Bobby Long
Though England is his place of birth, the songs found on Bobby Long’s forthcoming sophomore album, Wishbone, are redolent with pieces of Americana. They were composed in New York City, a place he feels more at home than he ever did while living in his native country, and the album itself was brought to life on the other coast, recorded with producer Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, Old Crow Medicine Show) in Los Angeles. “New York has shandy print on everything I do,” explains Long, “but there’s a Californian tint or energy on this album.”
Four years ago Long made the move to the states to live among the streets and visit the places he’d read about while composing his university thesis on the social impact of American folk music. A student of the craft on a musical and intellectual level, Long’s reverence for American music runs deep, with influences ranging from country greats like Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb, to folk singers Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and modern day luminaries like Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith. As such, Long was especially honored to use Smith’s guitar and amp while recording Wishbone, the gear generously lent by Rob Schnapf, Smith’s long time producer who happened to be recording in the studio next door.
All of those individuals and more have provided Long inspiration over the years, but in particular on Wishbone Long looked toward artists like Neil Young and their ability to re-invent themselves time and again as solo acts or with band in tow, even while risking alienating fans. The album title Wishbone, as he explains, is a lyric from the song “Yesterday.” “It was one of the first songs I wrote for the record,” says Long, “and it was so different from everything I’d done to that point. I wanted to push myself and ‘Yesterday’ was a catalyst to build around writing wise.”
When it came time to record, Long took that same attitude with him into the studio. “I have no wish or want to make the same record twice,” says Long, “going into the second record I wanted to make sure I was open to new approaches and ideas from Ted and the musicians I was working with.” Along with Hutt, Long surrounded himself with a cast of accomplished players including Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller, Tim Easton) on drums, Chris Morrissey (Kweller, Mason Jennings) on bass, and Rich Hinman (Rosanne Cash, Rhett Miller) on guitar. “There was a great sense of community,” says Long, and the camaraderie that developed, and respect the musicians held for each other during the sessions, lent itself to an incredibly creative environment.
Another contributing factor to the differences evident between Wishbone and the debut A Winter Tale came with the logistics of the recording process. “On this record we had more time and were not recording live to tape,” says Long, “so I wanted to write more specific guitar parts and do my own harmonies.” At the same time Long was conscious of making sure a similar thread ran through every song on the album. With the extra time in the studio he was able to work through and become comfortable with 12 tracks from an original list of 40-plus compositions. It was an important aspect of the album-making process for Long, who though young in age, takes a long view towards musical history and deeply reveres the album as an art form and the ultimate expression a musician can put forth.
All of the consideration taken in writing and recording manifests itself in the songs that make up Long’s sophomore album Wishbone. He taps into a broader palate of emotions than he has on past releases, eschewing melancholy and eloquently channeling anger and frustration into gritty, hard-driving guitar parts that compliment his rough-hewn vocals on songs like “Blood In The Orchard” and “All My Brothers.” Steel guitar provides an apt counter balance, adding a hint of twang and drawn out expanse to the urgency put forth in the lyrics. Long still shows his softer side on numbers like the heart wrenching “In Your Way” and swaying ballad “My Parade.” Throughout the album he displays his deft control of melody and tone, well practiced over many years of prolific songwriting and live performances.
Long has come a good way from his early days playing open-mic nights in London. He now finds himself stepping into the pantheon of that grand musical history he so admires, gigging at major festivals like Bonnaroo, and impacting popular culture with performances on late night TV shows. Yet, with all these significant accomplishments, Long is far from content. “I’m looking forward to people hearing this album,” he says, “I think it will help people see that I’m not just a solo performer.” With Wishbone, listeners and fans will see a different side of Bobby Long, the restless musician always striving to grow and improve his craft while finding new avenues of expression.
----------
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is refreshing, optimistic and modest. He grew up in Calgary, Canada- a cosmopolitan city known for it’s beautiful Rocky Mountain backdrop, an annual rodeo (The Calgary Stampede) and great bike paths. He spent most of his time as a child outdoors with his family camping, biking and hiking in the mountains.
He’s an impulsive road-tripper. After high school, he went to Australia with 4 grand, an iPod and a camera. He went without a plan and stayed for 5 months working on a boat and waiting on tables in a piano bar.
