MILLBROOK, June 3 — It's been a big week for The Copper Rails. The four-piece indie-folk band, who got their start playing open mic nights at the Lamplight Tavern on Decatur Street, announced Monday that they've signed a recording deal with Ashwood Records and will embark on a 12-city regional tour beginning August 9 in Grantsville. The band — lead vocalist Mara Tesslo, guitarist and co-writer Dom Pilchuk, bassist Rena Foulds, and drummer Otis Waverly — have been a fixture of the Millbrook music scene for the past four years.
What Fans Can Expect
The tour, titled "Gravel & Gold," will wind through smaller venues across the tri-state region, with a homecoming show at the Millbrook Civic Amphitheater penciled in for September 14. The band's debut full-length album, currently untitled, is expected to drop in October and will feature 11 original tracks largely inspired by life in mid-size American cities — themes the band says they've been sitting on for years. "We wanted to make something that felt like driving home at midnight with the windows down," Tesslo told The Courier in a phone interview. "Something that actually sounds like Millbrook."
Tickets for the homecoming show go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. through the Civic Amphitheater box office and online. Prices start at $18 general admission. Local opener acts have not yet been announced, but the band said they plan to feature Millbrook artists exclusively for the hometown date. The Lamplight Tavern, where the band first performed, has reportedly already reserved a block of tickets for longtime regulars.
