Tony
Furtado
Acoustic bluesman, slide guitarist, banjo wizard songwriter with an emotionally
riveting voice
$20/advance,
$22/door, Teens
12-17/$10
Children under 12 free with paying adult
|
|
|
|
Unitarian Center, 4th and C Streets, Ashland
Saturday, April 24, 2010 • 8PM
 "He
mixes bluegrass roots with a mainstream pop streak, easily holding
the spotlight, thanks to his restrained virtuosity on acoustic
and slide guitar and a warmly engaging voice reminiscent of T
Bone Burnett, sans preachiness." - PASTE Magazine
"It's blues, folk and a touch of new age that dominate,
making this music shimmer with richly muted beauty. Deep Water
is a disc for a rainy day, although one that knows a sunny horizon
lies just around the bend." Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
It takes guts to start your album off with The Bawds of Euphony,
an instrumental banjo tune that draws its cryptic title from
the words of a Wallace Stevens poem. But Tony Furtado is a man
unafraid to go with his heart when it comes to his music. Tony's
14th album, entitled Deep Water, comes entirely from Tony's heart.
This CD is 100% Tony Furtado, from the cover art that he created,
to the collection of 14 songs that he wrote and chose specifically
for Deep Water. Here you will find tunes that embrace his love
of slide guitar, his prowess as a banjo player, and his ability
to write a song that elicits deep emotion. Produced by the fabulous
(and slightly mad) Sean Slade (The Pixies, Radiohead, Dinosaur
Jr., Dresden Dolls), Deep Water wanders through a wide array
of sentiment; from joy and love, to despair and hopelessness.
Recorded in Boston, away from managers, label employees, publicists
or loved ones, Sean and Tony came together to make a record Tony
truly wanted to create.
"To me, this album is a snapshot of my life and the world
around me when I wrote and recorded it. Influences ranged from
the politically charged air and environtmentally changing world,
to the authors I was reading (Edward Abbey, Wallace Stevens Charles
Bukowski, Richard Wright) and songwriters I was listening to
(Tom Waits, Elliot Smith, Bon Iver) I have to say, this album
ranks pretty high on the "moody scale" for me."
By the age of 19, Furtado had earned himself a reputation as
a young banjo prodigy, winning two National Bluegrass Banjo Championships.
Despite the press and praise as one of the most promising bluegrass
artists, Furtado decided that one genre wasn't enough for him.
Creatively, he had something more to express. "I don't think
I could ever be happy staying in any one place musically," says
Tony Furtado.
Next, Furtado picked up the slide guitar and soon established
that his dexterity transitioned with ease. Using fingers and
a bottleneck, it wasn't long before Furtado began writing songs
that had a folksier feel and featured himself as the vocalist.
Previously he had released banjo albums that featured the vocals
of talents such as Allison Krauss and Tim O'Brien. But Tony wanted
to add singer to his songwriter and instrumental talents. And,
in true Furtado fashion, he accomplished that as well.
From his teenage years until the present, Tony has wandered
through genres and styles, never growing static and always evolving
musically. He has toured tirelessly for over two decades and
has garnered a great deal of respect from his peers, and has
opened for and toured with acts such as Greg Allman, Susan Tedeschi,
Taj Mahal, Leftover Salmon, Eric Johnson and he has shared the
stage with the likes of Sonny Landreth, Keith Richards, David
Lindley, Derek Trucks, Norah Jones, among many others. Like his
vast catalogue of recordings, a Tony Furtado show has something
to offer everyone. His music has taken him all over the country
and into the hearts of many a music lover. Whether he's playing
with a band, or recording as a solo artist, his playing and considerable
skills as a multi-instrumentalist and his strong songwriting
prowess have led to him to be embraced on record and on stage.
Tony is an extremely skilled musician with a riveting voice
who blends rock music with elements of Americana, folk, and pop.
His musical reach is broad enough to resonate with fans of Ry
Cooder, The Band, Bruce Springsteen, CCR, Bela Fleck and Tom
Petty, among others. Furtado's extremely impressive, furious
slide guitar skills and 25+ years of banjo experience will blow
away the musicos; for the lovers of a story in a song, Furtado
has a few tales to tell; and to those who are looking for a performance,
get ready to be captivated, charmed, and entertained.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/tonyfurtadomusic and www.tonyfurtado.com. |
