"The Clara Barton Sessions were recorded in one night, from sundown to sunup, on March 14-15, 2015 in the Office of Missing Soldiers in downtown Washington, DC. This is the space in which Clara Barton lived from 1859 to 1867, and where she and her staff answered 63,000 letters inquiring after missing soldiers of the Civil War. Through their work in this office, Clara Barton and her staff identified the fates of 22,000 soldiers.
Each musician chose a song from the Civil War era that could have echoed in these rooms, and each composed new songs addressing the personal toll of the war on soldiers and civilians alike. We gathered through our love of music and its history and collaborated to honor Clara Barton, her legacy, and the era in which she lived and worked.
This is not a reenactment or a period piece, but rather a demonstration of the living tradition of music that transcends through time, as authentic now as it was 150 years ago.
Our immense gratitude goes to our families and friends for supporting us, helping us grow, and encouraging us to follow wherever the music leads. This project was made possible through a crowd-funding campaign.
Our sincere gratitude to all of our donors who made it a reality, and special thanks to: Audrey Basler, Paul Bohman, Michael Brooks, Dave Casserly, Joan Danzansky, Andrea Een, James Een, Tom and Kris Fahey, Hans Fex, Stephen Francis, Lucas and Stacie Frerichs, David Frye, Katy Gift, Rebecca and Mark Goodwin, Jack Gregori, Amine Hajji, Stratton Hammon, Luanne Houck, Eric Jacobson, Kenneth I. Johnson, Peggy Johnson, Dean Kauffman, Judith Kinnard, Bill and Camille Koertner, Brian Kram, Lisa Markuson, Maryjo Mattea, Arlyce Menzies, Emily Bernstein Messner, Jerry and Cathy Milne, David and Amanda Mitchell, Eric Mucklow, New York Brogue, Brendan Orsinger, Nancy Paddleford, Lynn Scott Paden, Richard and Sue, Jack and Mary Beth Richards, Drew Rindfleisch and Cassandra Price, Lynn Rosen, Don and Julie Saylor, Kim Schwantes, David Schwartz, Kenneth Schwartz, Jay Smith, Marilyn Stoner, Andrea Vazzano, and Tom Wasaff.
credits
released August 24, 2015
Musicians:
Greg Adams
Manny Arciniega
Anders Fahey
Brian E. Farrow
Marty Frye
Jonny Grave
Jonathan Een Newton
Kate Saylor
Laura Schwartz
Margaret Wasaff
Jonny Grave is a guitarist, songwriter, singer, bandleader, teacher, musical historian, and guitar repair tech from
Washington DC. Growing up in a very musical family, Grave was introduced to the sounds of American traditional folk music early on. At age fifteen he found himself learning slide guitar techniques from old Blues records, and by seventeen he was performing them live....more
The second album by French-Moroccan power quartet Bab L' Bluz is packed with dizzying melodies and rich instrumentation. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 14, 2024
A concept record about coming-of-age gleefully grifts from all types of rock music, from garage to glam to power pop. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 13, 2022
Inspired by their travels in New Orleans, Naples, and the UK, the “Italian-hills country blues” duo pen a global love letter to roots music. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2022