Contemporary folk with a New York City groove - 10,000 Maniacs meets John Gorka - in a dark alley.

14 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Folk Pop, FOLK: Power-folk



Details:
After bursting onto the folk scene with "Smile Whatever" in December 2001, Elizabeth Records' winsome quartet CC RAILROAD has just announced the release of their second full-length disc, Black Horse Motel, a thirteen-song collection of new tunes and concert favorites - twelve penned, as usual, by the band members individually, plus their very first four-way collaboration on the album's title song.

Produced by Andy Fox and Denise O'Brien (noted for their work on WE'RE ABOUT 9's "Engine" and ERIK BALKEY's "Negotiations & Compromise" as well as their own collaboration as ANDY & DENISE on "Go"), "Black Horse Motel" showcases CC RAILROAD at their instrument-switching, harmony-juggling best, bringing their trademark splash of urban groove to traditional North American folk forms. CC RAILROAD borrows from several roots music genres on Black Horse Motel - with echoes of Nashville in "Don't Ask," Kentucky bluegrass in "Start the Process," Chicago blues in "Last Night," western cowboy ballads in "Seven Years" and "Black Horse Motel" and even a dash of Turkish spice in "Mile After Mile" - and filters each through a distinctly New York City-tinted lens, crafting a full-bodied, energetic contemporary folk sound with a bit of urban bite.

"We wanted to create a more 'mature' sound with this record while still retaining the sense of fun and spontaneity we achieved with 'Smile Whatever,'" guitarist Rich Boniface commented. "The characters roaming the halls of Black Horse Motel lean more toward the world-weary and disillusioned than those on our first record. I suppose we've all grown up a bit in the last few years, but that doesn't mean we've lost our sense of humor. 'Black Horse Motel' just shows a darker side of CC RAILROAD."

CC RAILROAD's members - Rich Boniface, Ryder Daniels, Cheryl Prashker and Carolann Solebello - teamed up at a Manhattan open mic in the summer of 1999 and have been collaborating ever since. CC RAILROAD has played in coffeehouses and listening rooms all over the eastern United States, including The Bitter End and Postcrypt Coffeehouse in their hometown of New York City, Jammin' Java (Vienna, VA), The Stone Pony (Asbury Park, NJ), Minstrel Coffeehouse (Morristown, NJ), The Point (Bryn Mawr, PA), Fire & Water (Northampton, MA), Iota Club & Café (Arlington, VA) and Six String Café (Cary, NC).

CC RAILROAD is lucky enough to count among their fans the enchanting Christine Lavin, who says of the quartet, "I may be an aging folk diva, but in my heart, I'm a CC Railroad wannabe."

For more information, visit www.ccrailroad.com