We spent a few extra days down in Folly Beach when we were on the road last month. We even picked up a couple extra gigs, one at The Drop Inn and one at our favorite local beach bar, The Surf Bar. Folly is really something, the people are amazing. Thanks to everyone who made us feel right at home. We can't wait to come back. See you then.
Tour Songs: Episode 15 is up and running
Were back, live from Stuart's Draft, Virginia. This is one of our favorite stops on the road. Our great friend, Beth Howell always opens her door for us. She is amazing, and we are deeply indebted to her for all her kindness. It's a beautiful small farm house with horses, cows, sheep, and peacock. If we're within 100 miles, this is where we stay.
Anyway, we had some downtime before our show at The Clementine in Harrisonburg, VA, just enough time for a video blog.
Earlier in the month, we were listening to the radio and Elton John's Rocket Man came on, Chris immediately thought we should start playing it. And we finally got around to it once we got to the farm. I hit some rough notes, but I think it's got a vibe. Enjoy...
Yarn
Fly Magazine
December 2009
Story by Jeff Royer
It’s 2 p.m. on a Monday in New York, and through the window of Blake Christiana’s apartment you can hear the chirping of birds, the din of traffic and what can only be the hysteric cacophony of thousands of piglets trampling madly down the sidewalk.
“I live above a daycare in Brooklyn, and every couple of hours the kids come out,” Christiana explains with a sigh. “They start to holler and they make me a little mad.”
As the singer and songwriter of roots rock outfit Yarn, Christiana isn’t really known for his cheeriness. Even without the screaming kids, chances are he’d still be moping around under his own private raincloud, 70-degree November weather be damned. But that curmudgeonly slant is part of what makes Yarn’s music so charmingly complex. Over sunny-day country shuffles, major-chord singalong choruses and ripping honkytonk riffs, Christiana croons plaintively about all things sour and sad. If he mentions love, it’s love unrequited; if he mentions a marriage, it’s a broken one. It’s a rich juxtaposition, if not an altogether happy one. But happiness, says Christiana, is overrated, at least when it comes to songwriting.
“If you’re happy and content, what the hell have you got to write about?” he says with a chuckle. “If you’re walking down the street whistling, why bother to pick up a guitar? I just don’t have any bright lyrics these days, but hopefully soon.”
Christiana does indeed have a thing or two to smile about. Since Yarn released its debut album in 2007, the band has been puddle-jumping from one career highlight to the next, from charting on the Americana Music Association’s Top 40 to performing live on National Public Radio’s Mountain Stage to making an appearance on the Grammy ballot.
Along the way, Yarn picked up its share of acolytes, including Edie Brickell, banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka and Caitlin Cary of Whiskeytown fame, all of whom made cameos on the band’s 2008 sophomore release, Empty Pockets.
“When I started writing this music, I felt like there was something special going on, but I wasn’t sure how well it was going to take off. Luckily, it did better than I assumed,” Christiana says. “It’s totally an honor, for sure, to get some of the recognition that we got, but we’ve got a long way to go. I just kind of take it with a grain of salt at this point.”
Christiana says the band already has a third album in the can, one that explores the more electric side of Yarn’s songwriting, which to this point has borrowed evenly from Gram Parsons, Ryan Adams and (Christiana insists) Jerry Garcia, if only from his string band side projects. The album will be mixed this month for release in 2010, label pending.
Given Yarn’s success thus far, might the 33-year-old Christiana be feeling a little more optimistic about the future?
“I think there might be some positive lyrics on the new record,” he says coyly. “We’ll see.” –Jeff Royer
JAMBANDS.COM 250 PICK
Yarn - Empty Pockets
December 14th, 2009
by Randy Ray
The country life is alive and well in Brooklyn.
I know. I had to think about that one, too, but it’s all in the mind, right? Brooklyn’s Yarn ponder life within tempered country, moody folk, and acoustic fence poundin’ while walking down experiential city streets with rural portraits in the background. Empty Pockets, the second release from the quintet, is dominated by the songwriting and charisma of guitarist/vocalist Blake Christiana, but damned if the entire band doesn’t leave its mark. Jay Frederick, in particular, on drums and percussion, is a hoot to hear, providing intriguing textures, whether it’s a shuffle beat, understated brush work across the skins, or a kick-in-the-ass boot stomp to keep the band focused on the matter at hand.
The simple things in life can often be underrated, and it is easy to see how this band could fall through the cracks in the avalanche of material being released on an hourly basis in the waning moments of the ’00s era. But Yarn has enough personality and a sense of purpose that is impressive, and worth a listen, or 15, based on the track count.
Songs rise up and bite you from behind (“Can’t Slow Down”), moods plunge and re-surface while spirits hang on to the bottom rung of emotions (“I Feel So Low” and the title track), and woe-be-not-gone wanders and ruminates (“I’m Down” with Edie Brickell on guest co-vocals). The grass is blue, but the approach reaches beyond somber, to that point of confessional honesty that is raw (“Lies I’ve Told”), a drifting sunset rotates and plunges as eve approaches (“5 Guitars”), and Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited-era is slowed down and tweaked into a more humble and modern vision (“Roadhouse”).
Open your windows, and let some of that Brooklyn country air in. It still exists, ya know.
Yarn made the cover of The Alternate Root magazine this month. Inside there is a great article about the band and an interview with Blake. Plus, while in Nashville for the AMA Awards in September, Yarn recorded a few tunes on video tape for the magazine. This Whole Zoo and Abilene made the cut. Check it all out here...
Yes, we've finally achieved great success. High Times Magazine has recognized us as "Unsigned Band of the Week." But the greatest success has yet to be reached, please click the link below and vote for Yarn to get us featured in the magazine next month. All you have to do is click by our name and hit submit, it is as easy as that. Get to it. Thanks.
For those of you who may not know, Yarn has a video blog where they pick favorite songs listened to in "Big White" (the name of Yarn's touring Van), cover them, and post for everyone to view. The songs are almost always recorded in one take, and in many cases forgotten soon after, which is why you may never see these particular songs played by Yarn again. Regardless, the band has a lot of fun creating them and hope you enjoy as well. Here is a recent excerpt from the blog....let us know what you think
Tour Songs - Episode 11
I know Kristofferson has already gotten some love on this blog, but damn it, he deserves more. When were out bus driving planet earth and aren't quite sure what to give a listen, Mr. Kris Kristofferson usually gets the call, and rightfully so. The man has written so many great songs, we could actually just do a blog called "Kristofferson Songs," and maybe we will. This is the most recent of his songs that got us itching to blog another. It was hit, i am sure you all know it, it's called Nobody Wins. Hope you enjoy.
Occasionally I'll jump in the back of the van with Ricky B., and we'll watch a movie. On our way back from Bristol, TN/VA a few weeks ago, I did just that. Rick had brought along a movie called Adventureland, so we threw it in his portable DVD player. There was a whole lot of talk about Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground in this movie, some loser musician would tell girls he jammed with Lou Reed to lure them into his bed, and the song Pale Blue Eyes must have played at least 3 times during the movie. It reminded me what a great song it was, so in the weeks following, The Velvet Underground got a bit if play in the van. And this past weekend while up in Albany, NY on our way to Burlington, we decided to sit down and give it a try.
We've been busy these days, mostly touring and having a great time playing all over. Head on over and check out a great review from Nippertown.com and see some good photos from the show. Also, a big shout out to youtubber tuffyjon for this fan video! By the way, get out there and vote for Yarn at jambands.com/Jambands250! Keep on keepin' on...
Hitting the road again...
Yarn is hitting the road once again this summer and need your help to make it a success! Check the tour dates, tell your friends and spread the word! See you on the road...
In anticipation of the airing of our performance on Mountain Stage, here is Tour Songs: Epidsode 9 featuring special guests Josh Grider on guitar and Chris Grady somewhere off camera singing harmony. Don't forget to check out Mountain Stage on your local NPR station July 10th - 12th to have a listen to our set.
Yarn is all over the web these days thanks to fans like you! There are many ways to keep up with what the band is doing. How about follow our video blogs? Or you can join our forum boards at 5guitars.org, and check out the pic of the week on our myspace page! Also,you can vote for Yarn on http://www.jambands.com/Jambands250. You can vote every day and it only takes a second. Thanks, and happy 4th of July everyone!
Yarn Spinners
Yarn down South
Hey Folks!
We're having a great time out on the road with The Josh Grider Trio touring down south. We've got a few dates left on the tour and are still looking for people to help out with merch. If anyone is interested in helping out at the following locations, drop us a line at spinners@yarnmusic.net or visit the Spinners Volunteer Page and we'll be in touch!
6.25.09 - Livewire Music Hall, Savannah, GA
6.26.09 - The Handlebar, Greenville, SC
6.27.09 - The White Mule, Columbia, SC
6.28.09 - Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA
6.29.09 - The Pour House, Charleston, SC
Thanks, and see you at the show!
Thanks to NYC and Boston!
Big thanks go out to NYC and Boston for two great and packed shows this past weekend at The Canal Room and Honky Tonk Harbor Cruise! We have a big east coast run now with our friends The Josh Grider Trio and are in need of some couches to crash on and people to sell merch at the shows. If anyone is interested in putting up the band or helping out with merch at the following locations, just reach out to our boy James at james@robotarmiesmedia.com and we will be in touch!
6.23.09 - The Pour House, Raleigh, NC
6.24.09 - Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC
6.25.09 - Livewire Music Hall, Savannah, GA
6.26.09 - The Handlebar, Greenville, SC
6.27.09 - The White Mule, Columbia, SC
6.28.09 - Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA
6.29.09 - The Pour House, Charleston, SC
Spread the word and we'll see you out on the road.
On The Road Again...
Hey Everybody, were headed back out on the road and hope to see you all out at the shows. Here's the schedule:
6.18.09 - Cafe 210 West, State College PA
6.19.09 - The Canal Room, New York, NY
6.20.09 - Honky Tonk Harbor Cruise, Boston, MA
6.23.09 - The Pour House, Raleigh, NC
6.24.09 - Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC
6.25.09 - Livewire Music Hall, Savannah, GA
6.26.09 - The Handlebar, Greenville, SC
6.27.09 - The White Mule, Columbia, SC
6.28.09 - Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA
6.29.09 - The Pour House, Charleston, SC
7.07.09 - Songs at Mirror Lake, Lake Placid, NY
7.08.09 - Shepard Park, Lake George, NY
Also, If anyone is interested in putting up the band at the following locations, just reach out and let us know.
Spread the word and we'll see you out on the road.
Thanks,
Yarn
6.11.09
The new pic-of-the-week is now up, check it out today! We also have a big east coast run coming up with our friends The Josh Grider Trio and a stop at NYC's famous Canal Room is one of the must see dates. Hope to see y'all down the road soon!
The Honky Tonk Harbor Cruise!
We are very excited about the upcoming Honky Tonk Harbor Cruise June 20th in Boston, MA and tickets are already going fast! The cruise will feature three great bands - Yarn, The Josh Grider Trio, and Girls Guns & Glory. Don't miss it, tickets are available in advance here!
5.28.09 - New Fan Message Board
Some truly supportive fans have started their own Yarn Message Board. We encourage all of our fans to join the site. Thank you so much Reckless Companion. Follow the link below to check it out:
We're headed to The Tin Angel in Philly next Wednesday. Anyone who purchases advance tickets receives a free CD with each ticket purchased! Get yours here today! And check out a wonderful recent fan review here! (Thanks to The World in a Paper Cup)
The Tin Angel
20 South 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, May 27th
8pm
Upcoming Shows
We have a BIG show coming up May 27th at the Tin Angel Acoustic Cafe in Philadelphia, PA - just us for the whole evening and we'd love your support! Want a chance at a guest list spot? Sign up for the Yarn Spinners Street Team today - help us get the word out for the show and we'll help you get in!
Were headed South again and need your help to make it a successful run. Tell all the folks you know, and get em out to the shows. See you down South.
