“Ian George is a fanciful folk troubadour with a rhythmic flow and spirited vision. He’s an American Matt Corby; a heartwarming blend of Iron & Wine’s folk and Vampire Weekend’s frisky energy. George’s music is the type to which one would ascribe words like frolic and wandering, but his songs are equally intimate and emotional… Worthy of everyone’s ears, songs we can teach our children, our parents, our grandparents, and ourselves.” ~Atwood Magazine

Who is this guy?: A frisky and flamboyantly charismatic whipper-snapper of a young man (occasionally flaunting an enormously overgrown orange beard), Ian George is really just a simple folk singer who takes great fancy in playing around kitchen tables being ridiculous, and snacking.. For a decade Ian has been writing and singing songs for a handful of bands ever since the pivotal moment of being mangled and tasered by three brutally aggressive Eugene, Oregon police officers. After leaving the front-lines of activism behind, he turned to homesteading and minstreling as a form of activism. “I believe in music and stories, I believe they change the world,” says Ian, often. Ian is somewhat frighteningly slender (openly vocalized mostly by his mother) and enjoys performing shoe-less and sweater-full. The crowds really enjoy his ballerina frolic through the kitchen adorned with nothing but his daughter’s tutu story. If Ian was good enough and could make enough money playing as an Irish fiddler, he would.. But since he’s not (not yet) he instead frontiers the Contemporary-Avant-Folk-Music world, happily. Ian’s live performance is an experimental and emotional ride teeming with unpredictable banter. Ian currently spends his time between the Twin Cities and New York City.

“Effulgent eclecticism on display in the forthcoming album. George’s forward-looking new offering is a subtle explosion of vibrant colors that delight.” ~PopMatters

Avant-folk muso will be joined by his full band “The Well”
Pete Quirsfeld – Drums
Ted Olsen – Upright Bass
Pat Horigan – Electric guitar/Synth
Tyler Anderson – Sax/Keys

Ian George and The Well Official Website

Ben David is one of the most important new songwriters emerging from one of the most vibrant music scenes in America-Minneapolis. Minnesota has been the home to many of the last century’s greatest, like Westerberg, Dylan, Prince, and now, in a new century, add a new name, Ben David.

Ben hails from the prairie lands of southwestern Minnesota and at first his songs have the same unassuming quality of those long horizons, but slowly details emerge and coalesce into the sounds of longing, becoming, young love, heart break and surprisingly deep ten cent philosophizing.

Set in the rhythms of a self taught finger picking style reminiscent of Charlie Paar, or perhaps Mason Jennings, David’s voice reaches through your headphones and latches onto your mind with its unconventional range, emotion and naïveté. The songs take their time to unfold.

Far Off Gaze was made with John Munson at his studio in NE Minneapolis. It was begun as a demo project which turned into a record as Munson realized that here was a prolific young artist, on the cusp of greatness, and here was an opportunity to present him, raw, unvarnished and completely as himself. The songs were recorded to tape per Ben’s wish to hearken back to something essential and pure, complete with hiss and crackle.

So sit back and give a first listen to this, what will surely be only the beginning of your time with Ben David.

Suggested tracks: Blueberry Island, Continental Drift, Rosealene

– John Munson

Ben David Official Facebook Page

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