Chris Shiflett will release his new album, Lost At Sea, on 20 October 2023 via Snakefarm in the UK and Ireland. The third single from the album, Damage Control, has been released today.
The album was recorded in Nashville, working with producer and collaborator Jaren Johnston, frontman of The Cadillac Three. In Damage Control, Shiflett says he and Johnston “made a guitar-centric record that encapsulates everything I’ve been listening to over the years, from the most country songs I’ve ever recorded to punk rock and even songs that sound like a California version of The Clash.
“All the other tunes were written in the months leading up to recording, but when Jaren and I were sorting out which songs to do, he mentioned something about The Clash, and I remembered this old one I’d demoed about 15 years prior.”
The song Damage Control underwent several iterations in the studio with Johnston, incorporating reverb, percussion, and Echoplex tape delay before reaching its final version.
“I love that the musical inspiration on this one was late-stage Clash,” Chris says, “but we wound up layering it with banjos and what-not. Definitely takes it somewhere else. Ska-mericana? There’s nothing better than when influences converge, taking you places you never expected.”
The video for Damage Control contains fan-filmed footage from Shiflett’s sold-out UK headline tour earlier this year. “Shiflett and Co gave everyone exactly what they needed,” MetalTalk wrote in their report of the Scala, London show on 28 March 2023. “A night of good time, rootsy rock ‘n’ roll and the sales of Stetsons surely went up following this brief but sweet visit. Don’t forget, though, rhinestones are best left to The Ole Opry.
The new album also features a stellar cast of Americana all-stars. Among them are fellow guitar slingers Charlie Worsham, Tom Bukovac, and Nathan Keeterle, all three of whom laced the record with fiery fretwork. Shiflett also teamed up with several co-writers, partnering with Kendell Marvel, Cody Jinks, and others to fill Lost at Sea with storylines that pack as hefty a punch as the music itself.
Lost At Sea can be pre-ordered from here.
Shred With Shifty is a new Chris Shiflett vodcast focused on guitar solos from Volume.com, Double Elvis, and Premier Guitar. It will see Shiflett speak and play with the biggest names in the guitar world, delving into their most iconic solos and the art of playing guitar with exclusive video on Volume.com.
From Rush’s Alex Lifeson talking about how the Limelight solo was pieced together in the studio to Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo discussing why his go-to guitar store lick is a classic from super shredder Yngwie Malmsteen. Fans will also find out how Richie Sambora put together the Wanted Dead Or Alive solo and understand the nuances of the chords to the Diana Ross song I’m Coming Out from the man himself, Nile Rodgers.
