Joe Henry Recent News

Anti Records Reviews An Exceptional 2009

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:12:00 -0800

Legendary Artists, A Breakout Album for Neko Case, A Triumphant And Soulful Offering From The Swell Season, Six Grammy Nods for Anti Artists, Tom Waits Live Album and Much More

William Elliott Whitmore: Animals in the Dark - On his Anti debut Whitmore reflects on life and loss and the world surrounding his Iowa horse farm on the banks of the Mississippi. The album showcases Whitmore’s classic songwriting and mastery of the acoustic guitar and banjo, but adds elements such as strings, an organ and a pedal steel, giving the songs a more expansive, cultivated sound. 2009 saw this unique artist captivating audiences around the world with his haunting and timeless sound.

"Animals reinforces his reputation as one of today's most transcendent folk artists." - Kansas City Star

"There's a time-honored truthfullness to William Elliott Whitmore that can't be rehearsed and most certainly can't be faked. It's tonally apparent in the world-weary ache of his baritone voice; it's lyrically manifested in the god-fearing mannerisms of simple protagonists; and it's buried deep within the gutsy pride and righteous integrity with which the Americana singer confronts issues of moral wrongs, institutional control, and fundamental rights throughout Animals in the Dark." - The Absolute Sound

NASA: The Spirit of Apollo - A joyfully sometimes surreal musical expedition overflowing with inspired collaborations -Tom Waits growls over Kool Keith, Karen O taunts while Ol' Dirty Bastard gives shout-outs to Wu Tang and N.A.S.A from the grave, and David Byrne, Chuck D and others expound on the evils of "Money." In spite of the range of performers, the pairings make perfect sense. Live the band features dancing aliens which is always a plus.

“The Spirit of Apollo is what happens when the imagination is let out of its cage. Good things happen.” – Urb

N.A.S.A.'s dope beats and wet-dream collaborations make Apollo an absolute must-have. - Alternative Press

Neko Case: Middle Cyclone – A stunning album by one of the preeminent songwriters and performers today. This is the record that finally transported Case from heroine of the underground into a deservedly larger spotlight. A riveting tour de force which has already graced many best of polls including those of Spin, Pitchfork and the top position on Amazon’s “Best Music of 2009” list. The album has also received Two Grammy nominations for “Best Contemporary Folk Album” and “Best Recording Package” (for the striking album cover)

“Case has one of the most powerful sets of pipes in pop” - Rolling Stone

“Neko Case’s songs are full of claws, wolves, tornadoes, birds of prey and the occasional gust of wind. But her voice is the real force of nature.” – New York Times Magazine

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott: A Stranger Here - The renowned troubadour steps out of the country/folk arena that has shaped his legend and examines pre-WWII blues songs in a wholly unique way. A Stranger Here proves another wonderful tome in the library of one of the great American storytellers. The album has been nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best Traditional Blues Album” and has garnered the album’s esteemed producer Joe Henry a nomination in the “Best Traditional Blues Album” category.

“Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is, along with Pete Seeger, one of America’s finest living folk singers. Seeing him play is a treat, but hearing him tell long, meandering stories — he didn’t get that nickname for nothing — is transformative.” - New York Times

“Both beautiful and brave in its purity" - Performing Songwriter

Bob Mould: Life and Times - A cathartic and vital album by an influential artist marks the respective anniversaries of the formation of Husker Du and Mould’s lauded solo effort Workbook with an album of unflinching self-reflection. Standouts like "Wasted World" and "I'm Sorry Baby, But You Can't Stand In My Light Anymore" highlight an artist completing a cycle decades in the making, his talent undiminished, his perspective acute.

"Passion, beauty, intelligence, grace: it's all here." – Filter

"This newest collection is moody and minimalist, and it showcases Mould’s introspective side. The most compelling songs evoke the speed, energy, and passionate commitment that justly made Mould an icon." - New Yorker

Jason Lytle: Yours Truly, The Commuter - Two years after Grandaddy's demise, Lytle returns with an immaculately crafted pop soundscape that mirrors both the dramatic environment of Lytle's newly-adopted Montana and the vintage twang of the Central California farmland that inspired hiss earlier work. Electronic flourishes collide with acoustic guitars and soulful piano parts, perfectly recreating Lytle’s signature lo-fi-electro atmospheres.

