Rita Bliss Announces Sophomore Album 'One More Winter'
(McGuckin Entertainment) Austin-based folk artist Rita Bliss returns with her sophomore release One More Winter, on October 2, 2026. Bliss blends folk, Americana, bluegrass and country influences in her original 10-song collection.
A Rust Belt native who found a home in Texas, Bliss writes songs that preserve conversations, memories, and fleeting moments with remarkable honesty. Her music is rooted in old-time Appalachian banjo traditions while reflecting the landscapes that have shaped her life-from the snowy Northeast to the wide-open spaces of Texas. Queer love stories, painful goodbyes, folklore, and everyday joys unfold throughout One More Winter with warmth, wit, and sincerity.
"One More Winter is a collection of songs about the places we leave, the people we hold on to, and the hope that keeps us moving forward," says Bliss. "Some songs are deeply autobiographical, while others lean into folklore and imagination, but all of them come from trying to make sense of change."
The album opens with "Come Along," a joyful banjo-driven invitation to Texas, celebrating bluebonnets, armadillos, and the healing power of finding home somewhere unexpected. From there, Bliss explores the rhythm of lasting relationships on "All My Days," which is the first single releasing on August 7, dreams of a simpler future on "Aimlessly," and delivers one of the album's most vulnerable moments with "Honey," a stark autobiographical confessional featuring a haunting harmonica solo.
Elsewhere, Bliss balances humor and wisdom on "Some Say," reflects on compromise in "The Highway," and examines memory and loss through the moving "Empty Houses." "Sometimes She Sings" offers a tender portrait of love with understated instrumentation, while "Red" spins small-town folklore into an energetic string-band romp. Closing track "Silver City" reflects on leaving home behind and measuring dreams against the distance traveled.
Produced by Dom Fisher and Rita Bliss, One More Winter features an accomplished group of Austin musicians, including Billy Bright on mandolin, Noah Jeffries on fiddle, Jimmie Scott Calhoun on harmony vocals, and Patrick Herzfeld on drums, recording, and mixing.
Since releasing Peaches and Apple Pies, Rita Bliss has become a part of Austin's folk community, her songwriting continues to resonate for its emotional authenticity, literary detail, and timeless melodies.
Rita Bliss Tour Dates Include:
August 27 - Kojak's (with Linda Schaible) - Houston, Texas - 7 p.m.
August 29 - Texas Coffee Works - Bastrop, Texas - 11 a.m.
September 10 - The Ritchey - Alpine, Texas - 7 p.m.
September 11 - Box Canyon Brewing - Socorro, NM - 7 p.m.
September 12 - Pie Festival - Pie Town, NM
September 12 - High and Dry (with Jana Pochop) - Albuquerque, N.M. - 7 p.m.
September 18-20 - Texas Women Songwriters Festival - Lockhart, Texas
October 2 - Quack's Soundspace (with Lost Patterns) - Austin - 7 p.m.
October 15 - Opening Bell Coffee (with HalleyAnna Finlay) - Dallas - 7 p.m.
October 16 - The Blue Door (with HalleyAnna Finlay) - Oklahoma City, OK - 8 p.m.
October 17 - House Concert (with HalleyAnna Finlay) - Kansas City, MO - 7 p.m.
October 18 - The Tree Frog Music Room (with HalleyAnna Finlay) - St. Louis, MO - 4 p.m.
October 21 - Cloud Mountain Kombucha (with Paul Kotheimer) - Urbana, IL - 5 p.m.
October 22 - Uncommon Ground (with The Sweet Maries) - Chicago, IL - 7 p.m.
October 23 - Ghost Light (with Joani Gee) - Hamtramck, MI - 7 p.m.
October 24 - Treelawn Social Club - Cleveland, OH - 8 p.m.
October 25 - The Soft Spot Coffee - Pittsburgh, PA - 4 p.m.
October 28 - Wonderground (with Hemlock Sun) - Rochester, NY - 7 p.m.
October 29 - First Unitarian Society of Ithaca - Ithaca, NY - 7 p.m.
October 30 - Pink Rock Culture Co-Op Syracuse, NY
November 1 - Moon and River Cafe Schenectady, NY
November 4 - Sanctuary Cultural Arts Center Maynard, Mass.
November 6 - The Four Hour Day Baltimore, MD
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