The broad cast of players - all seven members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, along with Guy Picciotto (Fugazi), Chad Jones & Nadia Moss (Frankie Sparo), Eric Craven & Genevieve Heistek (Hangedup), Bruce Cawdron (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Esmerine) and T. Griffin (The Quavers) - offered influences and approaches to Vic's music that yielded a record unlike any other in his substantial discography.
Recorded over the winter of 2006-2007, at one of the last sessions to take place at the original Hotel2Tango location in Montreal (the studio moved in spring 2007), we believe North Star Deserter is the very best album Vic Chesnutt has yet made (while humbly acknowledging the boldness of such a statement). The sessions were orchestrated by Jem, who also oversaw production (along with Efrim and Thierry of Silver Mt. Zion, and Guy from Fugazi). The album was recorded by Howard Bilerman. The record is available on CD and double 180g LP, with artwork by Michael Ackerman and Jem Cohen.
Tracklist
1. Warm
2. Glossolalia
3. Everything I Say
4. Wallace Stevens
5. You Are Never Alone
6. Fodder On Her Wings
7. Splendid
8. Rustic City Fathers
9. Over
10. Debriefing
11. Marathon
12. Rattle
Personnel
Vic Chesnutt: guitar, casio, lyrics, voice
With:
Thierry Amar: contrabasse, electric bass, singing
Howard Bilerman: drums
Bruce Cawdron: bowed vibraphone and glockenspiel
Jem Cohen: field recordings
Eric Craven: skateboardthing
Beckie Foon: cello, singing
Scott Gilmore: drums
T. Griffin: guitar, field recordings
Genevieve Heistek: viola
Ian Ilavsky: singing
Chad Jones: guitar, singing
Efrim Menuck: guitar, piano, harmonium, casio, singing
Jessica Moss: violin, singing
Nadia Moss: organ, piano, singing
Guy Picciotto: guitar, field recordings
Sophie Trudeau: violin
Recording
Recorded and mixed at Thee Mighty Hotel2Tango in Montreal by Howard Bilerman with Efrim and Thierry, winter 2006-2007.
Produced by Jem Cohen with Efrim, Thierry and Guy.
Mastered at Greymarket in Montreal by Harris Newman.
Click on the Label to head over to New West Records
Debriefing live in Munich (thanks francepo)
Vic was born in 1964 in Jacksonville, FL and was raised in Zebulon, GA. He loved music from an early age and, in fact, started writing songs when he was only five years old. He played trumpet in a high school cover band. As he got older and began buying records, his first favorites were Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and The Beatles. After a car accident in 1983 that left him partially paralyzed and the recuperation period that followed, Vic came to "a whole new understanding of music. The first results were what he describes as vacuous pop songs But when he discovered a book called The Norton Anthology Of Modern Poetry (its footnotes were eureka!) Vic had, for the first time, what he describes as that art feeling. It was then that his songs began to take on adult form. In the middle 80s, Vic moved to Athens, GA to study English. He formed a group called The La Di Das and began playing the clubs around town. In 1988 he quit the band and started playing solo shows, including a summer-long residency at The 40 Watt. It was then that Michael Stipe saw Vic, repeatedly, and was moved to invite him into a recording studio. They recorded the songs that became his debut album, Little and Vics career effectively began. Vic has made 10 albums to date as well as 2 albums in collaboration with Widespread Panic under the name Brute. He was the subject of a documentary in 1992 entitled Speed Racer directed by noted indie filmmaker Peter Sillen. In 1995 he had bit part in Billy Bob Thorntons film Slingblade. In 1996, Columbia Records put together Sweet Relief II: Gravity Of The Situation - The Songs of Vic Chesnutt, a benefit album to assist musicians with medical and financial hardship. It featured Vics songs covered by the likes of Madonna, Smashing Pumpkins, Soul Asylum, Garbage & R.E.M. In 2000, The Georgia House Of Representatives passed a resolution, honoring Vic for his off-beat musical genius and other purposes. In 2001 he wrote and performed the music for Josiah Meigs and Me, a puppet play done at St. Annes Warehouse in Brooklyn. In January of 2004, Vic participated in the Randy Newman Tribute at UCLAs Royce Hall along with Victoria Williams, Bill Frisell, Rip Torn and many others. In June of this year, he was invited to share the bill with Rickie Lee Jones for two concerts at the prestigious Century Of Song Festival in Essen, Germany. Over the last few years he has also been speaking on songwriting and creative writing at Berklee School Of Music, Brown University and The University Of Georgia. Vic continues to tour extensively all over the world and has shared stages with the likes of R.E.M., Laura Nyro, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, John Cale, Mo Tucker, The Jayhawks, Allen Toussaint, P.J. Harvey, Wilco, Billy Swan, Giant Sand, Calexico and The Sadies.
Reference: 2006 New West Records LLC. http://www.newwestrecords.com/vicchesnutt.php <
Hey, Vic... you're coming to Oz at last! This is Very Good News. Pity there's no time for a side trip to the Blue Mountains, but I will personally ensure that half the population of Katoomba is at the Factory gig on July 10th. Cheers!
YO WUSSUP??? ITS YA BOI CRAZE.. JUSS STOPPIN THRU TO SAY WUSSUP... HIT UP THA MUSIC, IF U HAVEN'T YET.. AND DON'T FORGET TO SIGN THA GUESTBOOK, AND LEAVE A COMMENT.... LEAVE PICTURE COMMENTS IF YOU'D LIKE... OTHA THAN THAT.. JUSS STOP THRU AND SAY WUSSUP!!!
....its the most curious case of the bilocating dog....... new album with Elf power is great.... Soft picasso is still my favouritest song in the world i think though..... you have to play in Cork sometime....you know you want to!
Hi Vic, Shaun here - great spending time with you on tour. Some wonderful shows. Playing Independence Day on this week's Gilded Palace radio show online at Totally Radio. Reminiscing on the live version :-) The show streams on demand, and will be available until Friday 10th April.
The Fox Hunt - Train On An Island (www.myspace.com/lefoxhunt) Austin Lucas - Go West (Suburban Home (US)/ Hometown Caravan (EU)) Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo - Despite The Snow (Everyone Sang) Laura Gibson - Where Have All Your Good Words Gone? (Hush) The Rockingbirds – Restless (Setanta) Redlands Palomino Company - Wasted On You (Laughing Outlaw) Glossary - These City Lights Shine (Undertow) Blackie & The Rodeo Kings - White Lines (True North) Todd Snider - Greencastle Blues (Me & My Americana (EU)/ Yep Roc (US)) Headwater - Freight Train (Nowhere Town) JBM - Going Back Home (JBM Music) Deep Dark Woods - All The Money I Had Is Gone (Black Hen) Frog Holler - Not Like Us (www.frogholler.com) Vic Chesnutt - Independence Day (New West/Texas Hotel)
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