April 29th - The Five Spot, Atlanta, GA - 9pm
April 30th - Beacon Pub, Swannanoa, NC - 9pm
May 1st - The Pour House - Charleston, SC - 10pm
May 2nd - Sudworks Taphouse - Columbia, SC - 9pm
May 4th - Livewire Music Hall - Savannah, GA - 8pm
May 5th - Berkeley Cafe - Raleigh, NC - 8pm
May 6th - The Double Door - Charlotte, NC - 9pm
May 7th - iS Venue - Charlottesville, VA - 10pm
May 8th - Clementine Cafe - Harrisonburg, VA - 9pm
May 9th - Cafe 210 West - State College, PA - 7pm
May 10th - Mountain Stage, State Capitol Complex - Charleston, WV - 7pm
We also still need places to stay in Atlanta, Swannanoa, Charleston, and Savannah. Let us know if you know anyone who can help. Thanks for all your support.
4.17.09 - Tours Songs: Episode 2
The 2nd installment of our blog, Tour Songs, is up and ready for viewing at http://yarnsblog.blogspot.com/. We butcher Kris and Townes. Go check it out.
4.15.09 - Tour Songs: Episode 1
Yarn is finally blogging but were giving you some music and video to go along with it. You can subscribe to Yarn's Blog here:
Hey Everybody, Yarn is getting back on the road and heading South again. Springtime is almost here and were gonna chase it from DC to Tennessee and back. Please check out the dates below and if you happen to live close by, we'll see you there. If you know anyone in these areas, please let em know were coming. See you all on the road.
Mar 12 2009 - 8:00P Iota Arlington, Virginia
Mar 13 2009 -10:00P The Empty Glass Charleston, West Virginia
Mar 14 2009 - 8:00P Berkeley Cafe Raleigh, North Carolina
Mar 16 2009 - 8:00P Acoustic Coffeehouse Johnson City, Tennessee
Mar 17 2009 - 9:00P The Garage Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Mar 18 2009 - 9:30P Evening Muse Charlotte, North Carolina
Mar 19 2009 -10:00P Surrey Tavern Augusta, Georgia
Mar 20 2009 -11:00P Droopy’s Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Mar 21 2009 - 3:00P The Pour House Charleston, South Carolina
Mar 21 2009 - 9:00P Livewire Music Hall Savannah, Georgia
Mar 22 2009 - 8:00P Five Points Pub Columbia, South Carolina
Mar 24 2009 - 7:00P The Billy Block Show Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 25 2009 -10:00P The Dame Lexington, Kentucky
Mar 26 2009 -10:00P Gerstle’s Place Louisville, Kentucky
Mar 27 2009 - 9:00P Jack of the Wood Asheville, North Carolina
Mar 28 2009 - 9:00P Capital Ale House Richmond, Virginia
Also, we still need some couches to crash on in the following areas. If anyone out there feels like putting us up in any of these towns. Please get in touch, we truly appreciate the help.
Charleston, West Virginia
Johnson City, Tennessee
Augusta, Georgia
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Savannah, Georgia
Columbia, South Carolina
Nashville, Tennessee
Lexington, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!
YARN
2.9.09 - Donate at Least a Dollar for Free Show
As I am sure you all know, the business of music is rather expensive. Yarn is getting ready to do some heavy touring this year and could always use a little bit of help. Between gas, hotels, food, etc... life on the road ain't cheap. For those of you who do donate at least a dollar, I will send you a copy of our 12.4.08 show at Arlene's Grocery via YouSendit through your email. This was a 2 and a half hour show complete with a horn section. So if you love the band Yarn and happen to be in a position to help, please click the button above. If everyone who visited the site contributed just a dollar, it would be an enormous help. We truly appreciate your support.
1.19.09 - Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange Review
Empty Pockets - Yarn
A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
by Mark S. Tucker
(progdawg@hotmail.com)
Hot diggety, this is one cool, swingin', bluegrassy, country, honky-tonked quintet! Lead singer Blake Christiana is dead-nuts molded in a hoots-n-hollers timbre and when he sharps out while squeezing the lines for that last drop of countrified tang, it sends shivers up the spine. The shuffly smoothness to songs like Empty Pockets recall Gordon Lightfoot in a less wistful mood, though there's melancholy aplenty to go around in…until the solos kick in on More and it's time to boot scoot.
Edie Brickell likes these characters and sat in on I'm Down, a cry-in-yer beer croon made all the more bittersweet by her sugar-flower backing refrains, delicate and frail. The contrast and harmony she puts on Christiana's lines has to be heard, literally transforming tone and color as Josh Roy Brown's pedal steel underscores everything. Elsewhere, Tony Trishka decided to lend his masterful banjo and ornaments several cuts as well, always a welcome presence.
The rest of the Yarn cast should probably take more solos but work beautifully as a rhythm unit nonetheless, the sod on which Christiana's voice and guitar dance and reflect. Still, when Casey Dreissen joins the boys on fiddle, it becomes noticeable that they have more than a few chops in their back pocket, and a showcasing wouldn't hurt one little bit.
Empty Pockets had its best week yet on the Americana Radio Chart coming in at number 5. Thanks to all the stations out there who continue to support us and keep spinning our record.
12.30.08 - Mountain Review of Empty Pockets
Jumping off the country bandwagon New albums by Yarn and Swamp Rat re-energize older genres Mountain Times - Boone, NC December 25th, 2008 By Jeff Eason
With the recent release by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Cardinology, it is high time to recognize the amazing influence of Adams' Raleigh-based band Whiskeytown. Although Whiskeytown only released three full-length albums, Faithless Street, Pneumonia, and the stellar Stranger's Almanac, those discs and assorted live recordings floating around in cyberspace and in cassette decks have cemented Whiskeytown's place in Americana history.
Two new albums hitting the stores this fall have Whiskeytown's fingerprints all over them, and while neither is a flat-out tribute, both continue in Whiskeytown's tradition in the creation of blues-soaked country music with a little punk rock edge.
Yarn: Empty Pockets
Brooklyn. That's not exactly the first place you'd pick when looking some good country music. It is, however, the hometown of the young quintet Yarn. An offshoot of guitarist and vocalist Blake Christiana's longtime electric jam-band, Blake & the Family Dog, Yarn is has a languid acoustic country sound magnified by the tasty use of mandolin, fiddle, banjo and pedal steel. Christiana's smooth and expressive vocals have earned comparisons to Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Ryan Adams and even Jerry Garcia.
Joining Christiana in Yarn is Trevor Macarthur on guitar and vocals, Andrew Hendryx on mandolin and harmonica, Rick Bugel on bass and Jay Frederick on drums. Did I previously mention Yarn's sonic lineage to Whiskeytown? The new disc has a distinctly casual Whiskeytown feel to it and even includes vocals and fiddle contributions from Whiskeytown's Caitlin Cary on the sultry and slow "5 Guitars." Empty Pockets also gets help from guest musicians Edie Brickell, bluegrass and rock fiddle wizard Casey Driessen of the Sparrow Quintet, and veteran banjo player Tony Trischka.
Empty Pockets is a fantastic collection of new original songs written by Christiana with some contributions from fellow songwriter Shane Spaulding. The styles vary from the Kristofferson-esque title track to waltz-y blues of "I'm Down" to the brisk ballad "You Don't Love Me Anymore." All of them are anchored by Christiana's pleasing twang and some downright excellent playing.
"We're not trying to say anything too deep," said Christiana of the new collection of songs. "Though maybe some are deeper than others. Mainly, these are just some easy-to-swallow songs. We mean to entertain people."
Empty Pockets is recommended for fans of Railroad Earth, the Biscuit Burners and Chatham County Line. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/brooklynyarn. Swamp Rat
Combine the heavy Texas-soaked power trio sound of early Z.Z. Top with the wildness of guit-steel slinger Junior Brown and throw in some swing and world rhythms, and you'll start to understand the musical philosophy of Swamp Rat. While the band's sound is nothing like Whiskeytown, it is as every bit as adventurous and eclectic as Ryan's Raleigh band…and just as country, in a weird sort of way.
Three seasoned session musicians from Louisiana formed the rhythm section of the band Howard Shaft then later performed as Tracy Byrd's touring band before forming Swamp Rat. In November the band released its self-titled debut album. Swamp Rat is made up of Dan Cohen on guitar, banjo and vocals, James Cook on bass and backing vocals, and Derek Mixon on drums. For the debut album, the core trio enlists help from musical guests Sam Bush on mandolin, Tracy Byrd on vocals, Johnny Neel on vocals and keyboards, Steve Wariner on vocals and electric guitar, Johnny Lee Carpenter on fiddle and mandolin, Max Abrams on saxophone, Kevin Adams on piano and Paul Deakin on vibes.
The 12 original tunes on the new album are mostly timeless instrumental numbers that touch on surf music, Texas swing, Klezmer and other offbeat styles. This is clearly music for musicians who like to have as much fun as their audiences. Cohen loves to show off his chops as a guitarist and some of his licks are jaw-droppingly snappy. One reviewer described Cohen's guitar sound on the track "Back on the Farm" as "something that sounds like Jeff Beck stuck his chocolate in Bob Wills' peanut butter." While the vocal tracks are few, one of the standout tracks on the new album is "Better Let Go" featuring the pipes of Johnny Neel. With a slow-burning blues beat and swirling organs, the cut is the soulful closer to one of the best albums of 2008.
Swamp Rat's debut album should appeal to fans of Asleep at the Wheel, Los Straitjackets and the Flecktones early albums. The album is available on the Weston Boys label. For more information, visit www.westonboys.com.
We need your help getting to the All Good Music Festival this year in West Virginia. Please go to the following link and fill out the form but make sure you type Yarn as one of the 10 bands you'd like to see at All Good Music Fest this year. Thanks
It's been great to be in the top 10 on the AMA's for the past 4 weeks, now it's time to climb the RMR's. Were holding steady at 36 right now and hopefully climbing. Not sure what stations report to the Roots Music Report, but I am working on finding out. Click below to find out more:
This Thursday night Yarn will be performing their 2nd and final free show at Arlene's Grocery on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Doors open at 8:00pm and the show begins at 9:00pm. This is strictly Yarn's night, so it's all Yarn all night long, start to finish. And please stick around after the show and hang for a while, we'd love to meet you all.
Arlene's Grocery
95 Stanton Street
New York, NY
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Doors 8:00pm
FREE!
Village Records Review of "Empty Pockets"
Village Records
Off the top of your head you wouldn’t think that the best Americana being made would come out of Brooklyn, but hey this is the era of change. This band truly just goes in the studio and makes wonderful unadorned country rock the way it’s supposed to be. That’s with great songs and music that fits the words being sung instead of droning on top of a singular riff. For their second gem here they are joined by Caitlin Cary on a track and fan Edie Brickell on another. Their pockets may be empty, but that’s the only thing.
Yarn - Empty Pockets Vintage Guitar Magazine January 2009
Yarn hails from Brooklyn, but its countrified roots rock sounds more at home in a grange than a downtown loft. Geography aside, here the band creates exciting and authentic music that'll move you regardless of your spot on a GPS locator.
Yarn features guitarist and lead vocalist Blake Christiana along with Trevor MacArthur on guitar and vocals, Andrew Hendryx on mandolin and harmonica, Rick Bugel on bass, and Jay Frederick on drums and percussion. Cameos by Edie Brickell on vocals, Casey Driessen on fiddle, and Tony Trishka on banjo add a dash of virtuosic fire, but Yarn's chops are more than adequate to keep up. Mandolin fans will especially enjoy Hendryx's innovative mix of older tremolo techniques with modern single-string solos.
The songs here were written or co-written by Christiana. Many, such as the title number are reminiscent of Gram Parsons' best. His melodies share Parsons' lyrical quality and preoccupation with intoxication and the regrets that go along with an alcoholic lifestyle. "I've Already Won" is as close to a love song as you'll find on this album - it's about divorce.
Despite a plethora of dark subject matter, "Empty Pockets" has an almost jaunty overall feel because most of songs have beautiful melodies and upbeat rhythms. If your tastes lean towards classic honky-tonk country tempered with a dash of contemporary urban angst, Yarn should hit the spot. - SS
10.30.08 - Yarn Nominated Artist of the Year
Yarn is pleased to announce The Roots Music Association Awards has nominated Yarn as Artist of the Year in the Roots/Americana category along side artists such as Emmylou Harris, The Derailers, and Reckless Kelly.
