Too often lately, I’ve been writing about artists who have passed — Dolly Parton, Glen Hansard, Cassandra Wilson, and Raul Malo. But I want to dedicate this week’s column to those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, so that musicians like them and others could perform at their best.
Seth Loeser, tour manager extraordinaire, passed away yesterday after an illness that quickly devolved into multi-organ system failure. He kept his health struggles quiet, but proudly shared his sobriety journey, which lasted more than 17 months, up until the moment his heart gave out. He is survived by his two children and both of his parents.
Loeser was an artist manager for singer, songwriter, and environmentalist Pegi Young, experimental multi-disciplinarian (who sometimes veered in freak-folk) Lonnie Holley, and famed producer Daniel Lanois (Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris).
But Loeser was especially beloved as a tour manager. Over the course of his career, he also traveled with roots musicians like Lucius, Dispatch, and Guster, one of his longest-running clients. He worked with a number of pop and rock bands, too, including Young The Giant, The Polyphonic Spree, and Josh Groban.
I first met Loeser while he on the road with the rock band EELS, as my travels and his tour dates coincided in Denmark and Germany. I even shared some of those stories in my Hello Stranger letter from the editor in the Winter 2019 issue of No Depression, since Texas singer-songwriter Robert Ellis was opening. Loeser was the kind of person to help find and purchase a motorbike for a band member’s birthday and surprise them by helping roll it on stage mid-set. He just brought that sort of generosity and penchant for mischief with him wherever he went, all around the world.
The way I knew Loeser best, however, was through my friend, Alyssa Solomon, who was the assistant tour manager on that EELS tour. What strikes me most is how supportive he was — trusting her with experience and mentoring her for confidence, which elevated her to the next levels in her own music industry career.
These are just some of the ways that managers, tour managers, and others working backstage, side stage, and on the road provide so much more than logistics and project management for artists. They’re the multi-taskers, the organizers, and the merry pranksters, all in one role. They’re the people that keep this fragile musical ecosystem in motion, continuing to grow, regenerate, expand, and — in the best cases — metamorphose into something more collective and beautiful.
Too often, those like Loeser and Dutch soundman and driver Jan Veltman, who also passed away this week, as well as others working in the less glamorous parts of music don’t get the credit they deserve for all the work they do simply to make music happen. We’ll miss Loeser and I hope we’ll continue to remember his work ethic, generosity, and dedication to the music and people he loved.
As Alyssa wrote in her tribute, “May we all love as deeply and joke as ridiculously as Seth. If so, there’s no doubt his flame will stay lit, and what a gift to the world that would be.”
In other roots music news this week, No Depression's sister site, Folk Alley is nearing the end of its fall Fund Drive. They just need to raise $3,000 by the end of the day to unlock a matching challenge from an anonymous donor, which will help them reach a $65,000 Fall Anniversary Fund Drive goal. Learn more and listen to the human-curated streams here.
Rhino Records announced a reissue of Joni Mitchell's 1974 album, Court and Spark, available to order now. The special audiophile edition taken, from the original recordings, are not coming out on vinyl, CD, or digital, though, but on an actual reel-to-reel tape. The reissue is limited to just 350 copies and retails for about $300.
WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO
Jake Xerxes Fussell - The Old Beloved Path
Cinder Well - A Blooming Body
Garrison Starr -The Gospel Truth
Sheagles - "Peaceful, Easy Feeling"
Alison Brown and Steve Martin - "Old Town Road" (f/ Del McCoury and Dan Tyminski)
NEW RELEASES - 10/9/26
Burnett Sisters Band - Easy Come, Easy Go
Margo Cilker - Little White Cross
Laura Cortese - Lucky Water
Sheryl Crow - Pick You Up
Levi Foster - Appalachian Funk Tree
Brody Price - Leaf Miner's Daughter
John Prine - Found Dogs
Jacob Sharp - Middle Kid
Todd Snider - My Second Rodeo
Talking Hearts - Memory Lane
The Tallest Man On Earth - Just Beyond Endless Mountain
The Texas Headhunters - Rise and Shine
Jess Williamson - A Mile South of Heaven
COMING SOON - 10/16/26
Mary Bragg - Secrets to Strangers
Béla Fleck - Live Heart: My Bluegrass Heart at the Ryman
Charissa Hoffman - Horizon
Oscar Lindsey - Sunshine
Napsack - More Mountains
Mali Obomsawin - Automatic
Charlie Parr - Rooming House
Michael Prewitt - Poor Ol' Pitiful Human
Daniella Rabbani - Klezmerette
Jonathan Something - One More Lonesome Cowboy Song
Lyal Strickland - Shooter of Truth
Richard Thompson - Hippies, Thugs, and Heroes
Various Artists - Felice County Fair
Comments ()