“A richly textured work that is lovingly crafted and affectingly poignant." - Alternative Press

“A textured homage to the lush and laid-back West Coast dream life of his youth…it’s like Bruce Springsteen’s open highway finally reached a melancholy kid from Modesto.” - Spin

Booker T: Potato Hole – The trailblazing soul man has written the most audacious chapter of his career with his first solo album in decades. Backed by the Drive-By Truckers with Booker's signature Hammond B3, the album bristles with energy and heart. The album has earned a Grammy nomination for Jones in the category of “Best Pop Instrumental Album.”

“There are no chart-baiting superstar guest vocalists or gimmicks, just gut-punching, funky, loose-limbed, rock 'n' soul jams recorded in down-and-dirty sessions without an inch of fat.” - Boston Globe

“Potato Hole proves as extraordinary, delirious and laugh-out-loud weird as anyone might dare hope.” – Uncut

The Field: Yesterday & Today - The innovative sound artist expands his ever transfixing audio palette, continuing the oblique sampling strategy of his critically praised “From Here We Go Sublime” while building up the rhythmic architecture to startling new heights.

“Full of driving, dirty beats, crisp bells and hats that delicately pepper the high end, this sonic treasure offers plenty of infectious grooves.” - DJ Times

“Yesterday & Today is gorgeous, overwhelming, lush and (mainly) wordless, and it reeks throughout of inarticulable emotion.” - Prefix Magazine

Bettye LaVette: Change is Gonna Come Sessions – The soul singer extraordinaire revisits her forgotten post-Atlantic Records years as a nightclub singer and Broadway performer with a mix of classics including a heart wrenching rendition of Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child" and an acclaimed version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," which LaVette performed at the Obama Inaugural Celebration.

"There's no one more soulful than Bettye LaVette…Bettye makes great music now because of her obstacles. She has a fire in her belly and a passion that was never squashed over the years...you just hear it and feel it in everything she sings." - CNN.com

“a compelling and intimate set of songs that adroitly combine a smoky jazz club, Saturday night rent party and Sunday morning church service. “ - Creative Loafing

Busdriver: Jhelli Beam – The art rap progenitor returns to jolt rap back into shape with virtuoso vocal stylings and poignant (and at times dadaist) lyricism. This record not only effortlessly trumps all previous mind-bending performances of his earlier works, but gives them new context; highlighting their dexterity with nuggets of election year paranoia and absurdist humor.

"Everything on Jhelli Beam makes sense. Every word is a picture. Every sentence pushed over the one before it the way dominos fall when they're lined up in a row....This is creativity - this is the reason for being: to preceive/ingest, and digest, and poop it out." - LA Record

“Busdriver's crazy, quick verses sprint from inside-out humor to social criticism alongside challenging beats that reward repeated listens. Exciting, odd stuff." - Chicago Tribune

Solillaquists of Sound: No More Heroes - With this release the Orlando-based hip hop quartet have accomplished the rare feat of creating a body of work that's as palatable to the public as it is groundbreaking, imaginative, and rewarding to listeners looking for something more in the soundtrack to their lives.

“authentic and raw, blending elements of dubstep, afrobeat, folk, most
obviously hip-hop, but surprisingly more synth-beats infused in a background of beautiful harmonies.” - 7x7 Magazine

“A lyrically potent, melodic, and danceable piece, make sure to cop one of the best records the year has to offer.” – Sputnikmusic

Joe Henry: Blood From Stars - The revered solo artist and Grammy-winning producer’s music spans many genres but the dominant sound on Blood From Stars is a rich blues tonality that swells into ravishing epics that jump the rails to incorporate folky jazz and bent Sinatra-esque washes of sampled strings. Henry’s eleventh album is a tour de force of lush arrangements and seductive song lines. The acclaimed musician/producer was also nominated for a Grammy for his work guiding Ramblin Jack Elliott’s release, A Stranger Here.