Tomorrow night Yarn will be performing a free show at Arlene's Grocery on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Doors open at 8:00pm and the show begins at 9:00pm. This is strictly Yarn's night, so it's all Yarn all night long, start to finish. And please stick around after the show and hang for a while, we'd love to meet you all.
Things have been moving in the right direction lately--we're on the 1st round of the Grammy Ballot, we're currently 16 on the AMA Charts and rising, and the reviews of the new record have been really outstanding. We hope you will come join us tomorrow night to celebrate, don't forget it's free. See you all there.
We also have a tour starting on Friday in Gettysburg, PA. Check the website for dates, and let anyone you know in these areas to come check us out. Thanks so much for all your support.
Arlene's Grocery
95 Stanton Street
New York, NY
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
Doors 8:00pm
FREE!!!
10.23.08 - Yarn on 2009 Grammy Ballot PLEASE READ
For Your Consideration
Hello Everybody :
We were notified today that we have been placed on the Official Ballot
for the 2009 Grammy Awards by the National Academy of Recording Arts &
Sciences in several categories. It's an honor to be placed on the ballot
and we need your help to get into the Final Top 5 Nominees.
If you are a voting member of the Grammys, we ask for your consideration
in voting for us. If you know someone who is a voting member of the
Grammys, please forward the following information along and please ask
for their vote.
The Grammy ballots will arrive to all voting members this week and must
be returned to the Academy by November 5, so please pass the word on to
people you know as soon as possible.
Please note : Each category has an Official Three-digit Ballot Entry
Number that Grammy members will need to vote for us in each category.
Thanks so much for all your help.
_________________________________________________
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
has placed Yarn on the
Official Ballot for the 2009 Grammy Awards
in the following categories:
Category 1 - Record of the Year
Yarn and Edie Brickell - I’m Down
Award goes to Artist, Producer, Recording Engineer, and Mixer:
Yarn, Edie Brickell, Hugh Poole, and Zach McNees
Ballot Entry # 740
Category 2 - Album of the Year
Yarn - Empty Pockets
Award goes to Artist, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mixer, and Mastering
Engineer:
Yarn, Hugh Poole, Zach McNees, and Nathan James
Ballot Entry # 702
Category 3 - Song of the Year
Yarn - You Don’t Love Me Anymore
Award goes to Songwriters: Blake Christiana and Shane Spaulding
Ballot Entry # 729
Category 4 - Best New Artist
Yarn - Empty Pockets
Award goes to Artist: Yarn
Ballot Entry # 402
Category 38 - Best Country Performance by A Duo or Group with Vocal
Yarn - You Don’t Love Me Anymore
Award goes to Artist: Yarn
Ballot Entry # 077
Category 39 - Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
Yarn and Edie Brickell - I’m Down
Award goes to Artist: Yarn and Edie Brickell
Ballot Entry # 039
Category 41 - Best Country Song
Yarn - You Don’t Love Me Anymore
Award goes to Songwriters: Blake Christiana and Shane Spaulding
Ballot Entry # 158
Category 69 - Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
Yarn - Empty Pockets
Award goes to Artist: Yarn
Ballot Entry # 238
9.23.08 - "Empty Pockets" Now Available on iTunes
Click below to buy "Yarn - Empty Pockets" on iTunes:
Click below to buy "Yarn - Yarn" on iTunes:
RECORD RELEASE SHOW TOMORROW NIGHT!
Hello All,
The new record, “Empty Pockets” will be available online tomorrow, September 23rd. And to kick off the release of the new record, we will be performing several record release shows, with the first starting tomorrow night at The Rockwood Music Hall in New York City. The record will be available here on our website as well as on iTunes. We hope to see you all at the show tomorrow night. Thanks so much for your support.
Rockwood Music Hall
196 Allen Street
New York, NY
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
10:30pm
9.4.08 - Charleston City Paper Feature
SEPTEMBER 3, 2008 VISITING ACT | Yarn Brooklyn Twang: Blake Christiana and Yarn ease into alt-country territory
BY T. BALLARD LESEMANN
"Everybody in New York thinks this music doesn't happen up here, but it does," says Blake Christiana. The deep-voiced songwriter and native New York upstater sounds more like a seasoned Memphis session man than a Yankee songsmith. "It'd be nice if we weren't based in New York; it'd be a lot easier financially [laughs]. It's tough, man. It's tricky, but we're fighting it."
Their funds may be tight, but musically, Christiana and his Brooklyn-based band Yarn have little to worry about. The band headlines Wednesday night at the Pour House in support of a forthcoming album titled Empty Pockets — an unusually smooth, low-key collection of heartfelt, bluegrass-tinged alt-country songs.
Christiana, 32, previously played for years in the N.Y. jam band Blake & The Family Dog. He admits he grew tired of the routine with the group and decided to switch gears completely toward a less chaotic musical situation.
"It was more about improvising and jamming than it was about the songs themselves," he remembers. "I got so sick of that really. I was ready to make a record of songs. To me, the record is about the song, first and foremost."
Yarn currently features Christiana on acoustic guitar and lead vocals alongside singer/guitarist Trevor MacArthur, filddler/mandolinist Andrew Hendryx, bassist Rick Bugel, and drummer Jay Frederick.
"I got lucky with the guys in this band," Christiana says. "They're all very tasteful musicians. The rhythm section actually features a couple of jazz guys. We're all in our 30s, except for the bass player, who is a young 25-year-old.
He keeps us partying, you know. The band on the album is the band on the road. There aren't any special guests planned for the Pour House show ... although if anyone wants to come up and play, we might be glad to have them."
When the songwriter was growing up in Schenectady, N.Y., his guitar-playing dad bought him a guitar and arranged for lessons, hoping to nurture a natural talent. His guidance took a while to pay off.
"Like any kid, I kind of rebelled against it a bit," Christiana remembers. "My dad was a diehard Ricky Nelson fan — that and Elvis Presley. As a kid, that's all I'd hear — in the living room and around the campfire. It was hammered into my brain. I started back up with music in high school again, and started playing rhythm guitar in garage bands. I didn't start writing my own music until I was in my mid-20s. Plus, I wasn't a singer, either."
The slightly drowsy, flat-toned croon of Ricky Nelson must have made its way into Christiana's vocal chords, too, as his singing style on most of Empty Pockets maintains a similarly nonchalant style. There's a bit of Randy Travis-by-way-of-Don Nelson in the tone as well — deep, rich, raspy, and understated, with the occasional yodel and trill.
"That's just developed over the years," he says of his singing. "I think Ryan Adams has a beautiful voice. I've always liked his vocals. I don't necessarily emulate him at all, but he does have a nice falsetto. I thought it was important to try to take that and take a note from my regular voice and make it that high trill, as you call it. I don't even know how to describe it. I guess I developed that unconsciously."
Christiana didn't even try his hand singing lead until just seven years ago, when he started collaborating more and more with his buddy Shane Spaulding, eventually adding lyrics and arrangement ideas to their original song sketches. Spaulding shares songwriting credit on several tunes on the new album.
"This has been brewing since I was a kid," says Christiana of his latest work. "I loved the Grateful Dead when I was younger and I was really into the Garcia and Grisman stuff — Old and In the Way and all of it. Then I started listening to Whiskeytown and Wilco and groups like that. I got into Gram Parsons and the Burrito Brothers and stuff. It became kind of a hipper thing to do — get the country stuff out. It inspired me for the first record, and it worked so well, I continued with this second record."
Empty Pockets features guest appearances by vocalist Edie Brickell, five-string banjo legend Tony Trischka, Nashville fiddler Casey Driessen, and Caitlin Cary of Whiskeytown.
The major slow waltz on the new album, "I'm Down," features high-pitched harmonies from Brickell. "Can't Slow Down" and "More" are snappy quick-tempo shuffles in 2/4 time, replete with rich vocal harmonies between Christiana and his high-tone, strumming sideman MacArthur. Hendryx's tasteful mandolin lines and chords slip out of their rhythm section roles into the front as part of a subtle call-and-response counter to Christiana's lead singing. "Ain't That a Sin" and "Christopher Street" work as elegant, strummy ballads propelled by brushwork across the snare drums and pedal steel and dobro in the background. Sad and swingin' tunes like "I Feel So Low" and "5 Guitars" (featuring Carey on vocals and fiddle) could easily have been on a George 'n' Tammy or Conway 'n' Loretta album from four decades ago.
"When I made the first record, I wasn't thinking of a specific album to model it after — but I did have the Dead's American Beauty in mind, with its country/folky thing," says the songwriter. "It's pretty personal. It's heartbreak, debauchery — all typical subject matter for country music. We're trying to keep things not too depressing, although even some of the most upbeat songs don't have the happiest themes to them. There's an intertwined message throughout the record ... although I'm not so sure what it is. Maybe it's just life, you know?"
Our Southern Tour in support of our new record "Empty Pockets" starts tomorrow and we need your help. Please tell everyone you know close to these areas to come and check us out. Thanks so much for all your help and we'll see you in the South.
8.31.08 Clementine Cafe - Harrisonburg, VA 9.01.08 Baha Bean -Saunton, VA 9.02.08 Slim's Downtown - Raleigh, NC 9.03.08 The Pour House - Charleston, SC 9.04.08 Tremont Music Hall - Charlotte, NC 9.05.08 WGWG On-Air Performance & Interview - Boiling Springs, NC 9.05.08 WNCW - Live On-Air Performance - Spindale, NC 9.05.08 Mo Daddy's - Asheville, NC 9.06.08 The Garage - Winston-Salem, NC
8.19.08 - Yarn, Empty Pockets Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 19, 2008 For more information: Kissy Black Lotos Nile Media 615.298.1144 kissyblack@lotosnile.com
Brooklyn Americana Band Yarn's New CD, Empty Pockets, Blends Songs of Heartbreak and Defiance with a Sunny Disposition Caitlin Cary, Edie Brickell, Tony Trischka and Casey Driessen guest
"I'm two sheets to the wind," a rejected would-be lover announces on the upbeat title track on Empty Pockets, the second independent recording from Brooklyn-based Americana quintet Yarn, set for release on September 23, 2008, "and I'm callin' on the bar again."
Edgy, straightforward, occasionally defiant songs of life's personal losses, outrages, and embarrassments, warmly delivered with a homey, good-natured, "whatcha gonna do" musical embrace—that's not a combination commonly heard on many roots rock, alternative country or old school country string band records. But that's the lyrical heart and textured, skilled instrumentals that mark Yarn's harmonious, winning new song set. "Yeah, we may be in a sunny groove," says the band's lead singer and songwriter Blake Christiana, "but when you pay attention to what we're actually talking about, it may be kind of heartbreaking."
Several who've been paying attention to the rising band jumped in to join in on the music, often after just one Yarn encounter. Empty Pockets features affecting fiddler and vocalist Caitlin Cary (of Tres Chicas; Whiskeytown), "New Bohemian" Edie Brickell (harmony vocalist on the lazy ballad "I'm Down"), bluegrass and rock fiddle wizard Casey Driessen (of the Sparrow Quartet) and veteran newgrass banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka. Yarn's first album, a self-titled record released in 2007, reached 14 on the Americana Music Association's Top 40 chart. Since the release, the band, which features Trevor MacArthur on guitar and harmony vocals, Andrew Hendryx on mandolin, Rick Bugel on bass, and Jay Frederick on percussion, has developed a passionate following up and down the East Coast, and on some side trips to Nashville. The band formed in the spring of 2006 as both an evolution and a break from Christiana's long-lived jam-centered electric band, Blake & The Family Dog. Electric instruments sometimes appear in Yarn's live shows, but this band focuses first on energetic acoustic instrumentation. As the band's name, which references both the handmade and the saga, reflects on crafted, storytelling songs.
