Itās safe to say that the world changed a lot in the last five years. It certainly did for me. After putting out Total Freedom in 2020 then accepting the fact that touring it and promoting it wasnāt going to happen, I went back to my coffee shop and worked, I got married, I moved (twice), and I even found myself living in a new country.
When the summer of 2022 rolled in, I was able to make up for lost time on the road until 2023 when I was ready to head to St. Petersburg, Florida and take some well-earned time to write. It was in early 2024 after sending him my cover version of his song āTraveling Aloneā that Jason Isbell and I first talked about working together, and incredibly he offered to produce these songs, enlisting Gena Johnson as co-producer.
Pinch me.
Fast forward to September 2024 - Jason, Gena and I started making this album at Sound Emporium in Nashville. Jason enlisted members of the 400 Unit to be our rhythm section. We recorded the songs that eventually became the 10 tracks on āBillionaireā. I am so indebted and thankful to Jason and Gena for their dedication, their time, their care and their talents - in championing me and my work, and to all the musicians who appear on this album coming out August 22nd.
Itās true when they say your songs are like your children and you canāt pick favorites (not out loud, at least). But I love the two weāre putting out today. āSave Your Soulā and āSay Goodbye, Tell No Oneā kick off this album sonically the way I had hoped my new record would sound - tough and cool, vulnerable and honest.
My favorite songwriters and bands are written all over my work, for which I am unapologetic. Songs that tell the story of looking through the rear view mirror on my way to something new, watching a version of myself and my life behind me get smaller on the horizon as I go. I found the last five years fraught with challenges of all kinds, highs and lows, profound grief, grit and determination, anger and even unabashed joy in my new locale (and very tanned legs).
Thanks for listening and staying tuned for all the ones that will be released in the coming weeks. For the foreseeable future, I will be touring with my band, an exceptional group of musicians who are my best friends and we plan on burning down the fucking house every night thank you very much.
Here we go.
So swing by and stream the songs, check out the show calendar, pre-order some vinyl and check out some of the goodies weāve put together for you.
THANK YOU.
https://t.co/apGBrMRISz
A year ago I sent Jason Isbell my then freshly-recorded version of his song āTraveling Aloneā. In all honesty, we didnāt really know one another very well, I had opened a handful of shows for him over the last few years and notionally I knew we were friendly, mostly exchanging fun internet jabs about vintage guitars and the like. His manager Traci is to be credited - she generously forwarded my cover of āTraveling Aloneā to Jason and the rest is now history. He offered to produce my new album, which is coming out this fall, enlisting Gena Johnson as co-producer. Weāll talk about all that laterā¦
The song āTraveling Aloneā makes perfect sense to anyone who has ever spent a lifetime on the road. You pass through places where people are living their lives, going to work, getting the kids from school, appointments, groceries⦠people who always end up at home at the end of the day. A fleeting fantasy for those of us who chose this life of being constantly on the move and waking up in unfamiliar places. āYbor City on a Friday nightā was the line that sealed the deal, a reference to this new āhomeā of mine here in Florida. And yes, I love the key lime pie at the Columbia restaurant in Ybor.
When we announced the āCoversā album earlier this year I had hoped āTraveling Aloneā would be the first song released. I thought it was the best track from this project and Iām thrilled and humbled by Jasonās willingness to sing on it. The fact that it set into motion a whole other album and collaboration was a wonderful surprise. I canāt wait to share more about that soon, but in the meantimeā¦
My āCoversā project is now entirely available on all your favorite streaming services. All eight songs are now online, including todayās release of āFeeling Yourself Disintegrateā by the Flaming Lips and āThe Logical Songā (YES I DID cover āThe Logical Songā BECAUSE ITāS BRILLIANTā¦. someone please tell Roger Hodgson I love him!). You can also buy the vinyl and (soon the CD) through my USA store and Canada store (https://t.co/TZAj2Rqa2c), which is still the single most direct way you can support me and this lovely project that
Iām really proud of. Thanks, everyone.
Thatās a wrap on 2025ās first #GPWG in Ottawa šØš¦!
It was a productive week of discussions across sub-working groups, includingĀ on WMD-relevant technology and assessing emerging threats.
Statement of the Participant Countries of the Ukraine Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Information Sharing Initiative.
https://t.co/IueAAkMSfk
Learned a ton moderating todayās #ICONS2024 panel on how Chile, Dominican Republic, and Paraguay removed legacy radioactive material with support from @IAEANS and Canadaās Weapons Threat Reduction Program. Helping make Latin America and the Caribbean safer, one source at a time!
Canada was pleased to host a side event today at the IAEAās #ICONS2024 on disused sealed radioactive sources alongside the Chile, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay and the IAEA.
š° Hot off the presses, check out #GPWMDās latest quarterly newsletter.
Learn more about the impressive efforts of the GPās 31 members to tackle #CBRN threats, including through an ambitious new Countering WMD #Disinformation initiative.
Read here: https://t.co/FfoNT8ARRn
On Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness Day, #GPWMDās 31 members reaffirm our commitment to delivering tangible #WMD threat reduction assistance. Progress and success are possible ā we prove it with our partners every day.
ON THIS DAY the first international legal instrument against #nuclearterrorism#CPPNM entered into force.
@UNODC promotes universalization and effective implementation of #CPPNM, #ACPPNM and #ICSANT thanks to funding ofĀ šŖšŗĀ andĀ šØš¦.
#UNODC_CBRN
CRDF Global has received funding from @CanadaFP (GAC) to implement 4 projects that address vulnerabilities & strengthen defenses against cybercrime & sanctions evasion activities that North Korea uses to fund its WMD & missile proliferation programs. https://t.co/vqeYLhIb7l
Get your certificate like the 2600+ people from 128 countries who have taken @UNODCās #eLearning module on #CBRN#terrorism.
The one-hour course is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish @ https://t.co/M4wVJW1Rg3 thanks to funding from šØš¦
A NEW MENTAL MODEL MEGATHREAD HAS ARRIVED!
In 20 tweets Iāll summarize 20 key principles to understand the world.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.
Value: potentially a lifetime.
Thanks to šÆšµ for hosting this successful meeting in Nagasaki, where member countries and partners reaffirmed their shared commitment and developed new programming to mitigate WMD terrorism and proliferation threats.
In 1716, François de Callières wrote a short practical treatise on diplomacy. It became a core text for trainee diplomats for centuries. It was ahead of its time in many ways, arguing for a professional and merit-based diplomatic service
Here are 10 pieces of advice on drafting:
The latest edition of the #GPWMD Newsletter is out! See what we are doing to mitigate š#CBRN threats and check out the feature article from @BWCISU@ODA_Geneva on efforts to universalize the #BTWC in Africa in support of the GP #SIMBA.
Check it out atš https://t.co/lU7fVYM2MH
We are pleased to fund @OSIA_RUSI ās #ProjectSandstone report on North Korea-Russia weapons transfers.
Arms dealings with #DPRK are prohibited by #UNSC resolutions.
We urge North Korea to immediately cease its weapons transfers & for Russia to end its war of aggression.