Spectacle

It may not be the best name for a tour ever, but it’s what we came up with, and we’re sticking with it.

The Broken Hearts Acoustic Revue.

What were we thinking, right?

Well, I’ll tell you. We need to call the tour something other than “Four Dudes In A Van” or “Trust Us: It Won’t Suck” (which come to think of it isn’t half bad), something that connotes what bookers will be booking, and audiences will be hearing. So, at some point in my wanderings, the thought occurred to me to call it “The Lonely Hearts Club.” You know: I’m into hearts, Casey’s into The Beatles, we all sing about love and such. Voila! But Casey was worried people would think we’re a Beatles cover band, so that was out. Then I came up with this.

The Broken Hearts Acoustic Revue.

Press kits and CDs go out today. The pitch?

What happens when four New York City singer/songwriters ditch their respective bands, pile into a shabby Econoline van, and hit the road? The Broken Hearts Acoustic Revue.

Together, Chris Abad, Casey Shea, Benjamin Wagner, and Wynn Walent have released nearly two dozen records. They have performed hundreds of rock shows from Los Angeles to Nashville to Des Moines, and all points in between. Together, they are The Broken Hearts Acoustic Revue.

We’re shooting for roughly a dozen dates from Boston to Chapel Hill between November 10-20. My forthcoming CD, “Heartland,” comes out in the middle there on November 15. I plan to tour Iowa solo sometime right after Thanksgiving.

Funny thing is, my heart is neither lonely, nor broken. It was, and it certainly has been. It’s bruised, and battered, and all stitched up. But right now, it’s actually in pretty good shape — and not for lack of effort. How do you strengthen the heart? Well, I guess with plenty of exercise. Which in my case, meant lots of time alone, lots of thinking, lots of changing, and lots of songwriting to mark the points along the way.

The Broken Hearts Acoustic Revue is the sound of all that stuff. Hope to see you out there on the road.