Yarn may be a city band that gelled into the harmonious unit it has become. The process took place in hard-working, regular landmark stands of New York clubs, including Kenny's Castaways and Hill Country. There's a lot of Gram Parsons-inspired county soul in the songs they deliver, from the hard honky-tonk of "I Feel So Low" to the Whiskeytown-channeling, alt-country tones of "Christopher Street," to the exuberant string band pyrotechnics of "Can't Slow Down."
Knitting together the band's distinctive tone are Christiana's smooth, controlled, and expressive lead vocals, which reflect an unmistakable core toughness for all of their polish. The vocals put Blake right in line with a group of singers he admires and is receiving comparisons to in early reviews —Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, Ryan Adams, Rick Nelson—or Jerry Garcia in his Old and In the Way string band vocalist mold. And Andrew Hendryx's fluid, contemporary mandolin stylings add to the "old and new, flinty but friendly" Yarn tone across their varied song set. The addition of fiddle, dobro and lap steel on Empty Pockets adds instrumental breadth.
"We're not trying to say anything too deep," Blake Christana says, of the yarns spun on Empty Pockets, "though maybe some are deeper than others! Mainly, these are just some easy-to-swallow songs. We mean to entertain people."
7.31.08 - Sing Out! Review
Sing Out! Magazine
Vol. 52 2
Summer 2008
YARN - Yarn (Ardsley Music)
Sometimes you know from the first note you are listening to a winner. Yarn feels that way. These Brooklyn cowboys sound like they really believe in their songs and their picking is assured and bracing, especially Andrew Hendryx on mandolin.
Blake Christiana, the singer and songwriter, is a winning presence. His reading lend real credibility to his songs. I really like "Bad Bad Man," the tale of a man who constantly wrestles with his demons, not so much as to beat them as to keep both him and them in fit shape. He relishes being bad. That one's flip side is "25 Years," a jaunty song about how a mistake in anger with his girl and the guy she was cheating with landed him a quarter century in the stir. Can't recall hearing that dire a situation served up sounded so celebratory. Blake's craft as songmaker shines all the way through.
Yarn sports some really nifty picking. Hendryx on mandolin is superb. Kenji Bunch is terrific on fiddle and viola, but he doesn't seem to be a fully engaged member of the band.
Yarn is a band that makes you feel good listening to them. Playing their album somehow made my worldly cares vanish for the duration as the band's buoyant spirits washed over me.
Yarn is a find. Glad the assignment to cover their album came my way. - MT
Thanks MT from Sing Out! We appreciate the kind words. You can buy Sing Out! online or at your local newsstand or bookstore.
7/5/2008 - iLike
Just figured out iLike. Add us if you'd like:
6/4/08 - New MySpace Address
We just changed our myspace address from www.myspace.com/blakechristiana to www.myspace.com/brooklynyarn. Just wanted to let everyone know.
5/21/08 - We Won Again
Not only did we win the judges vote, but we also won the publics vote, thanks so much to all who voted. Read the press release below:
Congrats to the 7th Annual IMA Vox Populi Winners:
Even though the results for the 7th Annual IMA program have been determined, the IMA Winner & Finalists jukeboxes stay open 24/7. Hear what you've been missing at: http://www.musiciansatlas.com/pages/IMAFinalist/
Only 9 artists this year won both the judges and the people's choice poll. Who got it right? Drop us a line at contact@musiciansatlas.com.
Below is the list of Vox Populi Winners. The following artists marked with ** won both Judges & Vox Populi poll.
IMA VOX POPULI SONG WINNERS:
**ALT. COUNTRY: Yarn (NY, USA) "No Future Together"
AMERICANA: Spring Creek Bluegrass Band (CO, USA) "High Up in the Mountains"
BLUES: Elam McKnight (TN, USA) "Devil Minded Woman"
CHILDREN'S MUSIC: Lanny Sherwin (CA, USA) "Stinky Feet"
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN: Katy Kinard (CO, USA) "Worth the Love"
COUNTRY: Chris Gray (TN, USA) "Stop & Drink It Over"
DANCE/ELECTRONICA: Palanke Soultribe (CA, USA) "Tropic N' Heaven"
**FILM/ TV / MULTIMEDIA SOUNDTRACK: Jennifer Kreisberg (CT, USA) "Have Hope" from Unnatural & Accidental
FOLK/SINGER-SONGWRITER: Amit Erez (Tel Aviv, Israel) "Postcard"
GOSPEL: Ladd Bogdonoff (CA, USA) "God Will Make a Way"
**HARD ROCK/METAL: Plok (Odense, Denmark) "I Do NOT Live in a Condo"
JAM: Wassabi Collective –(BC, Canada) "Blues On My Mind"
JAZZ: Samson Trinh (VA, USA) "I Can't Believe I'm Addicted To The O.C."
LATIN: Pepe Alva (FL, USA) "A Querer"
NEW AGE: Akiko/Firebird 999 (CA, USA) "Tea Drops from the Skye"
POP/ROCK: The Dollyrots (CA, USA) "Because I'm Awesome"
PUNK: Scott & Aimee (CA, USA) "Miss America"
R&B: Mae Gee (CA, USA) "Can't Let Go"
**RAP/ HIP-HOP: Animate Objects (IL, USA) "El Dorado"
SOCIAL ACTION: Dean Murray (Levin, New Zealand) "Gas is Gone"
**WORLD FUSION: Luca Mundaca (OH, USA) "Ha Dias"
WORLD TRADITIONAL: Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder (NC, USA) "Levantine's 'Spinning' Barrel"
4/27/08 - NoEvilTwin.com
www.NoEvilTwin.com is an MP3 blog site ran by a guy named Nick, anyway he recently took a liking to our song "No Future Together". And what he has to say about it is just what I like to hear.
"Today’s song comes from that same compilation CD from Friday. It is a sad, slow country song by a band called Yarn. For a long time, I said that I don’t like country music, but it turns out that I just don’t like pop country. Check out No Future Together." No Evil Twin Blog
4/18/08 - Portland Herald Press CD Review
Portland Herald Press
By AIMSEL L. PONTI
April 17, 2008
When Sara Cox wrote me a few weeks ago to sing the praises of the band Yarn, I had a hunch I would not be disappointed. Heck, she even mailed me a copy of their self-titled CD from last year. Yarn is a terrific roots-rock/alt-country band from Brooklyn, N.Y. Between the comfortable vocals of Blake Christiana and the mandolin from Andrew Hendryx, just about every track on the album shines.
From the zippy little opener, "Listen Up Sweetheart," all the way through the album-ending sleepy love song "I Love the Way," listening to these 15 songs was a sojourn into an intelligent, lyrically rich and musically satiating landscape.
The four primary musicians that are Yarn have only been playing together a short time, which is hard to believe given the caliber of this album. Just wait until you hear "Angel of Woodstock" or "The Contender"; you'll be over the moon like I am over this band.
So even if this show was JUST the band Yarn, you'd be golden....
But oh no, they're the opening act for the Coming Grass, which has resurfaced in the live scene after a three-year absence.
The new formation is Nate Schrock (vocals, guitar,) Steve Jones (vocals, guitar), Eric Glockler on bass (yep, he's the guy from Strangefolk), and snazzy drummer Chicky Stoltz from Dulce de Leche and Munjoy Hill Society's glory days."
The Coming Grass with Yarn. 9 p.m. Saturday. Empire Dine & Dance, 525 Congress St. Call for cover. 879-8988. 21 and older show.
4/16/08 - CT, ME, New Album
Yarn is playing this Friday night in Manchester, CT at Main Pub. And on Saturday Night we are playing our first show in Portland, ME with our good friends, The Coming Grass. We did a show a few months ago with Sara Cox of The Coming Grass and she was great. Since this is our first show in Maine we need your help in getting the word out. If you have any friends or family who you think might want to check us out, please forward this along.
ALSO, tonight were at Hill Country in NYC as usual. Come on down, get your Shot-O-Clock.
And on the new album front, it is done being recorded and in the hands of our mix engineer, we have narrowed it down to 17 tracks so far, still got a few more to cut. The album features a guest vocal by Edie Brickell, Tony Trischka on Banjo, Casey Driessen on Fiddle, and a guest vocal by Caitlin Cary of Whiskeytown. Were feeling pretty good about this one. We hope to get it to you by July...Stay Tuned.
Main Pub
306 Main Street
Manchester, CT
Friday, April 18th
9pm
4/3/08 - State of Mind Magazine Review
Were featured in the Tiny Reviews section of State of Mind Magazine right next to Cat Power. It doesn’t say much but it doesn’t really need to...
"Crushing, perfect twang" Mike McKinley Click here to view it in the magazine
3/8/08 - Godfrey Daniels Review
This Week In Reviews - YARN, SARA COX The Morning Call - Bethlehem, PA by Len Righi
When the five musicians of Brooklyn-based Yarn were good last weekend at Godfrey Daniels, they were diverting. But when they were bad, they were better.
For openers at the Bethlehem listening club, the bluegrass-tinted alt-country band chugged along agreeably on 'Can't Slow Down' and spun tales of woe on 'Tennessee' and 'Five Guitars.'
But vocalist-guitarists Blake Christiana and Trevor MacArthur, mandolinist Andrew Hendryx, upright bassist Rick Bugel and drummer Jay Frederick achieved critical mass only when they summoned a rockabilly fervor for 'Bad Bad Man,' a track from their upcoming second CD.
It was the high point of an entertaining if not very remarkable 11-song set, although '25 Years' and 'Wishing Well' also left an impression.
Our good buddy Josh Ponzio has posted a couple new shows for your listening pleasure, free of charge of course. These are from our short run down south last weekend. The first is from a radio show we did outside of Asheville, NC. It was an interview and live on-air performance at WNCW. I have to mention the sound engineer at WNCW, Dennis Jones, who has got to be the most friendly and coolest soundman we've ever got to work with, love ya Dennis. Click below and listen to the brilliant things we have to say about our music and to check out the tunes.
Our new friend, Jon Baliles gave us a nice little write up in his blog as well as posted some live video from our Cary Street Cafe show last month. Jon runs a website called Weekly Rant based in Richmond, VA. Thanks Jon, we love making new friends on the road, and that goes for Lisa as well.
Click Below for the review as well as the live clips:
Were heading south for a few days and just want to make sure you all know about it. If you have any friends in these areas make sure they come check out our shows or tune in to the radios. We need all the help we can get. Tomorrow night were at The Outback Lodge in Charlottesville, VA.
Outback Lodge 917 Preston Ave. Charlottesville, VA Thursday, February 21st 10:30pm
And on Friday were doing a couple radio shows in North Carolina. Our first stop is at WGWG in Boiling Springs, just outside of Charlotte. If you live in the area you can tune in at 2pm on 88.3 FM. Or if not click the link below to listen live:
And our last stop on this little journey south is Richmond, VA and The Cary Street Cafe. We'll be playing there all night on Saturday. So please tell all your buds in these areas about these shows and we'll see you this weekend.
Cary Street Café 2631 W. Cary Street Richmond, VA Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 10:00pm
2/12/08 - Nectar's Show Posted
The show at Nectar's in Burlington, VT was just posted by our good buddy, Josh Ponzio. There are some distorted clicks in the mix and the show is also missing Trevor on vocals & guitar. But seeing as how Mike Gordon makes an appearance, we figured we should post it anyway. Get it here:
We made the long trip from Brooklyn to Burlington on Thursday for a headlining slot at the infamous Nectars. Turned out to be quite a night. Some friends of Phish's Mike Gordon were in attendance and according to Mike, kept texting him telling him to come to Nectars to check us out. Lucky for us, he listened to his friends. We talked with him a bit during our set break and he agreed to come up and sit in on Ricky B's Upright. About 5 songs into our second set Mike came up and sat in on a cookin' version of Velvet Underground's "Oh Sweet Nuthin'".
I have to say, it was quite an honor. Thanks Mike. Hope to see you next time, just don't forget to bring your banjo.
Check out the pics on our myspace page.
1/25/08 - Dissolver Magazine
Yarn - Yarn by Jon Gorey | Boston, MA Dissolver Magazine Volume 18
After hearing the first song off Yarn — the beeeeaaauuuutiful, mellow, Americana love song "Listen Up Sweetheart" — I was already sold. Blake Christiana and his bandmates didn't have to prove anything else to me. And yet, for fifty-one straight minutes, they did.
