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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. And on Deep Water you will find yourself pulled in and drawn under.

For more information, interviews, etc, regarding Tony Furtado, please contact Jennifer Herald at Funzalo Records, 520-628-8655 or at Jennifer@mikesmanagement.com.

MERCHANDISE

"Tony Furtado's Book Of Banjo Tunes" Volume 1 NOW AVAILABLE!

Features the following songs: "Swamped", "Crossing The Severn", "Glory At The Meetinghouse", "John Henry", "The Broken Pledge", "Collier's Jig", "The Road To Donegal", "Blues For Alice", "Golden Eagle Hornpipe", "Hell Among The Yearlings", "Daddio", "St. John's Fire", "Nimrod Hornpipe", "Overdrive", "Ralph Trischka", "I Will", "President Garfield's Hornpipe", "Waiting For Guiteau", "Magpie On The Gallows", "Julia Delaney", "The Drunken Landlady", "Queen Anne's Lace", "Perhaps", "Drake's Bay".

AND

"Tony Furtado's Book Of Banjo Tunes" Volume 2 NOW AVAILABLE!

Features the following songs: "Waterslide", "Rakish Paddy", "Jenny's Wedding", "Full Circle", "Emigrant Gap", "Jeff Sturgeon", "Indian Squaw", "Down Easy Creek", "Staghound", "Hoedown Polka", "Queen Of The Rushes", "The Collier's Reel", "Monaghan Twig", "The Stark Raven", "Tyson's Dream", "Willow John", "Roscommon Reel", "O'Rourke's", "The Famous Ballymote", "Bolinas", "Knave's Bane", "Hartford", "The Log Cabin", "The Ladie's Pantallettes", "Hazel Comes Home", "Here Comes The Sun".