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Hungrytown
http://www.Hungrytown.net/
[BIOGRAPHY]
[PHOTOS]
[PRESS]
[TOUR DATES]
[AUDIO]
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BIOGRAPHY
Any Forgotten Thing is the new CD by the acclaimed songwriting and performing team of Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson, known collectively as Hungrytown. The collection, featuring twelve original tracks, was recorded entirely in the couple's home studio on a break in their heavy touring schedule.
These deceptively simple compositions—many of which have been mistaken for traditional ballads—manage to sound bright and hopeful, though they frequently touch on themes of loss or disillusionment. The opening track, a slow, majestic waltz entitled "Year Without a Summer," is set in 1816, one year after a disastrous volcanic eruption that caused some parts of the northeastern United States, already prone to cold winters, to be snowed upon every month. The story is about a young girl in trouble whose lover, conveniently enough, promises a springtime wedding. "Never Realized"—with its pulsating retro-pop sound and catchy guitar hooks—advocates for trying to get what you want out of life, in spite of the many forces around us militating against it. In the poignant, harmonica-driven title track, a forgotten person begins to feel like something thrown away. "Calliope" is a haunting carnival ride of regret over past choices. By contrast, the ironically-titled "Make it All Work Out" is an upbeat, tongue-in-cheek harmonyfest warning against the dangers of complacency in a world that celebrates mindless consumerism. Mournful harmonica and Simon & Garfunkel-style harmonies entwine in "Under a Broken Sun," which observes that those living closest to the edge are the easiest to push off. The album closes with a stunning Appalachian-style a cappella ballad entitled "The Sweetest Flower."
Rebecca Hall, known for her simple, timeless compositions and haunting alto voice, contributes her songwriting talents, guitar and vocals to the production. Time Out New York promises that "sweet voiced Rebecca Hall will drive you to swoon," while Sing Out! praises her "superb
songwriting craft." Ken, who "has a knack for crafting rich arrangements that don't clutter things up" (Seven Days Magazine) handles all arrangement and production duties, employing his multi-instrumental skills to bring the songs to life with accordion, banjo, bass, drums, Wurlitzer electric piano, glockenspiel, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, Hammond B3 organ, percussion and plenty of harmony vocals. Their talented neighbor, singer-songwriter Laura Molinelli, adds extra harmonies on three tracks.
Hungrytown tours nearly full-time throughout the United States and Europe. When they're not on the road, Rebecca and Ken live in a hillside cottage in southern Vermont. Hungrytown will be busy supporting Any Forgotten Thing in 2011 with a tour of the UK and Finland in the spring and
shows throughout the US in the summer and beyond.
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PHOTOS
Click on a thumbnail to download that hi-res JPEG (suitable for publication):
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TOUR DATES
- Jul 17, 2011 - Any Forgotten Thing CD Release Party - Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Jul 22, 2011 - East Dover, VT, Vermont
- Jul 24, 2011 - Any Forgotten Thing CD Release Party - New York, New York
- Jul 31, 2011 - Clifton Park, New York
- Aug 3, 2011 - Port Jefferson, New York
- Aug 7, 2011 - Beech Tree Concert Series - Old Westbury, New York
- Aug 18, 2011 - Library Coffeehouse - Camden, Maine
- Aug 20, 2011 - Any Forgotten Thing CD Release Show - Sheldon, Vermont
- Aug 27, 2011 - Any Forgotten Thing CD Release Party - Burlington, Vermont
- Oct 1, 2011 - Saturday Night Sampler Series - Saratoga Springs, New York
- Oct 8, 2011 - Milton Public Library- Milton, Massachusetts
- Oct 10, 2011 - Nantucket Athenaeum- Nantucket, Massachusetts
- Nov 11, 2011 - Sunapee Coffeehouse- Sunapee, New Hampshire
- Dec 3, 2011 - Javawocky Coffeehouse- Brockton, Massachusetts
- Jan 4, 2012 - Hanover Tavern- Hanover, Virginia
- Jan 7, 2012 - Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club- Fair Lawn, New Jersey
- Jan 14, 2012 - Lunazoot House Concerts- Tampa, Florida
- Mar 9, 2012 - Faulkner-Van Buron Library- Conway, Arkansas
- Mar 10, 2012 - Barton Library- El Dorado, Arkansas
- Apr 15, 2012 - Cheshire Public Library- Cheshire, Connecticut
- Apr 28, 2012 - Immanuel Episcopal Church- Bellows Falls, Vermont
- May 7, 2012 - The Green Note- London
- May 13, 2012 - The Wheal Dream Restaurant & Free House- Wendron, Nr. Helston Cornwall
- May 17, 2012 - Bournemouth Folk Club- Bournemouth, Dorset
- May 22, 2012 - The Village- Edinburgh, Scotland
- May 24, 2012 - The Golf Hotel- Crail, Fife
- May 31, 2012 - The Tolbooth Tavern, Falkirk, Scotland
- Sept 14, 2012 - Meetinghouse Café Concerts- Bennington, Vermont
- Sept 15, 2012 - Open Book Coffeehouse- Canton, Massachusetts
- Sept 30, 2012 - Lisle Library- Lisle, Illinois
- Oct 13, 2012 - Moutain View Community Center- Mt. Morris, WI
- May 24, 2013 - Folk Fest at the Compass- Ickenham, Middlesex
- May 30, 2013 - Rothbury Roots- Rothbury, Northumberland
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PRESS
No Depression
Hungrytown - Any Forgotten Thing
Listen Here! Records
By Lee Zimmerman
With their new album – their second credited to their combined moniker of Hungrytown – husband/wife duo Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson continue to make modern folk songs that bow entirely to age-old mores. Sweet sentiments, lithe arrangements and beguiling harmonies kindle a sense of lofty nostalgia and homegrown circumspect, with enough wide-eyed innocence to mute any hint of pretension. Precious but precise, Hall and Anderson's tranquil melodies and beguiling delivery charm from the get-go, with amber tones and a back porch perspective that is both seamless and restrained. Anderson's agile arrangements provide a tender touch, and his remarkable affinity for instrumental embellishment finds him tastefully overlapping mandolin, organ, harmonica, glockenspiel, banjo, accordion and percussion atop Hall's lilting vocals and beguiling ballads. There's no shortage of lovely material, all of which adheres to a traditional template. Consequently, the dainty "Sally Lazy" and an infectious "Make It All Work Out" are compelling reasons for repeated listens, while closing track "The Sweetest Flower," sung a capella, confirms those dreamy designs. Naturally then, Any Forgotten Thing will likely be remembered for what it really is… a sepia-tinted patchwork of tender and reverent Americana.