"Joe Henry is like that unexpected piece of dark chocolate at the bottom of the ice cream dish: something rich, sweet and so surprisingly good that you wonder how it escaped you before. This album captures a sensuous musicality, whether it's torch songs or avant-garde and traditional jazz, raw blues or pumped up soul escapades." – RELIX

“For connoisseurs of craft, Henry’s writing is an absolute joy, drawing effortlessly on classic pop, roots, and folk traditions and alchemizing these various strains into a single, sweet sound.” – American Way Magazine

Os Mutantes: Haih or Amortecedor - Still psychedelic, influential, political and playful after all these years – the near mythical has crafted triumphant return with their first record in 35 Years. Revered by luminaries such as Kurt Cobain, the Flaming Lips Devendra Banhart and Beck, the Mutantes have delivered one of the most original and enjoyable albums of the year.

"a superb, politically tinged reunion effort....their new songs remain as bold and fascinating as their old ones." – New Yorker

"Haih Or Amortecedor is rhapsodic, an endearing tribute, and a welcome addition, to one of pop music’s strangest group of musicians." – Popmatters

Islands: Vapours – The ever evolving Montreal outfit returns with an album that flits back and forth between moody synthesizers and drum-machine-heavy beats and an array of intriguing sonic textures, all the while remaining firmly rooted in the classic pop sensibilities and melodic hooks the band is celebrated for. 

"infectious and weird....masterful, refreshing synth-pop, served up pure and simple.” – Blackbook

"one of our favorite albums of the fall. It's just some lush, pop goodness." – Paper Magazine

Rain Machine: Rain Machine - Kyp Malone’s solo project features ten unflinchingly original and emotional songs mixing elements of modern jazz, blue-grass and blistering guitar driven rock into a refreshing new sound. As singer and guitarist for celebrated band TV on the Radio, Malone proved himself both a captivating and delightfully unpredictable musical force. On Rain Machine, he shows himself a singer and a lyricist of startling talents.

“Malone steps out with an emotionally open debut just as experimental and daring as his work with TVOTR.” – USA Today

“The tunes sound a bit like a rain dance—tribal bells, trance-inflected refrains, the occasional howl—but one that's been fed through the post-apocalyptic fury of TV On The Radio. The result proves a compelling sonic exploration, knotty and exultant as ever.” – The Onion

Dead Man’s Bones: Dead Man’s Bones - Initially intended as play about a monster-ghost-love-story, Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling eventually scrapped the stage show and recorded Dead Man’s Bones, a refreshingly original album featuring doo-wop songs about werewolves, haunting melodies telling tales of zombies with broken hearts, and children singing the joys and pains of being alive or being dead.

“Simultaneously sweet and spooky, heart-stirring and imaginative; a wonderful requiem to our forgotten fear of the dark" – LA Weekly

“A decidedly beautiful thing" – MOJO

The Swell Season: Strict Joy – The follow up to their Oscar winning “Once” soundtrack, Strict Joy finds the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova evoking the bittersweet aftermath of their real life romance and breakup with an album of stirring folk tinged blue eyed soul.

“a lush, lovely, heartfelt gem.” – NPR

“Strict Joy is a joy from start to finish, as few bands manage to mix intimacy and sweeping songcraft with such finesse.” – All Music Guide

Alec Ounsworth: Mo’ Beauty - a soulful and intriguing solo endeavor from celebrated singer/songwriter Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Recorded in music-steeped New Orleans with an all star cast of local talent, the end result is a display of masterful songwriting and arguably Ounsworth’s best work yet.

"Mesmerizing and profound" – The Onion

"The sharpest arrangements and best songwriting of his short career: Almost every tune on Mo Beauty equals or betters those on CYHSY's lauded 2005 debut, mixing spooky folk with frantic fun. Ounsworth's regular band may have a shaky future, but he doesn't." – Spin

Tom Waits: Glitter & Doom Live – This two disc collection perfectly documents Waits' sold out, acclaimed 2008 “Glitter and Doom” tour. The music disc features Waits' in his eclectic glory shifting seamlessly from an array of characters: carnival barker, preacher, country singer, soul balladeer; cabaret singer and storyteller. Disc Two is a selection of the comic bromides, strange musings, and unusual facts that Waits traditionally shares with his audience during the piano set.

