Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds (AKA Sturgill Simpson) Confirms A New Record Is On The Way During Red Rocks Show

COME ON WITH IT.

We’ve got BIG news for Johnny Blue Skies and Sturgill Simpson fans.

Sturgill Simpson just wrapped up two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. Both nights Johnny Blue Skies dropped bombs on his fans, but some folks expected announcements like this were on the way.

Let’s start from the beginning.

At the beginning of September, a new verified Instagram account emerged for Johnny Blue Skies. This is the first official account that Sturgill Simpson has made since wiping the majority of his social media accounts. Of course, some followers of the “Living the Dream” singer might be familiar with @wherethef**kissturgillsimpson, a great account that frequently shares news and clips from the artist. However, that account is not owned by Simpson.

Fans were thrilled to see the account created under his pseudo identity, and instantly began wondering what this meant. Why did Simpson feel the need to return to social media? Is there an announcement of sorts in the works? Why did he choose to make an account under Johnny Blue Skies instead of Sturgill Simpson?

It did not take long for a cryptic image to appear on the account, leading fans to believe that a single or album announcement was in the works. The account’s post follows the imagery of other Johnny Blue Skies artwork, featuring two skeletons on horseback jostling toward each other. One skeleton depicts a devil, and the other represents an angel of sorts, as it does not have horns and is in a pure white color. Above the image are the simple words:

“Hold Yer Horses.”

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A post shared by Johnny Blue Skies (@johnnyblueskies)

Many fans assumed this was a teaser for some album art, and while it’s not confirmed that this is related to the record, Sturgill did confirm during the second night of Red Rocks that they just wrapped up recording a record.

“F*** it, I’ll tell you. Just so you guys know, we’re already gearing up… You ain’t ready, but we’re going to give it to you anyway. We just wrapped up a nice little… a new record… in the can.

And for all the record labels out there acting like record labels that want to f*** around, F*** AROUND. Find out. I just want to make America f*** again!”

LET’S GO.

@whiskeyriff Come on with it. // : bknorskn (IG) #whiskeyriff #sturgillsimpson #johnnyblueskies #redrocks ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff

During his Red Rocks run, Simpson also unveiled a new band name for his alter ego. Sturgill Simpson is backed by one hell of a band, featuring talent like Laur Joamets on guitar, Kevin Black on bass, Miles Miller on drums, and Robbie Crowell on keyboards. Miles and Black have been running around with Simpson since the start of his career, and so their band is a true family unit.

To reflect that, Johnny Blue Skies will no longer be a solo act name, and moving forward, they will be known as Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds.

During a rainy first night at the famed venue, Simpson joked with fans that the addition to the band name was ringing true, bringing literal dark clouds to Morrison, Colorado.

“I realized I got backstage and it’s all my fault. Tonight was the first time we’ve ever put Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds on the ticket. I’m a f***ing jedi, I’m on my manifest s***. I should have told you sooner. Alright, let’s get back to it.” 

The rain caused a delay the first night, so maybe Stu was right that he was on his “manifest s***” with officially dubbing The Dark Clouds as his band ahead of this show.

Regardless, there are a lot of exciting things on the horizon for Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds, and we are ready. Bring it on.

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The post Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds (AKA Sturgill Simpson) Confirms A New Record Is On The Way During Red Rocks Show first appeared on Whiskey Riff.