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Kris Gruen - Coast & Refuge

KRIS GRUEN  - COAST & REFUGE

Open heartedness is featured prominently on Kris Gruen’s forthcoming album ‘Coast and Refuge” (out June 22, 2018). This is true in both the themes and the making of the album-- whether in writing about what it takes to keep a relationship or a friendship going-- or in the process of making art in a series of collaborations with new and old friends. It’s an album both about and created by partnerships where the sonic and thematic threads feel constant, equally at home in the old townships of Vermont where the new folk-artist lives, as it is in the new frontiers of Scandinavia, and the California coastline where much of it was written.

That open heartedness led Gruen to creating a cinematic record full of moments of grace and soaring dynamics, but filled with subtle shadings, turning points, and epiphanies. Sometimes it sounds like Gruen is telling a secret between friends, and sometimes he’s reaching epic, mountaintop anthems. The result draws comparisons to Matthew Perryman Jones, Pete Yorn, Elbow, Griffin House, Ryan Adams, and Peter Bjorn and John; in fact, the latter’s Peter Morén appears on the album as vocalist and co-writer of “Every Day and Night Now.”

Gruen and his collaborators pursued some deeply personal topics in these songs. He reflects, “It’s a very intimate process with someone you may not know well.” His first songwriting collaboration was with AM, a singer-songwriter who’s toured with Beck and Air, and Gruen learned that it helps to break down barriers. Gruen says, “AM made sure I was comfortable, got me some tea, and we talked about life. Then we had a connection to build off of. We went into the living room, set some instruments around the room, and he played some records that he was digging. You fall into a vibe. He had me writing on the periphery of my normal sound.” It all comes down to that connection with another human being, that “refuge.” The resulting song “You Say” is a quirky, jangly highlight of the record.

After a seven country European tour supporting Jesse Malin, another coast led him to write with Peter Morén, of Peter Bjorn & John. Gruen says, “We wrote together in an old movie theater turned into an on-again, off-again performance venue. Paint was peeling off the walls and there was an old piano in the corner. We talked about how that lust for life will always call you. He was incredibly generous.” The two paint a vivid image of an “old man wool suit torn from nights of dancing” as reflection turns to catharsis. The duet had special meaning for Gruen for another reason: he played PB&J’s song “Young Folks” for his eldest daughter every night when she was an infant.

Gruen continued to stretch his sound on the epic album openers “Body in Motion” and “What Brings You”. Weepies and Dan Wilson collaborator Brad Gordon co-wrote and produced four songs on the record, including these two. Gruen reflects “When you walk into Brad’s LA studio, it’s lined with old rugs, and hung over the rugs are every instrument under the sun, and he can play all of them. He really is an excellent musician, and what he creates has the soul of a band sound. There’s electricity in the room.”

On the two tracks, Brad plays upright bass, piano, glockenspiel, organ, trumpet, trombone, accordion, and other percussion. “Body in Motion” kicks off with an insistent beat and an expansive guitar sound, embracing the span of life’s experiences in a high-energy mode that will surely inspire crowd sing-alongs. The songs retain folk roots, but bring a contemporary urgency and a huge sound. “You can hear the physical exertion that it takes to make the music. There’s a hiss of real space. We would get through tightening up on song structure. When I would record my guitar part, he would record another instrument with me live, there by capturing a band-like sound.”

Gordon says, “Kris brought an infectious sense of discovery into each writing session. He knew he wanted to write about traveling and what it felt like to be inspired by the people and places he's seen.”

“Lions” is about the courage it takes to deal with change. “It’s about one’s relationship with them self, recognizing that it’s going to take a lot of positive energy to make a change in the world, and at first not looking for it from other people, but starting at home,” says Kris, and change also came with this song, and its insistent beat marks Kris’ most pop-directed sound on record to date, after exploring folk, rock, and indie rock on prior albums. “He took me out of my comfort zone,” remembers Gruen. Co-writer and producer Justin Gray shaped the sound. Gray has written and produced for artists ranging from Dirty Heads to James Bay and John Legend.

Gray said, "I loved working with Kris on our two songs ‘Tightrope’ and ‘Lions.’ His focus on getting the story of the song exactly right lyrically and melodically really helped us cut to the bone in making these records.”

Gray and Gruen teamed up with Gruen’s long time producer, Charles Newman, on “Tightrope”, whose rousing strings rise to find a couple reconciling. Gruen sings “Even if we never see eye to eye, I couldn’t love you more if I tried” about sharing a country life with his wife, where they balance organic farming and creating art. Gruen says, “It’s a struggle-- the work of keeping a marriage inspired, when both people are still committed to exploring their dream work. It’s a very taught line that’s created between us at times, trying to hold the family together when we are required to be in these places elsewhere”.

The subtext of living between the country and city appears on other songs as well, most notably “Big City”, which documents a range of diverse communities: familial, political, artistic, and among New Yorkers. It begins with guitar fingerpicking and moves into  programmed beats, sounding like a journey into the city. Of co-writer and producer Ramin Sakurai, Gruen says, “I was a fan-boy going into the session, because Sakurai was a member of a band I loved, Supreme Beings of Leisure.” Of the song, he says “It’s a conversation between me and my father [photographer Bob Gruen]. He is NYC to me.”

The elder Gruen is one of the most iconic rock photographers in the world. Kris recalls, “I was always drenched in punk rock energy as a kid hanging out with my dad. I saw the Ramones, Blondie, the New York Dolls as a kid, and hanging out with my dad meant staying awake for two and a half days straight”. It instilled a love of music in Kris early on.

His own life defines a simultaneous attraction and aversion to the music business. Moving to Vermont to embrace a slower lifestyle, he says, “There’s a truth about working with the earth that supersedes anything else, and a spirituality about being in a wilderness setting. The intelligence of an agrarian community is more intact in Vermont than almost any place I’ve ever been. People take the time to talk things through.” He puts the music he makes to the same test: is it “sustainable?”

