Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby has delivered a new album with his long-running band, The Noisemakers titled Rehab Reunion due to be released June 17th on 429 Records. The iconoclast pushes the envelope once again, putting his piano aside and writing and recording solely on the dulcimer throughout.
“Some may ask, ‘Why?’, ‘What in the world?'” Hornsby says of Rehab Reunion. “What I’m doing here is not about virtuosity: It’s about a song and a singer.”
Produced by Hornsby and recorded in his Tossington Sound studio in Williamsburg, VA, Rehab Reunion reflects a refreshing approach to his songwriting further solidifying his reputation for uncompromising artistry. The piano-free ten song recording features the Noisemakers—J.T. Thomas (organ), J.V. Collier (bass), Sonny Emory (washboard, cajon, drums), Gibb Droll (electric and acoustic guitar) and Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin)—and guest stars Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) singing falsetto harmony on the emotional and epic first single “Over the Rise” and the legendary Mavis Staples delivering a rousing gospel performance with Hornsby on “Celestial Railroad.”
“In my piano writing,” Hornsby says, “I’ve gotten really bored with triads. I’ve been that way for years. My piano writing has become more strange, chromatic and dissonant. But on the dulcimer I love the limited palette that you’re allowed to paint with. It’s just the white notes – it’s not even like a guitar, where the whole chromatic scale is on the fret board. On the dulcimer it’s just an old-timey instrument. It’s just scalar. So it limits your range and it makes you write real simple songs. I kept writing more and more. And all of a sudden the record needed to be made. ”
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers will embark on an extensive summer tour in support of Rehab Reunion which features a stop at Funhouse Festival, a multi-day festival in Williamsburg VA curated by Hornsby and featuring performances of Rehab Reunion and The Way It Is in their entirety. The Funhouse Fest will also feature performances from Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder, Colvin & Earle, Greensky Bluegrass, Taj Mahal, Railroad Earth & more. Single day tickets to Funhouse Festival are now available for purchase.
BUY CD
Track Listing:
- Over the Rise (featuring Justin Vernon)
- Soon Enough
- M.I.A. in M.I.A.M.I.
- Tipping
- Rehab Reunion
- Hey Kafka
- Tropical Cashmere Sweater
- TSA Man
- The Valley Road
- Celestial Road (featuring Mavis Staples)
