New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sea Cliff, NY-based Americana singer-songwriter
Roger Street Friedman is set to release a new stand-alone single, "Poison in the Cut," on
September 25, 2020, via Nashville-based label Rock Ridge Music. Produced by Friedman himself and recorded in June at his studio, The Playroom, the song was written in response to the murder of
George Floyd. "I think that left most of the country feeling disgusted and like we'd had enough," says Friedman.
He continues: "The song is about the wound of racism that has never healed, even though the narrative we learned in school, in the movies, and on TV was that everything was 'fixed' with the end of slavery. You know, Lincoln freed the slaves, and all was well. That's the original lie. The song is about how racism has been inculcated into every segment of our society. Even after slavery ended, all the way through reconstruction and the Civil Rights movement, and after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there have been implicit and explicit biases that have held the African American community down. Ongoing discrimination in education, housing, healthcare, banking, and criminal justice has impeded the ability of entire generations to achieve the dream of true equality. The song, written from the perspective of a white man who is standing with the African American community in this movement, envisions a reckoning with our actual history, not the mythology we were taught, by shining a bright light on this structural racism as a way to finally, at long last, heal the nation."
Joining Friedman on the track is the rhythm section of his band (Jim Toscano on drums and Matt Schneider on bass), who recorded their parts in their own studios. Jeff Kazee (of the Asbury Jukes), who played piano on the track, also supplied his portion from afar. The contributions weave together seamlessly, as though the musicians had been side-by-side in the studio. Friedman is currently working on a video to accompany the song.
"Poison in the Cut" is the follow-up to Friedman's critically lauded April 2020 album, Rise, which was produced by Grammy-winning producer Larry Campbell (a longtime collaborator of Levon Helm). American Songwriter praised the "poise of the arrangements and perfected production," while Goldmine Magazine called it "sumptuous… [with] affecting musical vignettes… Inspiring and infectious… striking and seductive… It's the culmination of a career that's seen his reputation elevated to upper strata of today's most consistent Americana artists." American Blues Scene was fond of the "honest, vulnerable songwriting that has won Friedman praise everywhere," and Americana-UK espoused the "excellent songcraft," dubbing it "delicate and beautiful."
On the heels of "Poison in the Cut," Friedman also plans to release "Carry Me (acoustic) feat. Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams and Lucy Kaplansky" on October 9, 2020. An album track from the aforementioned Rise, "Carry Me" in this acoustic version as a stand-alone single casts a new light upon the song, mixing some of the original parts with some new elements overdubbed, lending a more organic vibe. The album version's original acoustic guitar part (played by Friedman), upright bass (Matt Schneider), mandolin and pedal steel (Larry Campbell), and background vocals (Teresa Williams and Lucy Kaplansky) are woven with new lead vocals by Friedman, as well as a new, lead acoustic guitar part artfully played by Friedman and showcasing an aspect of his skillful guitar work not present on his past releases. The resulting track is a more gentle, soothing version of an album favorite, of both the fans and Friedman himself. "This song was written when I was down in Nashville," he recalls. "I was alone one night in the little bungalow I'd rented after a writing session and was really missing my wife and kids. It's about the dichotomy of wanting to be with them but knowing that my career means I have to be on the road a lot of the time."
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, being on the road is not possible at the moment; fans eager to see Friedman live can do so via a series of livestreams from his studio in the coming weeks; each performance is scheduled at 7 p.m. eastern time. Friedman will kick things off on his Facebook page on
September 18th; he will play a special show sponsored by Isis
Music Hall in Asheville, NC on the Mountain
Spirit Coffee House Facebook page on
September 24th, which will celebrate the release of "Poison in the Cut"; and he will round out the trio of livestreams back on his own Facebook page on October 9th to mark the release of "Carry Me (acoustic)" the same day.
The award-winning singer-songwriter has consistently released honest, vulnerable songs that have won Friedman praise everywhere from USA Today to No Depression - reflective vignettes recalling the singer-songwriter tradition of
Marc Cohn and Robbie Robertson, set to a blend of folk-rock, progressive Americana, and soulful R&B. Friedman was bitten by the music bug early, learning to write songs and even developing his studio engineering skills. It was an avocation, however, until a combination of events - the deaths of his father and mother, marriage, and, later, the births of his two children - steered Friedman back to music, leading to the acclaimed 2014 debut, The Waiting Sky, and 2017's Shoot The Moon, which reached #2 on the
Roots Music Report Americana Country Album Chart and spent 25 weeks in the top 20.
https://www.rogerstreetfriedman.com/
https://twitter.com/rsfmusic
https://instagram.com/rogerstreetfriedman
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlYME_0HfmGs73o2fRWh0g
https://www.facebook.com/rogerstreetfriedman