Christiana's voice has the rich warmth of Lyle Lovett's, and the band's easy backing is both understated and artful. The combination, added to strong songwriting, makes for some of the best old-time country available.
Complementing the best chorus on the CD — which is saying something, because Christiana has a knack for the chorus — the stripped down drum kit, violin, mandolin, and harmonies of "Don't Break My Heart Again" make me swoon. (In the interest of full disclosure, let it be known that I eat this shit up. I wish my own music sounded like this.) Even songs that fall short of excellence, like "The Contender," are still immensely charming.
I missed Yarn when they came to Boston last fall; that won't happen again. If you're within reach of the blown-up Brooklyn music scene, make sure to catch them live.
Well, we dropped on the chart this week, from #16 to #17. And we desperately want to crack the top ten. So if you have any spare time and you don't know what to do with it, email or call these radio stations and request YARN. We need your help and i'll buy ya'll a bourbon if we do it. Thanks so much for getting us this far.
ACOUSTIC CAFE Ann Arbor, MI www.acafe.com
ALTVILLE Sherman Oaks, CA www.altville.com
AMERICANA ROOTS San Antonio, TX www.americanaroots.com
COUNTRYBEAR.COM Lake Placid, FL www.countrybear.com
FOLKSCENE West Hills, CA www.folkscene.com
INDIE1015 Fort Collins, CO www.kwrp-radio.com
KAXE Grand Rapids, MI www.kaxe.org
KBCS Bellevue, WA www.kbcs.fm
KCUB Stephenville, TX www.mandatoryfm.com
KCUV Denver, CO www.kcuvradio.com
KDHX St. Louis, MO www.kdhx.org
KDNK Carbondale, CO www.kdnk.org
KEXP Seattle, WA www.kexp.org
KFAN Fredericksburg, TX www.texasrebelradio.com
KFJC Los Altos Hills, CA www.kfjc.org
KGSR Austin, TX www.kgsr.com
KHTZ Brenham, TX www.lonestarfm.com
KHYI Dallas, TX www.khyi.com
KNBT New Braunfels, TX www.knbtfm.com
KOPN Columbia, MO
KPFA Berkeley, CA 94704 www.kpfa.org
KPFT Houston, TX www.kpft.org
KPIG Watsonville, CA www.kpig.com
KRCB Santa Rosa, CA www.freighttrainboogie.com
KRCL Salt Lake City, UT www.krcl.org
KRFC Ft. Collins, CO www.krfcfm.org
KRSH Santa Rosa, CA www.krsh.com
KSIL Kate Brandon Silver City, NM www.ksilradio.com
KSUT Ignacio, CO www.ksut.org
KSYM San Antonio, TX www.accd.edu/tcmn
KTHX Reno, NV www.kthxfm.com
KTXN Victoria, TX www.texasmix.com
KUSH Cushing, OK www.brightok.net/~kush
KUT Austin, TX www.kut.org
KVMR Nevada City, CA www.kvmr.org
KVNF Paonia, CO www.kvnf.org
KWMR Point Reyes Station, CA www.kwmr.org
KXCI Tucson, AZ www.kxci.org
KYMO East Prairie, MO
KZSU Stanford, CA www.kzsu.org
MUSIC CHOICE Denver, CO www.johnhendricksbroadcast.com
PUBLIC RADIO EAST New Bern, NC www.publicradioeast.org
RADIO VAGABOND Denver, CO 80206 www.radiovagabond.com
RADIOIO COUNTRY PO Box 4143 San Rafael, CA www.radioiocountry.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO New York, NY www.sirius.com
WCBE Columbus, OH www.wcbe.org
WDBM East Lansing, MI www.impact89fm.org/twang
WDVR Sergeantsville, NJ www.wdvrfm.org
WDVX Knoxville, TN www.wdvx.com
WERU East Orland, ME www.weru.org
WESTERN BEAT Nashville, TN www.westernbeat.com
WETS Johnson City, TN www.wets.org
WEVL Memphis, TN www.wevl.org
WFDU Teaneck, NJ www.wfdu.fm
WFHB Bloomington, IN www.wfhb.org
WFPK Louisville, KY www.wfpk.org
WGCS Goshen, IN www.wgcs.org
WGWG Boiling Springs, NC www.wgwg.org
WHAY Whitley City, KY www.hay98.com
WHEE Martinsville, VA www.wheeradio.com
WIKX Port Charlotte, FL www.wikx.com
WJMQ Shawano, WI www.frogcountry923.com
WMKY Morehead, KY www.msuradio.com
WMMT Whitesburg, KY www.appalshop.org/wmmt
WMNF Tampa, FL www.wmnf.org
WNCW Spindale, NC www.wncw.org
WNRN Charlottesville, VA www.wnrn.rlc.net
WOUB Athens, OH www.woub.org
WQBR McElhattan, PA www.bear999.com
WQNR 99.9 THE ROCK Auburn, AL www.wqnr.com
WRFL Lexington, KY www.wrfl881.org
WSGE Kings Mountain, NC www.wsge.org
WSYC Shippensburg, PA www.wsyc.org WTCR-AM Cincinnati, OH www.wtcramericana.com
WUMB Boston, MA www.wumb.org
WWUH West Hartford, CT www.wwuh.org
WXLV Schnecksville, PA www.lccc.edu/wxlv
WYOU/WRRW Virginia Beach, VA www.wyou.fm
XM SATELLITE RADIO www.xmradio.com
1/9/08 - Tony Trischka & Yarn
Tony Trischka came by our home studio this week to lay down some banjo tracks. Unbelievable guy and an unbelievable musician. For those of you who don't know, Tony is top guy when it comes to the banjo, right along side Bela Fleck (who was actually one of Tony's students). Needless to say, we had a very productive day.
And don't forget to come out to Hill Country tonight. Were kickin' off a long run of weekly shows, so please come out. It's going to be a beautiful night, I can feel it.
1/7/08 - Review on Pophead Wound
Talkin' New York, Vol. 10 - Yarn
Talkin' New York is a semi-regular feature I like to include on Pop Headwound that focuses on the wealth of emerging local talent in the Brooklyn and Manhattan area. Some are touring bands getting buzz, others are folks I saw play at an open-mic who blew me away. All are artists who have struck me as incredibly talented musicians and songwriters who deserve to have their music heard on a wider scale. *********************************************************
About a year ago Blake Christiana was growing tired of playing folk rock in Blake & The Family Dog and decided his musical career needed rethinking. So, he and bandmate Trevor MacArthur made a change - they started writing acoustic based songs, formed Yarn, and recorded their self-titled debut record. The band has been gaining acclaim in the months since its release. They've been consistently moving their way up the AMA Chart, won the IMA award for best alt. country song of the year ("No Future Together"), and placed in the Freeform American Roots reporters Top 20 albums of the year. Not a bad year for a new band.
Yarn is New York in locale, but their sound and spirit ain't from these parts. Led by the smooth vocals and guitar playing of Christiana, Yarn plays a form of alt. country music that seems born on the outskirts of Nashville, decidedly heavier on the "country" than the "alt". The 15 songs that comprise the record are just pristine. I haven't heard production this crisp on a country record in a long time - it reminds me of what M. Ward has achieved on his last few albums. I'm not comparing the 2 artists stylistically, but the crystal clear production here (warm, spacious, inviting) rivals that of Ward for some of the best I've heard.
The album itself is marked by fine playing and smart songs. The familiar country music themes and images referenced seem more alive than ever, and Christiana's sturdy croon is as real as a warm breeze, as knowing as the weathervane. "No Future Together" is a heartbreaking confession of failure, "Madeline" a dusty ballad that sounds like it's leftover from Stranger's Almanac, and "Cat and Mouse" a shuffling sing-along worthy of a Hank comparison. The songs cuddle together with the others, seemless in their delivery, and by the rustic sway of "I Love The Way" you'll be waiting for the CD to end so you can start it over. This is highly recommended music for fans of real country music with an outsider's edge, and while that's not always my thing, this is too good to ignore.
Download our 12.10.07 Show at Kenny's Castaways for free. Shane Spaulding makes a special appearance. And Jeremy Wall sits in on saxophone. You'll dig it. Happy New Year. Kenny's Castaway 12.10.07 - click here to download entire show
1/2/08 - Interview on WPSC
Shane and I went over to WPSC for an early morning radio interview on a show called "The Morning Blend" on December 17th. Click below to listen to a portion of the interview:
Yarn Wins IMA Award for Best Alt-Country Song 2007
We won. "No Future Together" was voted Best Alt-Country Song of 2007 by The Music Resource Group. We were among thousand of entries from all over the world who submitted material for these awards.
The IMA Winners were determined by a celebrity and industry judging panel that included: Snoop Dogg, Susan Tedeschi, Ray Davies, Suzanne Vega, Charlie Musselwhite, Frank Iero, Judy Collins and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, among an assortment of other celebrity and industry judges.
Here is the official press release:
For Immediate Release January 2nd, 2008
BROOKLYN'S OWN YARN AMONG WINNERS OF THE ?7TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS
INDIE ARTISTS FROM NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA AND ASIA TO BE PROMOTED TO MORE THAN 15 MILLION PEOPLE & APPEAR IN 2008 EDITION OF THE MUSICIAN'S ATLAS
Brooklyn based artist/band Yarn is among a diverse group of independent musicians named as winners of the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards. Roots music from the shadows of skyscrapers, Brooklyn six-piece Yarn may call the Big Apple home but they nestle their sound in Nashville sunsets. Moving between scruffy alt.country and a twitter of bluegrass, lead singer Blake Christiana mines his heavy Americana sound from lyrics shaped by the genteel sincerity of Gram Parsons. His band followssuite, pairing Christiana's lo-fi hooks with articulate string accents. Yarn is currently 16 on the AMA Chart and still climbing.
All IMA winners were selected by a panel of celebrity and industry judges and will receive year-long marketing support to enhance the campaigns for their current projects and careers. The winners encompass both established and emerging talent including Koko Taylor (Best Blues Album), the legendary, GRAMMY® Award-winning Blues artist; Joan As Policewoman (Best Pop/Rock Album – Tie), who's debut album is among the critically-acclaimed success stories of 2007; and The Apples In Stereo (Best Pop/Rock Song), a mainstay on Indie & mainstream as well as the touring circuit. IMA winners will appear in the updated, 10th anniversary edition of The Musician's Atlas 2008 – the independent musicians' and entrepreneurs' definitive guide to the music business, available on December 26, 2007. Developed and coordinated by Music Resource Group, publisher of The Musician's Atlas, the Independent Music Award program delivers a variety of premiums to Winners including:? ?
· Year-long marketing campaigns, partnerships and distribution alliances, that will place the Winners in front of millions of music fans and industry decision makers around the world. ? ?· Music promotion to college & public radio stations by The Planetary Group, a leading radio promotions company with access to 700 stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. ? ? ·An arrangement with eMusic and Pure Volume that makes their IMA Winning tracks available for download to several million consumers.
·Winners in the album and song categories will have a song included on the IMA Winners CD compilation Now Her This which will be distributed to 5,000 music fans and industry movers and shakers at music conferences and festivals such as SXSW, The Warped Tour, Popkomm, Folk Alliance, London Calling and other events throughout the year.
Other notable winners include: Johnny Dowd (Best Alt. Country Album), who's pastiche of rock, country, blues and jazz is earning a much deserved worldwide audience; Miguel Migs, (Best Dance/Electronica Album) who is already among a handful of pioneers in the DJ community; Ernie Watts (Best Jazz Album), the legendary sax player who, in addition to his own recordings, has worked with The Rolling Stones, Quincy Jones, Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderly, and other luminaries; Ari Gold (Best R&B Song) a luminary in the R&B community; and Girl In A Coma (Best Punk Song) who recently signed with Joan Jett's Blackheart Record label.
The IMA Program awarded more than 50 honors in categories that recognize achievements in Music, Design, Music Video and College-run Record Label releases.