Michael’s kind, approachable disposition gives way to an undeniable confidence onstage. This young man can break hearts playing solo with an acoustic guitar and loop pedal, and equally make venues soar with a full band. In Canada, Michael tours regularly from coast to coast.
He plays a guitar that is considered the workhorse of acoustics, a Gibson J45 (he has one in sunburst and natural); part of his passion for real instruments B3's, Leslies, tube amplifiers, saxophones and drum kits.
“I love Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Feist, Souls of Mischief and Mason Jennings,” declares Michael. His favorite lyric of all time is from Paul Simon’s Graceland album "My traveling companion is nine years old, he is the child of my first marriage.” (As a young boy, Michael and his mom used to dance to Graceland.)
Michael’s forthcoming debut US album was recorded in a little studio in Hollywood, California. The song “Man Overboard” was written while joking around and singing the verses to Billy Joel's “We Didn't Start The Fire”. Inspiration for his music often comes to him at a lightning fast pace. “In Your Room” and “Love Is An Easy Thing To Miss” were written in about as long as it takes to sing them. Without any words written down, done from voice note recordings on his phone both songs were written in minutes. "Marvin's Room' by Drake inspired the guitar for 'Love is an Easy Thing to Miss”. “In Your Room” was written at 10PM after a long day with not much flowing and many breaks. Thinking he was done for the day, he sat down one more time, started playing the guitar and making up the verses as he went along. Recorded the song that night, and went to bed.
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald “MBF” has a simple goal - to pursue his craft as honestly as possible - devoid of smoke and mirrors. Positively uplifting.
-------
Blind Willies
Blind Willies is a San Francisco rock Americana band led by singer/songwriter Alexei Wajchman. The band began at San Francisco’s High School of the Arts as a duo playing covers of American folk songs and Alexei’s originals which he began writing when he was 15. After their professional debut at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the band’s first two releases of all original songs, The Unkindness of Ravens(2007) and Everybody's Looking for a Meal(2008), were highly praised. The albums defined their sound and provided them the opportunity to perform extensively at eclectic venues, from New York's Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and San Francisco's Djangofest to Brooklyn's intimate back room at Barbès. They shared stages with punk icon Penelope Houston (Avengers), “Dawg Music” innovator David Grisman, and folk iconoclast Peter Stampfel (Holy Modal Rounders).
Following their sophomore release, and in search of a larger canvas, Alexei assembled a full band of experienced young musicians accomplished across diverse genres including rock, jazz, classical, world, and hip-hop. Now five musicians strong—Alexei Wajchman(vocal, guitar, harmonica), Misha Khalikulov(cello), Daniel Riera(bass, flute), Max Miller-Loran(keys, trumpet), and Alex Nash(drums)—the band recorded the new album, Needle, Feather, and a Rope, at Tiny Telephone, indie engineer/producer/performer John Vanderslice's all-analog studio in San Francisco's Mission District.
The band has used the various gifts of its new members to forge a dynamic and unique sound that reflects the deeply resonant American musical traditions they each brought to the table. Their songs have been played on more than 200 radio stations around the world, including the Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Australia, and Canada, and they’ve toured throughout the West and East Coasts.
Members of Blind Willies also perform with Rupa and the April Fishes, George Watsky, Kev Choice Ensemble, Marcus Cohen and the Congress, and The Getback.
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Though England is his place of birth, the songs found on Bobby Long’s forthcoming sophomore album, Wishbone, are redolent with pieces of Americana. They were composed in New York City, a place he feels more at home than he ever did while living in his native country, and the album itself was brought to life on the other coast, recorded with producer Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, Old Crow Medicine Show) in Los Angeles. “New York has shandy print on everything I do,” explains Long, “but there’s a Californian tint or energy on this album.”
Four years ago Long made the move to the states to live among the streets and visit the places he’d read about while composing his university thesis on the social impact of American folk music. A student of the craft on a musical and intellectual level, Long’s reverence for American music runs deep, with influences ranging from country greats like Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb, to folk singers Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and modern day luminaries like Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith. As such, Long was especially honored to use Smith’s guitar and amp while recording Wishbone, the gear generously lent by Rob Schnapf, Smith’s long time producer who happened to be recording in the studio next door.
All of those individuals and more have provided Long inspiration over the years, but in particular on Wishbone Long looked toward artists like Neil Young and their ability to re-invent themselves time and again as solo acts or with band in tow, even while risking alienating fans. The album title Wishbone, as he explains, is a lyric from the song “Yesterday.” “It was one of the first songs I wrote for the record,” says Long, “and it was so different from everything I’d done to that point. I wanted to push myself and ‘Yesterday’ was a catalyst to build around writing wise.”
When it came time to record, Long took that same attitude with him into the studio. “I have no wish or want to make the same record twice,” says Long, “going into the second record I wanted to make sure I was open to new approaches and ideas from Ted and the musicians I was working with.” Along with Hutt, Long surrounded himself with a cast of accomplished players including Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller, Tim Easton) on drums, Chris Morrissey (Kweller, Mason Jennings) on bass, and Rich Hinman (Rosanne Cash, Rhett Miller) on guitar. “There was a great sense of community,” says Long, and the camaraderie that developed, and respect the musicians held for each other during the sessions, lent itself to an incredibly creative environment.
Another contributing factor to the differences evident between Wishbone and the debut A Winter Tale came with the logistics of the recording process. “On this record we had more time and were not recording live to tape,” says Long, “so I wanted to write more specific guitar parts and do my own harmonies.” At the same time Long was conscious of making sure a similar thread ran through every song on the album. With the extra time in the studio he was able to work through and become comfortable with 12 tracks from an original list of 40-plus compositions. It was an important aspect of the album-making process for Long, who though young in age, takes a long view towards musical history and deeply reveres the album as an art form and the ultimate expression a musician can put forth.
All of the consideration taken in writing and recording manifests itself in the songs that make up Long’s sophomore album Wishbone. He taps into a broader palate of emotions than he has on past releases, eschewing melancholy and eloquently channeling anger and frustration into gritty, hard-driving guitar parts that compliment his rough-hewn vocals on songs like “Blood In The Orchard” and “All My Brothers.” Steel guitar provides an apt counter balance, adding a hint of twang and drawn out expanse to the urgency put forth in the lyrics. Long still shows his softer side on numbers like the heart wrenching “In Your Way” and swaying ballad “My Parade.” Throughout the album he displays his deft control of melody and tone, well practiced over many years of prolific songwriting and live performances.
Long has come a good way from his early days playing open-mic nights in London. He now finds himself stepping into the pantheon of that grand musical history he so admires, gigging at major festivals like Bonnaroo, and impacting popular culture with performances on late night TV shows. Yet, with all these significant accomplishments, Long is far from content. “I’m looking forward to people hearing this album,” he says, “I think it will help people see that I’m not just a solo performer.” With Wishbone, listeners and fans will see a different side of Bobby Long, the restless musician always striving to grow and improve his craft while finding new avenues of expression.
----------
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is refreshing, optimistic and modest. He grew up in Calgary, Canada- a cosmopolitan city known for it’s beautiful Rocky Mountain backdrop, an annual rodeo (The Calgary Stampede) and great bike paths. He spent most of his time as a child outdoors with his family camping, biking and hiking in the mountains.
He’s an impulsive road-tripper. After high school, he went to Australia with 4 grand, an iPod and a camera. He went without a plan and stayed for 5 months working on a boat and waiting on tables in a piano bar.
Michael’s kind, approachable disposition gives way to an undeniable confidence onstage. This young man can break hearts playing solo with an acoustic guitar and loop pedal, and equally make venues soar with a full band. In Canada, Michael tours regularly from coast to coast.
He plays a guitar that is considered the workhorse of acoustics, a Gibson J45 (he has one in sunburst and natural); part of his passion for real instruments B3's, Leslies, tube amplifiers, saxophones and drum kits.
“I love Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Feist, Souls of Mischief and Mason Jennings,” declares Michael. His favorite lyric of all time is from Paul Simon’s Graceland album "My traveling companion is nine years old, he is the child of my first marriage.” (As a young boy, Michael and his mom used to dance to Graceland.)
Michael’s forthcoming debut US album was recorded in a little studio in Hollywood, California. The song “Man Overboard” was written while joking around and singing the verses to Billy Joel's “We Didn't Start The Fire”. Inspiration for his music often comes to him at a lightning fast pace. “In Your Room” and “Love Is An Easy Thing To Miss” were written in about as long as it takes to sing them. Without any words written down, done from voice note recordings on his phone both songs were written in minutes. "Marvin's Room' by Drake inspired the guitar for 'Love is an Easy Thing to Miss”. “In Your Room” was written at 10PM after a long day with not much flowing and many breaks. Thinking he was done for the day, he sat down one more time, started playing the guitar and making up the verses as he went along. Recorded the song that night, and went to bed.
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald “MBF” has a simple goal - to pursue his craft as honestly as possible - devoid of smoke and mirrors. Positively uplifting.
-------
Blind Willies
Blind Willies is a San Francisco rock Americana band led by singer/songwriter Alexei Wajchman. The band began at San Francisco’s High School of the Arts as a duo playing covers of American folk songs and Alexei’s originals which he began writing when he was 15. After their professional debut at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the band’s first two releases of all original songs, The Unkindness of Ravens(2007) and Everybody's Looking for a Meal(2008), were highly praised. The albums defined their sound and provided them the opportunity to perform extensively at eclectic venues, from New York's Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and San Francisco's Djangofest to Brooklyn's intimate back room at Barbès. They shared stages with punk icon Penelope Houston (Avengers), “Dawg Music” innovator David Grisman, and folk iconoclast Peter Stampfel (Holy Modal Rounders).
Following their sophomore release, and in search of a larger canvas, Alexei assembled a full band of experienced young musicians accomplished across diverse genres including rock, jazz, classical, world, and hip-hop. Now five musicians strong—Alexei Wajchman(vocal, guitar, harmonica), Misha Khalikulov(cello), Daniel Riera(bass, flute), Max Miller-Loran(keys, trumpet), and Alex Nash(drums)—the band recorded the new album, Needle, Feather, and a Rope, at Tiny Telephone, indie engineer/producer/performer John Vanderslice's all-analog studio in San Francisco's Mission District.
The band has used the various gifts of its new members to forge a dynamic and unique sound that reflects the deeply resonant American musical traditions they each brought to the table. Their songs have been played on more than 200 radio stations around the world, including the Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Australia, and Canada, and they’ve toured throughout the West and East Coasts.
Members of Blind Willies also perform with Rupa and the April Fishes, George Watsky, Kev Choice Ensemble, Marcus Cohen and the Congress, and The Getback.
Bobby Long
Though England is his place of birth, the songs found on Bobby Long’s forthcoming sophomore album, Wishbone, are redolent with pieces of Americana. They were composed in New York City, a place he feels more at home than he ever did while living in his native country, and the album itself was brought to life on the other coast, recorded with producer Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, Old Crow Medicine Show) in Los Angeles. “New York has shandy print on everything I do,” explains Long, “but there’s a Californian tint or energy on this album.”
Four years ago Long made the move to the states to live among the streets and visit the places he’d read about while composing his university thesis on the social impact of American folk music. A student of the craft on a musical and intellectual level, Long’s reverence for American music runs deep, with influences ranging from country greats like Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb, to folk singers Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and modern day luminaries like Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith. As such, Long was especially honored to use Smith’s guitar and amp while recording Wishbone, the gear generously lent by Rob Schnapf, Smith’s long time producer who happened to be recording in the studio next door.
All of those individuals and more have provided Long inspiration over the years, but in particular on Wishbone Long looked toward artists like Neil Young and their ability to re-invent themselves time and again as solo acts or with band in tow, even while risking alienating fans. The album title Wishbone, as he explains, is a lyric from the song “Yesterday.” “It was one of the first songs I wrote for the record,” says Long, “and it was so different from everything I’d done to that point. I wanted to push myself and ‘Yesterday’ was a catalyst to build around writing wise.”
When it came time to record, Long took that same attitude with him into the studio. “I have no wish or want to make the same record twice,” says Long, “going into the second record I wanted to make sure I was open to new approaches and ideas from Ted and the musicians I was working with.” Along with Hutt, Long surrounded himself with a cast of accomplished players including Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller, Tim Easton) on drums, Chris Morrissey (Kweller, Mason Jennings) on bass, and Rich Hinman (Rosanne Cash, Rhett Miller) on guitar. “There was a great sense of community,” says Long, and the camaraderie that developed, and respect the musicians held for each other during the sessions, lent itself to an incredibly creative environment.
Another contributing factor to the differences evident between Wishbone and the debut A Winter Tale came with the logistics of the recording process. “On this record we had more time and were not recording live to tape,” says Long, “so I wanted to write more specific guitar parts and do my own harmonies.” At the same time Long was conscious of making sure a similar thread ran through every song on the album. With the extra time in the studio he was able to work through and become comfortable with 12 tracks from an original list of 40-plus compositions. It was an important aspect of the album-making process for Long, who though young in age, takes a long view towards musical history and deeply reveres the album as an art form and the ultimate expression a musician can put forth.
All of the consideration taken in writing and recording manifests itself in the songs that make up Long’s sophomore album Wishbone. He taps into a broader palate of emotions than he has on past releases, eschewing melancholy and eloquently channeling anger and frustration into gritty, hard-driving guitar parts that compliment his rough-hewn vocals on songs like “Blood In The Orchard” and “All My Brothers.” Steel guitar provides an apt counter balance, adding a hint of twang and drawn out expanse to the urgency put forth in the lyrics. Long still shows his softer side on numbers like the heart wrenching “In Your Way” and swaying ballad “My Parade.” Throughout the album he displays his deft control of melody and tone, well practiced over many years of prolific songwriting and live performances.
Long has come a good way from his early days playing open-mic nights in London. He now finds himself stepping into the pantheon of that grand musical history he so admires, gigging at major festivals like Bonnaroo, and impacting popular culture with performances on late night TV shows. Yet, with all these significant accomplishments, Long is far from content. “I’m looking forward to people hearing this album,” he says, “I think it will help people see that I’m not just a solo performer.” With Wishbone, listeners and fans will see a different side of Bobby Long, the restless musician always striving to grow and improve his craft while finding new avenues of expression.
----------
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is refreshing, optimistic and modest. He grew up in Calgary, Canada- a cosmopolitan city known for it’s beautiful Rocky Mountain backdrop, an annual rodeo (The Calgary Stampede) and great bike paths. He spent most of his time as a child outdoors with his family camping, biking and hiking in the mountains.
He’s an impulsive road-tripper. After high school, he went to Australia with 4 grand, an iPod and a camera. He went without a plan and stayed for 5 months working on a boat and waiting on tables in a piano bar.
Michael’s kind, approachable disposition gives way to an undeniable confidence onstage. This young man can break hearts playing solo with an acoustic guitar and loop pedal, and equally make venues soar with a full band. In Canada, Michael tours regularly from coast to coast.
He plays a guitar that is considered the workhorse of acoustics, a Gibson J45 (he has one in sunburst and natural); part of his passion for real instruments B3's, Leslies, tube amplifiers, saxophones and drum kits.
“I love Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Feist, Souls of Mischief and Mason Jennings,” declares Michael. His favorite lyric of all time is from Paul Simon’s Graceland album "My traveling companion is nine years old, he is the child of my first marriage.” (As a young boy, Michael and his mom used to dance to Graceland.)
Michael’s forthcoming debut US album was recorded in a little studio in Hollywood, California. The song “Man Overboard” was written while joking around and singing the verses to Billy Joel's “We Didn't Start The Fire”. Inspiration for his music often comes to him at a lightning fast pace. “In Your Room” and “Love Is An Easy Thing To Miss” were written in about as long as it takes to sing them. Without any words written down, done from voice note recordings on his phone both songs were written in minutes. "Marvin's Room' by Drake inspired the guitar for 'Love is an Easy Thing to Miss”. “In Your Room” was written at 10PM after a long day with not much flowing and many breaks. Thinking he was done for the day, he sat down one more time, started playing the guitar and making up the verses as he went along. Recorded the song that night, and went to bed.
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald “MBF” has a simple goal - to pursue his craft as honestly as possible - devoid of smoke and mirrors. Positively uplifting.
-------
Blind Willies
Blind Willies is a San Francisco rock Americana band led by singer/songwriter Alexei Wajchman. The band began at San Francisco’s High School of the Arts as a duo playing covers of American folk songs and Alexei’s originals which he began writing when he was 15. After their professional debut at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the band’s first two releases of all original songs, The Unkindness of Ravens(2007) and Everybody's Looking for a Meal(2008), were highly praised. The albums defined their sound and provided them the opportunity to perform extensively at eclectic venues, from New York's Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and San Francisco's Djangofest to Brooklyn's intimate back room at Barbès. They shared stages with punk icon Penelope Houston (Avengers), “Dawg Music” innovator David Grisman, and folk iconoclast Peter Stampfel (Holy Modal Rounders).
Following their sophomore release, and in search of a larger canvas, Alexei assembled a full band of experienced young musicians accomplished across diverse genres including rock, jazz, classical, world, and hip-hop. Now five musicians strong—Alexei Wajchman(vocal, guitar, harmonica), Misha Khalikulov(cello), Daniel Riera(bass, flute), Max Miller-Loran(keys, trumpet), and Alex Nash(drums)—the band recorded the new album, Needle, Feather, and a Rope, at Tiny Telephone, indie engineer/producer/performer John Vanderslice's all-analog studio in San Francisco's Mission District.
The band has used the various gifts of its new members to forge a dynamic and unique sound that reflects the deeply resonant American musical traditions they each brought to the table. Their songs have been played on more than 200 radio stations around the world, including the Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Australia, and Canada, and they’ve toured throughout the West and East Coasts.
Members of Blind Willies also perform with Rupa and the April Fishes, George Watsky, Kev Choice Ensemble, Marcus Cohen and the Congress, and The Getback.
read more
Though England is his place of birth, the songs found on Bobby Long’s forthcoming sophomore album, Wishbone, are redolent with pieces of Americana. They were composed in New York City, a place he feels more at home than he ever did while living in his native country, and the album itself was brought to life on the other coast, recorded with producer Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, Old Crow Medicine Show) in Los Angeles. “New York has shandy print on everything I do,” explains Long, “but there’s a Californian tint or energy on this album.”
Four years ago Long made the move to the states to live among the streets and visit the places he’d read about while composing his university thesis on the social impact of American folk music. A student of the craft on a musical and intellectual level, Long’s reverence for American music runs deep, with influences ranging from country greats like Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb, to folk singers Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and modern day luminaries like Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith. As such, Long was especially honored to use Smith’s guitar and amp while recording Wishbone, the gear generously lent by Rob Schnapf, Smith’s long time producer who happened to be recording in the studio next door.
All of those individuals and more have provided Long inspiration over the years, but in particular on Wishbone Long looked toward artists like Neil Young and their ability to re-invent themselves time and again as solo acts or with band in tow, even while risking alienating fans. The album title Wishbone, as he explains, is a lyric from the song “Yesterday.” “It was one of the first songs I wrote for the record,” says Long, “and it was so different from everything I’d done to that point. I wanted to push myself and ‘Yesterday’ was a catalyst to build around writing wise.”
When it came time to record, Long took that same attitude with him into the studio. “I have no wish or want to make the same record twice,” says Long, “going into the second record I wanted to make sure I was open to new approaches and ideas from Ted and the musicians I was working with.” Along with Hutt, Long surrounded himself with a cast of accomplished players including Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller, Tim Easton) on drums, Chris Morrissey (Kweller, Mason Jennings) on bass, and Rich Hinman (Rosanne Cash, Rhett Miller) on guitar. “There was a great sense of community,” says Long, and the camaraderie that developed, and respect the musicians held for each other during the sessions, lent itself to an incredibly creative environment.
Another contributing factor to the differences evident between Wishbone and the debut A Winter Tale came with the logistics of the recording process. “On this record we had more time and were not recording live to tape,” says Long, “so I wanted to write more specific guitar parts and do my own harmonies.” At the same time Long was conscious of making sure a similar thread ran through every song on the album. With the extra time in the studio he was able to work through and become comfortable with 12 tracks from an original list of 40-plus compositions. It was an important aspect of the album-making process for Long, who though young in age, takes a long view towards musical history and deeply reveres the album as an art form and the ultimate expression a musician can put forth.
All of the consideration taken in writing and recording manifests itself in the songs that make up Long’s sophomore album Wishbone. He taps into a broader palate of emotions than he has on past releases, eschewing melancholy and eloquently channeling anger and frustration into gritty, hard-driving guitar parts that compliment his rough-hewn vocals on songs like “Blood In The Orchard” and “All My Brothers.” Steel guitar provides an apt counter balance, adding a hint of twang and drawn out expanse to the urgency put forth in the lyrics. Long still shows his softer side on numbers like the heart wrenching “In Your Way” and swaying ballad “My Parade.” Throughout the album he displays his deft control of melody and tone, well practiced over many years of prolific songwriting and live performances.
Long has come a good way from his early days playing open-mic nights in London. He now finds himself stepping into the pantheon of that grand musical history he so admires, gigging at major festivals like Bonnaroo, and impacting popular culture with performances on late night TV shows. Yet, with all these significant accomplishments, Long is far from content. “I’m looking forward to people hearing this album,” he says, “I think it will help people see that I’m not just a solo performer.” With Wishbone, listeners and fans will see a different side of Bobby Long, the restless musician always striving to grow and improve his craft while finding new avenues of expression.
----------
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is refreshing, optimistic and modest. He grew up in Calgary, Canada- a cosmopolitan city known for it’s beautiful Rocky Mountain backdrop, an annual rodeo (The Calgary Stampede) and great bike paths. He spent most of his time as a child outdoors with his family camping, biking and hiking in the mountains.
He’s an impulsive road-tripper. After high school, he went to Australia with 4 grand, an iPod and a camera. He went without a plan and stayed for 5 months working on a boat and waiting on tables in a piano bar.
Michael’s kind, approachable disposition gives way to an undeniable confidence onstage. This young man can break hearts playing solo with an acoustic guitar and loop pedal, and equally make venues soar with a full band. In Canada, Michael tours regularly from coast to coast.
He plays a guitar that is considered the workhorse of acoustics, a Gibson J45 (he has one in sunburst and natural); part of his passion for real instruments B3's, Leslies, tube amplifiers, saxophones and drum kits.
“I love Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Feist, Souls of Mischief and Mason Jennings,” declares Michael. His favorite lyric of all time is from Paul Simon’s Graceland album "My traveling companion is nine years old, he is the child of my first marriage.” (As a young boy, Michael and his mom used to dance to Graceland.)
Michael’s forthcoming debut US album was recorded in a little studio in Hollywood, California. The song “Man Overboard” was written while joking around and singing the verses to Billy Joel's “We Didn't Start The Fire”. Inspiration for his music often comes to him at a lightning fast pace. “In Your Room” and “Love Is An Easy Thing To Miss” were written in about as long as it takes to sing them. Without any words written down, done from voice note recordings on his phone both songs were written in minutes. "Marvin's Room' by Drake inspired the guitar for 'Love is an Easy Thing to Miss”. “In Your Room” was written at 10PM after a long day with not much flowing and many breaks. Thinking he was done for the day, he sat down one more time, started playing the guitar and making up the verses as he went along. Recorded the song that night, and went to bed.
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald “MBF” has a simple goal - to pursue his craft as honestly as possible - devoid of smoke and mirrors. Positively uplifting.
-------
Blind Willies
Blind Willies is a San Francisco rock Americana band led by singer/songwriter Alexei Wajchman. The band began at San Francisco’s High School of the Arts as a duo playing covers of American folk songs and Alexei’s originals which he began writing when he was 15. After their professional debut at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the band’s first two releases of all original songs, The Unkindness of Ravens(2007) and Everybody's Looking for a Meal(2008), were highly praised. The albums defined their sound and provided them the opportunity to perform extensively at eclectic venues, from New York's Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and San Francisco's Djangofest to Brooklyn's intimate back room at Barbès. They shared stages with punk icon Penelope Houston (Avengers), “Dawg Music” innovator David Grisman, and folk iconoclast Peter Stampfel (Holy Modal Rounders).
Following their sophomore release, and in search of a larger canvas, Alexei assembled a full band of experienced young musicians accomplished across diverse genres including rock, jazz, classical, world, and hip-hop. Now five musicians strong—Alexei Wajchman(vocal, guitar, harmonica), Misha Khalikulov(cello), Daniel Riera(bass, flute), Max Miller-Loran(keys, trumpet), and Alex Nash(drums)—the band recorded the new album, Needle, Feather, and a Rope, at Tiny Telephone, indie engineer/producer/performer John Vanderslice's all-analog studio in San Francisco's Mission District.
The band has used the various gifts of its new members to forge a dynamic and unique sound that reflects the deeply resonant American musical traditions they each brought to the table. Their songs have been played on more than 200 radio stations around the world, including the Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Australia, and Canada, and they’ve toured throughout the West and East Coasts.
Members of Blind Willies also perform with Rupa and the April Fishes, George Watsky, Kev Choice Ensemble, Marcus Cohen and the Congress, and The Getback.
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Cafe du Nord
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2174 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
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