Acclaimed musicians Gary Louris and Mark Olson have announced  New Zealand dates that support their new album Ready For The Flood (New West Records).

This is the first new music from the pair since Olson left the Jayhawks in 1995. Produced by Chris Robinson (Black Crowes), Ready For The Flood not only reunites the two old friends but also their unrivaled harmonies and songwriting skills, reviving their unique sound.  As Rolling Stone puts it “...they were born to sing together.” The results of the reunion are undeniable, as can be read in Entertainment Weekly “...when these two twine their pretty voices ... they can still make a stone weep.”

Ready For The Flood received 4 stars in Uncut, Q and Mojo where it is also considered the to be the Americana Album of the Year.

The results of the reunion are undeniable, as can be read in early praise for the album:  “These new memories—thank the Americana gods—are riddled with Louris and Olson’s past, but there are hints of even older musical moments … The production of Black Crowe Chris Robinson lends grit, but is never  intrusive, letting the scruffy melodies and jigsaw-puzzle interlocking of these stellar voices do the heavy lifting.” (Paste magazine)

Ready for the Flood captures the stripped down, fingerpicking guitar playing and  Laurel Canyon sound of an earlier time, with allusions to English folk — Bert Jansch, Nick Drake, John Renbourn — and a simpler, live recording technique where capturing the right vibe was as important as the sound. The result is an organic, intuitive and loosely confident album with several stand out tracks including ‘Turn Your Pretty Name Around’ and ‘Chamberlain, SD’.

Friday 15 May: Al’s Bar, Christchurch

Saturday 16 May: Bodega, Wellington

                 Sunday 17 May: Kings Arms, Auckland

Tickets from Real Groovy     myspace.com/thejayhawks

Media/publicity enquiries: John Baker — actionman67@paradise.net.nz