MOBLEY PREMIERES LIVE VIDEO OF HIS HIT SINGLE JAMES CROW AND DETAILS OF HIS UPCOMING VIRTUAL TOUR WITH AMERICAN SONGWRITERNew Page
OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE FOR MOBLEY’S FORTHCOMING EP YOUNG & DYING THE OCCIDENT SUPREME SET FOR FEBRUARY 19, 2021
“Mobley makes upbeat-sounding pop-rock songs with a political conscience.” – PopMatters
"A maker of boundary-pushing pop that urges listeners to throw all assumptions to the wayside..." – Billboard
“A message wrapped in pleasure. Pleasure wrapped in a message.” – Consequence of Sound
"Master of all (musical) trades..." – Wonderland Magazine
"Watch a three-minute transformation of Mobley from nobody to superstar in ‘Solo.’" – Noisey (VICE)
"[Mobley] is a rare breed..I seldom toss the words 'musical genius' around lightly, but that's what we're dealing with here." – Ryan's Smashing Life
"The songs are hot, his instrumental prowess — switching from guitar, to keys, to drums — is engrossing, and his stage presence is electrifying. Whether he’s playing to a crowd of 50 or 500, he conducts himself with the energy of an arena star, and he sells it 100 percent." – Austin American-Statesman
Toronto, ON – December 9, 2020 – Mobley's premiere of the live video of his recent single, James Crow is out now. The performance was filmed last year at Cheer Up Charlie’s in Austin, Texas. Additionally, Mobley is announcing the details and tour stops of a virtual tour to promote his forthcoming EP, Young & Dying in the Occident Supreme. The EP is slated for release via Last Gang Records on February 19, 2021. See here for the premiere, via American Songwriter.
“As I’m gearing up for my virtual tour, I’ve been digging through footage of my shows from before the pandemic,” said Mobley. “I put together this video because the show I played last summer at Cheer Ups in Austin is one of my favourite shows ever. I wanted to share what James Crow was meant to look like live and how it will look again, once we all pull together and beat this virus for good.”
“Mobley isn’t just a talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist,” said American Songwriter. “He’s also a restless creative who has channeled his technical and artistic skills into a one-man, perpetual-motion stage show, during which he’ll shift among an array of instruments while intricately timed, self-produced — and often self-triggered — sound samples, lighting cues, videos and graphic effects swirl around him. Watching him onstage, the closest comparison that comes to mind is Prince (minus the outrageous moves and attire). And like Prince, Mobley doesn’t fit into a neat genre category. It’s been labeled ‘alt-,’ but he notes his music is obviously pop-leaning. It’s definitely not hip-hop, though he’s been miscategorized as such by those who assume his skin colour dictates his musical direction.”
Watch the James Crow live performance on YouTube here.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mobley has adapted his high-energy, live shows to a virtual format and teamed up with notable venues across the country to bring audiences a dynamic concert experience. Drawing on his background in film, Mobley is shooting unique arrangements of his songs in diverse locations, using drone cameras and cutting-edge music technologies to capture performances in the desert, the woods and some striking architectural settings. Tickets for each show will be available via a pay-what-you-can model through the Noonchorus livestream platform with a portion of proceeds donated to each venue to support furloughed staff during the pandemic. Mobley is also excited to announce that he’ll be donating his portion of the proceeds from the virtual tour to DAWA Fund, an Austin non-profit organization providing direct relief for musicians, artists, therapists, service industry workers and social workers of colour.
Based in Austin, Texas, Mobley is known for his electric, high energy one-man performances that get everyone in hearing distance on their feet. Earlier this month, he brought his multimedia show to the Tito’s stage at Austin City Limits (virtual) music festival, where he performed three new songs from his forthcoming EP titled “Young & Dying in the Occident Supreme.” Mobley wrote the record while in Thailand, gaining inspiration as an outsider looking into his own country from a different vantage point. He recorded the majority of the guitar lines in an apartment on a remote island in the Gulf of Thailand, using a knockoff Telecaster he bought in Bangkok on his first day in the country.
Back in the U.S., Mobley’s home recording studio awaited, as well as an arsenal of instruments, from piano to trumpet to glockenspiel. It was here that Mobley built out the lush production that characterizes the record (he cites Italian composer Ennio Morricone as an influence). He also donned his filmmaker cap, writing and directing a visual EP that will premiere in February alongside the record. The music videos for his first two singles, Nobody’s Favourite and James Crow, comprise parts I and II of the four-part film.
2021 VIRTUAL TOUR DATES INCLUDE:
February 25 – Venue TBA **EP Release Show – Austin, Texas
February 27 – Subterranean – Chicago, Illinois
March 2 – Centerstage – Atlanta, Georgia
March 2 – Masquerade – Atlanta, Georgia
March 4 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, New York
March 6 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
March 8 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, Texas
March 8 – Deep Ellum Art Company – Dallas, Texas
March 10 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, California
March 12 – Popscene – San Francisco, California
