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Jeffrey Foucault and Mark Erelli, "Seven Curses"

Unity Church
Lawrence, KS

Surprisingly, the genesis of this collection of murder ballads was a lullaby. "Jeff and I were picking a bit in his apartment one day, and we made an informal recording of a Tom Petty song," explains Erelli. "I was really taken with the blend of our voices and kept the tape. Shortly thereafter, I recorded a CD of lullabies and included that track." When the two began to explore recording an album jointly, they knew it would feature their unique harmonies, a burnished combination that leans more towards the Everly Brothers than the Louvin Brothers.

When deciding on a specific grammar for the project, Erelli and Foucault settled quickly on a way to whittle down possible material. "Each of us is sort of a troubadour in his own right, so we're naturally drawn to strong stories and songs with a palpable sense of something important being laid on the line," offers Erelli.

This led the pair to a dark little backwater of American music, where tales of gamblers, cowboys and love gone wrong are the coin of the realm--the murder ballad.

On Seven Curses, Foucault and Erelli apply their uncanny harmony arrangements to a list of songs that decidedly expands the genre: Blackie Farrell's dusty cowboy ballad "Sonora's Death Row" brushes shoulders with Neil Young's mystical narrative "PowderfingerÃ¢ÂÂ" Porter Wagoner's darkly comic "The First Mrs. Jones" makes a stark contrast to the bleak beauty of Paul Siebel's "Louise." Jaunty and doomed, the characters in these songs inhabit a world where everything hinges on a single irretrievable act, and a reckoning looms.

"This project is way more than just a body count," says Erelli. "Some of these songs have been around for hundreds of years, some only for a decade or so, but they all speak to some fundamental truth about human nature."

Mark Erelli and Jeffrey Foucault are critically acclaimed veterans of the Americana circuit, each having made a series of well-received solo albums. To support Seven Curses, the pair will team up for a short run of summer concert dates in the Northeast. Fans can expect the two to share the stage for the entire show, switching instruments and lead vocals on material from Seven Curses, as well as additional covers and selections from their own catalogues.

Kid Friendly: No

Dog Friendly: No

Non-Smoking: No

Wheelchair Accessible: No

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