Bart Budwig is a son of Idaho, a cosmic country crooner, a rousing trumpet player, and cryin’-style soul singer. His music is made up of seemingly incongruous parts; thrum & strum country rhythms, jazz guitar melodies, R&B vocals. When Bart sings he draws out words into meditative mantras, whole note neologisms that keep you hanging on until his raspy voice trails off in a ragged edge. His forthcoming album, Another Burn On The AstroTurf (January 24, 2020, Fluff and Gravy Records) was recorded over five days by a seven-piece band inside the OK Theater. It’s a melancholy rhapsody that recalls the uncorked rock n’ roll spirituality of king mystic Van Morrison, the gloomy nostalgia of dark prince Nick Drake and the songcraft sans self-seriousness of 70s Muscle Shoals.
Like those psycho-spiritual song crafters, his power comes from vocal idiosyncrasies – intonations of love, impermanence, hope, humor. The album opens with Budwig originals “Time For Two”, “First To Go”, and “Strong Coffee”– originally presented with just solo guitar (and crackling wood stove) on the album Sabai. The songs are recorded here live, full band, in medley, with hot electric guitar, woody double bass, and drums. The band electrifies and scourges the flesh of the songs into fully formed folk rock stunners.
In support of his upcoming album, Budwig and his band are setting out on a short tour of the Northwest:
San Luis Obispo CA @ ASatteliteOfLove w/ The Velvet Hills, Thu Jan 9th
Santa Cruz CA @ The Crepe Place w/ Joe Kaplow Fri Jan 10th
Oakland CA @ Starline Social Club w/ Duff Thompson & Carver Baronda, Sat Jan 11th (The Long Road Society Run With The Moon)
Knights Ferry CA @ Knights Ferry General Store, Saloon & Grill, Sun Jan 12th
Boulder Creek CA @ lille æske w/ King Dream, Mon Jan 13th
Redding CA @ The Dip, Tue Jan 14th
Ashland OR @ Brickroom, Wed Jan 15th
Enterprise OR @ OK Theatre w/ Forrest & Kate Lee O’Connor, Thu Jan 16th
Yakima WA @ Single Hill Brewing Company, Fri Jan 17th
Seattle WA @ Ballard Homestead w/ Bryan John Appleby + The hackles, Sat Jan 18th