“One of the most charismatic and straightforwardly entertaining live artists you are ever likely to see or hear. (..) Pick disc one for the uninterrupted junkyard blues and bewilderingly tender crooning: choose disc two for trivia and lies dredged from the back pages of the Fortean Times and delivered sans songs with the impeccable timing of a seasoned professional still in love with the stage and his audience.” – Time Out London

“Equal parts Captain Beefheart and Louis Armstrong as he examines the full spectrum of life, from the grimly grotesque to the sweetly sentimental… It’s an utter delight.” - NME

* Mavis Staples: Live: Hope at the Hideout - While technically released at the end of 2008, it’s worth mentioning that Mavis’ blistering live album has just earned the legendary soul singer a well deserved Grammy nomination in the category of “Best Contemporary Blues Album.” Mavis was previously awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2005 Grammys for her collective work with the Staples Singers.

Joe Henry Announces March 2010 Tour Dates, Grammy Nominated Artist To Play North American Shows

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:12:00 -0800

The incomparable Joe Henry will be performing some select dates in support of his moving and critically lauded new release Blood From Stars. A review of the album in Spin observed “These soulful laments and menacing gospel rumbles don’t really demand attention as reward it,” while Billboard declared, “the new album is a testament to Henry's singular sonic vision and a masterful mix of history and mystery by an industry veteran who sounds like he's just getting started.”

Henry just received Grammy nominations for producing new albums from two legendary American talents in New Orleans’ Allen Toussaint and influential country folk songsmith Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.

Joe Henry Tour Dates:

3/2/10 Seattle, WA - The Triple Door
3/3/10 Portland, OR - The Aladdin
3/5/10 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
3/6/10 Los Angeles, CA – Largo @ Coronet
3/8/10 New York, NY - The Blue Note
3/9/10 Vienna, VA - The Barns Wolftrap
3/10/10 Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
3/12/10 Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
3/13/10 Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk

Joe Henry Receives Two Grammy Nominations

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:12:00 -0800

Anti- Records would like to offer enthusiastic and heartfelt congratulations to musician, songwriter and producer extraordinaire Joe Henry for his two recent Grammy Award nominations as producer. The prolific and immensely talented Henry recently released the critically acclaimed album Blood From Stars in addition to having been honored for his hand in guiding the albums of two legendary American talents in New Orleans' Allen Toussaint and seminal country folk artist Ramblin' Jack Elliott.

Joe Henry 2009 Grammy Award Nominations:

Joe Henry, for producing "The Bright Mississippi" by Allen Toussaint
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Joe Henry, for producing "A Stranger Here" by Ramblin' Jack Elliott Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental)

* Henry previously won a Grammy for his work producing Solomon Burke's album "Don't Give Up On Me" which claimed Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2003

Joe Henry's 'Blood From Stars' Proves Breakthrough Album

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:09:00 -0700

Joe Henry's new album Blood From Stars is a defining achievement in a career brimming with subtle yet momentous accomplishments. Eleven records in, Henry has quietly become one of the great forces in American music. Alongside a canon of acclaimed works as a singer and songwriter, Henry has also established himself as one of the preeminent producers working today, having collaborated with luminaries including Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Allen Toussaint, Solomon Burke, Bettye LaVette and with future projects slated with legend Harry Belafonte. On his newest record, "Blood From Stars," Henry has created a stirring collection of soulful and evocative songs, combining the everyman redemption tales of the blues with the lush musical landscapes of jazz and pop standards, crafting it all into something both personal and original. Deservedly, this breakthrough album has received rave reviews from both press and fans alike.

Acclaim for Joe Henry's Blood from Stars:

"A masterpiece... a tour de force of songwriting and production." - American Songwriter

"Ultimately, Blood from Stars is the most sophisticated, redemptive, and romantic album Henry's cut; the love songs are simply raggedly breathtaking." - All Music Guide

"Henry shines as both artist and producer, deftly blurring the lines between aural architect and impassioned orator... the new album is a testament to Henry's singular sonic vision and a masterful mix of history and mystery by an industry veteran who sounds like he's just getting started." - Billboard

"It's the truest album I've heard this year, and the best." - Paste Magazine

"On Blood From Stars, his 11th album, Henry explores new combinations of sounds and genres in an on-going effort to avoid predictability. Guitarist Marc Ribot flirts with a cornet, while Henry's sax-playing teenage son Levon makes an impressive debut. They play ballads, waltzes, and slow dances that give Henry's vignettes time to unwind, like weary travelers unpacking their burdens over cigarettes and gin. A- Entertainment Weekly

