Girls Guns and Glory's 'Good Luck' Ranks No. 1 on Alternate Roots 2014 Best-of-List

We're only just past the midway mark of the year, but Girls Guns and Glory's latest release, Good Luck, is already making it onto the Top 10 lists for the best album of 2014.

Alternate Root has released the beginning of their Top 50 list for 2014 with the Boston-based band's fifth album, Good Luck, coming in on top at No. 1. "The band has spent many years fine-tuning their music and re-fining their show. They put Eric 'Roscoe' Ambel behind the boards for Good Luck and put one over the Big Green Monster in the bands native Boston, Mass with the recording," writes the Alternate Root. The band is also currently featured on Alternate Root's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/AlternateRoot1

            Good Luck has also made it onto Twangville writer Mayer Danzig's list, "Mayer's Picks: The Best of 2014, So Far (The Albums). He writes, "While they remain true to their love of Hank Williams and vintage country, Girls Guns and Glory let their rock and roll colors fly on Good Luck. It makes for one rollicking good time." Likewise, the album has also landed on St. Louis DJ Curt's Top 10 list for KDHX's  "Midyear 2014: KDHX DJ Top 10 Albums."
         
            Meanwhile, Girls Guns and Glory singer Ward Hayden has teamed with Lonesome Day Records label mate and regular touring partner, Sarah Borges, for a special 7-inch vinyl single titled "Mixed Messages." The single comes with "Get As Gone Can Get," which they've been performing live at recent shows, and a cover of the Sonny & Cher classic, "Baby Don't Go." The tracks were produced by David Minehan (The Replacements, The Neighborhoods, Girls Guns and Glory) at Woolly Mammoth Studios in Waltham, Massachusetts.

            It's been a banner year for the band, which also includes Paul Dilley (bass, piano), Josh Kiggans (drums/percussion), and Chris Hersch (guitar). Earlier this year, the group won two Boston Music Awards for Americana Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year for Ward Hayden; and they've have had an impressive tour run, which included many sold-out dates U.S. dates and a standout run during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

            Major press outlets have taken notice as well, with Country Weekly writing, "With literally thousands of bands performing at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin this past March, it can be near impossible for a group to stand out. Girls Guns and Glory didn't have that problem. The Boston four-piece...quickly became a must-see, with its primal Chuck Berry-like rock 'n' roll mixed with high lonesome country."

            CMT Edge raved about GGG's SXSW shows as well. "The Boston country combo Girls Guns and Glory was tearing it up inside. Like countless other bands, they didn't have an official showcase, yet they managed to scrounge up eight shows to get their music out there," wrote writer Craig Shelburne. The Washington Post is also a fan of the band's incendiary live shows, writing, "A dynamic and dynamite night of alt-country...You won't want to miss."

            The album itself has equally fared well with the critics as well. "There's a lot of buzz about these guys - and with some good reasons. Sometimes, the critics actually do know what they are talking about, like this group - and this album!" writes Music News Nashville. AXS writes, "The album's title, Good Luck, seems more like what you say to somebody just about to take on an impossible task, rather than describing Girls Guns and Glory's fortunes. These are hard luck fellows, for the most part, and these songs are filled with half-hopes, at best. Although woebegone, though, it makes for some wonderful country music. Bad luck, but good, good music."

         Good Luck, which was produced and mixed by Ambel and recorded by Mario Viele at Cowboy Technical Services Recording Rig in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for Lonesome Day Records, mixes the band's love of '50s rock with the roots music of today. "This style of music was in the house I grew up in," explains Hayden of the album's inspirations, which includes  '50s rock 'n' roll icons such as Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, and Buddy Holly, as well as country greats like Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. "Our sound has been evolving from country to where we are now," he continues. "I label what we do now as American music."

Girls Guns and Glory Tour Dates (more to be announced):

Aug 16 - Marshfield, MA - Marshfield Fair
Aug 21 - Arlington, VA - Iota Club
Aug 22 - Norfolk, VA - Norfolk Taphouse
Aug 23 - Hampton, VA - Hampton Taphouse
Aug 24 - Annapolis, MD - The Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge
Aug 28 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Mauch Chunk Opera House
Aug 29 - Bellefonte, PA - Gamble Mill
Aug 30 - Taunton, MA - Portuguese American Civic Club
Sept 12 - Hull, MA - The C Note
Sept 13 - The Monaplex (House Concert) - Andover, MA
Sept 17 - Northampton, MA - The Parlor Room at Signature Sounds
- Hank Williams' Birthday/Tribute To Hank Williams
Sept 21 - Lake George, NY - Festival For The Lake
Sept 24 - Ashland, VA - Ashland Coffee & Tea
Sept 25 - Hampton, VA - Hampton Taphouse
Sept 26 - Hillsboro, NC - Last Fridays Concert Series
Sept 27 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse
Oct 3 - Westerly, RI - The Knickerbocker Cafe
Oct 4 - Middleboro, MA - Studio 84 House Concert
Oct 5 - Foxboro, MA - Gillette Stadium Pre-Game Concert (Patriots vs Bengals)
Oct 11 - Gettysburg, PA - Garryowen Irish Pub
Oct 14-Nov 10 - European Tour
Nov 14 - Brighton, MA - Brighton Music Hall
Nov 15 - Titusville, NJ - Concerts at the Crossing
Nov 18 - Columbus, OH - Natalie's 
Nov 19 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
Nov 20 - Kalamazoo, MI - Bell's Brewery
Nov 21 - Goshen, IN - Ignition
Nov 22 - Newport, KY - Southgate House Revival
Dec 26 - Brownfield, ME - Stone Mountain Arts Center
Dec 28 - Collinsville, CT - Bridge Street Live - Tribute To Hank Williams
Dec 31 - Cambridge, MA - The Lizard Lounge - Tribute To Hank Williams
Jan 1 - Cambridge, MA - The Lizard Lounge - Tribute To Hank Williams
Jan 2 - Hudson, NY - Helsinki Hudson - Tribute To Hank Williams
Jan 3 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center for the Arts - Tribute To Hank Williams

---