Selwyn Birchwood Reveals New Single ‘FLorida Man’
Award-winning Florida bluesman Selwyn Birchwood releases “FLorida Man,” the first single from Exorcist, his highly anticipated fourth Alligator Records release.
The album, set for June 9 release, will be available on purple vinyl LP, CD and at all popular streaming and download sites. The original song is ripped straight from the state’s notorious news headlines, and it’s an uproarious and timely blues-rocker. According to Birchwood, every line is true. “Florida Man is my maniacal musical of the mythical and elusive character that resides in my home state. People outside of Florida think we are crazy. People inside of FLorida KNOW we’re crazy!”
“FLorida Man” is a hard, funky track that takes on many of the shenanigans and strange behavior we’ve become strangely accustomed to seeing emerge from the Sunshine State. Birchwood is a Florida native and speaks on the characters who do these things in the way that only insiders can and deftly turns it all into relevant contemporary roots music. His vocals are bold and forthcoming and his slide guitar licks are all that and more. Rock this one loud while you’re planning your next beach vacation!
“FLorida Man”
Birchwood’s hometown radio station, Tampa’s WMNF, gave “FLorida Man” its worldwide debut on April 14. Nashville’s tastemaker roots radio station, WMOT, is already enthusiastically airing the song in regular rotation. Belgium’s Keys & Chords magazine says Birchwood is “one of the most exciting and creative young blues musicians in the world…This is the most visionary statement yet from a musician determined to shape the future of the blues.”
The young guitarist, lap steel player, songwriter and vocalist calls his music “Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues,” an intoxicating mix of deep blues, blistering, psychedelic-tinged rock, booty-shaking funk and sweet Southern soul, played and sung with fire-and-brimstone fervor. Americana music magazine No Depression says, “Selwyn Birchwood reaches back in the blues tradition to launch something out of this world.”
On Exorcist, Birchwood delivers the most far-reaching, musically adventurous album of his career. Recorded in Florida and produced by Grammy Award-winner Tom Hambridge, each of the 13 vividly detailed songs was written and arranged by Birchwood. The soul-baring tracks all hit with lasting rhymes and unexpected rhythms. Each twists its own tale, ranging from the love-gone-wrong “Horns Below Her Halo” to the love-gone-terrifying Exorcist to the autobiographical “Underdog.” According to Blues Music Magazine, “Selwyn Birchwood heralds a fresh, exciting new direction in the blues. Toe-tapping, hip-shaking, joyful and inviting…expansive and focused, exploratory and time-honored, but always original.”
Along with the June 9 release of Exorcist, Birchwood and his band will kick off their extensive national tour that same evening at legendary local Tampa haunt Skipper’s Smokehouse. About both his new album and his live show, Birchwood says, “My goal is to be sure you cannot listen passively. We’re going to make you dance, and we’re going to make you think.” One listen to Exorcist will no doubt convert many new true believers; this is visionary contemporary blues written and performed by an endlessly creative, modern-day blues master.
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