This Is The Day! A New Album Is Born And We’re Throwing A Party!

Hi everyone,

Well, it’s been a long time coming (three years, in fact) since our last album came out. But the day has finally come for These Are The Days to be released and we are just so overjoyed about it all. 

As of this morning you can buy a download of the new album on our Bandcamp page. If downloads aren’t your thing and you’d rather have the physical CD then head over to our webstore where you’ll receive a brand spanking, new, round, vinyl Colorway sticker with each and every purchase!

While we know lots of people just stream music these days (including myself) you have the option to listen to our music on PandoraAmazonSpotify, iTunes and lots of other streaming sites. We’d love it if you did listen to us that way to maybe share us with a friend, tell a co-worker or just yell out your car window “Colorway rocks!” That would be so cool. 

We put a ton of work into this album and we hope you hear it when you play it. Myself, Matt, Riley, Danny Bernini and Chris Collingwood went all out to make this something special and I couldn’t be more proud. 

Even Jodi, my wife, provided the new background artwork you see above and is in the inside of the album and on our website. And the estimable Julian Parker-Burns provided our new (and now ubiquitous) band photo. Tom Pappalardo did a great job with the layout as per usual. 

It takes a village, they say. And this village dweller thanks everyone who came together to help make it happen. 

The lyrics are up on the website and for those of you who buy the download but would like the credits and liner notes and all the extra artwork head over to the These Are The Days EPK.

You can read a fantastic review of the new album here by Eric R Danton who has written for Paste, Pitchfork, The Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone. 
 

There’s a list of local music stores at the end of this email as well where you can pick up the new album in person. It’ll be $10 no matter where you go and that’s what we’re charging at the shows. We think it’s worth it and hope you do too. 

Let’s party!

We will be celebrating the release tonight at New City Brewery in Easthampton, Mass. It’s located right behind the Eastworks building at 180 Pleasant St (directions here). There should be plenty of free parking for your convenience. 

If you’d like to purchase advance tickets head over to Laudable Productions. We’re hoping there will be tickets left at the door but you never know. Tickets are $12 either online or in person. 

Our Facebook Event Page is here. 

The show starts promptly at 7:30 with an amazing new supergroup: Easy Weasel. This trio features none other than Chris Collingwood (from Fountains of Wayne/Look Park) as well as Rick Murnane (Group Deville/The Prestons) and The Glad Machine’s Brad Thayer.  They promise to bring you a set of “throat rock” and kick it with guitars, keys and mucho vocals. It should prove be an amazing confluence of talented dudes, indeed. 

Colorway will go on shortly after that (around 8:15) play a chunk of tunes from our first two albums followed by the new album in its entirety. We’re aware it’s a school night so we’re gonna try and keep things from going past 10pm. But if it gets rowdy we are gonna have to flow. 

There will be creative southeast Asian food available from Little Trúc and New City Brewery will have their famous ginger beer (both alcoholic and non) as well as plenty of other options for your drinking pleasure. 

And just so you know, this show is all ages. That is so damn cool that I wish I was 17 again. 

We hope you can be there and we’ll be so happy to see you if you can make it. Thanks, as always, for your support of what we do. 

We’re gonna be on the TV!

Also today (Thursday) tune in at 11am EST to WWLP-22 (channel 822 on Xfinity) to watch the band play “Always Been Summer” on Mass Appeal. 

We had a great time filming three tunes at the studio the other day. The host with the most on the whole east coast, Danny New even got his shot as frontman. Good to know I have a sub in case of emergency. 🙂

And I took part in the Father’s Day forecast. Let’s call it my fifteen seconds of fame. 

Anyway, if you want to catch the band performing tune in or set your DVR to record WWLP Channel 822 from 11-noon EST

We also recorded “Come Back July” and “Keys To The Kingdom” which will be shown on another date. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on that via our FacebookInstagram and Twitter pages. 

And that about does it, gang. Really, really excited to share the new album with you. I’ll include some quick quotes from recent reviews at the end of this. 

Hope to see you tonight for the big show. If you can’t make it but felt like sharing this email or even just the event on your FB or Twitter page that would be aces. 

As always, more info on our upcoming dates and more are all over at www.colorwaymusic.com 

Rock on and believe in the power of music. Sometimes, in this crazy world, it’s the only thing that makes sense. 

And on we go . . . 

~FAJ
 

When: Thursday, June 21 (first day of summer!)
Where: New City Brewery
180 Pleasant St, Easthampton, MA
Directions here
New City on Facebook
Phone: (413) 529-2000
What time: Doors at 7pm 
Cost: $10 advance $12 at the door
Tickets at: http://www.laudable.productions
This event is all ages!

Laudable Productions event.

