News and Events | Tori Sparks

European Tour Dates Announced, Euro Press and Radio, Benefit Concerts

August 22nd, 2010

Thanks to all who made the Out West run possible, especially to Savvant Music. Props onstage in Ft. Collins included Christmas trees, plastic skulls, and a motorcycle. And yes, we did get to sit on the ski lift at Sundance, even if we didn’t have time to ride it.

European Tour dates announced! Yes, finally! Starting September 30th, we’ll be hitting cities in eight countries -- Ireland, England, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and the Czech Republic -- all in four short weeks. Click here for the full tour schedule. A few more dates are being confirmed, please be sure to check the schedule again as we count down to liftoff.

NOTE: There are still a few “off” days where I planned on being a tourist, but it wouldn’t take much to convince me to play a house concert for you and yours instead. (Or a castle concert. That would be way better.) Please contact me if you’re interested in setting up an event, dates are going quickly!

Before heading off to Europe, benefit concerts in Nashville (for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) and Harrisburg (for Breast Cancer Awareness/FeelYourBoobies.com) will be taking place in September. Come out for these worthy causes!

Thanks to the following for the reviews and features this month! And of course to all the radio stations across the globe that continue to be supportive of Scorpion. We love you: Music an Sich (Germany), Gondola (Hungary), Kippenvel (Netherlands), The Next Big Thing (UK), Rocktimes (Germany), and a big thank-you to the Country Startpage (Netherlands) for featuring not one, but two albums (Scorpion and Under This Yellow Sun). Watch for reviews in Heaven (Netherlands), Blues Matters magazine (UK), Maverick magazine (UK), as well as the new monthly Tori column in Nashville’s own Dream Row magazine…

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August Tour Dates, Top 5 in Sweden, Spain Recap

July 30th, 2010

Viva España! Tanned and tired, but quite happy. (...yes, I was in Barcelona for the World Cup, got to climb mountains overlooking the sea, and hang out in Dali's painting studio.) Photos are posted here, and on the TS.com photo galleries ("On The Road"). I've rarely met such sweet people as I did while traveling around Spain, and muchos gracias a todos who made the shows such a success. Special thanks to Mucho Bicho Productions and to Soterani Studios . See you again in September and October, dates to be announced on the website in August.

From Sweden with Love: Top 5! Thanks to Strum Magazine , Folkworld , Dream Row Magazine , and others for the lovely reviews of Scorpion, and to the countless radio shows across Europe for the continued support. The album is in the Top 5 on Sweden's Rootsy , quite the honor. Please keep those requests coming, we're feelin' the love.

On the Road: August tour kicks off tomorrow! We'll be hitting some brand-new cities, as well as revisiting a few that have been past favorites (hello, Boulder). Master percussionist Matthew Burgess will be my better half on the upcoming Midwest run in August. His approach is truly unique - this man is a band in himself. Dates in Austin (August 15th) and Ft. Worth (August 18th) had to be rescheduled, apologies for the shake-up. More European dates coming in October, please check the website for semi-real-time updates.

Back in the Studio: Updates. And no, we're not just teasing -- would I do that to you?? In between travels, we've been sweating it out in the studio, and are about two-thirds of the way through the upcoming fourth album! Working alongside David Henry and I are some of the cast and crew from the Scorpion record, as well as several new faces. I'm tickled pink to have had the opportunity to work with some of our top-secret special guest artists! We'll keep you posted, but look for the fourth album to be released in January 2011. Pre-orders will be available in the coming months.

Pssst! Hey, you. Want to see a (rough) sneak-peak of one of the songs from the new record? We (the band) debuted "Mama" live at The Rutledge last month. Click here .

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Acoustic Guitar magazine, Features, US and Europe Tour Dates

June 3rd, 2010

Nashville concert extravaganza TONIGHT at the Rutledge! Look for special guests to join us onstage. Thanks to Now Playing Nashville for the feature, and to Music City Unsigned for sponsoring the show.

Several May shows were canceled due to illness. Please see the tour schedules for details on rescheduling. But never fear, the shows for the rest of the year are still on. June in the Carolinas, July in Spain – tour dates posted now . August and beyond coming soon. Also, welcome Hemifran (Sweden) to the Team Tori promo mafia, er, family!

Thanks to JPR and Acoustic Guitar magazine for the interview in their DIY and social networking article – check the July issue of the magazine for the print version. Thanks to ReverbNation for the Featured Artist status on their homepage this week. They do good stuff for artists.

Thanks to Pennsylvania’s KindWeb Entertainment Hub for the feature , and to Lyrical Venus for the video plug . LV live interview on June 15th. We love indie press outlets.

The ZIPBOX Media founders have developed an online media player that works on any device, smart phones, the works. Check out the Tori Store here.

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Cover Stories, Hard Rock, Monthlies and Tours

May 3rd, 2010

Four webmasters and eight months later... the ToriSparks.com website is finally updated, complete with extensive photo galleries. Hope you enjoy the antics. Speaking of the web, digital download Tori Store by ZIPBOX Media is online now. Includes previously unreleased remixes.

