DEADWOOD, S.D. (04/03/23) – One of the fastest growing stars in country music will make a stop at Deadwood Mountain Grand when Randall King takes the stage in support of his new album “Shot Glass” on Thursday, July 6th.
Take a seat at any old roadhouse bar and look to your left and right. Some people will be there drinking for fun, and others to forget. But on “Shot Glass”, the major label album debut from Warner Music Nashville’s Randall King, none of them are drinking alone.
A country-music purist whose style carries on an original American art form –with all its highs and lows included – King is something of a study in contrast, and his album is too. He often sounds like he just stepped out of a time machine, full of upbeat honky-tonk swagger and flashing the thoughtful gaze of Western poet. But he’s also got a thoroughly modern edge, driven to prove timeless tradition can co-exist with the pop-country mainstream. And it all comes together on “Shot Glass”.
Four years after his independent self-titled album kicked things off, the West-Texas native has now made the move to Music City, marking the start of a whole new chapter. He’s following a pair of visionary EPs with a top-shelf concept album–and in the process, buying all of classic country another round. “I’m that rowdy honky-tonk artist,” King says with conviction. “But I’ve got music and roots that go deeper than just beer-slingin’ tunes. There’s a lot of depth.”
Inspired by everyone from George Strait and Keith Whitley to Dierks Bentley and Eric Church, King grew up on the endless plains and endless highways of a mythical place in the American story –but its famous ways were never mere fantasy to him. The hardscrabble days, wild nights and heartbreaks were all just part of an everyday cycle, and his music continues to capture that mystique.
Back with producers Bart Butler and Ryan Gore – the team behind contemporaries like Jon Pardi who also guided King’s recent “She Gone” and “Leanna” EPs –King refuses to settle for the lowest-common denominator. Each track on “Shot Glass” reveals another aspect of the only life he knows, and the people who live it. Sometimes that means joy, sometimes sadness. But above all, it’s real. “If there’s any kind of manufactured, fake aspect to it, it’s not gonna work for me,” says the singer-songwriter, who would have been a third-generation trucker had music not intervened. “I’m not an actor, so I’m gonna give you exactly who I am, where I’m from, and the things that reflect me, my upbringing … my West-Texas roots.”
With 11 songs in total, King co-wrote eight on “Shot Glass”, each one digging deeper into his world. Not just high times on a Friday night, but also the harsh truth of hard work with an uncertain future, romantic dreams dissolving into mirage and saying goodbye to those you love … far, far too soon. Further honing the bright honky-tonk textures that feature willowy steel guitars, twangy melody riffs and a dynamic vocal – equally at home on a roadhouse riser or inside a country-church chapel – King and his team continued to serve up the gritty and the beautiful on “Shot Glass”… leaving extra room for a fiddle chaser.
Tickets go on sale for Deadwood Mountain Grand Reward Members at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 4th and to the general public at 10 a.m. Frida, April 7th. They will be available at the Deadwood Mountain Grand Box Office or at ticketmaster.com. Ticket buyers should note that TICKETMASTER is the only official ticket broker for Deadwood Mountain Grand. Beware of third party websites and offers. Both hotel reservations and ticket arrangements may be made by calling 877-907-GRAND.
For more information, visit www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com or call 605-559-1188. To open your free Grand Rewards Center membership and enjoy the benefits of purchasing advance tickets ahead of the general public, bring a photo ID to the Grand Rewards Center counter, located in the Deadwood Mountain Grand Resort Casino.
Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel, a Holiday Inn Resort is the restored 1906 Homestake Mining Co. ore processing plant that overlooks Historic Deadwood, which features a 98-room luxury hotel, full service restaurants, 210 state-of-the-art casino games, high stakes gaming action including Dale’s Sportsbook Bar & Grill, a 3,000 person entertainment and event center and a multi-level parking garage.
