Today, legendary singer/songwriter Janis Ian releases “Better Times Will Come,” the latest track from her upcoming release The Light at the End of the Line, out January 21, 2022. The song features an eclectic group of vocalists and musicians including Vince Gill, Diane Schuur, Viktor Krauss and more. Listen to “Better Times Will Come” HERE and pre-order The Light at the End of the Line HERE.
The “Better Times Will Come” album version evolved from the “Better Times Project” which Ian explains in in detail below:
“Two days after John Prine died, I was doing laundry and found myself singing ‘Better times. Better times will come.’ Pretty soon the rest of the chorus came, then the verses, and then I sang it into my phone and put it online. That started the ‘Better Times Project’ into which artists of all sorts joined, until I had close to 200 different versions in everything from Mandarin Chinese to Dutch sign language, drawing books, and collages. I put up a new version every day for months, and people in lock-down, facing despair, wrote to say it helped them to face each new day.”
“When I recorded it for this album, I called Viktor Krauss, my favorite bass player, and asked him to co-produce something that would show the the times we’ve been living through. We both went through our mental Rolodexes, enlisting friends like Diane Schuur and Vince Gill, Jim Hoke and John Cowan. For me, this piece illustrates the arc of fear, isolation, hope, relief, and then return to fear we keep going through as we deal with this scourge. And it’s a tribute to all the artists who continue to do our work, offering audiences an escape and a bit of joy.”
The Light at the End of the Line is Ian’s last solo studio album, capping an extraordinary career that began in 1967 with her self-titled debut. Ian is also planning her final run of the US, the Celebrating Our Years Together tour, with dates starting in February and running through November 2022. Dates are selling quickly with sold out shows in Los Angeles, Virginia and other markets. Dates are listed below and will continue to be updated; for tickets go to janisian.com.
Janis Ian began her iconic career at age 14 when she wrote her socially and politically impactful song “Society’s Child” about an interracial romance between teenagers. Her honest songwriting has translated into timeless, culturally significant tracks including “At Seventeen,” “Jesse” and “Stars,” the latter which was covered by Nina Simone, Cher, Mel Tormé and a host of other artists who felt the song spoke to their own lives. She has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and won two: one in 1976 for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female (“At Seventeen”) and one in 2013 for Best Spoken Word Recording (Society’s Child: My Autobiography).
JANIS IAN 2022 TOUR DATES
February 24 – Santa Fe, NM – Jean Cocteau Theatre
February 25 – Santa Fe, NM – Jean Cocteau Theatre
February 26 – Santa Fe, NM – Jean Cocteau Theatre
February 27 – Santa Fe, NM – Jean Cocteau Theatre
March 3 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater
March 4 – Phoenix, AZ – Musical Instrument Museum (SOLD OUT)
March 6 – El Cajon, CA – The Magnolia
March 11 – Santa Monica, CA – McCabe’s Guitar Shop (SOLD OUT)
March 12 – Santa Monica, CA – McCabe’s Guitar Shop (SOLD OUT)
March 13 – Santa Monica, CA – McCabe’s Guitar Shop (SOLD OUT)
March 16 – Fresno, CA – The Painted Table Events Center
March 18 – Saratoga, CA – Montalvo Arts Center
March 20 – Berkeley, CA – Freight & Salvage (SOLD OUT)
March 27 – Morgantown, WV – Mountain Stage
March 31 – Clearwater, FL – Bilheimer Capitol Theatre
April 2 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – The Parker*
April 3 – Stuart, FL – The Lyric Theatre
April 6 – Jacksonville, FL – WJCT Soundstage
April 14 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
April 15 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
April 16 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
April 18 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
April 21 – Old Saybrook, CT – The Kate
April 23 – Lynn, MA – Lynn Auditorium*
April 24 – Turners Falls, MA – Shea Theater Arts Center
April 27 – Harrisburg, PA – The Whitaker Center*
April 29 – Richmond, VA – Tin Pan (SOLD OUT)
April 30 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
May 1 – Newton, NJ – The Newton Theater
May 5 – Collingswood, NJ – Scottish Rite Auditorium*
May 6 – Ocean City, NJ – Ocean City Music Pier*
May 7 – New York, NY – Concert Hall Society for Ethical Culture*
May 8 – Riverhead, NY – Suffolk Theatre
May 11 – Akron, OH – Goodyear Theatre**
May 13 – Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House
May 14 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music
May 15 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music
May 18 – Columbus, OH – Southern Theater**
May 19 – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall**
May 22 – Iowa City, IA – The Englert Theatre
May 25 – St. Louis, MO – The Sheldon***
May 27 – Nashville, TN – CMA Theater***
June 25-July 30 – Swannanoa, NC @ The Swannanoa Gathering
September 28 – Portland, OR – The Old Church
September 29 – Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
September 30 – Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
October 7 – Sidney, BC – Mary Winspear Centre
October 8 – Sidney, BC – Mary Winspear Centre
October 28 – Brownfield, ME – Stone Mountain Arts Center
October 29 – Rockland, ME – Strand Theatre
November 6 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Music Hall
November 11 – Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theater
November 12 – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse
November 16 – State College, PA – The State Theatre
*with special guests Livingston Taylor and Tom Chapin
**with special guest Tom Rush
***with special guest Livingston Taylor
For more information about Janis Ian please contact Karen Wiessen
karen@alleyesmedia.com at All Eyes Media (917) 627-9363