Derek Webb On The Road

Singer-songwriter Derek Webb unveils Stockholm Syndrome to excited fans and pre-release buzz this fall. Set for release on September 1, 2009, Stockholm Syndrome finds Webb once again facing debate head on. The album is the most provocative and stirring release of his storied career and Webb partners the much-anticipated release with a 20-date tour and a DVD documentary of the project.

Stockholm Syndrome delivers everything listeners have come to expect from Derek Webb: killer pop hooks and lyrics as thought provoking as they are emotionally revealing. Sonically, however, this record is a radical departure for Webb, who has left his acoustic, folk/rock roots behind for a sound he describes as “intentionally inorganic.” Webb co-produced Stockholm Syndrome with former Caedmon’s Call bandmate Josh Moore (Bun-B, Slim Thug), a producer who in recent years has lent his ear to hip-hop recording projects.

Together, Webb and Moore have succeeded in creating a dense, richly absorbing sonic vernacular that pays homage to an entire century of music. From 1920s jazz to 1950s doo-wop, from disco and dance music to old-school R&B, Webb uses this album as a means of exploring deep issues through the central metaphor of Stockholm Syndrome, illuminating the ways in which a society can fall in love with an oppressive culture and become enslaved by it. That sound is palpable in every track from the strut of “Black Eye” and “Cobra Con” to the electropop of “Jena & Jimmy.”

Webb has also made a name for himself in the technological world for his unique fan engagement techniques. Nearly 5,000 people regularly followed details of Webb’s release of Stockholm Syndrome and Webb was among the top 70 Google searches (Internet wide) the first day information was released through his website.

Webb employed Twitter followers in more than 20 cities with an online scavenger hunt that climaxed in a Nashville preview event. More than 1,500 people per day participated in the search for “artifacts,” USB drives that contained new music. Webb will revisit the scavenger hunt markets as part of his “Black Eye” Tour which kicks off in Louisville on September 17th.

When Mockingbird, Webb’s critically acclaimed 2006 album, was released he convinced INO Records/Columbia Records to give away more than 80,000 free album downloads. This widely publicized promotion more than doubled Webb’s concert audiences and eventually paved the way for Webb to launch a revolutionary new online music distribution system, NoiseTrade. The Mockingbird experiment and subsequent launch of NoiseTrade led to a case study assessment in WIRED Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson’s upcoming book Free: The Future of a Radical Price. Derek Webb has truly proven himself to be an innovator in the evolving music landscape. His extraordinary marketing capabilities and consistently thought-provoking lyrics are exactly why his fan base continues to expand. On Stockholm Syndrome, Webb showcases a new sound, yet the complex contemporary lyrics and point of view will be familiar to longtime Derek Webb fans.

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Tour dates:
9/17/2009 – Louisville, KY – The 930 Listening Room
9/18/2009 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Pour Cafe
9/19/2009 – Jackson, TN – Barefoot’s Joe
9/20/2009 – Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay Theatre
9/22/2009 – Atlanta, GA – Smith’s Olde Bar
9/23/2009 – Greenville, SC – Handlebar
9/24/2009 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
9/25/2009 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
9/26/2009 – Vienna, VA – Jammin Java
9/27/2009 – Vienna, VA – Jammin Java
9/30/2009 – Winston-Salem, NC – Confluence Underground
10/1/2009 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
10/2/2009 – Knoxville, TN – The Square Room
10/3/2009 – Nashville, TN – The Rutledge
10/4/2009 – Lexington, KY – The Dame
10/15/2009 – St. Petersburg, FL – The State Theatre
10/16/2009 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Theatre
10/17/2009 – Jacksonville, FL – Murray Hill Theatre
10/22/2009 – Austin, TX – Cactus Cafe
10/23/2009 – Waco, TX – The Backyard @ Common Grounds
10/24/2009 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Bronze Peacock
10/25/2009 – Dallas, TX – Live@MOKAH
10/27/2009 – St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill
10/28/2009 – Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar
10/29/2009 – Chicago, IL – Back Porch State at House of Blues
10/30/2009 – Grand Rapids, MI – Wealthy Theatre
11/1/2009 – Akron, OH – Musica