Dave and Licia Radford of The Gray Havens are hitting the road this fall and raising the bar for a standard folk/acoustic concert. They’ve chosen college and university campuses for their main venues, and will be touring with a full band and string section (for most shows).
Whoa.
If you’ve been listening to their new album, you’ll understand immediately why they’ve gone this route. The rich production behind songs, like “This My Soul,” “A Living Hope,” and the title track, demands a more epic soundscape than a single guitar or piano. Dave is currently working on string arrangements with producer Ben Shive and says “it’s been really exciting putting everything together for this tour. The goal is to play through Ghost of a King as it sounds on the record. We’ve never really played with a full band before, so with up to fifteen players a night, we’ll be like kids in some kind of sonic candy store. Can’t wait!”
Besides offering shows with a full band and strings, the tour roster also includes several regular duo dates and shows that are more stripped back (check with the venue for details).
For specific information on what cities they’ll be visiting, or how you can purchase tickets, visit their Bandsintown page. More show dates are rolling in, so check back frequently if you don’t see your town listed.
Also visit The Gray Havens on Facebook for further tour information (and fun extras).
Here’s the lyric video for the title track to their new album, Ghost of a King.