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Charlie Parr Drops New Album 'Little Sun'
Across these eight tracks, Parr offers a clarifying work that reflects on the world and people around him.
By: Michael Major Mar. 22, 2024
Minnesota-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Charlie Parr's new album, Little Sun, is out today via Smithsonian Folkways.
Notably his first ever album to not be recorded entirely live, Little Sun was produced by close friend and collaborator Tucker Martine (Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket) in Portland, OR during the worst snowstorm the city had seen in decades. Across these eight tracks, Parr offers a clarifying work that reflects on the world and people around him.
Relentlessly on the road, Parr has performed across the world for the past two decades, earning his reputation as an underground DIY legend. Parr will continue to tour through this summer including shows at Nashville's American Legion Post 82, Denver's Bluebird Theater, Seattle's The Crocodile, San Francisco's The Chapel, Los Angeles' Gold Diggers, Minneapolis' First Avenue, St. Louis' The Old Rock House and Kansas City's recordBar among many others. See below for complete tour itinerary. Full details can be found at www.charlieparr.com/tour-dates.
Of the project, Parr shares, “Up until this very album, my recordings have always been done live, with few if any overdubs and nearly always the first take—leave all the mistakes, missed lyrics, extraneous noise, and whatever else might happen there for the ages. Most records have been recorded in roughly the time that it took to play the songs. And that's been fine, actually. Here's a new way for me, though: here's an album that was recorded live but in collaboration with producer Tucker Martine, who's become a friend and trusted musical ally. You'll hear what happened, so I don't need to describe it to you, but I'm very grateful for the opportunity to work with this very talented group of musicians.”
In addition to Parr (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Little Sun—the prolific artist's eighteenth album—features highly acclaimed guitarist Marisa Anderson as well as background vocals from Anna Tivel along with Andrew Borger (drums, percussion), Asher Fulero (piano, Hammond, keys) and Victor Krummenacher (electric bass, upright bass, bass VI).
Born in Austin, MN and now based in Duluth, MN, Parr has seventeen albums since his 2002 debut including his most recent, 2021's Last of the Better Days Ahead, of which No Depression praised, “They don't make them like Parr anymore—the sponge-like folk troubadour that imparts all he's absorbed, beckoning us closer to sit cross-legged at his feet and listen, and to find crumbs of our own stories within his.”
Additionally, Acoustic Guitar declared, “chock full of memories and energy with a sprightly sense of adventure” and Americana Highways proclaimed, “in the realm of traditional acoustic blues and folk very few people master it. With Parr's latest release he has done just that.” In addition to his work as a musician, Parr also released his debut novel, Last of the Better Days Ahead, in the fall of 2022.
CHARLIE PARR CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
March 22—Nashville, TN—American Legion Post 82
March 23—Lexington, KY—The Burl
April 3—Boulder, CO—eTown Hall
April 4—Denver, CO—Bluebird Theater‡
April 5—Fort Collins, CO—The Armory‡
April 6—Salt Lake City, UT—Commonwealth‡
April 7—Boise, ID—El Korah Shrine‡
April 9—Bozeman, MT—The Elm#
April 10—Missoula, MT—The Wilma#
April 11—Spokane, WA—District#
April 12—Seattle, WA—The Crocodile#
April 13—Portland, OR—Polaris Hall#
April 14—Arcata, CA—Humbrews#
April 16—San Francisco, CA—The Chapel#
April 17—Mariposa, CA—The Grove House#
April 18—Los Angeles, CA—Gold Diggers#
April 19—Phoenix, AZ—Valley Bar#
April 20—Flagstaff, AZ—Yucca North#
April 21—Albuquerque, NM—Fusion#
April 27—Austin, MN—Paramount Theatre
May 3—Minneapolis, MN—First Avenue^
May 4—Fargo, ND—Fargo Brewing Company
May 18—Mineral Point, WI—The Mineral Point Opera House
May 19—Des Moines, IA—XBK Live
May 21—St. Louis, MO—The Old Rock House
May 22—Little Rock, AR—White Water Tavern
May 23—McAlster, OK—Spaceship Earth
May 24—Eureka Springs, AR—Strings of the Kings 2024
May 25—Kansas City, MO—recordBar
May 26—Maquoketa, IA—Codfish Hollow Barnstormers
June 6—Marquette, MI—Ore Dock Brewing Company
June 7—Ontonagon, MI—Ontonagon Theatre of Performing Arts
June 14—Saint Joseph, MN—Milk & Honey Ciders
June 22—River Falls, WI—Kinnistock
June 29—Bayfield, WI—Big Top Chautauqua
July 13—Monticello, MN—Nordic Folk Festival
July 19—Oak Hill, NY—Grey Fox Festival
September 5—Baars, Netherlands—Speelplaats Baars
September 6—Mechelen, Belgium—Outdoor Willowfest 42
September 7—Herent, Belgium—Sortie Blues
September 8—Eindhoven, Netherlands—Effenaar
September 9—Lint, Belgium—Het Groot Verzet
September 10—Couentry, U.K.—The Tin Music and Arts
September 11—Glasgow, U.K.—The Glad Café C.I.C
September 12—Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K.—Cluny
September 13—Abergavenny, U.K.—The Art Shop & Chapel
September 14—Manchester, U.K.—Gullivers
September 15—Birkenhead, U.K.—Future Yard CIC
September 16—Sheffield, U.K.—Greystones
September 17—Birmingham, U.K.—Kitchen Garden Café
September 18—Bristol, U.K.—Exchange
September 19—Pocklington, U.K.—Pocklington Arts Centre
September 20—London, U.K.—Moth Club
September 21—Dorking, U.K.—Saint Mary’s Pixham
September 22—Lewes, U.K.—Lewes Con Club
September 24—Middleburg, Netherlands—De Spot
September 28—Bremen, Germany—Schule 21 E.U.
September 29—Saarlouis, Germany—Tennis Club Saarlouis Roden
October 2—Zurich, Switzerland—Bogen F
October 5—Hatowice, Poland—Rawa Blues Festival
October 6—Hlavní Město Praha, Czechia—Zasekávák
October 8—Bergneustadt, Germany—Schauspielhaus Bergneustadt
October 9—Berlin, Germany—PrivatClub
October 10—Norderstedt, Germany—Music Star
October 11—Copenhagen, Denmark—Beta
October 13—Rotterdam, Netherlands—New Grounds
*with special guest Two Runner
+with special guest The Wildmans
†with special guest The Resonant Rogues
‡with special guest Anna Tival
#with special guest The Lowest Pair
^with special guests Mama’s Broke and Marisa Anderson
photo credit: Shelly Mosman
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