Taking place under bowed branches and deep within winding corn mazes, The Handsome Family's latest release, "Honey Moon" is full of an awed sense of emotion in the face of nature's mysteries, Brett Sparks (music) and Rennie Sparks (lyrics) branched from their usual canon of the dark and mysterious on "Honey Moon", to establish a theme rooted in the tradition of 19th-century romanticism. It is an album of transcendence, of touching the divine, if only for a moment, through our love of someone else, even if he is a katydid. The record's release (their eighth) coincided with the Sparks' twentieth year of marriage.
The Infamous Stringdusters represent the cream of the crop of young bluegrass musicians. With Andy Hall on Resonator Guitar, Travis Book on bass, Chris Pandolfi on banjo, Jesse Cobb on mandolin, Jeremy Garrett on fiddle and Andy Falco on guitar, the band pulls together skill and experience well beyond their years. They boast a combined resume that includes collaborations with artists like Dolly Parton, Leftover Salmon, Earl Scruggs, Bering Strait, Ronnie Bowman and Levon Helm. Catch the 'Dusters on fire at The Cedar, just two days after their third
album Things That Fly is released!
By popular request, a return visit by The Pines, whose most recent album Tremolo was debuted at The Cedar in a sparkling show on Oct 23. The album went on to make several end of year best album lists, including City Pages'. "There's a good reason that we chose to feature folk duo the Pines on the cover of this year's music wrap-up, and it's not because they make mighty fine photo subjects—it's because their latest effort, Tremolo, is one of the most delicately arranged and timeless local albums to be released this year. Though David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey trade off singing melodies, it's Ramsey's voice in particular that lives up to Tremolo's title, words wavering on his breath as he sings haunting songs about loneliness, wanderlust, and falling in and out of time with reality.
Two stunning multi-instrumentalists performing as a duo for a special, limited U.S. tour. Molsky is well known in the American old-time music community for his fiddling, but also sings and plays guitar and banjo. Möller is "the Quincy Jones of Swedish folk," whose multiple projects include Frifot, a duo with Scottish fiddler Aly Bain, and his own world music big band. He is best known for his mandola playing, but also is a capable wind player.
The songs on "Dear Companion" are of incomparable eloquence and of a spirit that could make even the most destitute and soured man feel as if the clouds were going to part in little time, the morning sun is going to awaken them refreshed and contented with a new lease and the juice waiting for them in a kitchen they never knew they had would be freshly squeezed. (Sean Moeller, Daytrotter Session, Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore)
“ ‘I’m in love with Eliza Blue,’ or something close to that, has been a typical response to the haunting, timeless music Ms. Blue has been casting out in Twin Cities clubs, pubs, and theaters over the last few years. Now the rest of the world will discover her organic magic, as Eliza releases her most full-bodied work to date, The Road Home.” (JIM WALSH)
After fronting several rock bands in his native Idaho, singer/songwriter Justin Ringle moved to Portland, OR in 2004 and began focusing on acoustic music, playing open mics regularly under the moniker Horse Feathers. In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick heard a couple of Justin's demos and offered to help flesh them out. In February 2006 the duo went into Skyler Norwood's Miracle Lake studios and recorded their debut album Words are Dead, which was released that September on Portland label, Lucky Madison. Later that year, Peter's sister Heather Broderick joined the group on cello and by 2007, Horse Feathers began featuring a rotating cast of instrumentalists backing Justin's guitar and vocals.