Jewel ‘Picking Up the Pieces Tour’ with Special Guest JD & The Straight Shot

Grammy-nominated songwriter and New York Times’ bestselling author and poet JEWEL will return to the road this Spring for an intimate tour, performing hits spanning her 12-studio albums including 2015’s ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ and sharing stories from her memoir Never Broken — Songs Are Only Half the Story.

The tour marks Jewel’s first since 2013’s “Greatest Hits” tour and is the culmination of an exciting 2015 that saw the singer release her first memoir and her 12th studio album ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ within days of each other.

The album has been noted as a bookend to her multiplatinum selling debut, 1995’s ‘Pieces of You’. “Never Broken — Songs Are Only Half the Story” shares experiences spanning Jewel’s childhood and career and earned the designations of a NY Times Bestseller and “the perfect celebrity memoir” by TIME.

Called “one of the most richly idiomatic pop singers of her generation” by Rolling Stone, Jewel has sold over 27 million albums to date and earned praise from fellow songwriters including Loretta Lynn and Neil Young. A cornerstone of the current American and folk movements, the singer will perform fan favorites spanning the record including “Who Will Save Your Soul”, which sold 12million copies.

“It’s going to be really fun to get back out on the road,” Jewel said. “I’m excited to share the stories behind some of my favorite and most personal songs in such an intimate setting.”

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JD & The Straight Shot

The continued evolution of JD & The Straight Shot now sees singer-songwriter Jim Dolan fronting a four-person group as the band explores a stripped-down version of its sound, which is steeped in the quiet fire of Americana, with distinctive elements of the blues and mystical, rustic New Orleans-flavored roots music.

In addition to Dolan, the acoustic vocal group also includes guitarist Marc Copely (Rosanne Cash, McCrary Sisters, Billy Squier), guitarist Aidan Dolan; Kentucky-born bassist Byron House (Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris) and violinist Erin Slaver (Rod Stewart, Trace Adkins, Martina McBride), all of whom also contribute to songwriting.

This revised lineup continues its tour this year with a slate of European festivals, while also working on a follow up to the band’s last album, Where I’ve Been, which was released last year. Produced by Joe Walsh, the 2014 album features several breakthrough singles including “Governor’s Song,” which challenges some of today’s most well-known political figures; “Under That Hood,” a transformative single that tells the tragic story of Trayvon Martin; and “Hard to Find,” which will be featured in the highly-anticipated film, St. Vincent, starring Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy.

Dolan started JD & The Straight Shot in 2000. The band has recorded four additional albums: Midnight Run (2012), Can’t Make Tears (2011), Right On Time (2008), and Nothing To Hide (2005) – as well as an EP, Daily News Blues (2010).

“I needed something in my life where I felt like I was actually creating,” says Dolan. “Most of what I do as an executive is orchestrate. I don’t actually set up cable and I don’t really shoot hoops. Music is something I’ve played since I was a kid. Music, for me, is a direct connection between me and the audience.”

JD & The Straight Shot has been covered by The New York Times, New York Post, Billboard, and New York Magazine, among other publications, and performed on “Good Day New York.” Their song “Can’t Make Tears” is the theme song for Hell on Wheels, the television drama entering its fifth season on AMC in 2015. Their music has been featured in many films, including St. Vincent and August: Osage County.

The group has opened for the Eagles on several tours, including the “History of the Eagles” tour, the “Summer 2010” tour, and the band’s stadium tour with the Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban. JD & The Straight Shot has also opened for both Joe Walsh and Don Henley’s solo tours, the James Gang reunion tour, and performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Austin City Limits.