Blue Mountain dishes out two CDs this summer

Monday, June 16, 2008 – Following last year's reunion tour, Blue Mountain will offers 2 new releases on Aug. 19 and tour behind the albums. "Midnight in Mississippi" is all new material, with the exception of the songs "Butterfly" and "By You Side," which appeared on the first solo release by Cary Hudson, but have been re-recorded with Laurie Stiratt and Frank Couch. The disc was recorded in Elmwood Recording in Dallas with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, White Stripes, Loretta Lynn). "Omnibus" is a collection of new recordings of 14 classic Blue Mountain songs, including "Blue Canoe," "Soul Sister," "Poppa, "Mountain Girl" and "Generic America," that were re-recorded by Andrew Ratcliff at Tweed Recording in Oxford, Miss. Both CDs will be released by Broadmoor Records, a label owned by Stiratt and her twin brother John, bass player for Wilco.

Blue Mountain was formed in 1993 in Oxford by former husband and wife Laurie Stirratt (bass, vocals) and Cary Hudson (guitar, vocals) with Matt Brennan on drums, later replaced by Frank Coutch, who has joined Stirratt and Hudson on the recent tours and in the studio for the recordings. Blue Mountain's music is a blend of twang, rock, gospel, country and bluegrass. Blue Mountain was on the forefront of an entire movement now considered "alt-country" or "Americana" that included bands such as Uncle Tupelo and The Jayhawks.

Blue Mountain released their self-titled debut in 1993 before going on to release three albums on Roadrunner Records. Their last studio album, "Roots," came out in 2001. In 2002, celebrating 10 years together, the band released "Tonight It's Now or Never," a double-CD recorded live at Schuba's Tavern on March 11, 2001, in Chicago. Blue Mountain disbanded shortly after that night until their performance at Twangfest in June of 2007.

Tour dates are:
June 13 Jubilee Jam Jackson, MS
June 27 State Theater Starkville, MS
June 28 Standard Deluxe Waverly, AL
July 5 Hill Country Picnic Potts Camp, MS
July 26 Neshoba County Fair Philadelphia, MS
Aug 1 Continental Club Houston
Aug 2 Continental Club Austin, TX
Aug 3 Blue Door Okalahoma City, OK
Aug 8 Hi-Tone! Memphis
Aug 15* Hal & Mal's Jackson, MS
Aug 16 Government Street Grocery Ocean Springs, MS
Aug 22 Proud Larry's Oxford, MS
Aug 23 Lucas School House St. Louis
Sept 4 The Basement Nashville
Sept 5 Nightfall Concert Series Chattanooga, TN
Sept 12 Chelsea's Baton Rouge, LA
Sept 13 The Thirsty Hippo Hattiesburg, MS
Sept 18 The Pour House Music Hall Raleigh, NC
Sept 19 Downtown After 5 Asheville, NC
Sept 19 Grey Eagle Asheville, NC
Sept 27 Otherfest Rosedale, MS
Oct 11 400 Bar Minneapolis
Oct 18 Great MS River Balloon Race Natchez, MS
Oct 31 Proud Larry's Oxford, MS