Rambles.net
Hungrytown, Hungrytown (Listen Here, 2007)
by Jerome Clark
The group name under which which husband-and-wife team Ken Anderson and Rebecca Hall perform, Hungrytown, has a charmingly low-keyed sound. You may think you've heard it before, but if your experience is like mine, you'll have a hard time placing it precisely, which probably means Anderson and Hall are more distinctive than you might have thought on first hearing. If Hungrytown is readily identifiable as a folk outfit, it is not one that sounds like any you've encountered recently.
On this recording they're joined here and there by some distinguished roots musicians, including two members of the Mammals (Michael Merenda and Ruth Ungar Merenda) and the bluegrass band Virginia Ramblers (who do not play bluegrass in the present instance). There's only one actual traditional song ("Sylvie," a variant of the Anglo-American "I Once Had a Sweetheart"); "One Morning in May" merely borrows the title of the old ballad. Still, their writing (Anderson-Hall's, or Hall's alone) is richly infused with traditional references and sensibilities. Though it isn't, "Weep Not for Me" could be an antique heart song A.P. Carter picked up on one of his innumerable song-collecting rambles, and it's not the only one.
Hall, who sings in a soft, sweet voice which at first exposure sounds a tad thin, and then doesn't, handles the lead vocals, affording the songs a surface airiness that conceals the emotional punch beneath. The writing is uniformly strong but always understated, the musicianship first-rate but never ostentatious. If Anderson and Hall were not the confident and capable professionals they are, Hungrytown easily could be as twee as an early 1960s folk-pop group. It's not even close, however. Just listen closely. To say nothing of the album's other virtues, the melodies alone will drive dull care away.
Seven Days (Burlington, VT)
Hungrytown, Hungrytown
by Herb van der Poll
West Townsend's Hungrytown is composed of wife-and-husband duo Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson. The pair has carved quite a niche in the modern folk scene, not only as Hungrytown but also as members of neo-traditionalist outfit The Strangelings, and on the considerable strength of Hall's solo work. They have been recognized at a number of songwriting contests, such as those at the Billboard Annual fest, the Minnesota Folk Festival and the Great Waters Music Festival. Roger McGuinn, co-founder of folk-rock godfathers The Byrds, praised Hall's voice as having "a sweetness and a worldly wisdom in perfect balance." After spending some time with Hungrytown, I'm inclined to agree.
On this self-titled debut release, the band's lauded songwriting strength is evident. The nine original tunes rest comfortably alongside two traditional folk songs and a cover of Gene Clark's "With Tomorrow." Folky balladry, upbeat country, bluegrass and even a bit of rock 'n' roll are all featured on the album. This eclecticism serves the band well and gives the production an engaging dynamic. The musicians are skilled enough to make it all sound natural and have a nice, smooth flow.
Hall's guitar work and vocals provide the framework for every song, while Anderson provides harmonies and instrumental accompaniment, including drums, bass, organ and harmonica. Hungrytown also features members of the bluegrass band The Virginia Ramblers and "subversive" folk-rockers The Mammals on fiddle, cello, banjo and mandolin. If there are any virtuosos among them, there's no way of knowing; the arrangements are sparse, the playing restrained.
Hall's vocals are wonderful, pitch-perfect and rich in emotion, perfectly paired with Anderson's harmonies. The vocal arrangements range from simple to lush.
Hungrytown recalls a number of performances past and present - shades of Judee Sill, Emmylou Harris, Neko Case and The Byrds. (I'd personally love to hear this band perform The Byrds' version of Charles Louvin's "The Christian Life.")
Hungrytown is an accomplished and enjoyable folk record. It is both haunting and pleasant, delicate yet arresting. Hall and Anderson have cultivated a wonderful musical rapport that will endear them to many as they continue to tour and record.
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AUDIO
Click on a clip of an audio track below to download a mp3:
Hungrytown - Self-Titled [2007]
Lucille, Lucille [mp3] - 1.05 mb
Sylvie [mp3] - 1.16 mb
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