Producer Chuck Pinnell presents: C.D. Release Concert of Dark River
Award winning singer/ songwriter DREW NELSON in concert at Casa Karen
with special guests Suzi Stern & Erin Ivy
Wednesday September 14th
Casa Karen
7402 Greenhaven Drive
Austin Texas 78757
$20 Call for reservations (512) 459-9900 credit cards accepted via phone!
Doors open at 7:00 show starts at 7:30 sharp
Free refreshments!
The Dark River project is a collection of classic public-domain material from the Civil War era interpreted by some of Austin’s finest singer/songwriters. It begins with a young man on his way to the battle of Shiloh, through the years of blood and glory and concludes on the streets of Laredo. Produced by Chuck Pinnell and featuring a wide array of great talent, Dark River’s stunning performances and arrangements present a vibrant narrative about America’s most convulsive decade.
Dark River will be released by Blue Corn Music September 13th, 2011, and will be available through Amazon, iTunes, and other major music retailers.
Track Listing: 1. Shiloh – Warren Hood 2. Hard Times – Drew Nelson 3. Swing Low – Rebecca Folsom and Celeste Krenz 4. She Moved Through the Fair – Slaid Cleaves 5. Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier – Erin Ivey 6. The Last Rose of Summer – Chuck Pinnell 7. Lorena – Jimmy LaFave 8. Oh! Susanna – Suzi Stern 9. Jack of Diamonds – Jon Dee Graham 10. Colorado Trail – Eliza Gilkyson 11. The Yellow Rose of Texas – Rich Brotherton 12. Red River Valley – James McMurtry 13. I Ride an Old Paint – Rita Hosking 14. The Streets of Laredo – Slaid Cleaves 15. Home, Sweet Home – Jeff Plankenhorn
Casa Karen Concerts present a rare opportunity to hear and support live music in a quiet intimate environment!
Thank you for supporting this endeavor in the heart of Texas!
We hope to see you soon!
Suzi Stern & George Oldziey
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Every generation has its poets; the writers, musicians, and lyricists who capture the spirit and longings of their time. Those who give expression to our own personal memories and dreams as though they know us. They tell our stories, giving us the words we need to celebrate or let go. That is the soil in which singer/songwriter Drew Nelson has been toiling. Legendary songwriter John Gorka said “Drew’s songs sound like the rest of us feel. His characters are anything but defeated. They are dazed, angry, amazed and climbing.”
Drew Nelson’s latest album, Dusty Road to Beulah Land marks a notable growth in his standing as a songwriter and musician. Each song brings another side of Drew to the forefront, expanding beyond his folk-singer roots to embrace wider genres.
In the follow up to Nelson’s acclaimed independent release Immigrant Son, he proves he is not only a great songwriter but as a great storyteller. Singer/songwriter Meg Hutchinson says “it’s not often that someone can so aptly give voice to other people’s lives and make us believe every word.” Nelson’s stories are about the people we know, people we wish we knew, and who we are.
Within this collection of songs we find the displaced Detroit auto worker (Stranger), the love lost and wandering (Highway 2), the farmer watching his beloved landscape disappear before his eyes (Farmer’s Lament), the dazed blue collar worker shaking his head at bailouts and greed, and the deep respect and insight of Native American life and culture (Grandmother Moon, Raindance). Drew puts his feelings, and ours, into words and music that capture the spirit and soul of the world around us all with a common thread: Hope.
Dusty Road to Beulah Land was produced by longtime friend and producer Michael Crittenden in Grand Rapids, Michigan and mastered by the legendary Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova studios in Austin, Texas. Tubb first listened to the tracks a few days before he and Drew got together to see what he was getting into. When Drew arrived, Tubb told him “I’ve worked on a lot of music. Sometimes I get a salvage project; this is a record.”
“Drew Nelson’s songs move like the river under the ice. He writes like a man who has learned to make use of his setbacks, to become a voice of community and renewal,” says Andrew Calhoun of Waterbug Records. (Dusty Road to Beulah Land will be released on Waterbug Records March /09)
“Early on every writer has to decide whether to try to get at the truth or just blather,” says Signature Sounds Recording Artist, Peter Mulvey. “As you encounter the characters on this record, it becomes clear that Drew Nelson has dedicated and re-dedicated himself to getting at real human stories. Some of these characters are him, and some are people he knows, and all their stories let us know that Drew is standing in the Midwestern cold, seeing and telling as clearly as he can.”
Drew grew up in Michigan, but escaped the narrow confines of his small-town, Midwestern upbringing by joining the Navy and traveling the world. He was able to see first-hand what was really happening in the world, and come home with fresh eyes to appreciate the realities of life in America. These experiences provided insight and understanding that have found an outlet in songs filled with discovery, revelation, and hope.
Nelson is now expanding his love of music to the creation of the instruments he plays. He has just finished making his first guitar, and hopes to start a tradition of building and signing one a year to auction off for charity. In addition to giving back to us through his music, Nelson is involved in many community-based efforts to educate the next generation and make our world a better place to live. He lives what he writes.