Take for instance his collaboration on “Coming Down Around Me”, with filmmaker Melissa Miller Costanzo, Gruen returns to a timeless folk approach after being asked to compose a custom track for a key scene in the film. Costanzo says, "There was something about Kris Gruen’s voice that made me drop what I was holding. But seeing him perform actually changed me. His energy and vitality instantly took hold and I was lost in his rhythms. He was able to transform my words into something beautiful and I am forever grateful." The song appears in Costanzo’s  feature film “All These Small Moments” starring Molly Ringwald, Jemima Kirke, Brendan Meyer, Brian d'Arcy James and Harley Quinn Smith, premiering at Tribeca Film Festival this year.  

Producer Charles Newman (The Magnetic Fields, The Bones of J.R. Jones) takes the controls on “Coming Down Around Me”; as well as The Peter Morén duet “Everyday and Night Now”; and the album closer, “2008,” a beautifully nostalgic ballad co-written with Los Angeles based JimAndSam. Written in the band’s living room, the intimate song was recorded mostly live in Newman’s Brooklyn studio, as everyone converged on NYC amidst their tour schedules. He also produces the sunny, catchy “Young Hearts”; a duet co-written with fast-rising Finnish singer-songwriter Peppina and there again is that open heartedness that runs so deep through Gruen’s music.

NYC’S RADIO JAROCHO TEAM UP WITH SON JAROCHO MASTER ZENEN ZEFERINO FOR NEW ALBUM ‘RIOS DE NORTE Y SUR’ OUT MAY 11

NYC RELEASE SHOW TOGETHER MAY 10 AT JOE’S PUB

RADIO JAROCHO KICKED OFF 2018 WITH AN APPEARANCE ON VICE TV’S
“THE UNTITLED ACTION BRONSON SHOW” & AT PASTE MAGAZINE

NYC’s Radio Jarocho and master Zenen Zeferino have joined forces on ‘Rios de Norte y Sur,’ an album of son jarocho music out May 11. They’ll play together at an album release show at Joe’s Pub on May 10. (A combination of Spanish, Afro-Caribbean, and Mexican indigenous music, the rowdy, upbeat son jarocho is customarily played in the fandango, a community celebration where people gather to play, sing, and dance – it’s experiencing a recent revival.)

The band recently appeared on VICE TV’s “The Untitled Action Bronson Show” and have performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Celebrate Brooklyn and with Spirit Family Reunion, David Wax Museum and Calexico. Radio Jarocho’s performances are rowdy, foot-stomping parties. ‘Rios de Norte y Sur’ is Radio Jarocho’s first album since 2012’s acclaimed “Café Café.”

Singer Julia del Palacio leads the band, providing the rhythm by dancing on a tarima (pallet). National Prize-winning jarana player and singer, Zenen Zeferino -- born to a celebrated family of traditional musicians of Afro-Mexican and indigenous descent in Veracruz – has long been a hero to Radio Jarocho. Rounding out the ensemble, Juan Carlos Marin and Carlos Cuestas supply vocals and play requinto, with Victor Murillo on bass and leona.

As a Mexican-American band based in NYC, Radio Jarocho absorbs other influences and non-traditional instrumentation (like double bass), taking son jarocho to new places while respecting its heritage. The poignant “El Misterio,” starts with a bass solo. A tribute to Zeferino’s brother (a rural-serving engineer of Veracruz who died recently) it’s also a metaphor for the destruction of the environment in the state. “Cascabel” illustrates the power of the rattlesnake, a frequent motif in son jarocho music and culture. Meanwhile, “Conga de San Benito” emphasizes the Afro-Caribbean influence on son jarocho, with lyrics about a venerated black saint.

NPR has praised Radio Jarocho’s “edgy attitude.” The New York Daily News’ Jim Farber said, “This New York-based band mine flinty traditional Mexican jarocho music, then fracture it through a modern sensibility of their own.”

Ruth Ungar of The Mammals said, “Radio Jarocho light up the room. They draw from the past but it’s all about this moment, this party, this heart swelling with joy and energy.”

‘Rios de Norte y Sur’ Track Listing:

1.     El Palomo
2.     El Misterio
3.     La Vieja
4.     Pajaro Cu
5.     Conga De San Benito
6.     Cotorritos
7.     Chiles Verdes
8.     Cascabel
9.     Balaju

Bonus track: “Julia Del Palacio”

Radio Jarocho Tour Dates:

April 17 - New York, NY - Edison Ballroom (NYC Children’s Theater Gala)
May 10 - New York, NY - Joe’s Pub
June 1 - Portsmouth, NH - 3S Artspace
June 2 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
June 8 - Upper Jay, NY - Recovery Lounge, Upper Jay Art Center
June 15-16 - Flushing, NY - LeFrak Concert Hall

SONGWRITING LEGEND ERIC ANDERSEN PLOTS GRAMMY MUSEUM Q&A AND PERFORMANCE MAY 3, MCCABE’S GUITAR SHOP SHOW MAY 5

‘THE ESSENTIAL ERIC ANDERSEN’ 2CD SET OUT FRIDAY ON SONY LEGACY / REAL GONE

Songwriting legend Eric Andersen, whose first career retrospective, the 2CD ‘The Essential Eric Andersen,’ comes out this Friday on Sony Legacy / Real Gone, will appear in a Q&A with Executive Director Scott Goldman and short set at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles on May 3 and perform a full set at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica on May 5. Early buzz on ‘The Essential Eric Andersen’ has Brooklyn Vegan lauding his “impressive career” in posting “great song” “Violets of Dawn” and Pop Matters praising his “illustrious career.”

The NY Times has said, “Impressive… Very few songwriters have built a body of work as consistently strong as Mr. Andersen's.”

