Strays

Richie Weed (the moniker of Tumbleweed frontman Richie Lewis) today announces the release of his debut solo album Strays and with it gives a second taste of the record in the form of the new single Lady Of Avalon.

Scheduled for release on May 24th, Richie says of Strays, “I was compelled to make this album because I wanted to make something that was authentically me, I had been writing songs over the last couple of years that didn’t suit Tumbleweed, they didn’t fit the mould, all these songs that didn’t have a home, they were like a collection of strays and I wanted to give them a home.”

Richie recruited an array of friends to play as part of his live band with core members Natalie De Silver (The Dandelion) on guitar, flute and organ, long-time collaborator Matt Houston on bass, and fellow Tumbleweed member Steve Obrien on Drums. They were joined in studio for the album recording by guests Luke Spook (The Pinheads) on Pedal steel and Mellotron, Damien Lane and Jolyon Pagett (Dropping Honey) on backing vocals and Karl Webber (The Pink Fits/The Escarpment) on harmonica.

Recording the whole thing was Jez Player in his now infamous Shed Studio in Stanwell Park. Recorded live to tape it captures the raw live sound of Richie and the band, “I wanted to make something unique and diverse, I wanted it to form organically over the skeleton I had created. Something that was honest and raw, that said something, nothing is hidden, its all out in the open.” says Richie.

After the release of the debut track Pure Evil earlier this year, the latest single Lady Of Avalon is the second taste of the forthcoming album. Richie describes the song as “Lady of Avalon is about the division between reality and the eternal. The act we keep up, the act of keeping up, running, out of time, out of breath, out of luck, yet we focus on the horizon and look for signs of hope. I wanted this song to kind of be an 80s new wave song, I love 80s new wave, but it evolved into its own kind of thing.”