Teddy Thompson releases A Piece today, tours into fall

The singer/songwriter title is one often associated with coffee shops, acoustic guitars and '60s-era NYC. In short, folk music. But many artists have expanded the persona to include more handclaps than harmonicas and soaring vocals rather than sullen ones, giving the genre a sound that is decidedly more pop and (sometimes) less protest.

One such artist is Teddy Thompson. The son of folk legends Richard and Linda Thompson, Teddy is releases his fourth studio album, A Piece of What You Need, today, amidst a UK/US tour that extends well into the fall.

Thompson's senior album is produced by Marius DeVries, whose collaboration list includes several artists of the same modern-folk aesthetic, such as Rufus Wainwright and David Gray.

After a brief foray into covering country on this third album, Up Front and Down Low, Thompson returns to the sounds of his sophomore effort, Separate Ways, on A Piece of What You Need.

If a piece of Thompson live and in person is what you need, we suggest any of the following dates:

June

17 - Asheville, N.C. @ The Grey Eagle

20 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

21 - Philidelphia, Pa. @ North Star Bar

27 - Bristol, U.K. @ Fiddler's Club

28 - Pilton, U.K. @ Glastonbury Festival Q Magazine Stage

July

5 - London @ Kenwood House (opening for Rufus Wainwright)

8 - Solana Beach, Calif. @ Belly Up Tavern

9 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Coronet Theater

August