[Cover photo credit to Gabriel Barreto]
Chris Pierce has announced his new album, Songs for the Heavy Hearted, due out August 21, 2026. Produced by frequent collaborators David Resnik and Niko Bolas (Neil Young, The Mavericks), Songs for the Heavy Hearted “captures moments in the lives of everyday people as they struggle with crisis.”
Along with the news, Pierce has shared his new single “This Sunlit Morning,” which is a “testament to resilience.”
Pierce shares:
‘This Sunlit Morning’ came from holding the weight of the times we’re living in. Every day, we’re staring into some new kind of chaos, division, or corruption, and if we’re not careful, it can start to pull us away from what is right in front of us. This song is about remembering to pause and reflect on what we’ve been blessed with. The simple things that can keep us rooted when the world starts feeling unsteady. We still have to get out there and fight for a better world. We still have to speak up for people whose voices are ignored or silenced. Sometimes, we need to pause just long enough to remember what we’re fighting for in the first place.
At its core, Songs for the Heavy Hearted is “a diary of — and love letter to — freedom fighters everywhere.” It features performances from Allison Russell, Steve Earle, Grey DeLisle and Garrison Starr, and “embodies the belief that ‘we shall overcome’.
Starting in June, Pierce will bring his new music to Minneapolis, San Diego, Vancouver and more cities, including stops in Nashville for an official AmericanaFest showcase and Huntington, WV for NPR’s Mountain Stage this Fall.
Chris Pierce has been a voice in American roots music for over 20 years. Over the course of eight solo albums, many side projects and guest appearances, Pierce has “given voice to the voiceless.”
Tour Dates:
June 13 – Columbia, MD – Columbia Festival for the Arts
June 16 – Bayport, NY – People’s Pub Bayport
June 19 – Westport, CT – Levitt Pavilion
July 24 – White Sulfur Springs, MT – Red Ants Pants Music Festival
July 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse
July 30-31 – Appleton, WI – Mile of Music
August 1 – Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald’s
August 2 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
August 22 – Pasadena, CA – Levitt Pavilion
August 26 – San Diego, CA – Holding Company
August 29 – Sutter Creek, CA – Yorba Wines
September 17 – Nashville, TN – The Basement (AMERICANAFEST)
September 20 – Duluth, GA – Red Clay Music Foundry
September 23 – Richmond, VA – Tin Pan
September 24 – Raleigh, NC – Pour House Music Hall
October 16-17 – Vancouver, BC – Kay Meek Arts Centre (JJ Cale Tribute Show)
October 20 – Tacoma, WA – Spanish Ballroom at Elks Temple
October 21 – Prosser, WA – Brewminatti
October 24 – Ferndale, CA – The Old Steeple
November 6 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater *
November 7 – State College, PA – State Theater *
November 8 – Huntington, WV – Mountain Stage
* with Steve Earle
