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Girlyman
GIRLYMAN
Can the members of Girlyman read each other's minds? Sometimes it seems so. Onstage they often finish one another's sentences or burst into improvised three-part ditties so tight they seem rehearsed. Truth is, the Atlanta-based trio has had years to develop this rapport. Doris Muramatsu and Tylan Greenstein became best friends in second grade. The two met Nate Borofsky in college at a talent show, and since then they've been creating their own unique language of three-part harmony. Informed by 60s vocal groups like Simon & Garfunkel and The Mamas and the Papas, and infused with years of classical and jazz training, Girlyman's songs are a dance of melody and suspensions an irresistible blend of acoustic, Americana, and rock The Village Voice calls "really good, really unexpected, and really different."
Everything's Easy, Girlyman's fourth studio album, is the band's most intimate and sophisticated effort. The cover, a playful paint-by-numbers scene, suggests a world where one creates reality with only a brushstroke. Yet much of Girlyman's rare appeal is a willingness to see the shadow side of its own idealism. A placid suburban childhood unfolds amid the mounting pressure of the Watergate era in "Easy Bake Ovens," while the "one hundred billion metric tons" of New York City rise beside the wide, unburdened river in "Hudson." Some songs highlight Girlyman's trademark playfulness, as in the Tin Pan Alley tribute "My Eyes Get Misty," while the swirling counterpoint of "Wherever You Keep" strains musically and lyrically for the light. Self-produced and engineered, Everything's Easy was recorded with a single, ten thousand dollar microphone, financed by fan donations. This microphone, along with the work of Grammy-winning mixer Ben Wisch, has created an immeasurably rich sound.
Girlyman formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, where the friends shared an apartment; their first rehearsal was scheduled for Tuesday, September 11. It was postponed, but the events of that day helped the trio clarify its vision: "We decided to just have fun," explains Nate, "and not take ourselves too seriously. We started by naming our new band Girlyman." Others, however, took the group quite seriously. The first few years brought critical delight, awards, and long opening runs with the Indigo Girls and Dar Williams. Girlyman quickly became a strong headliner in its own right, and now plays in every corner of the country to intensely loyal "girlyfans" who often travel hundreds of miles to see shows. Girlyman sells out renowned venues such as The Barns at Wolftrap, The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, The Ark, and The Freight and Salvage. They also frequent festival main stages, making a huge splash this past year at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival, the Kate Wolf Memorial Folk Festival, and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, to name a few.
Most recently, Girlyman has been collaborating with comedian Margaret Cho, co-writing songs for her upcoming album,Guitarded. Of Girlyman, Cho says, "They seamlessly blend folk, country, pop, and rock, and they genre bend as fearlessly and flawlessly as they gender-bend. It's the music of my heart and soul. Girlyman is the future and the past and the present."
COYOTE GRACE
Girl meets Girl. Girl becomes Boy. Girl and Boy become a band.
Meet COYOTE GRACE.
If you want a lesson in organic chemistry, take notes as you watch the sparks fly between the acoustic downhome duo, COYOTE GRACE. This folktastic phenomenon is the result of combining one guitarist Joe Stevens, a transman from Northern California, with one upright bassist Ingrid Elizabeth, a sassy femme originally hailing from the hills of Southeastern Ohio. Together, they capture the eyes and the hearts of live audiences nationwide with their bluesy folkgrass sound, sweet harmonies, poignant songwriting, and mid-song dance moves.
Coyote Grace has shared the stage with such folk icons as Indigo Girls, Melissa Ferrick, Cris Williamson, and Lowen & Navarro. They can also be found wooing the crowds at colleges, festivals, conferences, coffeehouses, pubs, house concerts, farmers markets, and community centers alike. Although they spend most of the year on the road, the duo now resides in Sonoma County, California.
Spring 2009 brings the release of Ear to the Ground, the duo's long-awaited sophomore studio album. In this latest evolution of their unique Americana/roots sound, Coyote Grace displays a striking musical maturation from their debut effort, filling out the duo's sound with guest musicians on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, keys, and drums. Ingrid Elizabeth shows a stronger songwriting & vocal presence, while Joe Stevens continues to wear his heart on his sleeve with his emotionally charged, raw lyrics. The album's mood ebbs and flows, winding from a sparse banjo/vocal duet, through a slow bluegrass ballad, to blues-driven full band sound to swinging country fiddle tune to pensive piano-kissed lullabye -- a soundscape as tangible as the duo's newfound home in the rolling hills of Sonoma County.
The two met while living in Seattle, and have been performing as a duo since December 2004, sharing the stage with bluegrass, old-time, folk rock, jazz, and cabarets alike. Coyote Grace spent the entire year of 2007 touring the country in their 1978 Chevy RV (Harvey), promoting their debut studio album, Boxes & Bags. Aptly titled, the album pays homage to the trademarks of their nomadic troubadour lifestyle, featuring 12 original tracks of acoustic alt-folk sounds, weaving fabrics of upbeat folkgrass, front-porch blues, lovesick serenades, broody funk, and freight train folk rock into a curious tapestry conveying themes of transformation, introspection, and the impermanence of identity.
During their travels, the troubador pair became a trio when they invited Tucson-based songwriter/guitarist Courtney Robbins to join the tour. To commemorate their year on the road, they released The Harvey Tour, a collection of live recordings, in Summer 2008. The live album features new original songs from Robbins, Stevens, & Elizabeth, as well as old favorites from each of their debut studio albums, with a handful of fun cover tunes for a true taste of the live show experience. All albums are available on their website: www.coyotegrace.com
http://girlyman.com/
http://www.myspace.com/girlymanband
http://www.myspace.com/coyotegrace
http://www.curvemag.com/Curve-Magazine/Web-Articles-2008/Queer-as-Folk-Meet-the-Sultry-Miss-Coyote-Grace/
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LocationHigh Noon Saloon
701 E. Washington Ave
Madison, WI 53703
United States
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| Minimum Age: 18 |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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