€27.00
Out of stock
Release Date 11th December 2020
This 5-song collaboration between artist Lonnie Holley and
the late visionary producer Richard Swift is a tribute to
urgent, raw, American art – from Howlin’ Wolf to Captain
Beefheart, from Cecil Taylor to Bo Diddley. The songs
pulse with anger, hope, energy and a bit of swagger. You
can hear sweat and tears through the speaker. Swift left
us two years ago today but his spirit buzzes through these
songs.
During a West Coast tour with Deerhunter in late summer
2013, Holley was put in touch with Swift by a friend who
suggested using a day off on tour to record at Swift’s
National Freedom Studio in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Now
rather legendary, Swift was in a breakout moment as a
producer having recently worked with artists like The
Shins, Foxygen and Damien Jurado. Holley’s essential
debut album, Just Before Music, had come out the year
prior.
The cosmic connection between Holley and Swift was
immediate. They put down five songs in their day
together: all conjured in the studio and one-of-a-kind.
At the end of that day in 2013, Swift – always up until the
wee hours – made a late-night call to the friend who had
set up the session. He was effusive about the experience –
thrilled to have found a kindred spirit in Lonnie Holley and
thankful to spend a day crafting unclassifiable,
extemporaneous and soulful music.
Holley has performed and exhibited at fine art institutions
worldwide, including The Met, MOMA and The Walker. His
touring / collaborating history includes The War on Drugs,
Bon Iver, Steve Gunn, Animal Collective, Julia Holter and
more.
Recorded and produced by the late Richard Swift
(Nathaniel Rateliff, Kevin Morby, Guster, Pretenders).
