Think Tim Eriksen‘s new solo release, Soul of January Hills, is a little too minimal, with its 14 voice-only tracks? Well then, wait a couple weeks.
The Valley native best known for his Grammy-nominated work on the Cold Mountain movie soundtrack will follow it up in June with Old Burying Ground, a contemporary classical recording that places his finely honed pipes against a symphony orchestra backdrop.
Still not sold? There’s Hope, too—a cappella shape-note singing from the 1848 tune book American Vocalist, as performed by Erikson and his quartet, which hits shelves shortly thereafter.
“I know, one extreme to the other,” the eclectic singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist says. “In future releases, I plan to get more middle ground. Maybe I’ll even start a band… I understand they’re very popular these days.”
He’s kidding, of course. As a founding member of seminal Western Mass folk-noise favorites Cordelia’s Dad, Eriksen is also well-versed in the ways of the ensemble setting. In fact, as luck would have it, there’s even a Cordelia’s Dad anniversary CD coming out next month as well—followed by some reunion shows in Europe this summer.
Despite having so many projects slated for this year, the shape-note master is quick to note that he is not without a primary focus. Job one remains selling his Soul.
“I’m throwing down the gauntlet,” he says of his decision to record the disc’s voice-only offerings. “Not really. I’m looking for a battle, but it would be nice if this record was taken as a friendly challenge to get people to into hardcore singing.”
Tim Eriksen will appear at the Montague Bookmill on Monday, May 31, and in concert with Tony Trischka at the Hooker-Dunham Theater Gallery in Brattleboro on June 2. For any and all things Erikson, kindly point your browser to timeriksenmusic.com.
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In other news, it certainly hasn’t taken long for the powers that be at the Iron Horse Entertainment Group (IHEG) to start enlisting some big acts to play their newly acquired Mountain Park in Holyoke.
“Yes, confirmations from our wish list are starting to roll in, and it’s starting to look like a real season now,” IHEG Marketing Director Jim Neill says of the 2010 roster featuring Moe and Martin Sexton (June 27), Counting Crows (July 21), The Flaming Lips (July 24) and Willie Nelson (Aug. 8). “Plus, it’s still two months until the first show, and we’ll go well into fall, so you’ll see more and more shows dropping every week.”
While Neill admits that programming for the newest addition to the family certainly seems to be generating “an entrepreneurial buzz that’s louder than usual around the office,” he is quick to note all IHEG “children” are loved equally.
“The Iron Horse, Calvin and Pearl Street are also always hungry for new shows, and it’s our job to keep all them all fed.”
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Meanwhile, at East Longmeadow’s Club Meadows, your friendly neighborhood Nightcrawler isn’t at liberty to say exactly why several of the club circuit’s top acts are assembling for an audio assault May 7. It would ruin the surprise of the evening.
But considering that three of them—specifically, Slip-Not, Q and Pallet—are headliners in their own right and the admission price is a paltry five bucks, it’s certainly worth the trek. For more information, visit myspace.com/clubmeadows413.
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Last up, Simon and Garfunkel fans who show up for the duo’s May 20 Mohegan Sun play will literally experience “the sound of silence”—the show has been rescheduled to July 29. According to the G&S camp, the reason for the delay stems from a vocal strain suffered by Garfunkel. All tickets for the May 20 performance will be honored for the make-up date.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or e-mail Garycarra@aol.com.
