Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker and Yim Yames have joined forces to record a tribute to Woody Guthrie.
The ubiquitous nature of Americana stands in stark contrast to the true nature of roots music. The United States boasts a number of styles and genres, which took time to be drawn into one swirling pool.
Perhaps more than most, Woody Guthrie helped draw this together. Celebrating the songwriter’s 100th birthday, Rounder Records have brought together four very distinct musicians for an unusual project.
‘New Multitudes’ is set to be released on February 21st, with the album matching never before seen lyrics from Woody Guthrie to music from four modern songwriters. Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker and Yim Yames have united to tackle the material, boasting a massive wealth of experience between them.
Jay Farrar helped found Uncle Tupelo before going on to lead Son Volt, while Yim Yames is better known as the frontman for My Morning Jacket. Anders Parker performed with Vernaline, while last but definitely not least Will Johnson has credits with Centro-matic and South San Gabriel.
‘New Multitudes’ kicks off the Woody Guthrie centennial, with the release set to be available on Single Jewel Case CD, Deluxe 2 CD release and on vinyl.
Nothing from the project has emerged as yet, although Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames have confirmed a one off show. Taking place on January 25th in Glasgow, the quartet will perform as part of the city wide Celtic Connections event.
As if that wasn’t enough, the press release from Rounder promises a massive Library of Congress box set later this year.
‘New Multitudes’ is set to be released on February 21st.