Bob Dylan said, “Eric Andersen is a great ballad singer and writer.”

Performers joining Andersen on the compilation include Joni Mitchell, David Bromberg, Leon Russell, Joan Baez, Richard Thompson, Rick Danko, and Lou Reed. Andersen and the late Phil Ochs duet on “Plains of Nebrasky-o.” Comprehensive liner notes by the songwriter himself and Rolling Stone and NY Times writer and Lou Reed biographer Anthony DeCurtis accompany the compilation. A press copy of the liner notes is here: http://bit.ly/2D5k63o

SONGWRITING LEGEND ERIC ANDERSEN TO MARK 75TH BIRTHDAY WITH ‘THE ESSENTIAL ERIC ANDERSEN’ (SONY LEGACY / REAL GONE) MARCH 30

GUESTS ON FIRST CAREER-SPANNING, MULTI-LABEL 2-DISC COMPILATION INCLUDE JONI MITCHELL, DAVID BROMBERG, LEON RUSSELL, JOAN BAEZ, RICHARD THOMPSON, RICK DANKO, PHIL OCHS, & LOU REED

RELEASE & TOUR MARKS FIVE DECADES IN MUSIC FOR MASTER SONGWRITER WHOSE SONGS HAVE BEEN INTERPRETED BY BOB DYLAN, JOHNNY CASH, JUDY COLLINS, LINDA RONSTADT, THE GRATEFUL DEAD, & GILLIAN WELCH

“Impressive… Very few songwriters have built a body of work as consistently strong as Mr. Andersen's.” – New York Times

“Masterwork… Andersen is the most elegant of singers.” – Rolling Stone

“Eric Andersen is a great ballad singer and writer.” – Bob Dylan

"Your song 'Violets of Dawn' got me started writing songs." Leonard Cohen confessed to Eric Andersen, seated side by side, legs in the pool, at the Landmark Hotel, Hollywood, California, in 1967.

Sony Legacy and Real Gone Music will release ‘The Essential Eric Andersen’ on March 30, marking the master songwriter’s 75th birthday as well as five decades in music, with a tour shortly to follow. Andersen’s songs have been interpreted by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, The Grateful Dead, Gillian Welch, Pete Seeger, Fairport Convention, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Eilen Jewell.

The two-disc, 33-track CD or 42 track digital-collection was recorded between 1964 and 2006 originally issued on Vanguard, Columbia, Folkways, Appleseed, Rykodisc, and Arista Records. Performers joining Andersen on the compilation include Joni Mitchell, David Bromberg,Leon Russell, Joan Baez, Richard Thompson, Rick Danko, and Lou Reed. Andersen and the late Phil Ochs duet on “Plains of Nebrasky-o.” Andersen’s version of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” recorded in Nashville in 1971 with Bromberg, will see release for the first time. Comprehensive liner notes by the songwriter himself and Rolling Stone and NY Times writer and Lou Reed biographer Anthony DeCurtis accompany the compilation. A press copy of the liner notes is here: http://bit.ly/2D5k63o

Andersen was seemingly involved in every scene of counter-cultural significance, even as his songwriting bona fides mounted over the course of twenty-plus albums: seeing Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and The Everly Brothers in concert as a kid outside Buffalo, NY; spotting
John and Jackie Kennedy leaving a church in southern Massachusetts; playing and trading songs in Greenwich Village in 1964; opening for John Lee Hooker upon his arrival to NYC; meeting beat poets in San Francisco at City Lights and seeing them read the night JFK died; working to register black voters in Liberty, MS in 1965; being on the managerial roster of Brian Epstein (until his untimely death); starring with Edie Sedgwick in an Andy Warhol movie called Space; showing Joni Mitchell open G and D modal tunings on the guitar; playing on the legendary Festival Express (event and film) alongside The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, and Buddy Guy; recording in Nashville in the early ‘70s; being introduced to Cash by Dylan at Newport Folk Fest in 1964 and later appearing on TV’s The Johnny Cash Show; opening for The Doors, Elton John, and The Byrds; living in the Chelsea Hotel in the 1970s alongside Kris Kristofferson, Sam Shepard, and Leonard Cohen; moving to Woodstock in the mid-70s; playing on the first two shows of Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue tour; co-writing with Townes Van Zandt and Lou Reed; moving to Norway and then the Netherlands; and singing with Rick Danko in the trio Danko/Fjeld/Andersen.

The album includes songs from ‘Stages: The Lost Album,’ whose masters were misplaced for two decades. A number of the sessions were produced by famed Nashville producer Norbert Putnam (who also produced Jimmy Buffet, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dan Fogelberg, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez, and played bass for Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and Jerry Jeff Walker) and featuring a list of ace Nashville session men such as Charlie McCoy, Kenny Buttrey, Eddie Hinton, and others.

“The Songpoet,” a full-length documentary film on Andersen is expected to be completed sometime later this year.
The New York Times music critic and author Robert Palmer said, “great American music from one of the masters.”

All Music called Eric’s music “timeless… The archetypal, literate romantic.”

