Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats Drop "Hey Mama" Single

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, who are gearing up for a March 9 album release, dropped a new single, "Hey Mama," today — just days after announcing a second Red Rocks concert on August 23, with Slim Cessna's Auto Club.

Like "You Worry Me," the first song from new album Tearing at the Seams, "Hey Mama" is a welcome detour from the catchy soul style (see: "S.O.B.") on which the Night Sweats built their acclaim. If these two tracks are any indication, Rateliff — who has long explored different styles with the band the Wheel, as a solo act, and now with the Night Sweats — has not stopped trying new things.


"Hey Mama" offers up a delightfully inspirational, raw and curmudgeonly road-worn message from Rateliff, who has earned the right to dish out a bit of advice after building his career brick-by-brick on gritty, broken-down lyrics.

The lesson from "Hey Mama" is one that aspiring musicians and artists — hell, anyone with a goal who's feeling frustrated — should take to heart:

You ain't gone far enough to say at least I tried/You ain't worked hard enough to say well I've done mine/You ain't gone far enough to say my legs have failed/You ain't gone far enough/You ain't worked hard enough/You ain't run far enough to say it ain't gonna get any better/You picked a bad time to listen to me.

Rateliff's summer tour, to promote Tearing at the Seams, will begin in Saint Petersburg, Florida, and conclude with his two nights at Red Rocks.

Here is a full list of tour dates:

May 5—Saint Petersburg, FL—Jannus Live*
May 6—Atlanta, GA—Shaky Knees Festival
May 8—Charlotte, NC—The Fillmore*
May 9—Raleigh, NC—The Ritz*
May 11—Asheville, NC—Highland Brewing Company*
May 12—Louisville, KY—Iroquois Amphitheater*
May 14—Richmond, VA—The National
May 16—Washington, DC—Anthem
May 18—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall
May 19—Montreal, QC—MTelus
May 31—Chicago, IL—Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island†
June 1—Indianapolis, IN—Lawn at White River State Park
June 2—Lewiston, NY—Artpark Amphitheater†
June 3—Cleveland, OH—Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica†
June 5—Cooperstown, NY—Brewery Ommegang
June 6—Philadelphia, PA—Skyline Stage at the Mann Center
June 8—Boston, MA—Blue Hills Bank Pavilion‡
June 9— Forest Hills, NY—Forest Hills Stadium§
August 3—Kansas City, MO—Crossroads
August 5—St. Paul, MN—The Palace Theatre
August 7—Moorhead, MN—Bluestem Amphitheatre
August 9—Missoula, MT—Kettlehouse Amphitheater
August 10—Troutdale, OR—Edgefield Amphitheater
August 15—Los Angeles, CA—Greek Theater
August 18—Oakland, CA—Fox Theater
August 22—Denver, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre**
August 23—Denver, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre††

Tickets for the August 23 show at Red Rocks are $46.75 to $86.50 at AXS or by phone at 888-929-7849 starting today, February 2, at 10 a.m. Tickets for the August 22 concert with Tank & the Bangas have sold out.