and a “drop-dead brilliant”

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PATTY LARKIN
She has been described as
“riveting” (Chicago Tribune),
“hypnotic” (Entertainment Weekly)
and a “drop-dead brilliant”
Patty Larkin is part ot the urban-folk/pop music phenomenon that spun off of the singer/songwriter explosion of
performer (Performing Songwriter).
the seventies, reinterpreting traditional folk melodies, rock,
pop, bossa nova, drawing on anything from Dylan to Dylan.
A self described “guitar driven songwriter,” Larkin has wound her way through soundscapes of evocative vocals, inventive
guitar wizardry and imaginative lyrics. Her songs run inside and outside the box, from impressionistic poetry to witty wordplay.
In 2010 Patty Larkin releases a collectible collection of 25 love songs in celebration of 25 years in the recording industry.
Here Patty has reworked 25 of her favorite songs in an acoustic, “unplugged” release, joined by friends along the way.
A follow up to her critically acclaimed WATCH THE SKY (Critics Choice-NY Times, Brilliant- Billboard), 25 is a one of a kind project
that is at once intimate and universal, the voice of a generation of songwriters, simple and direct yet the touchstone of one woman’s
song. Over her 25 year career, Patty Larkin has worked with some of the brightest stars in American music, honing a reputation as a
“musician’s musician” along the way. On 25 Patty is joined by friends and cohorts, troubadours, renegades, humorists, folk
philosophers, dreamers, realists, poets, bards. People who defined an era of music that blurred the lines between genres, and sprang
from a grassroots love of song, pouring onto the airwaves in an organic, trickle down of musical styles.
This project evolved in much the same way, with Patty looking for a way to celebrate the quarter of a century anniversary
of her first album with some friends. Each artist was contacted individually and asked to come on and sing with Patty’s
unplugged versions of her most requested love songs. Some of the artists were on the road during the recording time and found
recording studios wherever they landed, some were in the midst of new releases, some were in the studio working on their own
projects, and some were just plain busy with the business of life. The fact that each of these gifted and talented artists found the
time and space to lend such beauty to this collection speaks to the pull of friendship and music that has spanned the years.
25 is a moment, a pause, the snapshot of a career that continues to grow and evolve along a creative, adventuresome path.
Here’s to “25”, and 25 more.
PATTY’S ROOTS
Patty Larkin grew up in a musical and artistic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Descended from a long line of Irish American
singers and taletellers, her mother was a painter, her sisters both musicians. She learned at a young age to appreciate the
beauty and magic of the arts. She began classical piano studies at age 7, and became swept up in the sounds of pop and
folk in the 60s, teaching herself the guitar and experimenting with songwriting. An English major, Larkin wrote songs throughout her high school and college career, starting out in coffeehouses in Oregon and San Francisco. Upon graduation,
she moved to Boston and devoted herself to music, busking on the streets of Cambridge and studying jazz guitar at Berklee
College of Music and with Boston area jazz guitarists.
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TOURING
A musical omnivore and lauded as an exceptional live performer, Larkin will tour national and internationally in 2010 to celebrate 25, armed
only with her acoustic guitar. Throughout the year, she will be joined onstage with guests from 25. Watch her website for touring details.
Awards
Patty Larkin is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, recognized for her outstanding
contributions to contemporary music . Over the years, other recipients of this prestigious honor have been Duke Ellington, Sting, Natalie
Cole, among others. Patty Larkin has won an unprecedented 11 Boston Music Awards and is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnae
Award from Berklee College of Music and “Patty Larkin Appreciation Day,” a proclamation by Boston’s mayor Thomas Menino.
notable quotes
WILD PERFECTION- BOSTON GLOBE An uncommonly
articulate guitarist, she has evolved into one of the finest
self-accompanists anywhere in popular music.
TOP 10 —NEW YORK TIMES A virtuoso guitar player and
mood-shaper...She is also a superb slide guitarist whose
mature work is comparable to the best of Bonnie Raiit
and Lucinda Williams.
RIVETING —CHICAGO TRIBUNE Patty Larkin is one of the
most gifted performers in music today. A remarkable
guitarist, an imaginative and versatile vocalist, Larkin turns
in a riveting performance.
STRUM-BEAT —GUITAR WORLD Larkin is genre-stretching
string popping alterna-folk.
TRIPLE-THREAT —BILLBOARD An absolutely stunning
guitarist, Larkin matches her instrumental chops as a vocalist
and songwriter, making her a true triple-threat artist.
discography
25 (2010 RNR/Signature Sounds)
WATCH THE SKY (2008 Vanguard Records)
LA GUITARA (2005 Vanguard Records)
RED=LUCK (2003 Vanguard Records)
REGROOVING THE DREAM (2000 Vanguard Records)
A GOGO/LIVE (1999 RNR/Vanguard Records)
PERISHABLE FRUIT (1997 High Street/Windham Hill/BMG)
STRANGERS WORLD (1995 High Street/Windham Hill/BMG)
ANGELS RUNNING (1993 HIgh Street/ Windham Hill/BMG)
TANGO 1991 (High Street/Windham Hill/BMG)
LIVE IN THE SQUARE (1990 Philo/Rounder)
I’M FINE (1988 Philo/Rounder)
STEP INTO THE LIGHT (1985 Philo/Rounder)
contacts
ARTIST MANAGEMENT:
Bette Warner, Lamartine Productions
[email protected] / (508) 349-2364
DROP DEAD BRILLIANT —PERFORMING SONGWRITER
Imagine a drop dead brilliant guitar player, a richly textural
singer, a commanding, poetic songwriter, a hilarious and
personable entertainer. Now imagine these all in one person.
There you have Larkin.
PUBLICITY
Michaela O'Brien
[email protected] /(413) 587-0713
Evolution (Film/Dreamworks) “Regrooving The Dream”
Random Hearts (Film/Columbia Pictures) “Good Thing”
Sliding Doors (Film/Miramax) “Coming Up For Air”
and “Tenderness on the Block”
Men in Trees (Television) “Wolf At The Door”
“Homicide” (Television) “Open Arms”
“Good Thing” Cher
“I Told Him That My Dog Wouldn’t Run” Holly Cole
LABEL
Signature Sounds Recordings
Jim Olsen, President
[email protected]
Flora Reed, Publicity
[email protected] / (413) 665-4036
films/television/covers
BOOKINGS:
Jeff Laramie, SRO Artists
[email protected] / (608) 664-8160
Patty on “25’’
www.pattylarkin.com
www.signaturesounds.com
“I recently joked that there is no longer a Music Business, just Music. “25” is a testament to that idea.
Maybe it really is true that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Herein lies a career’s
worth of love songs. Here are artists I’ve admired and been inspired by, some of whom I’ve known for
more than a quarter of a century, who are continuing to create songs of worth and meaning, regardless
of the state of the “music industry”. Renegades and troubadors, humorists and historians, these are
singers who have stopped me in my tracks and made me aware of beauty and passion and joy. I am grateful
to each one of them for the grace they have bestowed upon this collection of songs. Each and every one
of them is a flower in bloom for me, and together they have restored my spirit and given me hope.
25 years. It can be added, divided, multiplied and subtracted so easily. This music is a thank you
to all who have accompanied me on my musical journey since the first record. Something new with which to
remember all of the days.”