Girlyman With Coyote Grace May 12, 2011

Featuring:
Girlyman
Coyote Grace

Can the members of Girlyman read each other's minds? Sometimes it seems so. Onstage they often finish one another's sentences or burst into improvised three-part ditties so tight they seem rehearsed. Truth is, the Atlanta-based trio has had years to develop this rapport. Doris Muramatsu and Tylan Greenstein became best friends in second grade. The two met Nate Borofsky in college at a talent show, and since then they've been creating their own unique language of three-part harmony. Informed by 60s vocal groups like Simon & Garfunkel and The Mamas and the Papas, and infused with years of classical and jazz training, Girlyman's songs are a dance of melody and suspensions - an irresistible blend of acoustic, Americana, and rock The Village Voice calls "really good, really unexpected, and really different."

Everything's Easy, Girlyman's fourth studio album, is the band's most intimate and sophisticated effort. The cover, a playful paint-by-numbers scene, suggests a world where one creates reality with only a brushstroke. Yet much of Girlyman's rare appeal is a willingness to see the shadow side of its own idealism. A placid suburban childhood unfolds amid the mounting pressure of the Watergate era in "Easy Bake Ovens," while the "one hundred billion metric tons" of New York City rise beside the wide, unburdened river in "Hudson." Some songs highlight Girlyman's trademark playfulness, as in the Tin Pan Alley tribute "My Eyes Get Misty," while the swirling counterpoint of "Wherever You Keep" strains musically and lyrically for the light. Self-produced and engineered, Everything's Easy was recorded with a single, ten thousand dollar microphone, financed by fan donations. This microphone, along with the work of Grammy-winning mixer Ben Wisch, has created an immeasurably rich sound.

If you want a lesson in organic chemistry, take notes as you watch the sparks fly between the acoustic downhome duo, COYOTE GRACE. This folktastic phenomenon is the result of combining one guitarist Joe Stevens, a transman from Northern California, with one upright bassist Ingrid Elizabeth, a sassy femme originally hailing from the hills of Southeastern Ohio. Together, they capture the eyes and the hearts of live audiences nationwide with their bluesy folkroots sound, sweet harmonies, poignant songwriting, and mid-song dance moves.

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