Phil Cook let loose another track today from his forthcoming record. The track is a cover of fellow Midwesterner and frequent collaborator Charlie Parr’s legendary “1922 Blues.”
Cook explained his connection to the song: “When I hear Charlie Parr sing his “1922 Blues” it feels like the gathering headwaters of the Mississippi River charging their way to New Orleans! When I sing 1922, it only seems fair to make it sound the way Charlie’s version makes me feel; destined, invincible and free.”
He recently announced his debut solo album, Southland Mission, which will be out September 11 via Thirty Tigers and Middle West. He performed the record in full recently at Duke Gardens in Durham, NC with his band The Guitarheels. Watch the performances HERE.
And stream the album version of “Great Tide” here
Cook has been an integral part of an incredible musical community that extends from his hometown of Eau Claire, WI to his current home of Durham, NC.  After 10 years in the south, he has become a staple in the area’s studios and has produced, composed, written for, and recorded on dozens of regional and national releases including albums by The Blind Boys of Alabama, Hiss Golden Messenger, Matthew E. White, Amy Ray, and Alice Gerrard’s Grammy-nominated Follow The Music.
Now it’s time for Cook to step into the spotlight himself. He co-produced Southland Mission in a studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains, alongside his brother and co-producer, Brad Cook, and engineer Jon Ashley (The War on Drugs, Dawes, Zac Brown Band, Avett Brothers). The songs have no prerequisite, no pretension. Instead, as a collection, they call on listeners to witness and immerse themselves in their own journey.
While retaining the singular vision of a songwriter, instrumentalist and interpreter asserting his own,Southland Mission is a highly collaborative affair.  For the recording of the album, Phil gathered his best friends and players from across the rich North Carolina musical community and beyond to bring his songs to fervorous life.  The compositions are Phil’s testament to truth in music, integrity in creativity and reverence for those who paved the way for these sounds to fall on our ears. Southland Mission is certain to compel you to stomp your feet, pump your fist, and sway and spin with reckless abandon.
Catch him live:
7/16 Eau Claire, WI – Eaux Claires
7/18 Eau Claire, WI – Eaux Claires
9/10 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival
9/22 New York, NY – Rough Trade NYC
9/24 Washington DC – DC9
10/3 Oslo, Norway – Opera House*
10/4 Goteborg, Sweden – Konserthuset*
10/5 Stockholm, Sweden – Cirkus*
10/6 Umea, Sweden – Idun*
10/8 Linkoping, Sweden – Crusell*
10/9 Falun, Sweden – Magasinet*
10/10 Aarhus, Denmark – Voxhall*
10/12 Cologne, Germany – E-Werk*
10/13 Berlin, Germany – Huxley’s*
10/14 Vienna, Austria – Arena*
10/15 Milan, Italy – Alcatraz*
10/16 Zurich, Switzerland – Volkshaus*
10/17 Paris, France – La Bataclan*
10/19 London, UK – Roundhouse*
10/20 Glasgow, UK – O2 ABC*
10/21 Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street*
10/23 Manchester, UK – Albert Hall*
10/24 Bexhill On Sea, UK – De La Warr*
10/25 Brussels, Belgium – AB*
10/27 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega*
*with The Tallest Man on Earth