Will Johnson, Jay Farrar, Jim James, Anders Parker

Jim James, Jay Farrar, Will Johnson (who previously collabroated with Jim James in Monsters of Folk), and Anders Parker (who previously collaborated with Jay Farrar in Gob Iron), have teamed up to record an album titled New Multitudes, which comes out February 28 via Rounder Records. The album features twelve tracks, all of which were written lyrically by Woody Guthrie but never recorded, and Jim, Jay, Will, and Anders have written original music to accompany the lyrics.

"Under the invitation of Nora Guthrie, Woody's daughter, to tour the Guthrie archives, each of the four songwriters were offered the chance to plumb and mine the plethora of notebooks, scratch pads, napkins, etc. for anything that might inspire them to lend their voices and give the words new life. "These guys worked on an amazing group of lyrics, much of it culled from Woody's times in LA. Lyric wise, it's a part of the story that is still mostly unknown. From Woody's experiences on LA's skid row to his later years in Topanga Canyon, they are uniquely intimate, and relate two distinctly emotional periods in his life.""

A limited edition will be available with twelve additional tracks written by Jay Farrar and Anders Parker and it also includes Woody Guthrie's original lyric sheets. Check out album track, "Old LA," which is streaming below, along with the album artwork and tracklist.

The four folkies will head out on a short US tour together in support of the album this March. That tour hits NYC on March 14 at Webster Hall. Tickets go on sale Friday, 1/20 at noon, with an AmEx presale starting two days earlier. All dates are listed below.

Jim James was just in town to help pay tribute (and perform with) Preservation Hall Jazz Band...

"At Carnegie Hall the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Del McCoury Band, My Morning Jacket, Steve Earle, Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards, and Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) were on hand. So were the New Orleans-born musicians Trombone Shorty and Allen Toussaint, who sang a tribute to the band for putting "pride in your stride."

While it's a paradox that welcoming outsiders and trying out hybrids is a survival tactic for a deeply local tradition, that's a fact of life for present-day New Orleans." [NY Times]

My Morning Jacket also apparently played a secret show of some kind while they were in town.

All Guthrie tribute tour dates, stream, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Jim James, Will Johnson, Jay Farrar & Anders Parker team for Guthrie project album & tour (dates & song stream)"

Will Johnson @ the BV/DM day party (more by Tim Griffin)

The April 10th Will Johnson & Anders Parker living room show now has a location and less than 30 tickets are on sale.

IMPORTANT: This show is a solo acoustic performance being hosted in a private home. It's not a party. Please be respectful of the performance, the hosts and their home.

SEATING: Most of the shows will not provide any seating. You should bring a pillow or cushion to sit on the floor.

Those not in NYC can also catch them in one of the other cities their tour is currently visiting.

Will Johnson of Centro-matic will be heading out on an acoustic house-show tour of North America with guitarist Anders Parker in late March and April. The pair are currently looking for lofts, apartments and houses willing to host a 35-40 person show on their planned route. The NYC/Brooklyn stop is currently scheduled for Saturday, April 10th. All dates and hosting info below.

The Texan (from Denton, located about 3.5 hours north of Austin) will also be making the trip to SXSW where Centro-matic will play a select few shows. One of them will be the BrooklynVegan Friday day party at Club DeVille on March 19th. They go on right before Lucero and after the Antlers. Twin Sister is also on the bill. More TBA shortly.

Will Johnson's tour with Jason Molina was canceled last December due to Molina's health issues. Their CD Jason Molina and Will Johnson came out in November.

House show info and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Will Johnson & Anders Parker going on a house tour (dates), Centro-matic playing SXSW (including a BV party w/ Lucero)"

Willamette Week's Musicfest NW announces this year's festival line-up which will be held at various venues around the Portland, OR metropolitan area on September 16, 17, 18 & 19. On the heels of the most successful MFNW to date, MFNW 2009 launches with nothing but the hope of a bigger and better festival. MFNW's ultimate aim is to provide Portland with a unique and special musical experience that features all types of acts including nationally renowned artists while still honoring and supporting the special musical scene of the Northwest.

Four-day passes to the fest are on sale now.

The lineup so far, including the newly-reunited Sunny Day Real Estate, is below...

Continue reading "Musicfest NW in Portland, OR (Sept 16-19) - lineup"