SESSION AMERICANA

Session Americana has been accessing the joy for 20 years. A group of musicians musicians, the band deftly creates a unique live experience that celebrates the joy of
the music and of each other. Looking back, the group has a natural, almost inevitable evolution from a loose bunch of friends sitting around swapping songs in a bar, to a hot ticket weekly residency, to a touring collective. Along the way, they have made 10 records, played clubs and festivals across the US and Europe, and developed some
deep collaborative bonds with a wide community of musicians. Their diligent avoidance of music business “shoulds” have led them down a quirky and joyful path through the music world and the result is evident in the musical prowess they bring to every show. Swapping instruments, lead vocals and their original songs, Session Americana is constantly exploring new collaborations and touring like a band out of time, still searching for a welcoming and homey venue, a long lunch with old friends and a good
glass of wine.

After completing a five week tour together earlier this year throughout Ireland and Europe the band will continue to be joined by singer-songwriter, guitarist and fiddle
player Eleanor Buckland playing in the band. Eleanor made her start as one-third of Lula Wiles, the Boston-based folk-rock trio that became an acoustic music scene
favorite with their three critically hailed albums. Now living in Durham NC, the singer songwriter has turned to a different side of her musical interests as a solo artist.
Buckland’s debut album You Don’t Have To Know (released October 2021 on Soundly Music) sets her deeply personal songs against inventive indie rock arrangements.

QUOTES

"I’m lucky to have known Session Americana for most of their twenty (!!!) years! I was just starting out as a songwriter when I discovered their residency shows at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge. Pure magic. I’m misty-eyed now thinking about it! I had never seen a band enjoying themselves that much, and everyone in the room was in on it, this raucous and holy thing. I took a "note to self” that I’ve tried to recall many times when music felt hard. Like, the job is simple— access the joy— and if you can do that, it opens a portal. I got to guest sing with Session a few times, witness their sustained mutual love affair with my home state of Vermont, and even help out in the making of one of their incredible albums. I’m ever in awe of Session, individually and as a band. They’re so finely in tune with each other, with their audiences. I’m in awe of their bond, their easy laughter, their intuitive musical conversation that has now gained the richness of decades.

Happy twenty, Session. You can almost legally drink!" — ANAÏS MITCHELL (Vermont-based singer-songwriter and the Tony and Grammy award-winning creator of the Broadway musical Hadestown)

"It's right there in the name for this ultra-gifted, rotating collective of singers and multi-instrumentalists. And sprawl is a good word when it comes to the Boston-based group's raucous live shows, which were initially built around the community concept of traditional Irish seisiúns. The group… expertly blends vintage American roots music styles — from country to jazz to rock — in a rowdy but deft fashion." - Rolling Stone

THE FAUX PAWS

The Faux Paws have a problem. They’re a triangle band in a land of circles. Musically impossible to describe, they don’t even fit into today’s often hyphenated-genre world. No fan, industry expert, nor member of the band can seem to sum up this band’s sound in any kind of marketable way. They continue to remain a singularly unique outfit in the acoustic music community—always on the fringes, always memorable, and with an increasing number of die-hard fans who feel like they’ve uncovered a secret.

Is it bluegrass? Not usually. Old-time? Occasionally. Is it Celtic? Can’t quite say that. Is it Folk? Americana? Jazz? Singer-songwriter? None of the above. But members of the Paws have deep ties to all of these traditions and blend their elements effortlessly to serve whatever musical idea is being presented.

So what can we say? This band takes risks. They’re dynamic, exciting, sincere, irreverent, infectious, and surprising. They move deftly between moods, influences, and instruments, but always maintain a groove that pulses through the music like a heartbeat (you may not always be aware it’s there, but it gives the thing life).

A Faux Paws live show is an explosive roller-coaster ride that brings the audience along. Yes, there’s virtuosity on the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and saxophone—but also vulnerability, personal lyrics, tight 3-part brother harmonies, playful interplay, intricately arranged details, and soaring improvisations.

According to FolkAlley.com, it’s Trad. Their self-titled 2021 release was named one of the 10 Best Trad Albums of the Year from around the world. With the considerable success and praise the band has seen since coming out of the pandemic, the Paws decided to add long-time friend and collaborator Zoe Guigueno (Fish & Bird, Della Mae) to their touring outfit on upright bass whenever possible. Zoe only deepens the group’s already massive sound while freeing each member up for more creative expression on their various instruments.

Need more? A few things people usually notice: the saxophone that behaves in ways they’ve never heard. An oft-heard ‘compliment’ to Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist Chris Miller is: “I thought I was going to hate the saxophone!” Fiddle phenom Noah gets most of the attention on his feet—due to his unique approach to Quebecois-style foot percussion he’s developed. Combined with his jaw-dropping array of percussive chopping elements on the fiddle, he contains the sound of a full band on his own. Except it’s his brother Andrew, carefully executing complimentary chords and riffs on the guitar, that makes Noah’s sound what it is.

But spending too many words talking about this stuff detracts from the fact that it’s the original songs—and heart—that keep folks coming back for more year after year. In the band’s 12th year, they recently headed back to the studio to release an EP showcasing a huge amount of music in a 5-track sampler. The live energy of the newly minted quartet is on full display, with very little added. The Backburner EP was released in April 2023 and reached Billboard’s Top 10 Bluegrass Albums. It’s been fun to watch writers take another stab at describing it.