DT: SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

FM: KELLY WALSH / SRO PR

JAMES AND THE SHAME
–SOLO PROJECT OF RHETT MCLAUGHLIN (GOOD MYTHICAL MORNING)–
REVEALS ANIMATED VIDEO FOR THIRD SINGLE
“GIVE A DAMN”
TAKEN FROM DEBUT COUNTRY ALBUM
‘HUMAN OVERBOARD’
OUT THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

WATCH HERE

MCLAUGHLIN MADE SURPRISE GUEST APPEARANCE AT
CALIFORNIA’S BEACHLIFE FESTIVAL
PERFORMING ALONGSIDE
SHOOTER JENNINGS, LUKAS NELSON & ORVILLE PECK AS PART OF
TRIBUTE FOR WAYLON JENNINGS

YouTuber & musician RHETT JAMES MCLAUGHLIN–one-half of the comedy duo Rhett & Link from their popular daily show “Good Mythical Morning”—will release his debut solo country album HUMAN OVERBOARD this Friday, September 23, To celebrate its release, RHETT has shared a new folk-driven single “Give A Damn” along with a whimsical music video animated by Micah Buzan (The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Red Hot Chili Peppers). Watch and listen to it premiering today via RHETT’s YouTube channel HERE or streaming below.

“‘Give a Damn’ charts a bit of new sonic territory as compared to the first two singles, adding a folk rock vibe to the country mix,” says RHETT. “Thematically, it’s a confession of my evangelistic tendencies—my need to persuade—and how I don’t particularly like that aspect of my personality. In a sense, it captures the conflict I have in releasing this music in the first place. I’m just trying to tell my story without the expectation that anyone should or would care, and that can be a hard thing for me, especially when I drink my own Kool-aid and believe I’ve got something important to say.”

RHETT continues to share his inspiration for the “Give A Damn” music video stating: “For the music video, I knew I wanted to illustrate just how deep personal convictions–religious and otherwise–can be, to the point of making you feel like you’re part of an army of special, chosen ones on a mission. Micah Buzan, an incredible animator known for the official music Video for ‘Little Fishes’ from The Claypool Lennon Delirium, as well as City of Venom from Mashed–along with help from Brittany Penn–brought my vision to life with his trademark style.”

Born in Macon, GA and raised in North Carolina, RHETT grew up surrounded by the sounds of his father’s musical heroes such as Merle Haggard, George Jones, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley whose classic melodies inspired him to begin writing his own music. On his debut album, HUMAN OVERBOARD, due September 23, RHETT captures his reverence for the foundations of country music while paying ode to his youth. With impassioned and deeply personal lyrics, HUMAN OVERBOARD details RHETT’s journey away from Christianity.

JAMES AND THE SHAME revealed the first taste of HUMAN OVERBOARD with the track “Believe Me” on July 18 which delved into RHETT’s spiritual deconstruction and the reaction he received after making the announcement publicly. For Folk’s Sake (8/7) wrote about the song stating, “McLaughlin’s pleading croon rings in the likes of Alan Jackson and Darrell Scott, but instrumentally veers into territory reserved by Lord Huron and Okkervil River. It’s an eclectic mix of vintage country and folk-rock.” Its lyric video, seen HERE has since garnered over 709k views. The second single, “Where We’re Going,” which features guest vocals from his wife, Jessie McLaughlin, was premiered via PopMatters on August 17 who described the track as a hearty, romantic performance reminiscent of Americana this side of Drew & Ellie Holcomb” while stating “elements brought into production like melodic pedal steel and steady percussion set the song into a contemporary country-like soundscape.” Watch the music video for “Where We’re Going” HERE.

Pre-save HUMAN OVERBOARD now at:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamesandtheshame/human-overboard

RHETT was seen over the past weekend at Beachlife Festival in Redondo Beach, CA making a surprise guest appearance alongside Shooter Jennings, Lukas Nelson & Orville Peck as part of their tribute set for the late country icon Waylon Jennings. He shares his experience, stating: “I was floored when Shooter asked me to be a part of the tribute. Finding out that he was a fan of my music was a surreal moment, and it became even more surreal when I found myself on stage singing one of my favorite Waylon Jennings songs, ‘Waymore’s Blues,’ for a huge crowd. I’ll never forget it.”

