Mark Erelli

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About Mark Erelli

With his blue-collar work ethic, earthy poeticism, and storyteller's gift, Mark Erelli has built a substantial and prolific career as an Americana journeyman. At the turn of the millennium, the Boston singer/songwriter established himself as a staple of New England's folk and roots music scenes and over the next two decades delivered an array of consistently strong albums while touring tirelessly on both sides of the Atlantic. From early highlights like 2001's Compass & Companion to collaborations with the Darwin Song Project and Jeffrey Foucault as well as his work in the 2010s as a member of the rousing bluegrass outfit, Barnstar, Erelli has shown his range while forging a signature sound. After exploring a number of different projects including a Bill Morrissey tribute and covers album, he returned in 2020 with another high quality set of originals in Blindsided. Erelli made a splash when he appeared on the music scene in 1999 with an eponymous debut from Signature Sounds. Critics from Billboard to the Boston Herald sang the musician's praises, and the Kerrville New Folk Contest named him top dog in its competition. Erelli followed up two years later with the album Compass & Companion, drawing more accolades as well as a pair of nominations from the Boston Music Awards. Kelly Willis appeared on the album, singing with Erelli on the title song. He supported the release with numerous shows and festival appearances across the U.S., including Alaska. He also shared the stage with such like-minded artists as Gillian Welch, Dave Alvin, Buddy and Julie Miller, and John Hiatt. Erelli went on to release The Memorial Hall Recordings in 2002, an album of original material and traditional tunes that he recorded in a Civil War-era hall in Massachusetts. Recording sessions were wrapped up in less than a week without the aid of overdubs or other modern enhancements. Hillbilly Pilgrim arrived in 2004, and Hope & Other Casualties followed two years ago. The latter album featured a cover of Ron Sexsmith's "God Loves Everyone" as well as instrumental contributions from producer Lorne Entress. After touring in support of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's "Soul 2 Soul" tour, Erelli returned to the studio for Delivered, his seventh album for the Signature Sounds label. Joining up with U.K. artists like Jez Lowe and Karine Polwart, Erelli took part in the Darwin Song Project in Shrewsbury, England which yielded the 2009 collaborative live album of the same name. Another collaboration, this time with Americana singer/songwriter, Jeffrey Foucault, was devoted to reinterpretations of classic murder ballads and appeared in 2010 along with his next solo album, Little Vigils. A new project called Barnstar made its first appearance in 2011. A high energy bluegrass combo formed by bassist and longtime producer Zachariah Hickman, Erelli served as the group's guitarist and co-singer on their debut album, C'Mon. By this point, Erelli had managed a new release of some sort for nearly every year of his career. Taking a bit of a breather between projects, it would be almost three years until he returned with 2014's Milltowns, his tribute album to the late New England songwriter Bill Morrissey. After Barnstar's second outing, Sit Down! Get Up! Get Out! in 2015, Erelli finally returned to his own music on 2016's For a Song, his first set of all-original material in six years. 2018's Mixtape saw him covering a wide range of artists from Richard Thompson to Arcade Fire. Erelli kicked off the next decade with another all-original set in 2020's Blindsided. ~ Linda Seida

HOMETOWN
Boston, MA, United States
BORN
20 June 1974
GENRE
Singer/Songwriter

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