Eric Andersen Tour Dates:

April 6 – Green Brook, NJ – House Concert
April 9 – New York, NY – City Vineyard at Pier 26
April 11 – Plainville, CT – Church of our Savior
April 12 – Boston, MA – City Winery
April 13 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
April 15 – Piermont, NY – The Turning Point
April 16 – Buffalo, NY – Sportsmen’s Tavern
April 18 – Worthington, OH – Natalie’s Coal Fired Pizza
April 19 – Cleveland, OH - Nighttown
April 20 – Oxford, NY – 6 on the Square
April 25 – Santa Ynez, CA – Tales from the Tavern
April 27 - Sacramento, CA - The Side Door at the Fifth String
April 29 – Soquel, CA – Michael’s On Main
May 3 - Los Angeles, CA - The GRAMMY Museum (Q&A and short set)
May 4 – National City, CA – AMSD Concerts
May 5 – Santa Monica, CA – McCabe’s
May 6 – Altadena, CA – The Coffee Gallery Backstage
May 11 – Portland, OR – The Old Church
May 12 – Grants Pass, OR – House Concert
May 24 – Marlboro, NY – The Falcon

'The Essential Eric Andersen' 2CD track list:
Disc 1
1.  Everything Ain’t Been Said
2.  Dusty Box Car Wall
3.  (We Were) Foolish Like The Flowers (featuring Bruce Langhorne)
4.  Dream To Rimbaud
5.  Secrets
6.  I Will Wait
7.  Waves Of Freedom
8.  Mama Tried (featuring David Bromberg – previously unreleased)
9.  Is It Really Love At All
10. Florentine
11. Blue River (featuring Joni Mitchell)
12. Pearl’s Goodtime Blues
13. Woman, She Was Gentle (featuring Joan Baez and Leon Russell)
14. Moonchild River Song (featuring Dan Fogelberg, Debbie Green Andersen, and Pete Drake)
15. Time Run Like A Freight Train (featuring Dan Fogelberg)
16. Wild Crow Blues (featuring Leon Russell and Pete Drake)

Disc 2
1.  The Blues Keep Fallin’ Like The Rain (featuring Tim Scott and Maria Muldaur)
2.  Thirsty Boots (Live at the Bitter End)
3.  Close The Door Lightly (When You Go)
4.  Violets Of Dawn (Live at the Bitter End)
5.  Messiah
6.  Belgian Bar
7.  Trouble In Paris
8.  Hills Of Tuscany (featuring Richard Thompson)
9.  You Can’t Relive The Past (featuring Lou Reed)
10. Rain Falls Down In Amsterdam
11. Keep This Love Alive (featuring Rick Danko and Fjeld Andersen)
12. Driftin’ Away (featuring Rick Danko and Fjeld Andersen)
13. Foghorn
14. Salt On Your Skin (Live featuring Inge Andersen and Michele Gazich)
15. Don’t It Make You Wanna Sing The Blues (Live featuring the Spoonful of Blues Band)
16. Under The Shadows (featuring a duet with Sari Andersen)
17. Plains Of Nebrasky-O (duet with Phil Ochs)

'The Essential Eric Andersen' Digital Album Track List:

1.  Everything Ain’t Been Said
2.  Dusty Box Car Wall
3.  (We Were) Foolish Like The Flowers (featuring Bruce Langhorne)
4.  Dream To Rimbaud
5.  Secrets
6.  I Will Wait
7.  Waves Of Freedom
8.  Come To My Bedside, My Darlin’
9.  Mama Tried (featuring David Bromberg – previously unreleased)
10. Is It Really Love At All
11. Florentine
12. Sheila
13. Blue River (featuring Joni Mitchell)
14. Pearl’s Goodtime Blues
15. Woman, She Was Gentle (featuring Joan Baez and Leon Russell)
16. Moonchild River Song (featuring Dan Fogelberg, Debbie Green Andersen, and Pete Drake)
17. Time Run Like A Freight Train (featuring Dan Fogelberg)
18. Wild Crow Blues (featuring Leon Russell and Pete Drake)
19. Be True To You
20. The Blues Keep Fallin’ Like The Rain (featuring Tim Scott and Maria Muldaur)
21. I Shall Go Unbounded
22. Thirsty Boots (Live at the Bitter End)
23. Close The Door Lightly (When You Go)
24. Violets Of Dawn (Live at the Bitter End)
25. Come Runnin’ Like A Friend
26. Messiah
27. Ghosts Upon The Road
28. Belgian Bar
29. Listen To The Rain
30. Trouble In Paris
31. Rain Falls Down In Amsterdam
32. Goin’ Gone
33. Hills Of Tuscany (featuring Richard Thompson)
34. You Can’t Relive The Past (featuring Lou Reed)
35. Keep This Love Alive (featuring Rick Danko and Fjeld Andersen)
36. Driftin’ Away (featuring Rick Danko and Fjeld Andersen)
37. Foghorn
38. Under The Shadows (featuring a duet with Sari Andersen)
39. Salt On Your Skin (Live featuring Inge Andersen and Michele Gazich)
40. Singin’ Man
41. Don’t It Make You Wanna Sing The Blues (Live featuring the Spoonful of Blues Band)
42. Plains Of Nebrasky-O (duet with Phil Ochs)

POKEY LAFARGE JOINS BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL LINEUP FOR APRIL 8 PERFORMANCE

10TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL TO LAUNCH APRIL 6 AT ST. ANN’S CHURCH IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS

Pokey LaFarge will join the Brooklyn Folk Festival’s 10th annual iteration, performing April 8 at St. Ann’s Church. He joins a lineup that features The East River String Band with R. Crumb, Spirit Family Reunion, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Innov Gnawa, Radio Jarocho, and Elizabeth Mitchell & Suni Paz. A St. Louisian, LaFarge has performed on PBS’ American Epic, TBS’ Conan, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, The Late Show with David Letterman, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion, and RFD’s Marty Stuart Show. Pokey has played with the likes of Jack White, The Raconteurs, Wanda Jackson, and Old Crow Medicine Show. He has performed at Newport Folk Festival, Red Rocks, Radio City Music Hall, Third Man Records, and Stagecoach. He is a Rounder Records recording artist.

Eric Andersen bio

"Eric Andersen is one of our finest singers and songwriters, in the most literal sense of that tradition… the most elegant of singers." David Fricke, (Rolling Stone Magazine)
'
“A singer and songwriter of the first rank.” (The New York Times)

“An American master.” Robert Palmer, Ghosts Upon the Road liner notes.