"A gorgeous record." - The Nation

"Blood from Stars offers comfort in that it's not only perhaps the best Joe Henry record yet, but also one that takes us to yet another place we didn't expect to go... it's that self-reflection, in addition to Henry's already well-established storytelling abilities, that lifts Blood from Stars to a new place, showing us that just because Henry's found his sound, he's not going to stop looking for surprises." - Popmatters

"His new disc, Blood From Stars (Anti-), is among his best. Ambitious but accessible, and by turns rollicking and ruminative, it's as brilliant in its own way as such 1970s albums as Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions." - St. Louis Post Dispatch

'Blood From Stars' Is Amazon's Daily Deal

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:08:00 -0700

Joe Henry's Blood From Stars doesn't hit stores until tomorrow, but today it's the Amazon Daily Deal! That means you can pick up record for just $3.99! Head over to Amazon MP3 to get it today!

Joe Henry Reveals Artwork for Blood From Stars - out August 18

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:06:00 -0700

The songs and sounds on Joe Henry's raw and emotionally vital new record Blood From Stars are matched by the moodiness of the album artwork, which makes use of W. Eugene Smith's iconic photo "Dance Of The Flaming Coke" as well as an electrifying and haunted previously unpublished cover image (Untitled, 1952).

Part of Smith's epic, unfinished Pittsburgh series, the photos - shot in the early to mid 1950's -
represent two of over 10,000 photos Smith took of the city as part of an ambitious, multi-tiered project that occupied the photo essayist for over three years of his life.

Speaking the same terse language, Blood From Stars, Henry's 11th album and third for Anti- Records, charts a darker journey for the prolific singer, songwriter and producer. Undoubtedly influenced by two recent records he produced – Allen Toussaint's The Bright Mississippi and Ramblin' Jack Elliott's A Stranger Here – Blood From Stars marries blues song form with jazz liberation; folk narrative with beat articulation. Henry has explored such genre confusion before, but never with more purpose. With simple characters that feel their way through fragmented narratives, the songs uphold Henry's reputation as a truly poetic lyricist, creating an album that is as immediate as it is evocative.

Blood From Stars is out August 18th.

Joe Henry to Release 'Blood From Stars' August 18

Fri, 08 May 2009 00:05:00 -0700

Renaissance Man Eschews Decorum to Reveal More Vital, Raw and Dark 11th Album

Joe Henry's new record Blood From Stars begins with a poignant and haunting piano prelude before launching into "The Man I Keep Hid," a raw, bluesy track undercut with a ghostly voice of a man rambling on before Henry comes in with the first line "nobody knows the man that I keep hid." An apt beginning for Henry's eleventh full-length record, for Blood From Stars reveals a side of Henry rarely glimpsed in his recent work, which has been notable in its suave urbanity, poetic lyricism and literary sensibility. Rather, the new work is a passionate and direct breakthrough from one of today's most acclaimed singer songwriters.

"It's more emotionally available, certainly less mannered," says Henry, speaking of the difference between Blood From Stars and his 2007 release Civilians. "It's much more electric, in the literal and also the emotional sense of the word. It is raw, with many loose threads hanging."

Backed by a handpicked collection of players, including Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello) who worked with Henry on his 2001 release Scar and acclaimed jazz pianist Jason Moran, Henry crafted Blood From Stars with a clear idea of structure, but also with a refreshingly open and fluid approach to the outcome of the songs, creating a loose, swinging, vital sound.

"Partly, I just loved what happened when this particular group of musicians heard a song and had to respond to it in a very immediate way," Henry explained. "I can always go back to what I thought [the song should sound like], but if you limit them to your own imagination, then you're just cutting yourself off from the richest resource you have."

Henry has spent the better part of the last decade in a recording studio, lending his considerable talents and tastes to producing records from the likes of Solomon Burke (who's Henry-produced Don't Give Up on Me won a Grammy for the Best Contemporary Blues album of 2002), Bettye LaVette, and many others.

