlier this year and was the number one track on Spotify’s viral 50 chart.  The single also landed on Entertainment Weekly’s Must List stating the song “captures young love with a rustic rock sound that evokes Van Morrison and Bob Seger.

“For the longest time these songs were eluding me, LaMontagne told Time magazine.  “I felt like a kid trying to collect lightning bugs.  I’d catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye and run for it, but the light would go out just as I thought I’d gotten hold of one.  But eventually I caught on to their game.  I stopped chasing them altogether.  Instead I just sat there as if I were completely disinterested in them.  And wouldn’t you know it, one by one they came to me!  Flew right into my jar.”

LaMontagne is now looking forward to giving Supernova’s songs an airing on stage.  He’s put together a new band, and he anticipated a new wrinkle for his performance as well.  “They give me a chance to play more electric guitar, which I love to do,” LaMontagne says.  “But I’ve always had such good players on stage and so many of my songs are keyed into what I’m doing on the acoustic guitar.  So I’m really looking forward to being able to set the acoustic down for half the set, finally.  That will be a nice feeling.”

The McCallum Theatre presents Grammy Award winner Ray LaMontagne and his Supernova Summer Tour on Tuesday, October 21, at 8:00pm. Tickets are $95. $75, $65 and $45 and are available at the Theatre’s web site at www.mccallumtheatre.com, or by calling the McCallum Theatre box office at (760) 340-ARTS. The McCallum Theatre, located at 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert CA 92260, accepts payment by cash, personal check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.