“Eric Andersen is a great ballad singer.” (Bob Dylan – live on stage at the Oslo Spektrum)

Eric Andersen first came to prominence as a performer in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s
and immediately became part of the Village folk and songwriter scene along with Phil Ochs, Tom
Paxton, Dave Van Ronk, Bob Dylan, and was at the epicenter of the American Greenwich Village
singer-songwriter explosion.

Aside from his own classics, he’s co-written songs with Bob Weir (The Grateful Dead), Townes
Van Zandt, Rick Danko, and Lou Reed.

His songs have been covered by many artists including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Judy Collins,
Fairport Convention, Rick Nelson, John Denver, Linda Ronstadt, The Grateful Dead, Peter, Paul
& Mary, The Blues Project, Gillian Welch, Linda Thompson, and Rick Danko. Bob Dylan’s
version of Eric’s song “Thirsty Boots” was released as a single on Record Store Day and also
appears on the Dylan CD Another Self Portrait .

Over the past 50 years, Eric has toured the world and released over 30 CDs of original music
including Blue Rain (Appleseed Recordings) his first live concert recording in Oslo with the band
Spoonful of Blues, released in 2007.

In the early 1990s Andersen recorded 2 trio-harmony albums with The Band’s Rick Danko and
Norwegian singer Jonas Fjeld. He’s featured in the Joni Mitchell American Masters documentary,
the Wildflower Festival DVD with Judy Collins, Tom Rush, and Arlo Guthrie, the rock film
Festival Express and the documentary Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation.
In 1990 Eric won the New York Music Award for his album Ghosts Upon the Road,
in 1992 the Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) for “ Danko/Fjeld/Andersen ” and in 2003
The Premio Tenco award with Patti Smith in San Remo, Italy, which is an award given to
outstanding songwriters. Previous Premio Tenco awards have gone to Randy Newman, Tom
Waits, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Lou Reed.

The Eric Andersen and Friends Webcast was launched in June 2011 by Nevessa Productions
Woodstock with special guests Happy Traum, John Sebastian, Joe Flood and Inge Andersen.
Featured songs performed in the webcast were from his album The Cologne Concert (Meyer
Records) which was released on CD and Vinyl in April 2011. The live album features Eric’s wife
Inge Andersen on back-up harmonies and he is accompanied on violin by Michele Gazich.
Mingle With The Universe: The Worlds Of Lord Byron (Meyer Records) was released in May
2017 on CD and Vinyl formats. “Byron was a born songwriter whose ceaseless waves of rhymes presented an endless sea for the ships of song.” All songs on the album featured the romantic
poet’s stanzas with Eric’s music. Included are two original Andersen tracks: “The Curled
Darling” and “Albion” which describe for the listener a taste of Lord Byron’s controversial and
sometimes scandalous life, travels and writings.

In September, 2017 an expanded long-play version of the Birth of a Stranger: Shadow and Light of Albert Camus (Meyer Records) was released with two new tracks. The four-song EP was originallyreleased in 2014 on Vinyl and in 2015 on CD. Eric extrapolated new lyrics from Camus’ novels. Of the original EP version, he said in an interview, "From the rolling vineyards of Camus I tried to capture four bottles of good wine that tasted deep and true."

On March 30, 2018, Sony/Legacy Recordings issued THE ESSENTIAL ERIC ANDERSEN – a 42-track digital release and 33 track double CD release retrospective release covering fifty years of his recorded history from Today is the Highway to Blue River, and Ghosts Upon the Road and Beat Avenue and on to The Cologne Concert album and unreleased New York
recordings.

Work continues on The Songpoet – a new eight-year-in-the-making documentary about Eric
Andersen to be released in 2018. The Songpoet follows Eric’s remarkable 50-year journey in
America and Europe that continues today as he writes and records with a poetic passion. With
unprecedented access to Andersen’s life and his personal archives the film will be a study on the
culture of fame, the fragility of an artist’s career and the integrity of the artist as it reveals the
indestructible energy that drives the artist and writer Eric Andersen in short -- a glimmering
mirror and portrait of his times -- The Songpoet.

Eric Andersen’s poetical songs have entertained and captivated audiences worldwide. He plays
acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica and piano/keyboards in concert and often performs with
his great bands in America, Japan, and Europe. He performs songs which span across all his
albums, including his early classics “Thirsty Boots” “Violets of Dawn” and “Close the Door
Lightly,” as well as exciting new material from his recent projects like Camus and Lord Byron.

Eric Andersen artwork

click for high res, credit for all below: Paolo Brillo

Brooklyn Folk Fest '18 poster

10 YEARS OF THE BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL! PRESENTED BY THE JALOPY THEATRE, MOST AMBITIOUS FESTIVAL YET FEATURES 60+ DIFFERENT PERFORMANCES, WORKSHOPS, CONTESTS, JAM SESSIONS, FILM PREMIERS, RECORD RELEASES & EVENTS!

January 10, 2018

LINEUP INCLUDES R. CRUMB, JERRON “BLIND BOY” PAXTON, SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION, WOMEN’S RAGA MASSIVE, BRUCE MOLSKY’S MOUNTAIN DRIFTERS, ELIZABETH MITCHELL AND SUNI PAZ, INNOV GNAWA, AND MORE! 40+ BANDS.

FESTIVAL WHICH HAS SOLD OUT EVERY YEAR INCLUDES BLUES, JUG BAND, OLD TIME, BLUEGRASS, SONGWRITERS, MOROCCAN, PERUVIAN, PUERTO RICAN, IRISH, INDIAN, TURKISH, SPANISH, BALKAN, ITALIAN, MEXICAN, DOMINICAN MUSIC, KIDS MUSIC, AND MORE!

BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL BECOMES NON-PROFIT, ENTERS 2ND DECADE

April 6^th -8^th, 2018

St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church

157 Montague St. Brooklyn, NY

http://www.BrooklynFolkFest.com

Presented by the Jalopy Theatre & School of Music

“Diverse, spontaneous, counter-cultural, and trenchant… One of the most vital and spiritually sound folk-music events in the country.”

