Today (9.13), 21-year-old Appalachian phenom Colby T. Helms announces his debut album, Tales of Misfortune. Out January 19th via Photo Finish Records, Helms penned all the songs on the semi-autobiographical concept album as a senior in high school.
Produced by Helms’ mentor and Boones Mill, VA-fiddle-legend Billy Hurt, the 8-track collection recounts his origin story and artistic coming of age. As if in a dream, Helms delivers a devotional to his father who died of cancer when Colby was 12 and inspired his path in music, wrestles with the traveling troubadour’s life he has chosen, and acknowledges the mystical pull of his hometown that keeps bringing him back.
Today, Helms shares the first preview of the album’s bone-raw brand of country folk with his debut single, “Higher Ground.” Striking a dynamic balance between country storytelling, bluegrass energy, and blues power, Helms details his time spent on the road with stark honesty and a sharp angular twang. The day he turned 16, Helms bought a stick-shift Jeep Wrangler, and hit the road playing for anyone who would have him. He hasn’t looked back since.
On the heels of his debut single, Helms will open for Marty Stuart at the Annapolis Songwriters Festival on Sept. 16, and will make his AmericanaFest debut in Nashville, TN next week.
Tales of Misfortune Tracklist:
First Snow
Dreaming Again
Higher Ground
Mountain Brandy
Dove Song
Leanne
Smoke and Flames
Daddy’s Pocket Knife
All songs written by Colby T. Helms and produced by Billy Hurt
Upcoming Colby T. Helms Tour Dates:
9/16 - Annapolis Songwriters Festival in Annapolis, MD**
9/21 - AmericanaFest Day-Party @ The Basement in Nashville, TN
9/30 - Rocky Mount 150th Festival in Rocky Mount, VA
10/7 - Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC
10/15 - GO Outside Festival in Roanoke, VA
11/25 - Seafood Festival in Martinsville, VA
**denotes opening for Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives
About Colby T. Helms:
At the bottom of the Southwest Virginia foothills half-a-mile from the nearest neighbor, Colby T. Helms resides in an “underground house” built by his late father on land his family has owned for generations. Helms first dreamed of making music his life at the age of 12, when a group of Blue Ridge Mountain old-time and bluegrass players performed songs like The Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ “Standing On The Rock” and the gospel classic “A Beautiful Life” at his father’s funeral in Boones Mill, VA. He taught himself guitar, banjo, and mandolin by watching local performers and YouTube videos, and by age 18 he was a veteran performer in the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Mountains region, fronting his band The Virginia Creepers.
About Photo Finish Records:
Photo Finish Records is an independent record label boasting a diverse artist roster including alternative rock, indie pop and hip hop. The label was created and founded by Matt Galle and in 2021 celebrated its fifteenth year of success. As the label grew and developed, Matt brought in his business partner Mike Marquis to co-run the label with him. PFR is known for developing and breaking an eclectic roster of artists such as 3OH!3, SHAED, Marian Hill, MisterWives, ROZES, The Mowgli's, and newer signings The Maine, Colby T. Helms, Delacey, Billy Lockett, AVIV, Elliot Lee, and joan. SHAED’s track "Trampoline" is triple platinum in the US with over 2 billion streams worldwide, 3OH!3's debut album "Want" is certified Gold with 3 platinum singles and over 15 million singles sold which includes collaborations with Katy Perry, Wiz Khalifa, Kid Cudi, Lil' Jon and Ke$ha. Marian Hill's releases including their debut album “Act One” have sold 12 million tracks making big waves with the breakthrough hit "Down" as well as successful albums from MisterWives and their gold single "Reflections," Anthony Green, Handsome Ghost, and many others. Matt Galle and Mike Marquis are well known and respected leaders in the music industry having both been recognized in Billboard’s 40 under 40 and three years (2020, 2021, 2022) in a row on Billboard’s Indie Power Players list. The team is located in NYC and PFR is distributed through Virgin Music, Label and Artist Services.