The IMA Winners were determined by a celebrity and industry judging panel that included: Snoop Dogg, Susan Tedeschi, Ray Davies, Suzanne Vega, Charlie Musselwhite, Frank Iero, Judy Collins and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, among an assortment of other celebrity and industry judges.
Music industry pros that were not part of this year's judging panel and music fans can cast their vote at the IMA site. Winners of this "Vox Populi" poll will be announced in 2008.
See IMA winners in the album and song categories below:
ALBUM CATEGORIES??
ALT. COUNTRY – Johnny Dowd, 'Cruel Words;' AMERICANA – Hannah Blaylock & Eden's Edge, 'Lights Of Home;' BLUES – Koko Taylor, 'Old School;' CHILDREN'S – Kira Willey, 'Dance For The Sun;' CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN – Sebastian Demrey, 'Searching;' COUNTRY – Chris Gray, 'It's All About Me;' DANCE & ELECTRONICA – Miguel Migs, 'Those Things;' FOLK/ SINGER-SONGWRITER – Drew Pilgram, 'Magnetic Sideways Pull;' GOSPEL – The Minister John Butler, 'The Tribute – Phase II;' HARD ROCK/ METAL – Ashes Are Nutritious, 'Frustration +;' JAM – Jason Seed Elixer Ensemble, 'Where The Corners Meet;' JAZZ – Ernie Watts, 'Analog Man;' LATIN – Jose Conde & Ola Fresca, 'Revolucion;' LIVE PERFORMANCE – Marco Benevento, 'Live At Tonic;' NEW AGE – Priscilla Hernandez, 'Ancient Shadows;' POP/ROCK (TIE) – Joan As Policewoman, 'Real Life,' – and - No More Kings, 'No More Kings;' R&B – Aja West & Friends, 'Total Recall 2012;' RAP/HIP-HOP – Zeph & Azeem, 'Rise Up;' WORLD FUSION – Cholo Soy – Jamie Cuadra, 'Peruvian Waltz Chillout;' WORLD TRADITIONAL – Alasdair White, 'An Clàr Geal'
SONG CATEGORIES
ALT. COUNTRY – Yarn, "No Future Together;" AMERICANA – Boulder Acoustic Society, "Does It Really Matter;" BLUES – Little Miss Higgins, "In The Middle Of Nowhere;" CHILDREN'S – Kira Willey, "Caterpillar, Caterpillar;" CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN – Vincent Joseph Manzo, "Only By Grace;" COUNTRY – Miko Marks, "It Feels Good;" DANCE & ELECTRONICA - Midville, "Wicked;" FILM/TV & MULTIMEDIA – Jennifer Kreisberg, "Have Hope;" FOLK/ SINGER-SONGWRITER – Tannis Slimmon, "Ernest, Charlie & Allan;" GOSPEL – Robbin Thompson, "Move On Down The Line;" HARD ROCK/METAL - Pløk, "I Do Not Live In A Condo;" JAM – The Frequency, "Jim Gordon Part II;" JAZZ – Stanley Maxwell, "Mousetrap;" LATIN – Zoraida Santiago, "Canciones Por Todas Partes;" NEW AGE – Jeff Oster, "Saturn Calling;" POP/ROCK – The Apples In Stereo, "Same Old Drag;" PUNK – Girl In A Coma, "Clumsy Sky;" RAP/HIP-HOP – Animate Objects, "El Dorado;" R&B – Ari Gold, "Love Wasn't Built In A Day;" SOCIAL ACTION – Kenny White, "How Long;" WORLD FUSION – Luca Mundaca;" WORLD TRADITIONAL – Lionel Loueke, "Kponnon Kpètè."
For more information contact CONTACT _Con-3FDA71F79D ..c ..s ..l Joelle Caputa (joelle@independentmusicawards.com), 973.509.9898
http://www.MusiciansAtlas.com
http://www.IndependentMusicAwards.com
http://www.MySpace.com/theindependentmusicawards
12/17/07 - Final Kenny's Show Tonight
This is it. The end of an era. Please come by to Kenny's Castaways and bid us farewell. We've been playing Monday night at Kenny's for so long and tonight is our final Kenny's show. Help us celebrate. There is fun to be had. See you all tonight.
Yarn
Kenny's Castaways
187 Bleeker Street
New York, NY
10pm - 1am
12/6/07 - Yarn secures new residency...
We got a new residency at Hill Country, the coolest cowboy joint in town. We will be starting Wednesday, January 9th and continuing through February. If all goes well, we will continue through March and so on. So everyone who thinks they might miss us at Kenny's, can now come out to Hill Country on Wednesday nights. Were looking forward to this and hope to continue it for a while. So please come out and show your support.
Hill Country
30 West 26th Street
New York, NY
Every Wednesday Night
Starting Jan. 9th 2008
9pm - Midnight
12/1/07 - Roots Music Report
Root Music Report - November 2007
Each independent member of Yarn really brings their own flavor to the group, melding it into a treat for everyone's ears. The newly formed band's first release really stunned us at how well they all worked together to create such a great CD. When we first listened, we began reminiscing of times long since past, and musicians that are in everyone's hearts and minds. Each song on this album is catchy and addictive, and they etched themselves into our memory and took up a place in our hearts.
But damn it, I'm just not happy with that. I doubt I will ever be happy. But maybe if we reach the top 10, i'll feel a little better about myself. So, we need you to keep calling these folks or sending them emails requesting some Yarn. Even if you don't live anywhere near that city. If you have some free time, help us out. Good Karma never hurt. Thanks so much for all the help so far, we love you all dearly. But please don't stop now. Here is the list again:
ACOUSTIC CAFE Ann Arbor, MI www.acafe.com
ALTVILLE Sherman Oaks, CA www.altville.com
AMERICANA ROOTS San Antonio, TX www.americanaroots.com
COUNTRYBEAR.COM Lake Placid, FL www.countrybear.com
FOLKSCENE West Hills, CA www.folkscene.com
INDIE1015 Fort Collins, CO www.kwrp-radio.com
KAXE Grand Rapids, MI www.kaxe.org
KBCS Bellevue, WA www.kbcs.fm
KCUB Stephenville, TX www.mandatoryfm.com
KCUV Denver, CO www.kcuvradio.com
KDHX St. Louis, MO www.kdhx.org
KDNK Carbondale, CO www.kdnk.org
KEXP Seattle, WA www.kexp.org
KFAN Fredericksburg, TX www.texasrebelradio.com
KFJC Los Altos Hills, CA www.kfjc.org
KGSR Austin, TX www.kgsr.com
KHTZ Brenham, TX www.lonestarfm.com
KHYI Dallas, TX www.khyi.com
KNBT New Braunfels, TX www.knbtfm.com
KOPN Columbia, MO
KPFA Berkeley, CA 94704 www.kpfa.org
KPFT Houston, TX www.kpft.org
KPIG Watsonville, CA www.kpig.com
KRCB Santa Rosa, CA www.freighttrainboogie.com
KRCL Salt Lake City, UT www.krcl.org
KRFC Ft. Collins, CO www.krfcfm.org
KRSH Santa Rosa, CA www.krsh.com
KSIL Kate Brandon Silver City, NM www.ksilradio.com
KSUT Ignacio, CO www.ksut.org
KSYM San Antonio, TX www.accd.edu/tcmn
KTHX Reno, NV www.kthxfm.com
KTXN Victoria, TX www.texasmix.com
KUSH Cushing, OK www.brightok.net/~kush
KUT Austin, TX www.kut.org
KVMR Nevada City, CA www.kvmr.org
KVNF Paonia, CO www.kvnf.org
KWMR Point Reyes Station, CA www.kwmr.org
KXCI Tucson, AZ www.kxci.org
KYMO East Prairie, MO
KZSU Stanford, CA www.kzsu.org
MUSIC CHOICE Denver, CO www.johnhendricksbroadcast.com
PUBLIC RADIO EAST New Bern, NC www.publicradioeast.org
RADIO VAGABOND Denver, CO 80206 www.radiovagabond.com
RADIOIO COUNTRY PO Box 4143 San Rafael, CA www.radioiocountry.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO New York, NY www.sirius.com
WCBE Columbus, OH www.wcbe.org
WDBM East Lansing, MI www.impact89fm.org/twang
WDVR Sergeantsville, NJ www.wdvrfm.org
WDVX Knoxville, TN www.wdvx.com
WERU East Orland, ME www.weru.org
WESTERN BEAT Nashville, TN www.westernbeat.com
WETS Johnson City, TN www.wets.org
WEVL Memphis, TN www.wevl.org
WFDU Teaneck, NJ www.wfdu.fm
WFHB Bloomington, IN www.wfhb.org
WFPK Louisville, KY www.wfpk.org
WGCS Goshen, IN www.wgcs.org
WGWG Boiling Springs, NC www.wgwg.org
WHAY Whitley City, KY www.hay98.com
WHEE Martinsville, VA www.wheeradio.com
WIKX Port Charlotte, FL www.wikx.com
WJMQ Shawano, WI www.frogcountry923.com
WMKY Morehead, KY www.msuradio.com
WMMT Whitesburg, KY www.appalshop.org/wmmt
WMNF Tampa, FL www.wmnf.org
WNCW Spindale, NC www.wncw.org
WNRN Charlottesville, VA www.wnrn.rlc.net
WOUB Athens, OH www.woub.org
WQBR McElhattan, PA www.bear999.com
WQNR 99.9 THE ROCK Auburn, AL www.wqnr.com
WRFL Lexington, KY www.wrfl881.org
WSGE Kings Mountain, NC www.wsge.org
WSYC Shippensburg, PA www.wsyc.org
WTCR-AM Cincinnati, OH www.wtcramericana.com
WUMB Boston, MA www.wumb.org
WWUH West Hartford, CT www.wwuh.org
WXLV Schnecksville, PA www.lccc.edu/wxlv
WYOU/WRRW Virginia Beach, VA www.wyou.fm
XM SATELLITE RADIO www.xmradio.com
11/27/07 - Another Review
Village Records
Like a lot of the best alt-country bands this group had its roots in rock music. The roots were there, but their heart wasn't and they decided to follow that voice down the lost highway and pursue their muse. That siren voice took them down a country road and after a couple of miles they knew they were headed home. This debut album is full of seasoned music from a group that is truly enjoying themselves and will never have to look back. Here's a chance to hop on board and be among the first to discover this band.
It is the end of an era, but the time has come. Tonight is the first of our last 4 shows on Monday night at Kennys Castaways. We've been doing Monday Nights at Kenny's for close to 2 years and have decided it is time to move on. Please come down and support us for these final shows.
We truly love everyone at Kennys and will miss them all.
Yarn at Kenny's Castaways 187 Bleeker Street New York, NY 10pm - 1am
11/19/07 - We did it...
We broke the Top 40 on the AMA's this week and hit 36 just behind Billy Bob Thorton. Good company, we love Billy Bob. Anyway we can't stop there, so that means keep on callin' and requesting Yarn. I ain't stoppin' till we hit 1. If you'd like to see the chart for yourself, click here:
We'll be celebrating tonight at our show at Kenny's Castaways on Bleeker Street in the village starting at 10pm, so please come down and join us. We could not have done it without you. Thank's again.
11/15/07 - Yarn on iTunes
Yarn's debut record is now available on iTunes. Just open up your iTunes store, search for Yarn, and there you will find us. I feel this album is meant to be bought and listened to as an entire album, but do what you will. Buy a single, buy five songs, who am I to say? Enjoy!
11/14/07 - Americana Roots Review
Yarn Americana Roots Tuesday, 13 November 2007 Written by Don Zelazny
Yarn is a relatively new band out of the New York City area fronted by Blake Christiana, a classically trained guitarist who also handles vocals and songwriting duties on their debut release Yarn. He had previously run a rock band called Blake & the Family Dog in NYC. Apparently he wanted to head into a more country type sound when he met up with mandolin player Andrew Hendryx and started writing acoustic based songs. They would try out the songs during a steady Monday night gig at a place called Kenny's in New York. The tunes eventually became Yarn tunes and after playing with a number of musicians, they settled on Jay Frederick on drums, Rick Bugel on bass and Trevor MacArthur on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. The band also includes Shane Spaulding who does not play, but co-wrote many of the songs with Christiana.
