Americana songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Sylvia Rose Novak releases her highly-anticipated album, Someone Else’s War. Led by Novak’s remarkable lyrics and pitch-perfect harmonies, the album has received acclaim from Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Wide Open Country, and Folk Radio UK, who complemented the songwriter’s poetic lyrics saying, “the same Southern Gothic blood that runs through the work of Faulkner, Carson McCullers and McCarthy also courses through Novak’s veins.” Self-produced by Novak, the album was recorded and engineered by Lester Nuby III at Ol Elegante in Birmingham, AL. Someone Else’s War is available for purchase on Apple Music and through Novak’s website.
Creating a moving personal statement both lyrically and musically, Someone Else’s War rolls up and down like a highway, introducing itself with an airy lament in “Wildflowers”, and culminating with the closing track “Santa Ana,” a devastating and powerful composition that will leave listeners haunted.
Novak excelled at any instrument put in front of her, whether it was piano in her early years, trombone in middle school and high school bands or the cheap red Silvertone bass that her father bought her at age 12. Since then, Novak has mastered a multitude of instruments including banjo, pedal steel, mandolin, and violin.
Growing up in Opelika, Alabama, as a “first-generation” Southerner — her mother being from Massachusetts and her father from South Dakota — Novak frequently bucked against many of the conventions and mores of South during her formative years. When one of her high school teachers introduced her to Southern Gothic literature, Novak became transfixed on the duality of the region and, as a result, began to attempt to write Southern Gothic literature of her own. With one unpublished short story and a myriad of crumpled poems tucked away, Novak gave up her pursuit of writing for several years. Until, purely by happenstance, she wrote her first song in the winter of 2012.
She performed her first fiddling gig in August 2013 playing with Chris Posey, who encouraged her to release her first album, “Chasing Ghosts,” in 2014 while she was working as a horse trainer and luthier’s apprentice. “Chasing Ghosts” earned international critical acclaim. As one reviewer said, “With songs about murder, love, regret, and the kind of obsession that would impress the NASA diaper lady, Novak strikes all the right notes on her exciting debut.”
She continued to work with Posey for several years, as well as having the pleasure to play a few one-off shows with Kyle Wilson and Adam Hood and stand in with Levi Lowery. Novak has opened for The Mulligan Brothers, Chris Knight, Caleb Caudle, Belle Adair, American Aquarium, Will Hoge, and Rod Picott.
For more information on Sylvia Rose Novak, please visit: https://sylviarosenovak.com/
Tour Dates:
Oct 5 – The Sound Wall – Opelika, AL – *Album Release Show*
Oct 7 – Grindhouse Killer Burgers – Athens, GA
Oct 13 – Smoot’s Grocery – Natchez, MS
Oct 26 – Uptown Art House – Marble Falls, TX
Oct 27 – Six Springs Tavern – Richardson, TX
Oct 28 – The Blue Door – Oklahoma City, OK
Nov 2 – Lost Province Brewing Co. – Boone, NC
Nov 3 – The Honeysuckle Tea House – Chapel Hill, NC
Nov 4 – ACC – Athens, GA
Nov 9 – The Julep Room – Ocean Springs, MS
Nov 10 – Celtic Irish Pub – Pascagoula, MS
Nov 14 – Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge – Madison, TN
Nov 16 – Rogue Tavern – Birmingham, AL
Nov 17 – Play Selma Music Hall – Selma, AL
Nov 18 – Standard Deluxe – Waverly, AL
