Abigail Washburn: City of Refuge
Abigail Washburn may have married the country’s foremost banjo star in 2009, but don’t call her Mrs. Béla Fleck. Having spent the past half-decade dividing her attention between the Sparrow Quartet and Uncle Earl, she steps out on her own with City of Refuge, her second solo album and finest effort to date. City of Refuge rolls a number of rustic traditions into its eleven tracks, which celebrate the roots of folk and bluegrass without sacrificing Washburn’s crossover appeal. An Illinois native, she approaches Appalachian music from an outsider’s perspective, adopting some of its traditions while also throwing orchestral strings,... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsAbigail Washburn Announces Album, Tour
On her last release, Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet, Washburn joined forces with Béla Fleck, Casey Driessen and Ben Sollee. For her upcoming album, City of Refuge (due Aug. 31 on Foreign Children Records), Washburn is in the spotlight, but some of her more musical friends—including The Decemberists’ Chris Funk and Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket—contributed to the album, which was produced by Tucker Martine (Sufjan Stevens, Spoon).... read more
Found in: Music, NewsCastanets: City of Refuge
Recorded in a Nevada hotel room over three weeks... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsCastanets visit City of Refuge in October
It's hard not to make comparisons between Ray Raposa and Conor Oberst. Both are singer-songwriters that are the only constant members of their respective bands. Both make copious use of seemingly random instrument tinkering. Both deal in the musical currency of folk (albeit very different types). We could go on for a while, but this isn't about Mr. Bright Eyes. This is about Raposa and his Castanets. ... read more
Found in: Music, News