The result of all this is a very enjoyable album from start to finish. The songs are bluegrass influenced acoustic gems. Christiana's love of the country-side of the Grateful Dead is quite evident on this record, with several songs reminiscent of the Jerry Garcia-David Grissman collaborations. Andrew Hendryx's mandolin playing truly anchors the band's sound, along with the smooth vocals/lyrics of Blake, who claims to use Gram Parsons as his songwriting measuring stick.
One of the CDs highlights is the second cut, "Bad, Bad Man," alternating between mandolin, fiddle and banjo runs with the singers admission that "I'm a bad, bad, man, candy in my pocket, broken woman on my hand…" "25 Years" is highlighted by some great harmony vocals and is one of the tunes with a definite Grateful Dead feel to it. Other gems are the up-tempo "Don't Break My Heart Again," and the beautiful "Angel in Woodstock," which Christiana says he wrote one night after listening to two Gram Parsons albums.
The band has toured heavily in the east in preparation for the release of this CD. If they come to a town near you I highly recommend you check them out. Their website is http://www.yarnmusic.net/, where they have a few live sets you can download.
Our buds over at The Artist Development Coop put together a fine looking eCard to help gather a few more station adds so we can finally break into the top 40 on the AMA Chart. We finished last week at 42. So close, it's killing me. Keep calling those radio stations and requesting Yarn. Thanks so much for all your help so far.
11/9/07 - Record Review at Miles of Music
Jeff Weiss from Miles of Music gave us a great review of our debut record. The record is now available for sale at Miles of Music and they've given it 100% guarantee. Here is the review:
In a year that is already jammed with exceptional releases, Yarn makes the case for an entry into annual Top 10 lists. This Brooklyn-based band scores the rare triple-header of excellent country-bluegrass musicianship, memorable melodies and honeyed vocals. A little over a year ago Blake Christiana was considering quitting life as a musician but decided to take one last shot. Hopefully, the results have inspired him to stick around for awhile. Inspired by bluegrass workouts of David Grisman and Jerry Garcia and the songwriting of Gram Parsons, Yarn's 15 tracks feature stories of bad men doing unsavory things. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released)
Remeber when there was this little band called Blake & The Family Dog??? Well I sure do (it's only been a year since we stopped playing). But for those of you who don't, Blake & The Family Dog was Trevor and I's first NYC musical project. We had a 5 year run, and it was a lot of fun. The songs are rootsy and folky, but the vibe is electric and rock, so if you like Yarn, you may like this as well.
In that time we only released one studio record, called "Stolen Days". And I am happy to announce it is available for the first time on iTunes. Click here to get your "Stolen Days" MP3's:
We've had some requests from fans to post the lyrics to our songs. So we finally did it. You can view lyrics along with chords to all the songs from the record by clicking the lyrics button next to the song playing below in the media player. ENJOY!
11/3/07 - IMA Press Release
For Immediate Release 11.3.07
BROOKLYN'S OWN YARN AMONG FINALISTS OF THE 7TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS
INDIE ARTISTS FROM 6 CONTINENTS TO BE PROMOTED TO MORE THAN 20 MILLION & APPEAR IN 2008 EDITION OF THE MUSICIAN’S ATLAS
Brooklyn based band Yarn is among a diverse group of independent musicians named as finalists of the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards. Yarn's organic blend of alt-country music has the warmth of old vinyl, the soul of Gram Parsons and the lyrcism and profound musicianship that only comes from each members dedicated musical journeys. The band is currently climbing the AMA Chart with the likes of Steve Earle and Alison Krauss. IMA Finalists will now advance to the final round of judging by a distinguished group of influential artists and industry insiders. The Judges who will determine this year’s IMA Winners include Suzanne Vega; Snoop Dogg, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers; Les Claypool of Primus; Ray Davies of The Kinks; Susan Tedeschi, Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance; blues legend Charlie Musselwhite; Judy Collins; Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis, MTV Music Supervisor, Carrie Hughes, Kevin Lyman of Vans Warped Tour and many others.
IMA Winners and Finalists winners will appear in the 10th Anniversary edition of
The Musician’s Atlas 2008, on sale December 18, 2007. Regarded as the industry’s most comprehensive contact directory, The Atlas is used by independent musicians and entrepreneurs to market and sell music more successfully.
Developed and coordinated by Music Resource Group, publisher of The Musician’s Atlas, the Independent Music Award program delivers a variety of premiums to Winners including:
· Year-long marketing campaigns, partnerships and distribution alliances, that will place the Winners in front of millions of music fans and industry decision makers around the world.
· The IMA Winners CD compilation will be distributed to 10,000 music fans and industry at events such as SXSW, Ozzfest, The Warped Tour throughout the year and promoted to more 650 US & Canadian college & public radio stations.
•eMusic will promote IMA Winners to millions of their subscribers throughout 2008.
·· Borders Books & Music will promote IMA Winners more than 11 Million of their customers.
· Exposure to nearly 10 million viewers of ManiaTV.com and Havoc TV.
Music fans will be casting their votes for their favorite IMA Finalists at www.IndependentMusicAwards.com at the IMA Vox Populi Jukebox.
###
For more information on the Musician’s Atlas and the Independent Music Awards contact Joelle Caputa (joelle@independentmusicawards.com) at 973-509-9898.
For more information about Yarn please contact yarn@blakechristiana.com or www.yarnmusic.net.
10/27/07 - We Need Your Votes
I don't really have any idea how we became finalists in The Independant Music Awards, but we are. Nor do I have any idea what we'll win, but that doesn't mean we don't care. So vote for us, i'm sure it won't hurt any. Go to the link below and vote for "No Future Together", Yarn should definitely win this. PLEASE VOTE!
and this time were tied with Emmylou at #18 on Texas' Free Form American Roots Chart. There aint no one else I would rather share this slot with then Emmylou Harris. Maybe now she'll do a duet with me. Check out the chart here:
So we finished last week on the AMA at #59. Which is great, because were still climbing. And I just found out were charting at #35 on Roots Music Report's Bluegrass Chart (with 300 terrestrial and internet radio stations reporting). Check it out here:
please keep calling your local radio stations demanding to hear more Yarn. Thanks for all your help.
10/12/07 - "CD of the Year"
I got an email yesterday from WDVR's Torchy Blaine. It made my day so I figured I should definitely share. Here it is:
I'm one of the dj's at WDVR-FM in Sergeantsville NJ (my show is called "Guitar Town"; a "country with attitude" program on 4 - 6 pm on Saturdays), and was given a copy of your cd by Fred Boenig, what I honestly feel is absolutely THE CD OF THE YEAR!!!! I think there are quite a few major names on some major labels out there that could learn a thing or two from Yarn! I mean, I am just blown away --- and I do say this on the air. These songs are smart, well-produced, and just so damned FINE that in my opinion none of the Big Boys or Gals could touch them! Often I just listen to the opening of a new song, and in a few seconds can tell if it "works" or not ---- and every song on this album works! And if I didn't mean every word of this, I wouldn't take the time to type them.
"Torchy Blaine" (otherwise, just Mari), WDVR-FM
Thanks Torchy Blaine and God Bless You!
10/9/07 - Help Us Please
Ok, so we were 68 on last weeks AMA Americana Radio Charts, 2 weeks ago we were 76. So were climbing, thats good. But we need to break the top 40. And we need your help. Below is a list of all the radio stations that report to the AMA (Americana Music Association). Some of these stations are playing our record, some are not. But all of them should be. We need you to give these folks a call or send them an email and request some Yarn. We love you all, and when we take over the world, what you have done will not be forgotten. Thanks.
ACOUSTIC CAFE
Ann Arbor, MI
www.acafe.com
ALTVILLE
Sherman Oaks, CA
www.altville.com
AMERICANA ROOTS
San Antonio, TX
www.americanaroots.com
COUNTRYBEAR.COM
Lake Placid, FL
www.countrybear.com
FOLKSCENE
West Hills, CA
www.folkscene.com
INDIE1015
Fort Collins, CO
www.kwrp-radio.com
KAXE
Grand Rapids, MI
www.kaxe.org
KBCS
Bellevue, WA
www.kbcs.fm
KCUB
Stephenville, TX
www.mandatoryfm.com
KCUV
Denver, CO
www.kcuvradio.com
KDHX
St. Louis, MO
www.kdhx.org
KDNK
Carbondale, CO
www.kdnk.org
KEXP
Seattle, WA
www.kexp.org
KFAN
Fredericksburg, TX
www.texasrebelradio.com
KFJC
Los Altos Hills, CA
www.kfjc.org
KGSR
Austin, TX
www.kgsr.com
KHTZ
Brenham, TX
www.lonestarfm.com
KHYI
Dallas, TX
www.khyi.com
KNBT
New Braunfels, TX
www.knbtfm.com
KOPN
Columbia, MO
KPFA
Berkeley, CA 94704
www.kpfa.org
KPFT
Houston, TX
www.kpft.org
KPIG
Watsonville, CA
www.kpig.com
KRCB
Santa Rosa, CA
www.freighttrainboogie.com
KRCL
Salt Lake City, UT
www.krcl.org
KRFC
Ft. Collins, CO
www.krfcfm.org
KRSH
Santa Rosa, CA
www.krsh.com
KSIL Kate Brandon
Silver City, NM
www.ksilradio.com
KSUT
Ignacio, CO
www.ksut.org
KSYM
San Antonio, TX
www.accd.edu/tcmn
KTHX
Reno, NV
www.kthxfm.com
KTXN
Victoria, TX
www.texasmix.com
KUSH
Cushing, OK
www.brightok.net/~kush
KUT
Austin, TX
www.kut.org
KVMR
Nevada City, CA
www.kvmr.org
KVNF
Paonia, CO
www.kvnf.org
KWMR
Point Reyes Station, CA
www.kwmr.org
KXCI
Tucson, AZ
www.kxci.org
KYMO
East Prairie, MO
KZSU
Stanford, CA
www.kzsu.org
MUSIC CHOICE
Denver, CO
www.johnhendricksbroadcast.com
PUBLIC RADIO EAST
New Bern, NC
www.publicradioeast.org
RADIO VAGABOND
Denver, CO 80206
www.radiovagabond.com
RADIOIO COUNTRY
PO Box 4143
San Rafael, CA
www.radioiocountry.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO
New York, NY
www.sirius.com
WCBE
Columbus, OH
www.wcbe.org
WDBM
East Lansing, MI
www.impact89fm.org/twang
WDVR
Sergeantsville, NJ
www.wdvrfm.org
WDVX
Knoxville, TN
www.wdvx.com
WERU
East Orland, ME
www.weru.org
WESTERN BEAT
Nashville, TN
www.westernbeat.com
WETS
Johnson City, TN
www.wets.org
WEVL
Memphis, TN
www.wevl.org
WFDU
Teaneck, NJ
www.wfdu.fm
WFHB
Bloomington, IN
www.wfhb.org
WFPK
Louisville, KY
www.wfpk.org
WGCS
Goshen, IN
www.wgcs.org
WGWG
Boiling Springs, NC
www.wgwg.org
WHAY
Whitley City, KY
www.hay98.com
WHEE
Martinsville, VA
www.wheeradio.com
WIKX
Port Charlotte, FL
www.wikx.com
WJMQ
Shawano, WI
www.frogcountry923.com
WMKY
Morehead, KY
www.msuradio.com
WMMT
Whitesburg, KY
www.appalshop.org/wmmt
WMNF
Tampa, FL
www.wmnf.org
WNCW
Spindale, NC
www.wncw.org
WNRN
Charlottesville, VA
www.wnrn.rlc.net
WOUB
Athens, OH
www.woub.org
WQBR
McElhattan, PA
www.bear999.com
WQNR 99.9 THE ROCK
Auburn, AL
www.wqnr.com
WRFL
Lexington, KY
www.wrfl881.org
WSGE
Kings Mountain, NC
www.wsge.org
WSYC
Shippensburg, PA
www.wsyc.org
WTCR-AM
Cincinnati, OH
www.wtcramericana.com
WUMB
Boston, MA
www.wumb.org
WWUH
West Hartford, CT
www.wwuh.org
WXLV
Schnecksville, PA
www.lccc.edu/wxlv
WYOU/WRRW
Virginia Beach, VA
www.wyou.fm
XM SATELLITE RADIO
www.xmradio.com
9/24/07 - T-Shirts & KSIL Album of the Week
Yarn T-Shirts are now available to be purchased at our online store. Unisex available now. The women's T's will be available very soon.