- The New Yorker

The 10^th annual Brooklyn Folk Festival will feature festival favorites Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton (Brooklynite and mainstay of the festival), R. Crumb with The East River String Band, NPR Tiny Desk alums Spirit Family Reunion, and folk music legend John Cohen with the Down Hill Strugglers. The festival also includes Indian Classical Music from the Women’s Raga Massive, old time string band music from Bruce Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, a performance for children by Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz, celebrating the release of their new Smithsonian Folkways album, Grammy-nominated Moroccan band Innov Gnawa (who have performed at Coachella and Lincoln Center), and much more!

Photos, poster, more information, Spotify playlist, etc., click here.

This year the festival brings home many favorite performers from its decade long history, along with exciting new underground-grassroots folk and traditional groups from New York City and around the nation. Celebrating folk music from near and far, the Brooklyn Folk Festival will showcase over forty musical acts as well as workshops, film screenings, dances and contests in its most ambitious iteration to date.

In addition to musical performances, the festival will also feature the NYC premiere of the documentary “Linefork,” about living legend Kentucky banjo player Lee Sexton, “How They Got Over” about the golden age of Black gospel quartets and a 50^th anniversary screening of counter-cultural cult classic film “Gold” with rare Q&A with the director. It also marks the release of the new album on the Smithsonian Folkways label from Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz.

Performers at the 10^th Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival include:

Jerron Paxton

Spirit Family Reunion

Elizabeth Mitchell & Suni Paz

East River String Band with R. Crumb

Bruce Molsky’s Mountain Drifters

Innov Gnawa

Women’s Raga Massive

Thomas McCarthy

Bulla en el Barrio

Radio Jarocho 

Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues

Clifton Hicks

The Birdman of Rome

Feral Foster

Suzy & Eric Thompson

The Down Hill Strugglers with John Cohen

Mamie Minch & Tamar Korn

Steel City Jug Slammers

Piedmont Bluz

The HickHoppers

The Horse-Eyed Men

Eva Salina & Peter Stan

The Hayrollers

The Crimson Ragdolls

Wyndham Baird

Pat Conte

Little Nora Brown

The 10th annual festival has sold out every year and will remain at its home, St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church, in Brooklyn Heights, where its world-famous stained-glass windows will frame the stage. The Festival is produced by the newly non-profit Jalopy Theatre & School of Music, located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The three-day event has grown in attendance and scope each year. The festival’s partnership with St. Ann's allows for a main stage inside the church, room for food, drink and vendors, plus a second stage and additional rooms for workshops and film screenings.

Adding to the festivities, the Festival features the World Famous Banjo Toss, banjo throwing contest (as featured in Associated Press), a family-friendly square dance, a Saturday night Salsa dance, a Sunday kid’s concert with Elizabeth Mitchell & Suni Paz and several open jam sessions. There will also be group singing sessions and workshops in blues guitar, old time banjo playing, fiddle and more, along with jam sessions.

"This 10th annual Brooklyn Folk Festival promises to be a truly special event as we expand the scope of the programming and welcome home favorite performers from the history of the festival," Eli Smith, founder and host of the Festival, said. "This year we expect a powerful array of sounds, with music from a huge diversity of genres including blues, old time music, traditional music from Morocco, Mexico, the Balkans, Ireland, Puerto Rico, India and elsewhere, trad jazz, song writers, jug band music and more!”

St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church is a National Historic Landmark, built in 1844. An important example of Gothic Revival architecture in America, the richly ornamented church is notable for its elaborately vaulted roof and window tracery. Before it was removed in 1906, its spire was the most visible landmark in Brooklyn and was used by ship captains to navigate the harbor. The Festival will take place in the main hall of the church, with workshops, film screenings and the square dance in the side hall and upstairs rooms. Food, drink and retail vendors will be on site.

The performances are separated into day passes, evening shows, and a full-festival three-day pass.

Tickets went on sale this morning at www.brooklynfolkfest.com/tickets

* The venue has seating for everyone.  Seating assignments are on a first come first serve basis.

* These prices do not include service fees.

* All events including workshops and film screenings are included in ticket price.

* St. Ann's Church and Parish Hall are wheelchair accessible.  If you are in a wheelchair and would like to take a workshop please email Lynette Wiley.

Brooklyn Folk Fest 2018 clips

Brooklyn Vegan item (January 10, 2018)

JALOPY THEATRE AND SCHOOL OF MUSIC GO NON-PROFIT

Statement from Jalopy Theatre's Geoffrey & Lynnette Wiley:

Since we founded Jalopy in 2006, technically, we have been a for-profit business, but that model has never truly reflected our priorities (in fact, many people assume we already are a nonprofit organization because of our commitment to our community of artists and students). Our main concern has always been supporting artists and making folk music accessible to a wide audience, not focusing on the bottom line.

So we are thrilled to share the news that we are joining forces with Living Traditions, a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 with the mission of preserving, promoting and perpetuating traditional folk music. For thirty years, Living Traditions produced the wildly successful KlezKamp, a beloved annual Yiddish folk arts gathering in the Catskills. Living Traditions’ own programming ended in 2014, and we are proud to be taking up their mission as our own while holding on to our own location, staff, programs, and name.

Over Jalopy’s first decade, our music and educational programming has become increasingly rich, and the relationships we have developed with artists, audiences, and students have deepened. And we have seen an opportunity to build a broader community of support for our work, realizing our communal values even more fully.

We’ve always considered Jalopy a place that belongs to the people. Officially offering our activities and programs through a nonprofit (in more than just spirit!) will provide new ways to connect with our community, strengthen our organization, and continue to evolve as we begin our second decade.

