FRANK FAIRFIELD

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Frank Fairfield sings soaring hillbilly stompers, arcane rambling songs and murder ballads, delivered in a reedy tenor backed by his dextrous and ragged fiddle, guitar and banjo arrangements. Still in his early twenties but steeped in the pre-War Americana of Mississippi John Hurt and Dock Boggs, he cut his teeth as a street performer in LA and has the raw intensity, passion and technique to make your hairs stand on end.

Introduced to the US as opener for Fleet Foxes, and in the UK as a touring partner to Charlie Parr, he now plays a non-stop schedule of festivals, drinking holes, theatres and busking sessions. This is a man who lives and breathes it, rarely separated from his guitar and fiddle, and in possession of a seemingly limitless repertoire of songs. When he’s not playing, he’s digging for rare 78s in thrift stores and junk shops.

Frank’s eponymous debut album came out in 2010 on Tompkins Square and picked up rave reviews across the board, and was followed by Unheard Ofs & Forgotten Abouts, a compilation of rare and unheralded gramophone recordings culled from his own 78s collection, on his own Pawn imprint. Out on the Open West (also on Tompkins Square) is Frank Fairfield’s new album. It was produced by Michael Kieffer (Origin Jazz Library) and features guest accompaniment by Willie Watson (Old Crow Medicine Show) among others. The album is a departure for Frank, having written most of the tunes himself, and bringing in the other players to round out his songs.