Allison Russell does not fight chaos with chaos. Where the current moment seems to reward contraction, inwardness, defensiveness, the performance of individual resilience, and so on─In the Hour of Chaos, her latest album, moves in the opposite direction entirely. It is a record that understands community as a method against the madness. As something built in the actual making of the thing, in the people invited into the room—dogs too—in the decision to let the room shape what comes out of it.
The result is an album that feels less like a statement than a gathering. The entire vibe of In the Hour of Chaos is an act of generosity, in the way that only work made by people who genuinely need each other can be. Russell is a Montreal-raised, Nashville-based artist whose biography contains more than enough material for an inward record. She has chosen, consistently and deliberately, to make the opposite kind. This latest is the fullest expression of that instinct yet: arms wide, tent big, and entirely convinced that joy is not the consolation prize for people who can’t handle the darkness … it is the point of it all.
INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL ZARATHUS-COOK
MUSIC:
00:00 — “Two Stars”
53:42 — “Joyful Motherfuckers”
ALLISON RUSSELL TOUR DATES
Aug 1 – Toyota Pavilion at Concord – Concord, CA*
Aug 2 – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park – San Diego, CA*
Aug 4 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA*
Aug 5 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA*
Aug 7 – Hayden Homes Amphitheater – Bend, OR*
Aug 8 – Chateau Ste Michelle Winery – Woodinville, WA*
Aug 9 – Chateau Ste Michelle Winery – Woodinville, WA*
Oct 15 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC #
Oct 22 – Massey Hall – Toronto, ON w/ Elisapie ^
Oct 23 – Theatre Beanfield – Montreal, QC ^
Oct 24 – Imperial Bell – Quebec City, QC ^
Oct 25 – National Arts Centre - Southam Hall – Ottawa, ON ^
Oct 27 – Higher Ground The Ballroom – South Burlington, VT #
Nov 1 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN #
Nov 3 – Burton Cummings Theatre – Winnipeg, MB ^
Nov 5 – Winspear Centre – Edmonton, AB ^
Nov 6 – Grey Eagle Resort & Event Centre – Calgary, AB ^
Nov 9 – Chan Centre for the Performing Arts – Vancouver, BC ^
Aug 2 – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park – San Diego, CA*
Aug 4 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA*
Aug 5 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA*
Aug 7 – Hayden Homes Amphitheater – Bend, OR*
Aug 8 – Chateau Ste Michelle Winery – Woodinville, WA*
Aug 9 – Chateau Ste Michelle Winery – Woodinville, WA*
Oct 15 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC #
Oct 22 – Massey Hall – Toronto, ON w/ Elisapie ^
Oct 23 – Theatre Beanfield – Montreal, QC ^
Oct 24 – Imperial Bell – Quebec City, QC ^
Oct 25 – National Arts Centre - Southam Hall – Ottawa, ON ^
Oct 27 – Higher Ground The Ballroom – South Burlington, VT #
Nov 1 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN #
Nov 3 – Burton Cummings Theatre – Winnipeg, MB ^
Nov 5 – Winspear Centre – Edmonton, AB ^
Nov 6 – Grey Eagle Resort & Event Centre – Calgary, AB ^
Nov 9 – Chan Centre for the Performing Arts – Vancouver, BC ^
^ = AHI
# = Autumn Nicholas
# = Autumn Nicholas