 

“GREAT guitar throughout these nine, tight, non-overproduced songs. Very fluid and imaginative playing and Alex isn’t afraid to take chances. An excellent album.” —Tom Guerra, Vintage Guitar Magazine

“These Are the Days shows Colorway’s breadth, without stinting on depth […] a rock-solid collection of songs with catchy hooks, taut riffs and hard-won wisdom.” –Eric R Danton, Listen, Dammit(Paste/WSJ/Rolling Stone)

“This record sounds f*cking great! Sounds like you’re channeling Golden Earring . . .  which is f*cking sweet.” –Chris Collingwood

“Their third album is their strongest yet . . . songs you want to drive to on a summer day . . . songs to put a smile on your face.” —Lauren Daley, Southcoast Today/The Boston Globe

“Alex’s guitar playing is exceptional, and the whole vibe is positive and fun–well done!” Morgan Fisher, Mott the Hoople/Queen

“The nine tunes here showcase his ability to craft hooky pop-rock tunes and fill them with his always inventive guitar work.” –Sheryl Hunter, Greenfield Recorder

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Remember, our music is available at www.colorwaymusic.com on CD and 180gram vinyl (for The Black Sky Sequined) and any of the following valley stores. Thanks for shopping local:

Turn it Up
5 Pleasant St
Northampton, MA

Platterpus Records
28 Cottage St
Easthampton, MA

Electric Eye Records
52 Main St Suite 6
Florence, MA

Mystery Train Records
178A North Pleasant St
Amherst, MA

“No music, no life.”

The Shortest Month Has So Many Shows!

Photo: Julian Parker-Burns

Hi all,

Hope everybody is doing well. 

Wanted to thank everybody who came out and filled The Parlor Room to capacity for two shows on First Night. What a blast. Here’s a video of one of the tunes from the second set. It’s a new song called “Keys To The Kingdom” and it’s gonna be on our next album which comes out 6/21/18.

Speaking of the new album, we’ve had a very productive bunch of days at Spirithouse Studios with engineering/production ace, Danny Bernini behind the board recording These Are The Days our third full length. Really looking forward to sharing the new music with you all. We are excited to have Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne/Look Park) singing backups on two of the songs. We are honored, thrilled and blessed to have him be part of this new collection of songs. 

Though the official release date for These Are The Days is 6/21/18 (the first day of summer) make sure to mark your calendars for Friday, June 22 as that’s when we will be having our album release party at Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton. It’s going to be a great time! We’ll have more info on advance tickets and special guests soon. 

You may have noticed a new band photo at the top of this email. That’s because one of the best photographers in the area came by while we were recording and took a bunch of great shots of us doing our thing. Julian Parker-Burns has been a part of my musical existence since moving to the valley in 1991. So happy he was willing to come in and work with us. You can see a bunch more of his pic right here. For anyone who may need photography done be sure to consider Julian. He loves what he does and it shows in his work. 

As for live music, February gets off to a running start with a bunch of great shows. 

This coming Friday, Feb 2 I’ll (Alex) be doing an early, two hour set at Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton. The show runs 5-7pm and will be in the new music room that sounds sooo good! Come on out for a beer (or even a glass of the country’s best water) and hang out with me for a bit. Join the Facebook Event Page (and see who else is going) here. 

Saturday, Feb 3 we will take the stage at Luthier’s Co-op, also in Easthampton (one of our favorite places to play) for a show at 8pm. We’ll be showcasing a bunch of tunes from the new record. Kicking off the evening at 7pm is an amazing singer/songwriter, Rachel Mann. She has wowed the crowd at the open mic at Brew Practitioners so many time and I’m thrilled to get to see a whole set of her music (originals and covers). She’ll be joined by guitar ace Larry Dunn (all the info below). FB Event Page Here.

Sunday we rest for Superbowl 52. 🙂

The second half of February sees Colorway head north to Greenfield on Thursday, February 15 to make our first appearance at the Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center opening up for a fantastic band, rice: An American Band. Advance tickets for that show are only $5 and available here and check out the FB Event Page here.

Rice has been making amazing music for many years now and we are honored to be a part of this show. 

Finally, on Saturday, February 17 I’ll be doing a solo show at Bread Euphoria in Haydenville, MA for part of their “Saturday Night Rise” series. Nice and early, once again, this show runs 5:30-7:30 and is absolutely free. I’m excited to play in Bread Euphoria’s new music room (nice to see so many new rooms for music!!). Come on out and get some amazing pizza (they have GF crust available) and a cup of Indigo Coffee and take it all in.

That’s pretty much it for the month, gang. We have a lot of shows in March, April, May and beyond. You can keep track of where we are playing right here. 