“FASCINATING” (CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND) NEW BOOK I GOT A SONG: A HISTORY OF THE NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL OUT THIS MONTH ON WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PRESS AS FEST FAST APPROACHES

The first full-length history of the Newport Folk Festival, I Got A Song, is earning praise as its author Rick Massimo confirmed a presentation at the Newport fort on July 30. Here’s some of what we’re reading:

 

“In I Got a Song, which is out this week via Wesleyan University Press, Massimo juggles the decades of triumphs, struggles and personalities with aplomb, building a foundation on years of research and first-hand encounters as a longtime festival correspondent for the Providence Journal, and supplementing them with dozens of interviews with performers, fans and organizers.”

- Matthew Oshinsky, Paste Magazine, June 7, 2017

 

“Fascinating… [Massimo] tells a story that’s not just about one festival in the smallest state of the country, but about folk music as a whole.”

- Ben Kaye, Consequence of Sound, May 24, 2017

 

“A treasure trove.”

- Ken Abrams, No Depression, May 14, 2017

 

“Engaging and at times touching.”

- Christopher John Stephens, Pop Matters, April 17, 2017

 

"Filled with interviews."

- Neil Pond, Parade, June 5, 2017

 

“A peek behind the scenes.”

- Relix Magazine, June/July, 2017

 

“Compelling… details evolution, tradition, evolving tradition, and capturing a spirit through storytelling.”

- Fallon Masterson, Vanyaland, June 6, 2017

 

“Yes, this is a fantastic book for us, the music reviewer invested in the Newport Folk Festival. Yes, it will be fantastic for the music aficionado, as well… we came into ‘I Got A Song’ expecting a light beach read, and left with a heady brew of history and excitement in the country’s premier music festival.”

- Matt Keefer, Music Ravings, June 5, 2017

 

July 27 – Books On The Square – Providence, RI

July 30 – Newport Folk Festival – Newport, RI

August 2 - Narrows Center for the Arts - Fall River, MA

“STUNNING” (Q) AMERICANA TRIO APPLEWOOD ROAD PLOT US SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM JULY 14 AFTER UK ACCLAIM

“Barker is from Australia, Rubarth grew up in California and Speace is from Baltimore, but at times they can sound as if they spent their childhoods singing together around a family hearth in the Appalachians” – Richard Williams, The Blue Moment (UK)

Crosby, Stills & Nash; Simon & Garfunkel; The Everly Brothers; The Civil Wars; Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: some bands have voices that were just meant to sing together. Applewood Road is one of those bands.  

A chance meeting in an East Nashville cafe during AmericanaFest led to Amy Speace, Emily Barker, and Amber Rubarth writing the song “Applewood Road,” the nugget of which came from a dream that Rubarth had. The trio booked an immediate session to lay it down at the analogue studio Welcome To 1979.  Barker says, “We felt our voices blended naturally, and went away beaming with the joy of having created the song together.”

All three recognized the magic of that recording and plans were put in place to return to record a full-length album. Also entitled “Applewood Road,” the resulting thirteen-song set adds two bonus track for US release on Gearbox Records on July 14, 2017, including a stunning live cover of R.E.M.'s hit song "Losing My Religion." 

“Applewood Road” music video (OK to share): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8U9zlRzqaQ

The album is chock full of highlights and each songwriter contributed several songs, including a co-write between Rubarth and frequent Norah Jones collaborator Adam Levy on the beautiful “To the Stars.” Rubarth explores our innate draw to both the familiar and the unknown on “Old Time Country Song.” Barker wrote songs in northern Europe, Nashville, and her native Australia for the project, including “Bring the Car Round,” inspired by the wildfires Down Under. Speace’s lullaby to her niece and nephew took a dark, more mature turn on “Josephine.”

Each of the songwriters has their own distinguished solo career: Speace was personally signed by Judy Collins; an NPR critic said, "Her velvety achey voice recalls an early Lucinda Williams." Speace was personally discovered by folk icon Judy Collins who signed her to her own record label and recorded her songs;  she has been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered" and The New York Times writes “what Amy Speace says — what she sings — she says with a confluence of poetry and honesty, of emotional specificity." Many will know Barker’s music from the award-winning theme to PBS Masterpiece series “Wallander” starring Kenneth Branagh; her new album “Sweet Kind of Blue" was recorded in Memphis with Grammy-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price). Rubarth has shared her songs from South Africa to Japan to Carnegie Hall, opening for legends like Emmylou Harris and Ralph Stanley; her new album 'Wildflowers in the Graveyard' releases early Autumn, followed by her acting debut starring in feature film “American Folk” (2018).

Here’s what UK press had to say about Applewood Road: 

“****… a stunning country showcase of three gorgeous but markedly different voices.” – Q

“Flawless set that has to be the most haunting release of the past year... Unfailingly seductive and wistful.” – Sunday Times

“*****… There’s a moreish magic to the harmonies of this country-folk trio that recalls the vintage appeal of the Everlys and the Andrews” – Telegraph

“Truly gorgeous…” – Maverick Magazine

“*****… full of style, allure and artistry… likely to be in my top five albums this year.” – R2

“****… Sometimes things just seem meant to be… honey-harmonied wonder… magic.” – Record Collector

The album was recorded live, direct to tape, at Welcome to 1979 studio in Nashville with the performers gathered around a single microphone. Alongside the three band members, the album features contributions from Aaron Lee Tasjan, Josh Day, Fats Kaplin, Jabe Beyer, and Telisha Williams. It was mastered at Gearbox Records with vintage analogue equipment.

Jalopy Records Releases Newly Discovered Live Show by Old Time Country Music Legend Clarence Ashley; Recorded in Greenwich Village in 1963

‘Live and In Person’ Out April 28
 

(Click for high res)

On April 28, 2017, Jalopy Records, the record label of Red Hook's Jalopy Theatre, is releasing Clarence Ashley: Live and In Person, the first all-new album in over 50 years by the legendary singer and banjo player who helped introduce old time country music to audiences throughout the nation. April 28 also marks the kickoff of the Brooklyn Folk Festival.

