Innovative acoustic music. Great harmonies, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, harmonica, octave mandolin. Recorded in real time. Well-crafted songwriting, full of depth and emotion.

5 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Folk Pop, COUNTRY: Bluegrass



Details:
The core of Tim Thornton and Laurie Momary Thorntonâs new musical endeavor, The Blackthorn Project, is wood: a mandolin and a fiddle. The rich melodic and percussive tones resonating through these instruments create the foundation of The Blackthorn Projectâs progressive acoustic music. But itâs the tenderness of Laurieâs vocals and the earthiness of Timâs, combined with the pairâs captivating songwriting, that set the project well-apart from garden-variety folk duos.

The Blackthorn Project is named for the Irish âtree of strife.â Blackthorn is the original translation of the Irish name Thornton, and the tree is symbolic of the enduring struggle against oppression and adversity. Appropriately, the Boulder, Colorado multi-instrumentalists are interested in music as an authentic look at life and our innate desire to live it in freedom. The life of faith is a common thread in many songs, whether in the Thorntons' own distinctive writing styles or their innovative adaptations of hymns, traditional melodies, or even fiddle tunes. They believe that people can be connected to each other through music, storytelling, and songwriting, and they want to be a part of this across cultures.

Tim and Laurie are individually and collectively well-established performers and songwriters. Sought-after artists for both live and studio projects, the duo has a combined 25 years of on-stage experience. During their years with the Boulder-based band Newcomers Home, the pair toured extensively throughout the country, sharing the stage with acts like Nanci Griffith, Pat Green, Leftover Salmon, and the Jazz Mandolin Project.

Eventually, they and the rest of Newcomers Home recorded with renowned producer/engineer Gary Paczosa (Nickel Creek, Mindy Smith, Dolly Parton). Their unique musicianship also found its way through the bandwidth of stations like KBCO, KGNU, KCSU, KUNC and others across the country. Laurie penned the song âDrive,â which appeared on one of Boulderâs popular KBCO Studio C compilations, and both Tim and Laurie have played on numerous recordings outside the scope of Newcomers Home (see discography).

The Blackthorn Project is just that, a project. Tim and Laurie enjoy not knowing where their music will take them. In addition to mandolin and fiddle, Tim and Laurie incorporate diverse instrumentation onstage such as octave mandolin, viola, guitar, and harmonica. They are setting forth to collaborate with other musicians, visual artists, teachers, humanitarian workers, and others to promote and encourage love and creativity in and out of the country. Expect the first Blackthorn Project release in fall 2006.