A new CD with the Dust Busters has just be released by Smithsonian Folkways – a collaboration between musician and filmmaker John Cohen and the Dust Busters.
The following video presents John Cohen:
American Standard Time Presents John Cohen
In the following great animation video John Cohen tells about his first meeting with Harry Smith:
Some Crazy Magic: Meeting Harry Smith
The following press release gives all the details about this new and interesting CD release:
Press Release
JOHN COHEN (THE NEW LOST CITY RAMBLERS) JOINS THE DUST BUSTERS ON ‘OLD MAN BELOW’ OUT AUG. 14 FROM SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS RECORDINGS
On Aug. 14, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings will release ‘Old Man Below,’ a collaboration between Brooklyn, New York-based folk trio The Dust Busters and their mentor, folk music legend John Cohen of The New Lost City Ramblers.
The 20-song collection features old-time American folk, jug band blues, fiddle tunes, and ballads passed down through earlier generations of folk musicians and learned from 1920s and ’30s recordings. John Cohen has helped guide The Dust Busters (all in their 20s) since the group formed in 2008 and began visiting Cohen’s home in Putnam Valley, New York, to jam, cook, and soak up as much of the music and its history as possible.
“The Dust Busters start where the New Lost City Ramblers left off, evoking the golden age of the 1920s and 1930s.” – John Cohen
“The words and music in these songs reveal human stories that anyone can relate to.”
–The Dust Busters’ Eli Smith
Listen to a sneak preview of ’The Old Man Below’: http://goo.gl/6rnTu
Watch a performance of “Two Soldiers” live from the Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn, NY:
Watch a performance of “Roving Gambler” live from the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour:
About the Dust Busters
Originally hailing from New York City, Minnesota, and Seattle respectively, Eli Smith, Walker Shepard, and Craig Judelman met while performing with Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders (an influential ’60s-era New York City folk group) and formed The Dust Busters soon after. On ‘Old Man Below,’ the group’s third album following two self-released efforts, the musicians share lead vocals and a wide variety of instruments: fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin harmonica, pump organ, piano, “manjo,” “bantar,” jew’s harp, and fiddle sticks. The Dust Busters honor the sound and spirit of past generations of folk musicians by putting the music in a modern context.
The Dust Busters have appeared at numerous festivals and gatherings such as the Clifftop Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia; the Dock Boggs Festival in Norton, VA; the Black Banjo Gathering at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina; South by Southwest in Austin; and the Brooklyn Folk Festival in Brooklyn, NY. They have also appeared at venues including Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn; and the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, and have been guests on and the Wood Songs Old Time Radio Hour and Sound Check with John Schaefer (WNYC 93.9 FM).
In addition to performing with The Dust Busters, Eli Smith produces two New York City folk festivals annually (the Brooklyn Folk Festival in the spring and Washington Square Park Folk Festival in the fall) and is the host of the Down Home Radio Show, “a hardcore, unreconstructed, paleo-acoustic folk music podcast.”
About John Cohen
John Cohen, widely heralded as a master of American folk music, is primarily known as a founding member of The New Lost City Ramblers, one of the most important groups of the folk music revival that recorded dozens of albums for Folkways Records. In this role he is handing his expertise down to The Dust Busters and a brand new generation of old-time music enthusiasts.
Also a renowned photographer, filmmaker, and music collector, he was the subject of The Smithsonian Network’s recent documentary film, “Play On, John: A Life in Music.”
For more information please visit:
http://thedustbusters.
http://folkways.si.edu
‘Old Man Below’ Track list:
1. The Honest Farmer
2. Arkansas Traveler
3. Black Jack Daisy
4. Roving Gambler
5. The Old Man Below
6. Wimbush Rag
7. Because He Loved Her So
8. Barnyard Medley
9. Waltz of Roses
10. Cotton Pickers Drag
11. Combination Rag
12. A Lazy Farmer Boy
13. Free Little Bird
14. Arthritis Blues
15. Fort Smith Breakdown
16. Johnny Booker
17. Two Soldiers
18. Baby, Your Time Ain’t Long
19. Yellow Rose of Texas
20. Saturday Night Waltz
Additional Information
Album Old Man Below at Smithsonian: http://www.folkways.si.edu/dust-busters-john-cohen/old-man-below/old-time-american-folk/music/album/smithsonian
Homepage John Cohen: http://www.johncohenworks.com/
Wikipedia about John Cohen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cohen_%28musician%29
Interview with Art Rosenbaum: http://1690wmlb.com/john-cohen/
Playlist Dust Busters & John Cohen
Buy the CD “The Dust Busters” at amazon.com (partner link):