Patti Smith releasing 11th Studio Album

Patti Smith will be releasing her 11th studio album, Banga, on June 5th. This will be the first album of original music since 2004 Trampin. Patti has a new single on Itunes called April Fool(and she released it on April Fools day). I downloaded it and I really like it. Its mellow, pleasant and nice. Certainly not the rabble rouser of yesteryear, but introspective and poetic. Apparently some of the inspiration for this album comes from the Japan tsunami, Amy Winehouse and a song written for Johnny Depp.

Patti will also be having a show of her photographs at the Detroit Institute of Arts this Summer. I am incredibly excited as I love all mediums of her art(music, photography, writing etc). If you have not read her book, Just Kids, I highly suggest that you do. It won the National Book Award last year. I had a chance to see her live for the first time a couple of years ago and it was pretty epic. I am hoping for a live date to coincide with her photography show. Patti has some deep ties here the Detroit area. She raised her family here in the St. Clair shores area. Her Daughter in Law is Meg White, who still has a house in Indian Village and Detroit is just the kind of down on its luck, thriving starving Artist cities that Patti has affection for. She has in fact said that you can't be a starving artist in New York anymore(too expensive) and has recommended artists move to Detroit. Many have taken her advice.

It is always an event when Patti Smith releases something new and this new album and showing of her photographs this Summer will be no different. Here is the new song April Fool.