National Freedom LP

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).