“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won’t adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words “make” and “stay” become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.”
― Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker
So it goes that Rorey Carroll named her debut album and title song Love Is An Outlaw. Singer, songwriter, storyteller and currently on the road with Todd Snider (See below for tour dates), Carroll is anything but run of the mill. She was discovered in the driveway of of Leftover Salmon after a long stint of running up to 27 pounds of cannabis from California to the South. “I’ve been a driver because I look young,” she confessed, firming up her outlaw status.
Carroll is a singer with nothing to hide, though her slightly shy demeanor, which shows through ever so subtly in the below video, may make it seem otherwise. Chalk it up to charming and you’re right back on track.
Blessed with a beautiful and catchy voice (no lessons) and natural writing abilities, it’s a good thing Carroll was in that driveway. Guitar came fairly natural as well, “Once I’d learned three chords I started putting lyrics to them,” she said. She’d been 23 at the time and it’s now her life. Traveling show to show, being the fun drunk girl on the tour bus, and as full of stories as her mentor, Snider, and his mentor, John Prine.
Aside from the tour, her album is incredibly strong right out the gate. In the opening song, “Not Just Good Enough,” she expresses the common desire to “only want it if it’s good, not just good enough.” She doesn’t settle and that shines through on all tracks. The album releases the last week of September and the tour dates are as follows:
9/11 Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
10/7 Nashville, TN @ Ryman
10/10 Bloomington, IL @ The Castle
10/11 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Music Hall
10/12 Lafayette, IN @Lafayette Theatre
10/13 Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theater
10/15 Phoenixville, PA @ The Colonial (Philly)
10/16 Annapolis, MD @ Ram’s Head
10/17 Boston, MA @ The Brighton Music Hall
10/18 Falls River, MA @ Narrows Center for the Arts
10/19 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
10/21 Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater
10/22 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
10/25 Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theater
10/28 Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
10/29 Ponte Vedra, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
For more information, check out www.roreycarroll.com