August 30, 2017: Charlie Parr is premiering his latest album,
Dog, as a "Hear It First" selection
at Folk Alley. Dog, out on September 8 on Red
House, features the blistering picking, offbeat characters and
honest emotion that has made him a cult favorite. It's raw, even
painful at times, as on the darkly humorous "Pleasant Valley,"
sung from the point of view of a hoarder and the title track,
which examines the way we treat our fellow creatures.
Fans who have been
following Charlie through his previous 13 full-length albums and years of
nonstop touring already know that the Duluth, MN-based songwriter has a
way of carving a path straight to the gut. On Dog,
however, he seems to be digging deeper and hitting those nerves quicker
than ever before on these songs dealing with homelessness, mental health
issues and the quest for understanding. It turns out that Charlie’s
been grappling with his own demons.
“I had some really,
really bad depression problems over the last couple years,” he explains.
“I've been trying to get fit, trying not to drink so much, trying not to
do the rock 'n' roll guy thing. And then I got depressed. Really
depressed. And to me, depression feels like there's me, and then there's
this kind of hazy fog of rancid jello all around me, that you can't feel
your way out of. And then there's this really, really horrible third
thing, this impulsive thing, that doesn't feel like it's me or my
depression. It feels like it's coming from outside somewhere. And it's
the thing that comes on you all of a sudden, and it's the voice of
suicide, it's the voice of ‘quit.’”
“These songs have all
kind of come out of that. Especially songs like ‘Salt Water’ and ‘Dog,’
they really came heavily out of just being depressed, and having to say
something about it.”
Despite the album’s
darker moments, it's also a reflection on how far he’s come — and that
he's accepted that some things are simply unknowable.
Charlie is on tour
throughout 2017. Highlights include two nights at the Cedar Cultural
Center in Minneapolis, MN and multiple festival stops including
AmericanaFest in Nashville on September 15.
CHARLIE PARR on tour
TH 9/7 Duluth, MN - Sacred Heart Music Center
(with Dave Simonett)
TH 9/14 Nashville, TN - Family Wash -
AmericanaFest
FR 9/15 Mount Vernon, OH - Ohiolina Music Festival
SA 9/16 Bristol, TN - Bristol Rhythm & Roots
Reunion
SU 9/17 Newport, KY - Southgate House
WE 9/27 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
FR 9/29 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
MO 10/2 Cambridge, MA - Atwood’s Tavern
WE 10/4 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
TH 10/5 Philadelphia, PA - Boot and Saddle
SA 10/7 Milheim, PA - Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks
WE 10/11 Washington, DC - Black Cat
TH 10/12 Roanoke, VA - 5 Points Music Sanctuary
FR 10/13 Asheville, NC - The Mothlight
TH 10/19 Indianapolis, IN - The HiFi
SA 10/21 Chicago, IL - Schubas
FR 10/27 Minneapolis, MN - The Cedar Cultural Center
SA 10/28 Minneapolis, MN - The Cedar Cultural Center
SA 12/16 Lake City, MN - Oak Center General Store
Press:
"Parr is a picker --
whether on National resonator guitars, dobro, or banjo -- who cut his
musical teeth on Charley Patton, Woody Guthrie, and Lightnin' Hopkins,
and his actual teeth on the canned meat packed at the Hormel plant in his
hometown. Parr's songs ring out with a working class ethos and a
welcome home energy." - The Bluegrass Situation
"Stumpjumper is a deep
blues album first and foremost, but it’s Charlie Parr’s master
craftsmanship at fingerpicking rhythms, and his folk-leaning songwriting
that has liberated him from specific categorization." - Saving Country
Music
"The native Minnesotan’s
style can best be described as new music from an older time – sometimes
dark and desolate, sometimes raucous and danceable." - Dan Forte (Vintage
Guitar)
“Among the contenders in
the every burgeoning indie folk, or new folk, genre, there are a lot of
pretenders and acts trying desperately to “look and play the part”, but
five seconds in front of Charlie Parr and you know you’re dealing with
the real thing.” - Jim Beckman (KEXP)
“John Fahey described the
music he collected on American Primitive Vol. 1 as ‘made under the
influence of enthusiasm.’ The enthusiasm he spoke of was a kind of
possession … Charlie Parr’s recordings, which make splendid companions to
Fahey’s anthology, are similarly enthusiastic.” - Popmatters
http://www.charlieparr.com
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