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Ballad of America

Ballad of America Radio

General Info

  • Genre: Acoustic / Folk / Other

    Location HOLLYWOOD, US

    Profile Views: 11433

    Last Login: 4/8/2012

    Member Since 11/8/2005

    Website http://www.balladofamerica.com

    Record Label Slipstream Productions, Inc.

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    "Ballad of America" is songs of people who made a country. With vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass fiddle, mountain dulcimer, and a wealth of traditional folk songs, Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band bring the story of the United States vividly to life. The journey begins in Colonial America and follows the paths of the pioneers, sailors, lumberjacks, immigrants, '49ers, farmers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, and railroaders who moved the country across the continent and into the 20th century. .. Sabatella’s foray into traditional music comes amidst an acclaimed career as a singer/songwriter. His 2001 release, "A Walk in the Park," was named Album of the Year in the Florida Music Awards and he was a nominee in the category of Best Songwriter. .. ..Compact Discs.... Each CD in the Ballad of America catalogue has a different theme. There are currently two different volumes available, but many more are planned. Click the links for audio previews, more information, and CD ordering... ....Ballad of America Volume 1: Over a Wide and Fruitful Land .... The journey on this CD begins in the latter part of the eighteenth century when the United States of America became an independent nation. It follows the paths of the pioneers, sailors, lumberjacks, immigrants, '49ers, farmers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, and railroaders who moved the country across the continent and into the twentieth century... ....Ballad of America Volume 2: America Singing.... The songs in this collection are among the most commonly sung in the history of the United States. They present uniquely American musical blends, with roots in European and African traditions and branches that have sprouted countless regional and personal variants throughout the country. Collectively, these songs of work, fun, and love transcend social and ethnic boundaries, painting a broad picture of America during the 18th and 19th centuries when music making was, for many, an integral part of everyday life.

  • Members

    Matthew Sabatella: vocal, guitar, banjo, dulcimer.. Chris DeAngelis: bass fiddle.. Sean Edelson: mandolin.. Lynn Griffith: banjo.. Jack Stamates: fiddle..

  • Influences

  • Sounds Like

    "...Sabatella's best asset is easily his voice, urgent but unforced, sweetly melancholy in telling personal stories and powerfully evocative in rendering antiquated songs intimate again. It's a great gift, and Sabatella wields it with exceptional talent." .."Best Acoustic Performer" - New Times Broward/Palm Beach - Best of 2005 .. "Gold-throated troubador Matthew Sabatella was born to make an album such as Ballad of America. This low-key, acoustic opus is more a Folkways Smithsonian-style history lesson than a random assortment of wispy, coffee shop folk. Casual listeners, watch out: If you pay attention, you might learn something. Nothing if not deeply humanist, these songs reveal the sober, hopeful spirit of the men and women who found fortune, romance, and danger on the open range." ..Jonathan Zwickel - Miami New Times .. “Led by Sabatella's six-string guitar and his molasses baritone, the band's big sound rolls from Luna's makeshift stage across a room filled with tri-county patrons… Tonight's crowd is extra large, lining up against the walls and squeezed three deep between cases of beer and the cafe's ancient black refrigerator. Along with the band, almost everyone is singing: ‘Heigh, ho, and away we go; Digging up the gold on the Fran-cis-co!’” ..Emma Trelles - Sun-Sentinel .. “Miraculously, Hollywood-based folkie Matthew Sabatella has packaged a history lesson in the guise of a strikingly good album and a nerdaliciously compelling live show that tell the story of western expansion across the American heartland through song… ‘It's the kind of thing that will appeal to just about anybody,’ Sabatella says of the songs on Ballad of America Volume 1, most of which date back to the early 1800s. The crowd at the Bamboo Room reflected that sentiment, as moms, grandmoms, longhairs, blue collars, and a gaggle of wine-sipping, Virginia Slims-puffing ladies all clapped along and sang like ornery lumberjacks to lines like ‘And we'll range the wild woods over, and once more a-lumbering go!’” ..Jonathan Zwickel - New Times Broward/Palm Beach .. "He's... never sounded so comfortable as a leader as on the new Ballad of America." ..Bill Meredith - Palm Beach Post .. “Sabatella has found a mother lode of nearly forgotten gems, many pre-dating the age of recorded music. He sings these work songs, laments and travelogues with a plaintiveness and thorough appreciation of their meanings and origins, and sets them to lively acoustic arrangements.” ..Sean Piccoli - Sun-Sentinel .. "...when he bangs out chords on his chocolate-brown acoustic guitar and sings deeply into the mike, his songs begin to soar." (read article) ..John Anderson - Miami New Times .. “Over a Wide and Fruitful Land, the album's subtitle, rather neatly sums it up. Matthew Sabatella has assembled a credible song list, dappling America's pioneer landscape with evergreen folklore balladry. His wide-ranging vocal approaches are sensitive when desired, dynamic when untethered emotions dictate. The small group arrangements, at times pared back to a single instrument, are the "just right" sort of settings. This project works "because of", not "in spite of", campfire minimalism. Matthew Sabatella surprises in the most delightful ways. And this is only Volume One. Can't wait for the next leg of the trail.” ..Eddie O'Strange - Host of Town & Country Radio Show - New Zealand .. "I really enjoyed the more obscure songs which brought history and past viewpoints to life.” ..Arthur Berman - Host of Pacific Pickin’ - CITR-FM "Performer Matthew Sabatella's rich baritone voice perfectly complements stories of common folk... A wonderful resource for units on nineteenth-century American history." ..Naomi Leithold - American Library Association's Booklist .. "Matthew Sabatella, singer/producer/arranger, sings 18 traditional folk-style songs in a beautiful, slightly raspy baritone... Excellent background instruments include guitar, banjo, piano, tambourine, sandpaper blocks, fiddle, acoustic bass, drums, harmonica, mandolin, English concertina and bodhran... An excellent resource for schools and public libraries." ..Beverly Bixler - School Library Journal .. "...his love of this music is infectious and the arrangements are generally quite good. Recommended." ..Rick Anderson - Baker & Taylor's CD HotList .. “Matthew's arrangements and deep, rich voice bring these olds songs to life. Ballad of America is an important and enjoyable way to learn and remember American History. It gives us a sense of place. That's what folk music does -- it roots us in tradition. What he's doing is patriotic as much as anything else. He's giving us a good sense of America." ..Michael Stock - Host of Folk and Acoustic Music - WLRN-FM

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