Nearly a decade in the making, Train Bolt Roller
features
only six songs, but it is decidedly an album — not only because of the epic length of each of its tracks, but because of the full circle of birth to death that it
carries us through as listeners. It sinks in slow, and benefits from repeated listens.
Ed's songs are helmed here by
Indigo Street (guitar),
Oren Bloedow (bass) and
Ben Perowsky (drums).
"Ed Pastorini has been an almost mythical figure on the New York music scene – a reclusive genius whose songs are brilliant, and quietly
subversive. Full of unexpected chord changes and an emotive quality that creeps up on you, they seem to come from several traditions at once – or none at all.
The only problem with Ed's music has been that so few people know it. Now, finally, that will change."
— John Schaefer, NPR
"Your ears and your spirit have grown ten sizes. Favorite living songwriter. Period. Train Bolt Roller is a bruiser of a record, and a great
introduction to the brilliant treasure chest that is Ed's (mostly unrecorded!) song catalogue."
— Jennifer Charles, Elysian Fields
His music is bristling with odd dissonances, but also contains moments of consonance made all the more precious by the twisted, tortuous
paths by which they are arrived at.
The only comparisons I can think to make are to Captain Beefheart and to Slint, but to my ears, Pastorini is better than either of them.
— Thomas Bartlett for Salon.com
Listen to Ed perform live (solo piano) on WQXR's Cued Up program here
Bonfire On West Beach,
the first record by The White Papers in 12 years,
is available now digitally
(iTunes
| Amazon
| Bandcamp). The White Papers is the solo vehicle of
Lance Scott Walker (also of Bull Thieves), and
this, his first full-length, is set in early 19th century Galveston, Texas - a lawless era of the island city during which it was
under the control of French privateer Jean Lafitte.
Bonfire again features Jeffery McLaughlin, Walker's collaborator from the first record, along with Brandon Davis
(Indian Jewelry, The Electric Set) on guitar, Oren Bloedow (Elysian Fields, 101 Crustaceans) on bass and contributions from Task (Bull Thieves, BirdLikeBats),
Ed Pastorini (101 Crustaceans), Jeanann Dara (Smoke & Flowers) and Joan Hiller on guest vocals.
Ed Pastorini and Oren Bloedow of 101 Crustaceans
will perform with The White Papers, Jonathan Wood Vincent and Bernardo Devlin on 01/24/13 at ZirZamin in New York City
Ed Pastorini is an underground legend in New York City, where his brilliant, off the map
compositions have drawn praise from writers and musicians alike in a career that began in the late 1980s. He is known
as a solo artist, making appearances around New York City both on piano and on guitar,
and 