"When I find the production work to be satisfying, it really does fuel more work. I tell my wife, ‘the more I work, the more I work.' It keeps the engine idling all the time. I used to see producing and my work as an artist to be separate enterprises but the more I've continued, I start to see less and less distinction between what I do for myself and what I do for other people. In both cases my job is to make something meaningful come out of a pair of speakers."

Two recent releases Henry produced, Allen Toussaint's the Bright Mississippi and Ramblin' Jack Elliott's A Stranger Here, find the venerable artists exploring classic blues songs. With his work as a producer and a songwriter overlapping and informing one another, it is only natural that the blues found their way onto Henry's Blood From Stars.

"I was playing with a writing form…a blues structure, in the same way that you might sit down and try to write a sonnet or a haiku. I was intrigued by how structured and how simple those ideas of, say, a pair of repeating lines answered by a refrain can be," Henry says and continues, "I've been reading a lot of poets lately, and lot of diverse poetry very consciously references a blues tonality, whether its Langston Hughes or Allen Ginsberg or e.e. cummings. Poets are very aware of the power of that structure."

Ultimately, Blood From Stars is a departure from the expected sound of a Joe Henry record, and its author seems perfectly at ease with his new persona. "If it's standing up, declaring itself as living thing, I'm completely enthralled by it. My ego has no problem with not controlling the process," he paused, then continued with a laugh, "as long as it makes me look good in the end."

Track listing for Blood From Stars:
Prelude: Light No Lamp When The Sun Comes Down
The Man I Keep Hid
Channel
This Is My Favorite Cage
Death To The Storm
All Blues Hail Mary
Bellwether
Progress of Love (Dark Ground)
Over Her Shoulder
Suit On A Frame
Truce
Stars
Coda: Light No Lamp When The Sun Comes Down

ANTI- To Present One-Of-A-Kind Hootenanny at SXSW

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 00:03:00 -0800

March 18 at Central Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX

Collaborative performance featuring Billy Bragg, Jolie Holland, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Joe Henry , Tim Fite plus special guests

This year at SXSW Anti- Records is presenting its first Hootenanny, a one-of-a-kind collaborative performance by a diverse group of artists, trading off songs and verses in the true spirit of musical community. The Hootenanny will take place on Saturday, March 18 at 12midnight at Central Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX.

Billy Bragg�s proactive brand of populist post punk, pop and folk has been engaging us since the 80s and today he is more inspiring than ever. His appearance at the Hootenanny as well as his other SXSW shows are part of a rare US tour and a break from his recent involvement in UK politics, but anyone who has seen him knows he is not to be missed.

Ramblin Jack Elliott, who is preparing to release his Anti- debut �I Stand Alone� is certainly no stranger to this kind of show, having shared stages with everyone from Woody Guthrie to Ralph Stanley to Bob Dylan in the course of his remarkable career.

Jolie Holland who�s haunting yet jubilant blend of folk, jazz and pop has won many-a-heart in these last couple of years will also be performing. She will be in town in preparation for her upcoming album �Springtime Can Kill You�, due out on Anti- this spring.. Jolie, who has always been at home in this type of environment, has been part of some really interesting collaborations lately, notably, sitting in w/ rapper Sage Francis on a recent LA gig and harmonizing with Bad Religion singer, Greg Graffin on his upcoming solo album.

Joe Henry is the consummate musical Renaissance man. From his acclaimed solo albums, to his vivid songwriting to his recent emergence as producer of soul legends like Solomon Burke and Bettye Lavette, Henry always surprises and never disappoints. He embraces, Rock, R&B, Country and Jazz seamlessly which makes him perfect for this kind of ensemble.

Tim Fite is a true original. Raised on hip hop, but in his early 20s his discovery of Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie changed his life. He is a one-man mash up of folk, rap, spoken word and really catchy songs that delights everyone who sees him. His debut album, �Gone Ain�t Gone� just came out this fall and it has been receiving raves around the world.

The idea is that each of the artists will be featured on a couple of their own tunes backed at times by the other artists on the stage. There will also be more collaborative performances of songs that everyone knows. In addition to these great artists, we are also expecting some special guests to drop by. We are talking to folks from across the musical spectrum, so we are hoping for some really crazy surprises.