JAMES AND THE SHAME will make its debut performance at Mythicon 2022 in Austin, TX on October 28-30, for tickets and more information, visit: https://www.mythicontickets.com/#tickets.

Credit: Ana Weber

Follow JAMES AND THE SHAME online at:
IG | TWITTER | TIKTOK
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For press inquiries regarding JAMES AND THE SHAME, please contact:
SRO PR
Kelly Walsh – kwalsh@sropr.com

DT: AUGUST 18, 2022

FM: KELLY WALSH / SRO PR

JAMES AND THE SHAME
–RHETT MCLAUGHLIN’S SOLO COUNTRY PROJECT–
SHARES HEARTFELT LOVESONG WITH SECOND SINGLE/VIDEO
“WHERE WE’RE GOING”
FEATURING HIS WIFE JESSIE MCLAUGHLIN ON GUEST VOCALS

DEBUT ALBUM
‘HUMAN OVERBOARD’
DUE SEPTEMBER 23

Credit: Anna Webber

RHETT JAMES MCLAUGHLIN–internet personality and co-host/creator of the popular daily YouTube show “Good Mythical Morning”–recently revealed his latest endeavor: a solo alt-country project entitled JAMES AND THE SHAME, which will self-release its debut full-length album HUMAN OVERBOARD digitally on September 23. JAMES AND THE SHAME was formed out of RHETT’s love for country music which he developed having been born in Macon, GA and raised in North Carolina. The album is a departure from his previous comedic releases as one-half of the musical/comedy duo Rhett & Link and showcases a deeply personal musical exploration of RHETT’s evolving worldview.

JAMES AND THE SHAME have shared an intimate and touching music video for the album’s ballad “Where We’re Going” in advance of the track’s digital release across streaming platforms tomorrow, August 19. “Where We’re Going” was originally written as a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife Jessie McLaughlin before he asked her to guest on the track and added it to the upcoming album. PopMatters yesterday (August 17) hosted a premiere of the video, which they described as “a hearty, romantic performance reminiscent of Americana this side of Drew & Ellie Holcomb” while stating “elements brought into production like melodic pedal steel and steady percussion set the song into a contemporary country-like soundscape.” Watch the video, directed and edited by Ben Eck, streaming below or HERE. Pre-save “Where We’re Going” here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamesandtheshame/where-were-going.

“I originally wrote this song as a Valentine’s gift to my wife Jessie and I get emotional every time I sing it,” recalls RHETT. “She didn’t know I’d be asking her to be a part of the track, but she was more than happy to jump on it. It helps that she’s a natural (and her degree is in music, specifically voice), so I knew she’d knock it out of the park. I can report that we didn’t get into any fights while working on it. So, the romance is still intact.”

Elaborating on how the video came together, RHETT shares: “Ben has been working at my company, Mythical Entertainment, for almost a decade. We weren’t planning on working together on any aspect of the James and the Shame project since Mythical keeps him busy, but then he approached me to let me know how excited he was about the record and wanted to help. He’s always been an amazing collaborator with an incredible eye and ability to follow through on a vision. I wasn’t about to stand in the way of that. We knew we wanted to embrace the sincerity of the song, and I think the visuals do just that.”

JAMES AND THE SHAME revealed the first taste of HUMAN OVERBOARD with the track “Believe Me” on July 18 which delved into RHETT’s spiritual deconstruction and the reaction he received after making the announcement publicly. For Folk’s Sake (8/7) wrote about the song stating, “McLaughlin’s pleading croon rings in the likes of Alan Jackson and Darrell Scott, but instrumentally veers into territory reserved by Lord Huron and Okkervil River. It’s an eclectic mix of vintage country and folk-rock.” The single was accompanied with a lyric video featuring a stripped-down acoustic performance which has garnered over 570k views. Watch the “Believe Me” lyric video HERE.