And remember to share us with your friends and anyone who you think would dig what we do. We can’t do this without your help so thank you for forwarding our email and for inviting folks to our shows via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram subscribing to our YouTube channel or just coming on out to see us. We love you for it!!

Rock on and see you at the shows!!

~FAJ

www.colorwaymusic.com

Friday, February 2, Alex Performs At Fort Hill Brewery, Easthampton, MA (solo show) 

When: Friday, Feburary 2
Where: Fort Hill Brewery
30 Fort Hill Rd, Easthampton, MA
Directions here
Fort Hill on Facebook
Phone: (413) 203-5754
What time: 5-7pm
Cost: FREE!! (tips appreciated)
This event is all ages!

Independent Music Award winner and Colorway guitarist, F Alex Johnson is back at one of the most unique places to see live music in the area: Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton, Mass. On Friday, February 2, at 5pm come see Alex perform a full two hours of songs from his twenty-seven years of making music in the valley on the stage of Fort Hill’s new music room. 

Since it’s inception in 2014 Fort Hill has carved out a niche for themselves hosting local legends like Ray Mason, Bruce Korona and Wildcat O’Halloran on a regular basis early and free (and all ages) every week. Alex has become a bit of a staple at the brewery over the past two years where he is fond of imbibing some of the nation’s top rated tap water while playing to both beer aficionados and the under 21 crowd alike. 

Fort Hill Brewery is one of the areas best new places for fresh, craft beer made on premises. 

From their website: Our goal is to provide the Pioneer Valley with the best traditional German-style lager for a clean, refreshing taste you’ll always come back to. All of our beers follow the German purity law of Reinheitsgebot, meaning that our beers contain only four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. 

Not to mention they are the #2 thing to do in Easthampton according to Trip Advisor. 

Saturday, February 3, Colorway Performs at Luthier’s Co-op, Easthampton, MA

Come join us as we play one of the best rooms for live music in the valley.  Early and free!

When: Saturday, 2/3
Where: Luthier’s Co-op
108 Cottage St
Easthampton, MA
Directions.                                                           
What  time: 8pm-9:30pm
Phone: (413) 527-6627
Email: info@luthiers-coop.com
How Much: Free (tips appreciated)

Kicking this special night off at 7pm will be Rachel Mann, Rachel is recent transplant from Portland, Oregon. She brings with her to the valley a special blend of classic country sounds, heartbreaking originals, and tear-in-your-beer tunes that will leave you asking for more. Uncle Larry will be accompanying her with his special blues-driven guitar stylings. This one is not to be missed! See you there!

Thursday, February 15, Colorway Performs at Hawks And Reed PAC Opening For Rice: An American Band

Extremely excited to be making our first appearance at Hawks and Reed in downtown Greenfield (formerly The Arts Block). Colorway will play a 75 minute set opening for Rice: An American Band. 

When: Thu, 2/15
Where: Hawks And Reed Performing Arts Center
289 Main St. Greenfield, MA 01301
Directions
What time: Doors 8:30/Show 9pm
How much: $5.00 ADV/$8 DOS
Advance tickets here
All ages!!

Join the Facebook Event Page here!

About Rice: An American Band

Rice – an American Band was born in the summer of 2014 as a few friends got together to jam, and liked the results. A mutual admiration society developed and a love of performing music together was created. 

The band has already played clubs in CT, MA, RI, and VT. Festival plays already include Strangecreek Campout, Wormtown Music Festival, Jerry Jam and the Redneck Olympics and ski areas already include Stratton and Mount Snow. 

The band plays a combination of originals and covers including material from classic bands like Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Ray Vaughn. But lesser known material from bands like Woodbox Gang and International Anthem will play to fans like originals though they are written by past indie bands. 

See Rice: An American Band on Facebook.

Saturday, February 17, Alex Performs Solo at Bread Euphoria, Haydenville, MA

Alex plays two sets of tunes from his 25 years of creating music in the Pioneer Valley.

When: Sat. 2/17
Where: Bread Euphoria
206 Main St, Haydenville, MA
Directions here
What time: 5:30-7:30pm
Cost: FREE!! (tips/bread accepted)
This event is all ages!

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Remember, the new album is available at www.colorwaymusic.com on CD and 180gram vinyl, as well as at www.colorway.bandcamp.com for the digital download. And to celebrate a year of The Black Sky Sequined, through the month of May everything in the store is 20% off. But you can also pick it up an any one of these great Valley establishments. Support your local musician and support you local music store.

Turn it Up
5 Pleasant St
Northampton, MA

Platterpus Records
28 Cottage St
Easthampton, MA

Cup and Top Cafe (CD only)
1 North Maple St
Florence, MA

Electric Eye Records
52 Main St Suite 6
Florence, MA

Mystery Train Records
178A North Pleasant St
Amherst, MA

“No music, no life.”