Seattle-Based Indie-Folk Hero Rocky Votolato Unveils New Single “Little Black Diamond” Off ‘Wild Roots’ (1st Album In Over 7 years) Out September 9th.
An intimate concept album inspired by and written for his family, each song is a letter dedicated to a specific family member and focused on a special memory or moment in time.
After losing his child in December of 2021 in a tragic car accident, the entire album, and especially the song “Becoming Human,” now a posthumous love letter, takes on an even deeper while devastatingly bittersweet meaning.
keep believing in ourselves and in the magic of this life, no matter how harsh and difficult it can be"
Stream “Little Black Diamond” here: https://orcd.co/littleblackdiamond
Pre-order ‘Wild Roots’ here: https://spr.tn/wildroots.
Pre-save ‘Wild Roots’ here: https://orcd.co/wildroots.
Upcoming shows:
11/3 – Tacoma, WA @ ALMA
11/4 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
11/5 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
‘Wild Roots’ was produced, engineered, and mixed by Votolato himself and features a stellar lineup of musicians whose contributions perfectly compliment the delicate nature of these songs — Abby Gundersen (William Fitzsimmons) on piano, string arrangements, and vocal harmonies, James McAllister (Sufjan Stevens, The National) on drums and percussion, Phil Wandscher (Whiskeytown, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter) on electric guitar, and Marcel Gein (Perry O’Parson) on electric guitar.
The production on ‘Wild Roots’ is hushed, handcrafted, and warm — an intimate and personal experience that brings the nature of Votolato’s storytelling to life in very authentic and genuine ways. The record is a deliberate construction of his conceptual vision and new phase of his recording career.
In many ways, ‘Wild Roots’ is not only a break in silence for Votolato, but the opening of a new chapter — one that feels laser-focused on what really matters in life. Whether discovering Votolato for the first time or adding another record to your collection, Wild Roots resonates on the most simple and important human levels — a sharing of experience that encourages us to keep believing in ourselves and in the magic of this life, no matter how harsh and difficult it can be.