Stemming from a musical friendship many years in the making, two stars of American roots music, Aoife O’Donovan and Noam Pikelny, headline select venues throughout the Rockies, Southwest and Midwest in November 2014. O’Donovan, widely renowned for her work with Crooked Still and her 2013 critically-acclaimed solo album Fossils, has quickly come to the forefront as one of today’s leading female vocalists. A member of prominent bluegrass outfit the Punch Brothers, banjoist Pikelny shines in the spotlight with three just-announced IBMA Award nominations (Banjo Player of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Liner Notes). On the forthcoming tour, the singular ensemble will also feature bassist Barry Bales (Alison Krauss & Union Station) and fiddler Shad Cobb (John Cowan Band). This Americana tour-de-force will appear at the following venues and festivals: Peery Egyptian Theatre (Ogden, UT: Nov. 1), Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, AZ: Nov. 2), Fox Theatre (Boulder, CO: Nov. 3), Strings Music Festival (Steamboat Springs, CO: Nov. 4),Stoughton Opera House (Stoughton, WI: Nov. 6), Northshore Center for the Performing Arts (Skokie, IL: Nov. 7), Lincoln Theatre(Columbus, OH: Nov. 8), Buskirk-Chumley Theater (Bloomington, IN: Nov. 9), The Ark (Ann Arbor, MI: November 11), and Music Box Supper Club (Cleveland, OH: Nov. 12). Noam Pikelny and Stuart Duncan also hit the road performing select duo shows throughout October 2014. For more information, please visit noampikelny.com.
Aoife O’Donovan and Noam Pikelny have been crossing paths for more than a decade, so the magic between these virtuosos finally hitting the national stage with their own ensemble was only a matter of time. In 2012, the duo initially collaborated when Pikelny featured O’Donovan as a guest vocalist on his GRAMMY® nominated, Beat the Devil & Carry a Rail. What followed, was a dream come true, when the gifted singer appeared on his album release tour. Pikelny remembers, “I was out on the road, promoting a mostly instrumental album, but somehow was lucky enough to have my favorite singer in the world, Aoife O’Donovan, in the band.” On the tour, the duo rearranged several of O’Donovan’s originals as well as some old bluegrass favorites. O’Donovan praises Pikelny’s musical brilliance, saying “Noam’s ability as a musician goes far beyond his virtuosity as a banjoist. He’s a truly keen listener and an unbelievable arranger. As a singer, there’s nobody else I’d rather have backing me up.”
Winner of the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass (2010), Pikelny is a founding member of the Punch Brothers — a string ensemble hailed by the Boston Globe as “a virtuosic revelation,” and which The New Yorker describes as “wide-ranging and restlessly imaginative.” In 2012, his second solo release Beat The Devil and Carry A Rail received a GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Bluegrass Album.” His follow-up 2013 album, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, marks the first complete banjo adaptation of Kenny Baker’s 1976 seminal recording of Bill Monroe instrumentals. The New York Times describes Noam’s reinvention of the classic Bluegrass canon as “a token of reverence, a feat of translation and a show of dominion.”
Over the last eight years with Punch Brothers, Pikelny has redefined the role of the banjo with his inimitable melodic work helping propel the instrument into mainstream music. Alongside Punch Brothers, he’s collaborated with the likes of Wilco, Fiona Apple, Norah Jones, and Jon Brion for the soundtrack to This is 40, a feature song on The Hunger Games soundtrack, and a collaboration with Marcus Mumford for the Coen Brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis. He’s shared the stage with The Decemberists, Béla Fleck, Dave Douglas, Steve Martin, Marcus Mumford, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and members of the Lincoln Center Chamber Orchestra.
As the lead singer/founder of Crooked Still and female folk-noir trio Sometymes Why, Aoife O’Donovan has brought her remarkable talents to the attention of some of the most esteemed performers across roots, classical, bluegrass, and jazz. She wrote the famous “Lay My Burden Down”, originally featured on Alison Krauss’s number one country album, Paper Airplane, and has appeared as a special guest on A Prairie Home Companion. The vocalist was even recruited to record on the 2013 GRAMMY®-winning The Goat Rodeo Sessions, alongside stalwart musicians Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, and Stuart Duncan.
Touted “a must-listen blend of bluegrass, folk and back-porch Americana” by Rolling Stone, O’Donovan’s solo effort Fossils was released in 2013, and she’s currently working on her highly-anticipated sophomore release due out in 2015. Produced by Tucker Martine(The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket), Fossils features ten original songs and standout contributions from friends and frequent collaborators, including Sam Amidon and Dave Douglas. Rich in songs and unexpected textures, it bears a remarkable collaboration showcasing O’Donovan and Martine’s creative partnership.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see these fine musicians on stage together this fall in select cities across the US!
Aoife O’Donovan & Noam Pikelny — November 2014 Tour Dates:
November 1 – Peery Egyptian Theatre – Ogden, UT
November 2 – Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix, AZ
November 3 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO
November 4 – Strings Music Festival – Steamboat Springs, CO
November 6 – Stoughton Opera House – Stoughton, WI
November 7 – North Shore Center for the Performing Arts – Skokie, IL
November 8 – Lincoln Theatre – Columbus, OH
November 9 – Buskirk-Chumley Theater – Bloomington, IN
November 11 – The Ark – Ann Arbor, MI
November 12 – Music Box Supper Club – Cleveland, OH
