Event

Jeffrey Foucault

One of the finest songwriters of his generation, Jeffrey Foucault has taken, in his own words, the small roads; building a brick and mortar independent international touring career of ten studio albums, countless miles and critical accolades. Hes been lauded for "Stark, literate songs that are as wide open as the landscape of his native Midwest" (The New Yorker) and described as "Quietly brilliant" (The Irish Times), while catching the ear of everyone from Greil Marcus, to Don Henley (who regularly covers Foucault in his live set), to Van Dyke Parks (who offered to play on Foucaults 2011 offering, Horse Latitudes, after catching a live radio interview).

In his own words:
"I take the small roads when I can. I hit the small rooms with a couple old guitars and a 5-watt Skylark amp. Sometimes with a band, and then I stand up. Mostly its just me and my friend Billy Conway, the best drummer I ever heard. Then we both sit down and I stomp my foot. I own a Smith Corona typewriter and a Western Bell rotary phone, and I use both. I wore a pearl snap cowboy shirt in my Kindergarten school picture. Irony isnt my thing. I write songs about love, memory, God, desire, wilderness and loss.
I grew up in Wisconsin. My Dad wore a tie to work and played a knock-off Gibson with a chunk of the headstock missing where hed backed over it with the car. Mom sang along. I knew all my Grandparents well into my thirties, and both my Great Grandmas. Winter Sundays were for church or ice-fishing, and summers we hauled an old travel trailer up to the north woods. School was a drag, and I mostly drew pictures. When I was 11 I bought a cassette copy of Little Richards Greatest Hits. At 17 I learned to play all the songs on John Prines 1971 debut in my room with the door locked and subway posters of British New Wave bands looking morbidly on. At 19 I stole a copy of Townes Van Zandts Live & Obscure. At 24 I made a record and start traveling around the country. I have two older brothers. They dont sing but they both fish.
I live out in New England now in a little town with a river through the middle. I cant get home without crossing good water and it fairly makes up for living east, which isnt in my blood. We have a chicken coop and a little barn and an old car that runs. I like to listen to records real loud when I do the dishes, and I do most of the dishes."