Tulsa musician Jesse Aycock tours with the The Hard Working Americans & The Secret Sisters

Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jesse Aycock has been a fixture on Tulsa’s music scene for years. A talented performer in his own right, more often than not, you’ll catch him jamming with other local favorites like Dustin Pittsley and Paul Benjaman. Aycock has shared the stage with some impressive national acts and frequently lends his talents to whatever dish his musical friends are cooking up. With a calendar that includes a CD release on Jan. 21 and tour dates with both Todd Snider’s new collaboration and promising newcomers The Secret Sisters, 2014 is shaping up to be an exciting year for this deserving musician.

“It’s great! It’s kind of strange how everything happens at once…all these tours come together and the record comes out. It’s kind of cool,” Aycock told me in a recent phone interview. “It’s really exciting just to go into the new year knowing that there’s work,” he added with a laugh.

And great work it is. Aycock will be spending two months on the road with The Hard Working Americans, Austin musician Todd Snider’s new project that features Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), Neal Casal (The Cardinals, Chris Robinson Brotherhood), Chad Staehly (Great American Taxi) and Duane Trucks (Col. Bruce Hampton’s School of Music). “I’ll be mostly playing guitar and some lap steel and singing some back up,” Aycock explained.

HWA guitarist Casal is a friend of Aycock’s who spent some time in Tulsa producing and playing on Aycock’s forthcoming release, Flowers & Wounds. “I’m super excited about this group and having a friend in the band,” Aycock said. “It just seems like a really good group of people to be out on the road making music with. The songs are really cool, and I think the live shows will be really fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

The HWA tour crosses the map, stopping at some legendary venues along the way. “It’s amazing,” Aycock commented. “As a kid growing up and being influenced by Hendrix and all of these other great players, getting to play some of these theaters is just a dream come true…I mean The Fillmore in San Francisco, for example. It’s one of those classic places…I’m like ‘Man! I finally get to play the Fillmore!’”

Aycock’s Flowers & Wounds will be released on Tulsa’s Horton Records label in both CD and vinyl format. The music will also be available on iTunes. For a preview of two of the tracks, check out the beautifully packaged, 7-inch vinyl limited release on Dylan Aycock’s Scissor Tail Editions record label. Dylan, Jesse’s brother, created the design, and each copy is literally a handmade, dated and numbered, letterpressed work of art. Aycock is looking forward to his time on the road. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do and have been doing. I love being on the road…I feel happiest when I’m traveling.” 

– With thanks to Currentland.