We are thrilled to announce Love Letter For Fire, an album of duets from Sam Beam (of Iron and Wine) and Jesca Hoop (April 15, 2016 Sub Pop / Black Cricket Recording Co.), plus a North American Spring Tour.

Love Letter For Fire Is Now Available For Pre-Order

CD/LP (includes immediate download of “Every Songbird Says”)

iTunes

More on Love Letter For Fire:

Love Letter for Fire is the name of the collaborative record from songwriters Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) and Jesca Hoop.  A collection of songs steeped in the tradition of the male/female duet where love – in its many forms – takes center stage.

Contemplating a duets album for some time, Beam was never able to find the right voice – until Hoop’s music found its way to his stereo. Diving into her catalog on iTunes one afternoon, specifically the album Kismet, was the spark Sam needed to reach out to Jesca and propose the idea of writing together.

The timing could not have been better for Beam: “I was looking to work with another songwriter because I had never shared the songwriting responsibility with anyone. I really enjoyed her music and it’s different than mine which is what excited me about the project.”

Hoop at the time was finishing her fourth record and had never co-written either.  However she notes, “I had the advantage of knowing Sam’s music because it had cleaned my house many times, so I was familiar with his sensibilities and knew the combination could work.”

The inspiration behind Love Letter For Fire was Sam’s love of classic duets, most of which are ones he grew up hearing on the radio. “Some of my favorite songs are duets, because the narrative is expanded. It’s not just a monologue.  It’s a conversation, and so it gets complicated. I had melodies over the years that I’d been compiling that I thought, this sounds like a classic Kenny and Dolly, ‘Islands in the Stream’ kind of thing, or George and Tammy”.  While the record itself is not Countrypolitan in nature, the two have carved out something that feels wholly original and should have no trouble appealing to fans of their previous work.

Over the course of thirteen songs Love Letter for Fire brims with a joyful energy, contrasting Beam and Hoop’s songwriting styles yet never feeling forced, nor pandering. Veering from disparate pop (“Every Songbird Says” / “Chalk It Up To Chi”) to introspective folk (“One Way to Pray” / “Soft Place to Land”) to a few things in between (“Welcome to Feeling” / “Midas Tongue”), the record never rests solely on just the two voices but rather showcases the new chapter of songwriting each found in the collaboration. Beam notes: “(Jesca) brought a lot of energy and a lot of heart in places where I would be cerebral, she would bring heart.  In places where I would be steady, she would add an exclamation point.”

Recorded in Portland, Oregon with the steady hand of Tucker Martine, the album features a collection of handpicked musicians. The band includes Rob Burger, a frequent Iron & Wine contributor, Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Fiona Apple), Teddy Rankin-Parker (Primus), Eyvind Kang (Decemberists/Tzadik and Ipecac labels) and Glenn Kotche (Wilco). This particular set of musicians had never worked together, but quickly found themselves on equal footing.  For Beam it was a bit of a dream team: “It was a really funband, and a lot less guitar than I usually have on my [Iron & Wine] records.  Tucker and the band were able to help bring out what’s inside of you that you might not know is there.”

The album’s title comes from the song, “We Two Are A Moon“ and the irony of the title and record of love songs by two folks not in love is not lost on its creators. The idea of love in song and life is a constant and universal denominator that everyone relates to. Hoop describes love and the songs succinctly: “Each song has its own heat, its own trajectory.” The album title represents a kind of “ephemeral love that passes through” and then it’s gone.  Beam on the other hand insists the title plays on itself in that “is it a love letter for fire? Or is it a love letter ready to be wasted?” and leaves it up to the listener to come to their own conclusions.

Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop have scheduled a North American tour in support Love Letter For Fire, which begins Tuesday, May 17th in Ann Arbor, MI at The Ark and ends Saturday, June 11th in Chicago, IL at Thalia Hall. Fan Pre Sale Tickets begin February 17 or 18 (depending on the city). Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, February 19th (except Ann Arbor – February 20).

May 17 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark*
May 18 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall*
May 20 – New York, NY – The Town Hall*
May 21 – Washington, DC – The Lincoln Theatre*
May 22 –  Boston, MA – The Wilbur Theatre*
May 24 –  Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer*
May 26 –  Atlanta, GA – The Buckhead Theatre*
May 27 –  New Orleans, LA – The Civic Theatre*
May 28 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater*
May 30 –  Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre*
May 31 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre*
Jun. 02 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall*
Jun. 03 –  Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater*
Jun. 04 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre*
Jun. 05 –  Boise, ID – The Egyptian Theatre*
Jun. 07 –  Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater*
Jun. 08 –  Omaha, NE – Slowdown*
Jun. 09 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater*
Jun. 10 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom*
Jun. 11 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*

*With special guest Marlon Williams