December 6, 2008

Sufjan gets behind the Welcome Wagon

If you showed me the cover of this (2008!!) album from Brooklyn’s Welcome Wagon and asked me if’n I would like to borrow it from you and listen to it, my first reaction would be “No.” That would be based largely on the fairly unbelievable cover. But shucks — beyond that Seventies-tastic artwork lies a whole downpour of wholehearted harmonies and majestic banjos on this debut album from Rev. Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique. As it helpfully says on the cover, “Pastor and wife join voices in sacred foks songs for All Ages.”

The album was produced, recorded, and arranged by Sufjan Stevens, and this song was originally written by past Sufjan collaborators Danielson Familie. Fans of Sufjan’s music will appreciate the same childlike delight and shiny newness in their music.

Sold! To The Nice Rich Man – The Welcome Man

Welcome To The Welcome Wagon is out December 9th, and that night they are playing St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Brooklyn.

[thanks bruce!]

4 Comments

  • I attended a bible study (RUF) led by Vito at NYU in 2003. It’s so cool to know that his songs are finally getting a wide audience!

    Anonymous — December 7, 2008 @ 6:34 pm

  • I can’t stop listening to this!

    LMS — December 10, 2008 @ 12:27 pm

  • Big article in this month’s Paste about them

    aims — December 11, 2008 @ 10:11 am

  • If you love banjos and stuff, check out the mandolin man of Albany – Matthew Loiacono, and his amazing album “Kentucky.” You can find him at http://www.heartstack.org. Hope you dig him as much as we do at our station, Exit 97.7, WEXT.

    chris — January 1, 2009 @ 9:32 pm

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Bio Pic Name: Heather Browne
Location: Colorado, originally by way of California
Giving context to the torrent since 2005.

"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel."
—Hunter S. Thompson

Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.

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