Yarn's self-titled debut album is Silver City, New Mexico's KSIL Radio, Record of the Week. All I can say is, "it's an honor". Thanks Silver City. Check it out here www.ksilradio.com and tell us how proud you are.
9/4/07 - Vote
Yarn's TV debut has come and gone. Now everyone should go to www.fearlessmusic.tv and vote for us. Not really sure what it does or if we win anything, but it at least gives us some bragging rights. Were also getting ready for our upcoming southern tour. If you know anyone in the following cities, please let them know Yarn's a coming and to come check us out.
Fri. Sept. 14 @ 9:00
Chestertown, MD - Andy's
Sat. Sept. 15 @ 9:00
Raleigh, NC - Slim's
Sun. Sept. 16 @ 5:00
Raleigh, NC - Sadlack's
Mon. Sept. 17 @ 9:00
Atlanta, GA - Blind Willie's
Wed. Sept. 19 @ 9:00
Nashville, TN - The Rutledge
Fri. Sept. 21 @ 10:00
Richmond, VA - Cary St. Cafe
Sat. Sept. 22 @ 9:00
Charlottesville, VA - Miller's Downtown
8/26/07 - On Fox This Saturday Night
Yarn will be appearing on Fox's "Fearless Music" this Saturday night at 12:30am in New York City. Please check out their website (www.fearlessmusic.tv) for airtimes in different cities (or check the list below). This is Yarn's Television Debut, please tune in.
New York, NY WNYW FOX Saturday Night 1am
Tampa, Fl WMOR Sunday Night 12:30am
Seattle, WA KONG Saturday Night 1am
Nashville, TN WNAB CWTV Saturday Night 1am
Cincinnati, OH WNAB CWTV Saturday Night 11:30pm
Grand Rapids, MI WOOD NBC Saturday Night 1am
Norfolk, VA WSKY Friday Night 3am
Las Vegas, NV KVMY MNTV Sunday Night 12am
Louisville, KY WHAS ABC Saturday Night 12:30am
Jacksonville, FL WTLV NBC Saturday Night 3:30am
Albany, NY WNYA Saturday Night 1am
Mobile, AL WPMI NBC Saturday Night 1am
Green Bay, WI WBAY ABC Saturday Night 1:30am
Honolulu, HI KHON FOX Saturday Night at 2:30pm
Springfield, MO KYTV NBC Saturday Night 2am
Davenport, IA WBQD UPN Saturday Night 11pm
Baton Rouge, LA WGMB FOX Saturday Night 11:30pm
Fort Wayne, IN WFFT FOX Saturday Night 4am
Tallahassee, FL WTLH FOX Saturday Night 1am
Lansing, MI WLAJ ABC Saturday Night 11:35pm
Longview, TX KFXK FOX Sunday Night 12am
Reno, NV KRXI FOX Saturday Night 1am
Peoria, Il WOAE Saturday Night 11pm
Fargo, ND KVLY NBC Saturday Night 3:30am
Boise, ID KIVI ABC Saturday Night 10:35pm
Eau Claire, WI WEAU NBC Saturday Night 1am
Linwood, NJ WMGM NBC Sunday Night 1:30am
Columbia, MO KZOU MNTV Sunday Night 11pm
Bangor, ME WFVX FOX Sunday Night 1:30am
Rochester, MN KAAL ABC Friday Night 12:00am
Anchorage, AK KTUU NBC Saturday Night 2am
Yuma, AZ KECY FOX Saturday Morning 11am
Jackson, TN WBBJ ABC Friday Night 2:30am
Hopkinsville, KY WKAG Saturday 1am
Meridian, MS WMDN CBS Friday Night 4:30a m
Charlottesville, VA WAHU FOX Saturday Night 11pm
Morgan City, LA KWBJ Saturday Night 10:30pm, Thurs. 11pm
Twin Falls, ID KSAW ABC Saturday Night 10:35pm
Fairbanks, AK KFXK FOX Saturday Night 12:30am
Juneau, AK KATH NBC Sunday Night 4:30pm, Weds. 11:30am
Digital Stations
Omaha, NE WOWT-DT TBA
South Bend, IN WSBT-DT Sunday Night 5:30pm
Youngstown, OH WYTV DT MNTV Saturday Night 12:30am
Santa Barbara, CA KEYT-DT MNTV Saturday Night 11:30pm
Panama City, FL WJHG-DT MNTV Saturday Night 11:30pm
7/16/07 - Yarn on Fearless Music
We are going into Fearless TV Studios this Wednesday to tape a live performance of 5 songs for their TV show which airs here in NYC on FOX Saturday Nights at 1am. It is also nationally sydicated, so all you people not living in the NYC area, check your local listings to see when Fearless Music airs in your area. I just got the following email from them, please read it and send them any questions you might want answered:
Hey guys! We're looking forward to having you come in on Wednesday to tape for Fearless Music TV. After we film you performing, we do a quick Q&A. We would love it if you can post a blog/bulletin on your Myspace page letting your fans know to send us questions to ask you. If there are any questions your fans would want to ask Yarn, they are encouraged to email us. They can email the questions to questions@fearlessmusic.tv
www.fearlessmusic.tv
6/18/07 - Review
We got a review in Belgium a couple weeks ago and we finally got someone to translate it. Thanks to Cora Haverkamp of Molenbeersel Belgium. So here it is:
It should not be more than that and again proof that a well thought slogan tickles the (musical) curiosity. Even though, honest as we be, we must admit that most of the presskits needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, sometimes with a whole 2 pounds.
Frankly, with the debut album of the band Yarn (Brooklyn) the truth is not forced.
Blake Christiana (vocals & guitar) put his band The Family Dog to non-active and persuaded Trevor Mac Arthur (vocals & guitar) to bend there roots/rock/jam course à la Wilco towards a more bluegrass tinged country direction.
Furthermore Shane Spaulding (Family Dog) put in a word by taking care of a couple of splendid songs together with Blake. This lead to .........a brilliant album which, according to my humble opinion, will grow towards one of the highlights of 2007.
Blake Christiana openly admires David Grisman and Jerry Garcia and succeeds with help of Andrew Hendryx (mandolin, harmonica), Josh Roy Brown (lap steel, resonator), Kenji Bunch (fiddle, viola) to create a sound which shows some connection with the music of the above mentioned gentlemen.
Opener "Listen Up Sweetheart, treat me like a lady" justify buying this album all by itself, the bluegrass sounds "Bad Bad Man", "25 Years", "Woman on the Interstate", "Dear Mama, I'm So Sorry" and "Cat and Mouse" never sound dull but succeed to be very progressive.
Little pearl "No Future Together" speaks for itself, the members of Yarn can look in the future with confidence...."Don't Break My Heart Again" is for sure a radio-one hit, which for the same money could be on the album "Desire" from Bob Dylan, "Wishing Well", "Madeline" and " The Contender" for sure makes some singer/songwriters very jealous.
Not only the neighbourhood of "Tennesee" gets to know this CD from a group of young dogs, who under supervision of Blake Christiana (magnificant voice) will write history but also the editorship of Rootstime run their legs off to let the world know about all this beautifull music. "People Get Ready, Yarn's a Coming", "Angel in Woodstock"....... it took a long time to get famous.....
but I LOVE THE WAY!
****1/2* SWA
www.rootstime.be
5/26/07 - Tour Pics
Yarn's drummer, Jay Frederick took some really great pictures on our short Southern Tour this past april and they are finally ready to be viewed by the world. Go here to check em out, Jay Frederick Photography
5/18/07 - Free Live Show
You can now download our May 14th show at Kenny's Castaway for free on our music page on this website. You just have to register with the site and it's all free. It really only takes about 30 seconds. Also, our friend Josh is going to help us out with Archive.org, so hopefully we will have some live shows up there very soon.
4/15/07 - Americana Roots Review Volume 41
Check it out. Yarn made the Americana Roots Podcast, if you dont want to hear the whole thing, we are at the end, but we recommend checking out some of the other music. It is volume 41. Thanks to Ray Randall for putting us on, great taste Ray.
We made it back to New York City, and were all still alive. The road was great. Got to stay on a farm in Maryland, hang with some buds in Raleigh, learned how to speak Alabamian in Birmingham, BYOB in Nashville, played the Blue Plate in Knoxville, almost burned down the hotel room in Nashville, hit a wall in Athens, and threw down and partied in Charlottesville.
Alot of people along the way really helped us out and I would like to take this time to thank them. Thank you Nate Clendenan for the gig in MD and the farm to crash, Annie from Raleigh for a place to lay our weary heads, Kathy and Michael Beasley in Birmingham for their generous hospitality, Ian Fitchuk for sitting in on drums at the Mercy Lounge, Thad Cockrell for taking a listen to our record, the 75 mile an hour speed limit between Nashville and Knoxville, Kelly B. for coming out to the show in Nashville, Rex Moroux for singing some Tom Waits back at the hotel, Jetblue Airlines for delaying the plane so Jay could get back home in time, Shank in Athens for the best meal I had all week, Joe Silva at UGA College Radio, and Benny May for throwing a great party to finish out our trip.
We'll be back, thanks for having us.
3/28/07 - Our Trip South
Any fans of Yarn out there with friends or family near any of the following towns, please let them know that Yarn is coming through to play.
Chestertown, Maryland
Raleigh, North Carolina
Birmingham, Alabama
Knoxville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Athens, Georgia
Charlottesville, Virginia
We need their support, to keep Yarn moving forward. We desperately want to get back in the studio in a few months to record a follow-up record, but without gaining new fans and hitting new markets, we won't be able to do it. So, I beg you, let the world know, "Yarn's a comin'"
Were looking to have a damn good time on our road trip and will keep you up to date on all the exciting misadventures of Yarn along the way. I have a feeling there will be some good stories, and I am sure Bassman Ricky B. will be involved in one way or another.
Stay tuned, and thank for all your help.
3/21/07 - Record Release
RECORD RELEASE PARTY TONIGHT!!!!
at Lakeside Lounge
on Avenue B between 10th and 11th
Yarn plays for one hour from 9pm to 10pm.
CD's & T-Shirts for Sale
Also, we just added a store to the website, click on the link above to purchase CD's. T-Shirts will also be available for sale online very soon.
3/20/07 - Arthritis Benefit Tonight
The 1st Annual Musicians For Mobility Concert
Benefiting the Arthritis Foundation
Musicians For Mobility is a community of musicians invested in finding a cure for Arthritis. We have a goal of raising $50,000 as a team that walks in the Battery Park Arthritis Walk on April 29th. To help accomplish this, we are putting on a concert on March 20th at Crash Mansion that will include performances by over 10 of NYC's hottest rising stars. The night will include a raffle and end in a jam session. Click here to sponsor or join the team . Your donations are much appreciated, and tax deductible. Thank you for your support! Enjoy the show!!
3/16/07 - First Chance
Tonight is the night. Your first chance to get a copy of the new record. It will also be our first time having t-shirts for sale. Come by The Manhattan Exchange in Schenectady tonight, don't let the weather get you down, were gonna have a party. A couple special guests might be joining us on stage as well. See you there.
3/1/07 - On The Radio
We did a radio interview & acoustic performance on Albany's 103.1 with Jason Keller this morning. Andrew and Ricky B. joined me for the trip. The show will air this Sunday night at 8pm. We played an acoustic version of Can't Slow Down, a song that did not make the final cut of our first record, but will most likely be on our second. Jason is a super cool guy, and we need more people like him promoting independent music. So if you live in the Albany area, turn on your radios and check us out. If you don't live in the area, you can click the link below, and stream it live. Please tune in.