“The album is best enjoyed as a whole as if I’m bringing the listener along as I process my spiritual evolution,” explains RHETT. “It’s sort of a primer—setting a thesis for the entire project—that being: regardless of where you’re at or the assumptions you bring to the broader conversation around spiritual deconstruction, this is my story. You don’t have to agree with me, and I’m not even asking you to. But please trust me that this is actually how I processed all this.”

HUMAN OVERBOARD Track Listing:
1. Believe Me
2. Flash of Rationality
3. Give A Damn
4. Sorry
5. Where We’re Going
6. Creek and Back
7. Only Thing
8. Kill A Man
9. In Vain
10. Fruit
11. Old Letters

Follow RHETT MCLAUGHLIN / JAMES AND THE SHAME online at:
IG | TWITTER | TIKTOK

###

For press inquiries regarding JAMES AND THE SHAME, please contact:
SRO PR
Kelly Walsh – kwalsh@sropr.com

DT: JULY 18, 2022

FM: KELLY WALSH / SRO PR

RHETT MCLAUGHLIN (“GOOD MYTHICAL MORNING”)
ANNOUNCES SOLO COUNTRY PROJECT
JAMES AND THE SHAME

DEBUT ALBUM

‘HUMAN OVERBOARD’
DUE SEPTEMBER 23

SHARES LYRIC/ MUSIC VIDEO FOR FIRST SINGLE
“BELIEVE ME”
DETAILING REACTION TO HIS SPIRITUAL DECONSTRUCTION

WATCH HERE | STREAM HERE

YouTuber & musician RHETT JAMES MCLAUGHLIN–one-half of the comedy duo Rhett & Link from their popular daily show “Good Mythical Morning”—has announced plans to release his first solo music project, JAMES AND THE SHAME. Born in Macon, GA and raised in North Carolina, RHETT grew up surrounded by the sounds of his father’s musical heroes such as Merle Haggard, George Jones, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley whose classic melodies inspired him to begin writing his own music. On his debut album, HUMAN OVERBOARD, due September 23, RHETT captures his reverence for the foundations of country music while paying ode to his youth. With impassioned and deeply personal lyrics, HUMAN OVERBOARD details RHETT’s journey away from Christianity.

JAMES AND THE SHAME’s first single “BELIEVE ME” delves into his spiritual deconstruction and the reaction he received after making the announcement publicly on his podcast with LINK, “Ear Biscuits.” With the song’s chorus–“I’m not asking you to agree, I’m just asking you to believe me, You say my heart was never true, that might say more about you.”—RHETT lays his truth bare with earnest conviction. The sentiment is further embellished in the music/lyric video which shows RHETT performing alone in a room while the track’s poignant lyrics display throughout. Watch it streaming below or directly HERE. “Believe Me” is out now across all digital platforms, stream it now at: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamesandtheshame/believe-me.

“‘Believe Me’ sets the tone both musically and conceptually for my upcoming album,” shares RHETT. “When I went public with my story of spiritual deconstruction in 2020, I was struck with the number of assumptions made about me. This song is my answer to those folks.”

Influenced by artists including Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, and Sturgill Simpson, who’ve used conventional country music to carry messages that challenge viewpoints often associated with the genre, HUMAN OVERBOARD is a deeply personal musical exploration of RHETT’s evolving worldview.

Growing up in a devout Christian home, RHETT’s faith only deepened as he transitioned to adulthood, when he worked as a full-time missionary on college campuses in the South. Eventually, doubts about the truth of Christianity began to plague him, and after a long battle of attempting to piece together the remnants of his shattering faith, he began to embrace uncertainty and finally abandoned his traditional perspective.

Follow JAMES AND THE SHAME online at:
IG | TWITTER | TIKTOK

###

For press inquiries regarding JAMES AND THE SHAME, please contact:
SRO PR
Kelly Walsh – kwalsh@sropr.com