Clarence Ashley (1895-1967) recorded for Columbia Records in 1929, was featured on Harry Smith's “Anthology of American Folk Music” in 1952, and toured the US in the 1960s. The title was gleaned from Bob Dylan, who told Rolling Stone in 2001, "You could hear the actual people singing those ballads. You could hear Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, Dock Boggs, the Memphis Jug Band, Furry Lewis. You could see those people live and in person." Dylan recorded a number of songs associated with Ashley, including “Corrina, Corrina,” "The House Carpenter," "The Coo Coo Bird" and “Little Sadie.” Dylan also played Ashley’s version of "Little Sadie" on his Theme Time Radio Hour on SIRIUS XM.

Jalopy's vinyl-only release was produced in 2016 by Peter K. Siegel, from tapes he personally recorded in 1963 at the Greenwich Village folk club Gerdes Folk City.

John Cohen, founding member of The New Lost City Ramblers, wrote the liner notes and provided never-before-seen photographs of Ashley in Greenwich Village. A 16-page illustrated booklet includes additional notes by Siegel and Eli Smith.

Ashley, born in Bristol, Virginia in 1895, toured the medicine show circuit and recorded extensively in the 1920s and ‘30s until his career was curtailed by the Great Depression. He was rediscovered during the folk boom of the 1960s, and went on to tour the country and record for Folkways Records. The IBMA Hall of Famer and seven-time GRAMMY Award winner Doc Watson began his career as Ashley's accompanist. Ashley performed at Carnegie Hall, NYC’s Town Hall, and Newport Folk Festival and is featured on Harry Smith’s ‘Anthology of American Folk Music’ (Folkways). He passed away in 1967.

Live and In Person is Clarence Ashley's first and only live album. He is accompanied on the album by guitarist Tex Isley, a member of Charlie Monroe's Kentucky Partners.

Jalopy albums are distributed by Mississippi Records, Portland Oregon.

A celebration of the album's release will be held at the Brooklyn Folk Festival in April 2017. The event will include performances of Ashley's songs by a number of prominent folk and country artists.


Clarence Ashley 'Live And In Person' Track Listing:

SIDE A:

1 Dark Holler Blues
2 The Wreck of the Old 97
3 Omie Wise
4 Bully of the Town
5 Wild Bill Jones
6 Rude and Rambling Man
7 I'm the Man that Rode the Mule Around the World

SIDE B:

1 The Coo Coo Bird
2 I Had But Fifty Cents
3 The House Carpenter
4 Shout Little Lulu
5 May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight Mister?
6 Ain't No Use to High Hat Me
7 The Little Hillside

(Click for high res)

PETER MULVEY PLOTS ‘ARE YOU LISTENING?’ TOUR AS ALBUM TO BE RELEASED MARCH 24 ON RIGHTEOUS BABE RECORDS INCLUDES SHOWS IN LA, NYC, DC, ALASKA

ALBUM PRODUCER ANI DIFRANCO WEIGHS IN ON MULVEY “GOODNESS”

NPR’S FOLK ALLEY TAPES VIDEO SESSION

MULVEY RAISES OVER $8K FOR RESISTANCE EFFORTS VIA 12-HOUR CONCERT WITH ~100 SONGS PLAYED, NO REPEATS

Million-plus mile troubadour Peter Mulvey’s producer Ani DiFranco has weighed in on Mulvey’s new album ‘Are You Listening?,’ out March 24 on her Righteous Babe Records. She says, "Mulvey has been honing his craft for many a decade and it shows. He can play some badass guitar, sing to touch your heart, and write a song that will knock you down, and by knock you down, I mean lift you up." Of ‘Are You Listening?’ she says, "This record is pure, timeless Mulvey goodness. Supported by a spare but badass backing band, the sound here is organic and real and unaffected by the whims of fashion.”

Mulvey is launching a tour that’s set to hit New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Alaska, among other spots. He recently taped a video session with NPR’s Folk Alley.

Last month, Mulvey raised approximately $8,500 for a variety of non-profits during a 12-hour Concert Window show that saw him play around 100 songs with none repeated. Beneficiaries are the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Relief International, and Public Allies.

Peter Mulvey Tour Dates

February 15 - Tales from the Tavern - Santa Ynez, CA (w/ Heather Maloney)                 

February 16 - Brick 15 - Del Mar, CA (w/ Heather Maloney)

February 18 - Hotel Café - Los Angeles, CA (w/ Heather Maloney)

February 19 - Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse - Berkeley, CA (w/ Heather Maloney)

February 22 - North Star Theatre - Cordova, AK                

February 23 - Bunnell Street Arts Center - Homer, AK                  

February 24 - Latitude 62 - Talkeetna, AK                      

February 25 – TapRoot - Anchorage, AK (w/ w/ Heather Maloney, Anna Tivel)             

February 26 - Vagabond Blues - Palmer, AK (w/ Heather Maloney, Anna Tivel)   

March 9 - The Walnut Room - Denver, CO             

March 10 - Friends House Concerts - Colorado Springs, CO                      

March 11 - Old San Ysidro Church - Corrales, NM            

March 12 - Kitchen Sink Studio - Santa Fe, NM                 

March 17 - The Etude Sessions @ Paradigm - Sheboygan, WI                    

March 18 - Lost Moth Gallery - Egg Harbor, WI                

March 19 - Cafe Carpe - Fort Atkinson, WI            

March 24 - Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 - New York, NY
March 25 - Philadelphia Folksong Society - Philadelphia, PA         

March 26 - Jammin Java - Vienna, VA                     

April 1 - Beal House - Kingston, MA                      

April 2 - Nelson Odeon - North Cazenovia, NY                  

April 6 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA                  

April 7 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA                  

April 8 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA