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| Darryl Holter to Release February 17 New CD Singer/songwriter Darryl Holter announces a February 17, 2009, release date for his self-titled debut CD on 213 Music, with national distribution by Burnside Distribution. "These songs are stories from my life, " says Holter about the album. "It's my personal musical journey from country music to folk, protest songs to blues, and finally, to whatever it is that I do today." The result is an intriguing stew of rock-based originals, spiced with country sounds, folk feelings and blues undercurrents. And Darryl Holter has certainly traveled the miles to inspire these songs. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Darryl's first musical experience came at five years old when his dad taught him how to play three chords on his father's Gretsch guitar. He was soon playing the country and western songs he learned off of records at local TV shows in Minneapolis and charity shows around the state. In high school, he got exposed to the folk music of Bob Dylan and heard "Spider" John Koerner and Dave Ray while attending college. He would later find himself busking on the streets of Paris and in the Metro underground. Later, he shared picket lines and played songs with the legendary Pete Seeger. All of these travels have informed the music of Darryl Holter on his debut CD, which draws upon genuine experiences of life, love and the pursuit of intelligent music to create 13 songs with Dylan-esque lyrics, Wilco-like arrangements, and intriguing musical blends that bring to mind Springsteen, Gram Parsons, and early Johnny Cash. His lyrics can be read as poems and the songs are built around Holter's arresting vocals, including country-tingled narratives, insightful ballads, ironic pop sounds, and straight-ahead rock. The new CD traverses a wide range of musical space. Beginning on the dark side of life on the streets ("Living on the Edge"), Holter takes his listeners on an All-Americana Road Trip down two-lane highways and dirt roads in the Midwest ("Best"), to a Las Vegas casino and the rim of the Grand Canyon ("Gambler's Holiday"), for a wild ride in a 1950 Chevrolet in Los Angeles ("Don't Touch My Chevy"), through traffic jams and urban highways ("Time and Space") and down the narrow, winding streets of Paris, France ("Left Bank Blues"). Along the way we meet love on the rebound ("Cardboard Lover"), cynical romantics ("The End of the Story"), and a female existentialist ("I Know You"). The unvarnished and visceral "Blues in Your Pocket, " with simply Holter, his old Martin D21, and a C harp, closes out the Cd with a finishing dollop of musical noir. Arrangements by producer Ben Wendel give the album a deeply layered sense of timeliness and virtuosity. By taking Holter's songs of love and life, hope and despair, and pushing them forward in a variety of musical directions, Wendel has produced an album and introduced an artist that will be listened to and talked about. Darryl Holter will celebrate the new CD with several performances and in-store appearances in the Los Angeles area. Radio promotion for his Cd is being handled by Bill Wence Promotions. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |