Cellist Friedlander Releases One for the Road

A cello probably wouldn’t have even fit inside the Friedlander family camper - a converted Chevrolet pickup truck containing little more than a sink, propane gas stove and 15-pound ice block to keep food “fresh.” Regardless, classically-trained Erik Friedlander uses the stringed instrument to capture the essence of those 1960s and 70’s family road trips on his new album, Block Ice and Propane: Taking Trips to America. The tracks have titles like “Rushmore,” “King Rig” and “Valley of Fire,” but are likely to be more unique than road music a la Trucker Classics Vol. 25. For the album, out August 14 on Skipstone records, Friedlander stated that he used a finger-picking technique to attempt a folksy, John Fahey-like sound.

Based in New York City, Friedlander has previously backed artists like John Zorn and The Mountain Goats.

Related links:
ErikFriedlander.com
Skipstone Records
Erik Friedlander on MySpace

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