A singer/songwriter in the subversive Greenwich Village folk scene of the late '60s and '70s, with several songs lent to the Holy Modal Rounders, Michael Hurley maintained an infrequent solo career into the '90s but was more famed for his writing credits. Born on December 20, 1941 in Pennsylvania, he migrated to Greenwich Village by the early '60s and was ready to sign a major record deal when he contracted mononucleosis; after spending several years in the hospital, Hurley returned to music and released a Folkways album in 1964 titled First Songs. Though he was inactive through the rest of the '60s, [the self-titled LP of his 1976 project with Holy Modal Rounders leader Peter Stampfel, Have Moicy]... was critically praised, landing recommendations for Album of the Year by The Village Voice and Top 20 LPs of the '70s by Rolling Stone. Hurley's prominent place on the album -- guitar, fiddle, several lead vocals -- gave notice that he was ready to resume his solo career, and he signed to the folk label Rounder in 1977. Hurley released only two LPs for the label (Long Journey and Snockgrass), spending most of his time on his farm in Vermont or playing sideman on several albums. He resurfaced occasionally, recording LPs in 1984, 1988, 1995, and 1999.

Hurley continued to record in the 21st century. In fact, from the late '90s he was embraced by hip indie singer/songwriters such as Devendra Banhart and Chan Marshall, who were attracted to the singer's unconventional vocals and esoteric sensibility. -[allmusic]

Michael Hurley has remained active in the past few years, releasing material on Banhart's Gnomonsong imprint and dropping an album as recently as last year (2010's Blue Hills).

Hurley is knocking the door to his 70s, and though no retirement is in sight, you never know, so try and catch the influential folk singer either at Union Pool TONIGHT with Meg Baird (10/4) or at Zebulon on 10/6 with Rain Machine (aka Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio, who also play this week). The shows are part of a set of select East Coast dates that last through the weekend and are listed below.

If you do go tonight, look for both Deer Tick (who covered Hurley at DBA last night) and their friend Jonny Corndawg (who recently played Brooklyn Bowl with Hurley) in the audience.

Tour dates, a 2007 live video from Union Pool, and a documentary short on Hurley is below.

Continue reading "Michael Hurley is in NYC for two shows, playing two in PA too (dates)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Michael Hurley @ Brooklyn Bowl

Jonny Corndawg @ Brooklyn Bowl

Jonny Corndawg completed his April residency at Brooklyn Bowl last night (4/25) with an impressive lineup of openers that included Jason Isbell (who played Bowery Ballroom a few days earlier) and folk legend Michael Hurley who Jonny is now on a short tour with. And Rude Bear was even there. More pictures and a video from the night, below...

Continue reading "Jonny Corndawg played Brooklyn Bowl w/ Michael Hurley & Jason Isbell (pics)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit @ Bowery Ballroom

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Hayes Carll, and Shovels and Rope played a show together at Bowery Ballroom on Friday night (4/22). The show was part of a tour that ended at Brighton Music Hall in Boston one night later, but Jason is back to join Jonny Corndawg at his final residency show at Brooklyn Bowl tonight (4/25). The previously-undisclosed final lineup looks like this:

Jason Isbell - 8pm
Michael Hurley - 9pm
Stray Dawg (Jonny Corndawg film) - 10pm
Jonny Corndawg - 10:15pm

Act now and you can still win a pair of tickets to the show. You can also buy them.

If you miss tonight's show, Jonny is back on June 1st to open for Roger Alan Wade of Jackass at Mercury Lounge.

Shovels and Rope play the Bell House on May 18th with the Felice Brothers who have added a 2nd show at the same venue on May 19th. Tickets are on sale for both.

Hayes Carll plays Summerstage this summer with Emmylou Harris. More pictures from the Bowery Ballroom show, and Hayes's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Jason Isbell played Bowery Ballroom w/ Hayes Carll (pics), playing Brooklyn Bowl w/ Jonny Corndawg (tonight)"

Jonny Corndawg @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Ryan Barkan)

"Expecting the usual d-bag bands who take their sweet time getting on stage, I arrived at 9:30 p.m. to find Dawes in full swing with some character on stage with them, wearing a horse cardigan, cowboy hat and Mariah Carey-fade sunglasses. What?

The Western-looking character, I later learned, was Jonny Corndawg who brought a Nashville twang and some knee-knocking dance moves to the stage. Post-performance, he threw out some of his ghetto airbrushed t-shirts denoting "nasty memories."" [Kelly Shea]

Jonny Corndawg's previously mentioned April residency at Brooklyn Bowl kicks off at the Williamsburg bowling alley music venue tonight (4/4), and then continues each Monday this month with different openers (Michael Hurley opens the final one).

Tickets are on sale for all four Brooklyn dates ($5.00 in advance, $7.00-day-of), and you can definitely pick them up at the door, OR... you can enter to win one of TEN PAIRS that we're giving away for EACH show. PLUS, every winner will also get a free veggie corndog (they'll be selling varieties at the venue) (they're not vegan, but they're not meat either and they got them just for us). In other words, we're giving away FORTY PAIRS OF TICKETS (and 40 veggie corndogs). Details on how to enter, with a a pre-beard video documentary on Jonny, details on Corndawg's new album (that he needs help funding), and more tour dates, below....

Continue reading "Corndawg residency starts tonight (WIN some tix & a corndog)"

DOWNLOAD: - Michael Hurley & Ida - Wildgeeses (MP3)

Glorytellers (the Boston trio fronted by Geoff Farina of Karate and The Secret Stars) have a new record out, Atone, on Southern Records. "Just What I Was Thinking" from that is streaming on their Myspace and another, "Fours" is at Southern Records. The band is planing an East Coast/Midwest tour for December, and a European trip in February. Dates for both are TBA.

Before that though, Glorytellers will play Union Hall in Brooklyn with Ida on Saturday, November 7th. Tickets are on sale.

Ida released a collaboration with old-school folkie Michael Hurley on the Gnomonsong label on October 6th. "Wildgeeses" off that record is above. Director Marc Israel put together a documentary of sorts (with copious puppetwork) on Hurley called "Snock 'N Roll: Adventures With Michael Hurley" (Snock is his nickname). It's worth watching and posted in full, with all album info, below...

Continue reading "Glorytellers released LP, playing Brooklyn w/ Ida who released an LP w/ Michael Hurley (a documentary subject)"