Can the members of Girlyman read each other's minds? Sometimes it
seems so. Onstage they often finish one another's sentences or burst
into improvised three-part ditties so tight they seem rehearsed. Truth
is, the Atlanta-based trio has had years to develop this rapport. Doris
Muramatsu and Tylan Greenstein became best friends in second grade. The
two met Nate Borofsky in college at a talent show, and since then
they've been creating their own unique language of three-part harmony.
Informed by 60s vocal groups like Simon & Garfunkel and The Mamas and
the Papas, and infused with years of classical and jazz training,
Girlyman's songs are a dance of melody and suspensions - an irresistible
blend of acoustic, Americana, and rock The Village Voice calls
"really good, really unexpected, and really different."
Everything's Easy, Girlyman's fourth studio album, is the
band's most intimate and sophisticated effort. The cover, a playful
paint-by-numbers scene, suggests a world where one creates reality with
only a brushstroke. Yet much of Girlyman's rare appeal is a willingness
to see the shadow side of its own idealism. A placid suburban childhood
unfolds amid the mounting pressure of the Watergate era in "Easy
Bake Ovens," while the "one hundred billion metric tons"
of New York City rise beside the wide, unburdened river in
"Hudson." Some songs highlight Girlyman's trademark
playfulness, as in the Tin Pan Alley tribute "My Eyes Get
Misty," while the swirling counterpoint of "Wherever You
Keep" strains musically and lyrically for the light. Self-produced
and engineered, Everything's Easy was recorded with a single,
ten thousand dollar microphone, financed by fan donations. This
microphone, along with the work of Grammy-winning mixer Ben Wisch, has
created an immeasurably rich sound.
Girlyman formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, where the friends shared an
apartment; their first rehearsal was scheduled for Tuesday, September
11. It was postponed, but the events of that day helped the trio clarify
its vision: "We decided to just have fun," explains Nate,
"and not take ourselves too seriously. We started by naming our new
band Girlyman." Others, however, took the group quite seriously.
The first few years brought critical delight, awards, and long opening
runs with the Indigo Girls and Dar Williams. Girlyman quickly became a
strong headliner in its own right, and now plays in every corner of the
country to intensely loyal "girlyfans" who often travel
hundreds of miles to see shows. Girlyman sells out renowned venues such
as The Barns at Wolftrap, The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago,
The Ark, and The Freight and Salvage. They also frequent festival main
stages, making a huge splash this past year at the Ann Arbor Folk
Festival, the Kate Wolf Memorial Folk Festival, and the Falcon Ridge
Folk Festival, to name a few.
Most recently, Girlyman has been collaborating with comedian Margaret
Cho, co-writing songs for her upcoming album, Guitarded. Of
Girlyman, Cho says, "They seamlessly blend folk, country, pop, and
rock, and they genre bend as fearlessly and flawlessly as they
gender-bend. It's the music of my heart and soul. Girlyman is the future
and the past and the present."
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