Cover girl and monthlies! Good stuff is still pouring in from the print (and online) brigade. TN 4U, Tennessee’s first Spanish/English entertainment magazine, launched last month, with Tori Sparks on the cover of the inaugural issue. And thanks for the reviews and interviews from Songwriters’ Anonymous, Americana UK, NetRhythms (Netherlands), and Talking With Tim.

Congrats to Bill E. Payne for winning the Dream Row magazine drawing! He snagged some killer gear and free music. (Thanks to Dream Row for the feature story.) Starting next month, Dream Row will carry a monthly column by Tori. Stay tuned.

New song "Letter to a Wretch #2" (feat. Shawn Mullins) is on the fab Sin City Sampler Vol. 13, which launched at SXSW in March.

Thank you to everyone who make the Hard Rock Cafe Benefit Concert for the Hope Clinic for Women such a success! More tour dates posted now.

Magazines, Media, and European Charts, oh my!

March 30th, 2010

Scorpion is at #19 on the European Americana Radio Chart and climbing! Thanks Europe. Stay tuned for upcoming Euro tour dates. Listen for and request songs from Scorpion on radio stations in England, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, more. Rave reviews are pouring in - yay! - most recently from the Dutch Alt-Country Forum.

Nashville-based Dream Row magazine launches on April 1st, with a feature article on Tori Sparks' treks and travails. Sign up to win FREE Tori swag at their brand-new website. Also coming soon, a Tori cover story on another brand-new local publication, 4U TN magazine. (Available in English and Espagnol.)

Tori is proud to be the spokesperson for digital retail company ZIPBOX Media. Official launch party TBA, but you can preview Tori's digital download store here. Musicians, music biz tycoons, and even regular folks can learn more about ZIPBOX here.

More Tori tour dates posted, including big shows in NYC and Nashville. Launch Music Conference appearance canceled due to scheduling conflict. We'll see you soon, Pennsylvania! Mwah.

Tori is in the studio and then will be back on the road. Over and out!

Cayamo Cruise Call to Arms, LA Times Blog, Haiti and the ISC

Thursday, March 4th 2010

Cayamo Call to Arms! We're waging a campaign to get booked on the 2011 Cayamo Cruise. Thanks to Ray and Anne Wrublewski for the incredible endorsement on the Cayamo message board - anyone inclined to second that motion gets a huge hug from me! Click here for the message boards. You can also email the Sixthman crew (Cayamo organizers) here, or find Kappy on Facebook. I sincerely appreciate it â€“ Sixthman listens to your feedback, and we very much need your help. Haven't heard of Cayamo? Check it out here. Itâ€™s crazy five days of music on a shipâ€¦and you know it's a good day when you're playing poker with Edwin McCain and Buddy Miller in the casino and playing an impromptu concert in the ship's library. Full recap coming soon in the newsletter.

Breaking News!

The Los Angeles Times tech blog features the new Tori Sparks mobile site, a.k.a. ToriMobile, designed by WhenI'mMobile (NYC). Whoo-hoo. Thanks Los Angeles. Speaking of press, thanks to Indie on the Move for the interview! Check it out here. Viva DIY.

"Leaving Side of Love" was just named an ISC International Songwriting Contest Semi-Finalist. Judges include Tom Waits, Loretta Lynn, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, Timbaland, many more. Thanks to all. The song "Leaving Side of Love" is also part of PASTE magazine's efforts to raise money to help Haiti — 100% of proceeds goes to Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.

Tour Thank-You's: The shows in New York and in Paris were lovely, merci au Reservoir, to the National Underground, Best Buy, and to the patrons at the last-minute set at Le Caveau des Oubliettes -- with a Dutch blues band. Gracias everyone who showed their support at the Nashville Benefit Concert for MusicCares, and to Larry T and Stevefest in Florida. News Channel 3 in Memphis is my favorite group of newsfolk, and Folk Alliance was a madhouse, played six shows in two days and got to catch up with some of my favorite people. To be continued. Some 2010 tour dates are already posted, more coming soon.

Finally, In memory of Brad Fischer of the Nashville Music Guide — he helped out so many local artists.

Welcome 2010! Scorpion on the "Best of" Lists, ToriMobile Coming Soon, More

Sunday, January 10, 2010

The first tour dates 2010 are posted, with many, many, many more to come in the States, Canada, and Europe. Folk Alliance showcases and "Live at 9" on News Channel 3 in Memphis just announced!

The Scorpion in the Story is is listed #4 on NYC's Radio Crystal Blue Top 10 CDs of 2009, #16 on Most Played Albums of All time. Also listed in Folkwax's Top 10 Albums of 2009, according to Editor Evert Wilbank. Thank you for making 2009 an adventure.

Will work for tweets: Free music! Click here to download "Little Wrecking Ball" in exchange for one tweet. (Yes, really free. 'Cause we love you.)

Speaking of '09, thanks to Music News Nashville, INSite Magazine, Tucson Weekly, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and countless local papers, television and radio stations all over Arizona, Boston, and the Southeast (especially in Florida) for the warm reception and great feature articles covering the December tour. Much love. Thanks to everyone who donated to benefit SMArts in Gainesville and All Faiths Food Bank in Sarasota, I hope Santa was good to you.

Coming on January 20th: The launch of ToriMobile, complete with exclusive unreleased music, photos, and more. Stay tuned!