Roots Music Report News Article
Get Sweetheart of the Music Hall on iTunes
Out Now: Bryan Dunn's Roots Rock Album Sweetheart of the Music Hall
Arien Rozelle, Feeling Anxious PR
2012-04-05 12:06:42
Arien Rozelle, Feeling Anxious PR
2012-04-05 12:06:42
Out Now: Bryan Dunn's Roots Rock Album Sweetheart of the Music Hall
“Strongly influenced by the 60′s musical invasion of The Beatles, it’s almost impossible not to hear fragments of Lennon and McCartney in some of Dunn’s work. With his passion for folk music burning bright, he fuses the two influences together making for a sound that’s just irresistibly sweet.” – Joel Crane, NME
Brooklyn based roots rocker Bryan Dunn weaves tales of romance, murder mystery, ghost stories and late night drinking with catchy hooks and clever wordplay. A true storyteller, his mix of Texas Twang, Irish folk, and New York City grit can move audiences to tears with one song and get them dancing with the next. TODAY Dunn released Sweetheart of the Music Hall, a love letter to famed NYC venue Rockwood Music Hall, and the musicians with whom he's climbed the ranks. The title track is a fictionalized account of weekly late night performances at the venue, and loosely based on musician Misty Boyce, who plays piano on it.
“For a long time, it seemed like Austin had a community of musicians but New York had a scene,” said Dunn. “But, when Rockwood opened and the late nights started, that changed. Suddenly you were playing for and with people because it was fun, not because you had an agenda. There were nationally known acts mingling with locals, but it didn’t matter. People went there to listen, not to be seen.”
Sweetheart’s pulp style album art — conceived by Dunn after grabbing a Hard Case Crime novel to read during jury duty — features cover model Ann Courtney of Mother Feather and occasional bartender at Rockwood. Originally a photograph taken by New York City photographer Emily Raw, it was handed off to Glen Orbik, a notable illustrator for Hard Case Crime novels. Orbik then enlisted Steve Cooley, who’s worked on several books for the same company, to create the design.
Dunn, who has brought his blistering live show to venues like Rockwood Music Hall, Mercury Lounge, and the Bowery Ballroom in NYC; Momo's and Antone's in Austin, TX, has also shared the stage with Lady Gaga, the Killers, Ben Folds, Amos Lee, Vienna Teng, The Spring Standards and April Smith & the Great Picture show, among others.
Written By: Arien Rozelle, Feeling Anxious PR
“Strongly influenced by the 60′s musical invasion of The Beatles, it’s almost impossible not to hear fragments of Lennon and McCartney in some of Dunn’s work. With his passion for folk music burning bright, he fuses the two influences together making for a sound that’s just irresistibly sweet.” – Joel Crane, NME
Brooklyn based roots rocker Bryan Dunn weaves tales of romance, murder mystery, ghost stories and late night drinking with catchy hooks and clever wordplay. A true storyteller, his mix of Texas Twang, Irish folk, and New York City grit can move audiences to tears with one song and get them dancing with the next. TODAY Dunn released Sweetheart of the Music Hall, a love letter to famed NYC venue Rockwood Music Hall, and the musicians with whom he's climbed the ranks. The title track is a fictionalized account of weekly late night performances at the venue, and loosely based on musician Misty Boyce, who plays piano on it.
“For a long time, it seemed like Austin had a community of musicians but New York had a scene,” said Dunn. “But, when Rockwood opened and the late nights started, that changed. Suddenly you were playing for and with people because it was fun, not because you had an agenda. There were nationally known acts mingling with locals, but it didn’t matter. People went there to listen, not to be seen.”
Sweetheart’s pulp style album art — conceived by Dunn after grabbing a Hard Case Crime novel to read during jury duty — features cover model Ann Courtney of Mother Feather and occasional bartender at Rockwood. Originally a photograph taken by New York City photographer Emily Raw, it was handed off to Glen Orbik, a notable illustrator for Hard Case Crime novels. Orbik then enlisted Steve Cooley, who’s worked on several books for the same company, to create the design.
Dunn, who has brought his blistering live show to venues like Rockwood Music Hall, Mercury Lounge, and the Bowery Ballroom in NYC; Momo's and Antone's in Austin, TX, has also shared the stage with Lady Gaga, the Killers, Ben Folds, Amos Lee, Vienna Teng, The Spring Standards and April Smith & the Great Picture show, among others.
Written By: Arien Rozelle, Feeling Anxious PR