the good stuff peter mulvey

The Good Stuff Peter Mulvey
In Stores March 27, 2012
THE GOOD STUFF, Peter Mulvey’s fifteenth record, is a
collection of standards which promptly rejects the accepted
definition of “Standard” in favor of a more vivid, open
approach. The music of Tom Waits is right there with Duke
Ellington; Willie Nelson next to Thelonious Monk; Jolie
Holland juxtaposed with Bill Frisell. Mulvey (along with his
band, the Crumbling Beauties) address each tune with a
true artist’s touch. His mirthful, gravelly baritone is front and
center from moment one, and every track is a master class in
restraint, phrasing, and commitment.
Twenty-odd years on the road, performing songs from his
own catalog and from a vast, varied, and deep well of classic
and obscure covers, has prepared Mulvey to deliver this
collection. Night after night, the process of divining the
heart of a song, being alert to where the moment can lead,
has shaped him as an artist. To each rendition, he brings
the soul of a singer, a light touch in a heavy world.
Recorded in just three days at Signature Sounds Studios in
the Connecticut Woods, the performances feature upright
bassist Paul Kochanksi, violinist Randy Sabien, guitarist
David Goodrich, and drummer Jason Smith. The
arrangements run from quintet-in-full-swing down to hushed
trio.
THE BOSTON GLOBE: “Peter Mulvey is all substance,
The centerpiece of The Good Stuff is a sequence in which a which is his style.”
MOJO (UK): “Singularly gifted.”
bluesy take on the Ellington classic “Mood Indigo” is
sandwiched between Tom Waits’ obscure “Green Grass,”
THE TELEGRAPH/UK: “There’s always a big
lovingly relocated from the guttural, and a charmingly
challenge for musicians in recording ‘on the fly’… That it
haphazard rendition of Jolie Holland’s “Old Fashioned
all came together wonderfully is a testament to Mulvey, his
Morphine”. This triptych represents not so much the
band’s musicianship and the choice of original,
diversity of songwriting on the record as the
commonality. “I’d put those three artists in the same drawer interesting and varied songs.”
in the big bureau of songwriters,” says Mulvey. “They’re from
different eras, and considered different animals -- jazz
composer, bohemian beat poet, Americana revivalist -- but to
my ear they’re the same, in that they’re always trying to write
a timeless song.”
Throughout the recording session Peter Mulvey was
constantly throwing curveballs at the band . . . and at
himself. He’d scan the list of songs he put together ahead of
recording to find one unfamiliar to some or all in the room,
and they’d create an arrangement on the fly and record it
immediately. “When everything isn’t planned ahead of time,
it can be magical how each musician finds a way into the
song,” says Mulvey. “When the performance comes alive, it’s
such a charge. You know that old expression ‘That’s
really happening’? It’s literal. It’s such a beautifully concise
description of what it means when music is really, really alive:
it’s literally happening.”
The point of departure for this happening is a great song, a
classic, whether enshrined in the canon or not. This record
is an argument for the Great American Songbook not as a
musty tome but as a living, breathing document, always open
to renewal and revision. Something meant not just to be
revered, but also enjoyed. In other words, The Good Stuff.
Contact
Label: Signature Sounds 413.665.4036 [email protected]
National Publicist: Michaela O’Brien 413.587.0713 [email protected]
Radio Promotion: Brad Hunt 845.358.3003 [email protected]
Booking: Susie Giang/Fleming Artists 734.995.9066 [email protected]
www.petermulvey.com
www.facebook.com/PeterMulveyMusic
www.twitter.com/PeterMulvey43
PRAISE FOR PETER MULVEY’S PREVIOUS ALBUMS
THE WASHINGTON POST: “The subtle power of his voice, a husky, hushed baritone... understated, at
once sophisticated and intimate... as cover-worthy as Randy Newman, Elvis Costello and Dar Williams.”
SING OUT: “Intense, iconoclastic… Mulvey exudes talent.”
PASTE: “A sense of mystery underlies his songs, a sense conjured by the spectral fingers of electric guitar that
linger over his most interesting numbers. His voice also creates this effect at its most intimate, becoming the
cigarette-stained whisper of a confidant sharing the poetic visions of his life. 3/4 Stars!”
ORANGE COUNTY WEEKLY: “A poet’s sense of lyricism and imagery… an amazingly expressive and soulful bass voice… a spellbinding guitarist.”
ALBUM NETWORK MAGAZINE: “Peter Mulvey rises above the singer-songwriter pack with ease… a powerful guitar style, expressive vocals, and thoughtful songs.”
ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE: “Poetic and hip, Mulvey is creating a potent new vision.”
THE IRISH TIMES: “Peter Mulvey is consistently the most original and dynamic of the US singer-songwriters to tour these shores... A phenomenal performer with huge energy, a quick-fire, quirky take on life, and an
extraordinary guitar style... a joy to see.”
ROLLING STONE.com: “A voice lush and hushed that occasionally sinks into a whisper... imagery made all
the more haunting by guitarist/co-writer David Goodrich, whose sundry string bending ranges from loose ramblings around the neck... to freeform explorations that recall John Scofield... surrealistic beauty.”
MAVERICK (UK): “Shades of Tom Waits’ depth... moments of Bruce Cockburn-like brilliance all over the
place... this is a CD that will figure in many Top 10 of the year selections.”
THE BOSTON PHOENIX: “[A] sense of mystery... a sense conjured by the spectral fingers of electric guitar
that linger over his most interesting numbers... His voice also creates this effect at its most intimate, becoming
the cigarette-stained whisper of a confidant sharing the poetic visions of his life.”
THE BOSTON HERALD: “Mulvey spins out a rhythmically intriguing cascade of images and thoughts, influ
enced by poetry and spoken word. At his best, Mulvey’s like some Tin Pan Alley wit gone beatnik.”
PERFORMER MAGAZINE: “Everything about The Knuckleball Suite is a success...Mulvey and his band create something entirely new, important, and memorable.”
THE HARTFORD COURANT: “An accomplished guitarist and literate songwriter, Mulvey continues to
impress... [his] strength lies in his musicianship, and his fretwork skills are showcased on killer cuts... good examples of how an economy of words and music can prove substantive and compelling.”
THE BOSTON GLOBE: “His voice feels like fine old leather, and his guitar sounds like it’s on steroids... a
superb technician...”
Contact
Label: Signature Sounds 413.665.4036 [email protected]
National Publicist: Michaela O’Brien 413.587.0713 [email protected]
Label Publicist: Flora Reed/Signature Sounds 413.665.4036 [email protected]
Booking: Susie Giang/Fleming Artists 734.995.9066 [email protected]