Buck Curran
Buck Curran | |
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![]() Buck Curran in Bergamo, Italy 2020 | |
Background information | |
Born | Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S. | May 23, 1967
Genres | Indie folk, Psychedelic folk |
Occupation(s) | Songwriter, Musician, Producer, Guitar Maker, Painter, Writer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, harmonium, banjo, flute |
Labels | Stange Attractors Audio House; ESP-Disk; Fire Museum Records; Obsolete Recordings; Important Records; alt-vinyl; Tompkins Square |
Buck Curran (born May 23, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter-guitarist, record producer, painter and guitar maker.
Biography
Curran formed the psych-folk duo Arborea in 2005 with partner Shanti Deschaine, with whom he recorded five albums and toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe between 2006 and 2015. Curran's music is associated with the Psychedelic Folk and Indie Folk genres, though his musical origins stem from performing traditional and original Blues and Folk in the 1990s. In 2009 he produced the benefit compilation Leaves of Life (2009),[1] which included notable artists Devendra Benhart, Marissa Nadler, Alela Diane, etc. Curran also contributed to the renewal of interest in Robbie Basho producing two tribute albums, We Are All One in the Sun (2010)[2] and Basket Full of Dragons (2016).[3] In the Winter of 2011/2012 The Fretboard Journal published a feature article on Robbie Basho (Voice of the Eagle) written by Curran for Issue 24.
In July 2016 he released his first solo record, Immortal Light,[4] a split release between ESP-Disk and Obsolete Recordings.
Curran is also an artist and painted the cover for Basket Full of Dragons. In July 2014 his paintings were part of a special exhibition in Denmark at the Fano Free Folk Festival, during which he also presented a special discussion on his spontaneous brushstroke technique using watercolors and improvisation in art. In 2017 his paintings were exhibited in Bergamo, Italy in December 2017 at InArteWerkkunst Gallery during the NOWART Exhibition. As well, he is a notable guitar maker who worked from 2002 to 2009 for renowned Maine luthier Dana Bourgeois, where he developed his own guitar model called Butterfly.[5] His prototype for the Butterfly was included (alongside other notable luthiers from Maine: Dana Bourgeois, John Slobod, etc.) in the 'Player's Art': Guitar Exhibition at the Colby College Museum of Art May 7 thru July 17, 2005. Acoustic Guitar Magazine featured one of Curran's Butterfly guitars (made in 2006) for their 'Great Acoustics' article in the March 2012 issue. His acoustic and electric guitar playing is characterized by the extensive use of low alternate tunings, slide, Ebow, reverb,[6] manipulating string overtones and dynamics creating haunting voice-like timbres on the instrument.
Discography
Albums
- Immortal Light (2016, ESP-Disk/Obsolete Recordings)
- Morning Haikus, Afternoon Ragas (2018, ESP-Disk/Obsolete Recordings)
- No Love Is Sorrow (2020 Obsolete Recordings)
EPs
- Standing Rock (2017, Obsolete Recordings)
- The Rushings feat. Buck Curran Nashville West Session (2016, Obsolete Recordings)
- Adele H feat. Buck Curran, Dogmas EP (2017, Obsolete Recordings)
Compilation and other albums produced and curated by Buck Curran
- Leaves of Life (2009, Darla Records)
- We Are All One, In The Sun: A Tribute to Robbie Basho (2010, Important Records/ 2011 alt.vinyl)
- Basket Full Of Dragons: A Tribute to Robbie Basho Vol 2 (2016, Obsolete Recordings)
- Robbie Basho: Live in Forli, Italy 1982 (2017, ESP-Disk/Obsolete Recordings)
- Ten Years Gone: A Tribute to Jack Rose (2019, Tompkins Square)
Records with Arborea
- Wayfaring Summer (Summer Street, 2006)
- Arborea (Fire Museum, 2008)
- House of Sticks (Borne!/Darla, 2009)
- Red Planet (Strange Attractors Audio House, 2011)
- Fortress of the Sun (ESP-Disk, 2013)
References
- ^ "Devendra Banhart, Alela Diane, More Collaborate on Leaves of Life". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Various Artists: We Are All One, in the Sun: A Tribute to Robbie Basho Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Various Artists—Basket Full Of Dragons: A Tribute To Robbie Basho Vol II (Obsolete Recordings)". dusted. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Buck Curran: Immortal Light". Relix. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ Terence Tan (September 23, 2009). "Curran Guitars. Luthier Interview". Guitarbench Magazine. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ David Fricke (December 23, 2011). "Rolling Stone: The Best Under-the-Radar Albums of 2011". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
External links
- NPR Music, Buck Curran NPR Tiny Desk Home Concert, May 1st, 2020
- Premier Guitar, Buck Curran's Transcendental Folk Guitar, March 24, 2020
- Relix Magazine, Steve Gunn, William Tyler and Chris Forsyth on The New Golden Age of Guitar, by Jesse Jarnow on July 19, 2016
- Guitar Player, Buck Curran on Arborea's Avant-Folk Aesthetics, by Barry Cleveland, September 18, 2013
- NPR, Arborea Tiny Desk Concert, May 17, 2012
- Prog Magazine, Buck Curran - Immortal Light album review, February 15, 2017
- Folk Radio UK, Buck Curran Featured Interview, by Alex Gallacher, September 30, 2016
- Peghead Nation, Buck's Vinyl Solution, by Derk Richardson, January 3, 2017
- NOWART, NOWART Art Exhibition, by InArte Werkunst Gallery, December 1, 2017
- NPR, Tribute to Jack Rose, December 5, 2019