Kiefer Sutherland Readies Debut Album, Tour
In 2002, film and TV actor Kiefer Sutherland founded the Ironworks record label with his friend, singer-songwriter Jude Cole, assisting aspiring musicians in recording and distributing their material during a time when the focus of the entire music industry was shifting and evolving. Beginning next month, Sutherland will take an additional step, out from in front of the cameras, as he mounts a cross-country tour, performing songs from his upcoming debut LP, Down in a Hole. A vintage guitar collector who shared his enthusiasm for the instruments with Rolling Stone in 2006, the actor-musician’s album, due this summer, consists of 11 folk-tinged tracks he describes as pulled from his personal experiences.
“It’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a journal or diary,” explains the actor, best known for his role as Jack Bauer on the FOX drama, 24. “There is something very satisfying about being able to look back on my own life, good times and bad, and express those sentiments in music. As much as I have enjoyed the writing and recording process, I am experiencing great joy now being able to play these songs to a live audience, which was something I hadn’t counted on.”
Thus far, Ironworks has released projects from artists including Lifehouse, Billy Boy on Poison, honeyhoney and Rocco DeLuca and the Burden. Sutherland left the label in 2009 to recharge and contemplate his next career move, and early in 2015 played Cole two songs he had written and wanted to record as demos for other artists to record. The upcoming album grew organically from those recordings.
A release date and the Down in a Hole track listing are expected soon. The tour begins April 14 in Milwaukee and wraps May 28 in Amagansett, New York. Tour dates and details are available at Sutherland’s Facebook page.