Tracy Grammer ~ December 1, 2018
Photo Credit: Craig Harris
TRACY GRAMMER is one of contemporary folk music's most beloved artists. Renowned for her springwater-clear alto, perfectly intoned violin, and guitar playing that is by turns percussive and delicate, Grammer is also a gifted storyteller whose incantations add a rare mixture of vulnerability, intimacy, and hard-won insight to her performances. As one fan puts it, "With Tracy, it's never just about the music; it's a soul journey."
And what a journey it has been. Grammer rose to acclaim as half of the "postmodern, mythic American folk" duo, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer. From 1998-2001, the duo released three internationally celebrated, chart-topping albums featuring Carter's mytho-poetic Americana songcraft and in 2002, toured with Joan Baez, both as featured artists and Baez's bandmates. Called “the new voice of modern folk music,” the duo was clearly in its ascendancy when in July, 2002, Carter suffered a fatal heart attack mid-tour. He was 49; Grammer, 34.
Determined to honor the duo's trajectory and bring Carter's songs, and those of other favorite writers, to broader audiences, Grammer kept to the road, releasing several solo and archival recordings, including 2012's LITTLE BLUE EGG (Red House Records), the #1 most-played album on Folk Radio in 2012 with that year's #1 most-played song.
Grammer is currently on tour celebrating the release of LOW TIDE, her first album of original songs. "I've been a writer all my life, but it was never my intention to be a songwriter," she says. "However, the road has curves we can't see at the outset of the journey. At some point along the path, writing songs became the most effective medicine for the pains and unresolved questions of my life. LOW TIDE is an album of revelations, confessions, and ultimately, healing. I am proud of the writing and utterly thrilled with the sounds. I took risks. I tried new approaches. I told the truth, and delivered my multitudes. My eleventh album is the first one that really sounds like me." Co-produced with long-time touring partner Jim Henry, LOW TIDE was released January 19, 2018 on Grammer's own label, Tracy Grammer Music, and is available through Fish Records in the U.K.
Grammer plays theaters, coffeehouses, and festivals across the United States and Canada regularly, and has traveled to Europe and Japan. She holds the record for the most consecutive appearances at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and performs in a variety of configurations, with Jim Henry (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Burns Sisters, Susan Werner), Paul Kochanski (Lori McKenna, Threesies, Nields), Lorne Entress (Lori McKenna, Catie Curtis, Mark Erelli) and David Chalfant (Nields, Stephen Kellogg) rounding out her ensembles.
In addition to touring, Grammer is the director of the Dave Carter Legacy Project. Her publishing company, Tracy Grammer Music, administers licenses for Carter's catalog of music. She is writing a memoir and curating a new musical monologue called words + music based on her life with, and beyond, Dave Carter.
And what a journey it has been. Grammer rose to acclaim as half of the "postmodern, mythic American folk" duo, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer. From 1998-2001, the duo released three internationally celebrated, chart-topping albums featuring Carter's mytho-poetic Americana songcraft and in 2002, toured with Joan Baez, both as featured artists and Baez's bandmates. Called “the new voice of modern folk music,” the duo was clearly in its ascendancy when in July, 2002, Carter suffered a fatal heart attack mid-tour. He was 49; Grammer, 34.
Determined to honor the duo's trajectory and bring Carter's songs, and those of other favorite writers, to broader audiences, Grammer kept to the road, releasing several solo and archival recordings, including 2012's LITTLE BLUE EGG (Red House Records), the #1 most-played album on Folk Radio in 2012 with that year's #1 most-played song.
Grammer is currently on tour celebrating the release of LOW TIDE, her first album of original songs. "I've been a writer all my life, but it was never my intention to be a songwriter," she says. "However, the road has curves we can't see at the outset of the journey. At some point along the path, writing songs became the most effective medicine for the pains and unresolved questions of my life. LOW TIDE is an album of revelations, confessions, and ultimately, healing. I am proud of the writing and utterly thrilled with the sounds. I took risks. I tried new approaches. I told the truth, and delivered my multitudes. My eleventh album is the first one that really sounds like me." Co-produced with long-time touring partner Jim Henry, LOW TIDE was released January 19, 2018 on Grammer's own label, Tracy Grammer Music, and is available through Fish Records in the U.K.
Grammer plays theaters, coffeehouses, and festivals across the United States and Canada regularly, and has traveled to Europe and Japan. She holds the record for the most consecutive appearances at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and performs in a variety of configurations, with Jim Henry (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Burns Sisters, Susan Werner), Paul Kochanski (Lori McKenna, Threesies, Nields), Lorne Entress (Lori McKenna, Catie Curtis, Mark Erelli) and David Chalfant (Nields, Stephen Kellogg) rounding out her ensembles.
In addition to touring, Grammer is the director of the Dave Carter Legacy Project. Her publishing company, Tracy Grammer Music, administers licenses for Carter's catalog of music. She is writing a memoir and curating a new musical monologue called words + music based on her life with, and beyond, Dave Carter.
Opening Support ~ The Lonely Ones
Photo Credit: Ruolan Han Photography
The Lonely Ones play original folk that combines compelling songwriting and tight harmonies. Their sound is resonant of the American countryside, wide open and rich with storytelling. The Lonely Ones formed in 2010 and have played many places in upstate NY. They received the 2013 Rochester Fringe Festival Best Musical Discovery. For the Café Veritas show, Levi Gangi and Samantha Thomas will play as a duo.