News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

ANDERS OSBORNE - PAGE 2


BIO:
“Anders Osborne is a triple threat as a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. He can play the gutbucket bluesman and hot guitar slinger, and he can play the sensitive, soulful singer/songwriter, and he’s excellent at both. Mastering either genre puts you in select company. Mastering both is mind-bogglingly great.” –Paste Between the sheer force and potent lyricism of his guitar playing, the riveting depth of his songwriting and the straight-from-the-soul conviction of his vocals, New Orleans’ Anders Osborne is among the most original and visionary musicians writing and performing today. Relix says Osborne plays “hard-hitting songs” featuring his “raging, expressive guitar and soulful singing…from scorched-earth rock to sweet, tender ballads.” OFFBEAT magazine recently named Osborne the Crescent City’s Best Guitarist for the second straight year, and also awarded him with the Best Roots Rock Artist title. GUITAR PLAYER called him, “The poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile roots music scene.” Since the release of his 2010 Alligator Records debut, AMERICAN PATCHWORK, Osborne has toured virtually non-stop, performing with his own band, solo with Keb Mo, with The Stanton Moore Trio, alongside Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and with Luther Dickinson as well as with The Voice Of The Wetlands All-Stars. He appears on Galactic’s song DARK WATER from their YA-KA-MAY album, and in 2011 produced and played on critically acclaimed albums by Tab Benoit, Johnny Sansone and Mike Zito. Along the way, he also found time to write and record the next chapter in his still-unfolding career, BLACK EYE GALAXY. Live, Osborne is a force to behold. His wildly energetic, physical performances find him ripping notes out of his guitar, forcing out intense steel-on-steel slide solos, pouring his entire soul into his vocals. His piercing guitar playing, slide work and fluid finger picking (oftentimes happening simultaneously) are simply unmatched. His use of Open D tuning (a rare choice for a guitar virtuoso) gives his fretwork a signature sound and feel. “I first heard Open D on Joni Mitchell’s BLUE,” he says, “and my fingers just fit the tuning.” His influences range from Ry Cooder and Robert Johnson to the great horn players like Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Past gigs include repeated appearances at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, stops at Bonnaroo, The High Sierra Festival, The Telluride Blues Festival, The Hollowbaloo Music & Arts Festival in Honolulu, The Voice Of The Wetlands and an appearance at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He has toured North America and Europe extensively, and is constantly in demand as a guitarist, songwriter and producer. Since his recording debut in 1989, Osborne has written virtually all of his own material and contributed memorable songs to a wide variety of artists. Two tunes co-written by Osborne appear on blues great Keb Mo’s Grammy-winning 1999 release Slow Down. Country superstar Tim McGraw scored a #1 hit with Anders’ song “Watch The Wind Blow By.” Osborne’s compositions have been covered by artists as diverse as Brad Paisley, Tab Benoit, Jonny Lang and Kim Carnes. His song “What’s Going On Here” appeared in the 1996 feature film FLED, and Osborne, along with Ivan Neville, wrote and recorded the title track for the 2010 Kate Hudson film EARTHBOUND. He can also be seen performing in a recent episode of HBO’s New Orleans-based drama, TREME. Osborne was destined to live in New Orleans, and it’s no surprise he’s become one of the city’s favorite sons. His path home, however, was a long and winding one. He was born in Uddevalla, Sweden in 1966. His father was a professional touring jazz drummer who played all over Europe and was exposed to a lot of styles of popular American music. He brought home reel-to-reel recordings of jazz, R&B and early rock ‘n’ roll from artists as diverse as Little Richard, Fats Domino, Bill Haley, Art Pepper and Miles Davis. As a teen, Anders started playing guitar and listening to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, and Joni Mitchell records. He fell in love with the vocal styles of Ray Charles, Van Morrison and Lowell George. Then he heard the blues of Robert Johnson and recordings of African drumming, and suddenly, everything clicked. “Blues connected everything together for me,” Osborne recalls. “The early rock, the R&B, the jazz, the singer-songwriters. Blues was like a thread running through everything.” With a serious case of wanderlust, Anders began traveling on his own at 16. For the next four years, he hitchhiked across Europe, North Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, earning money by doing odd jobs and performing on the street or in bars at every opportunity. He worked assembly lines in Israel and dug ditches in Greece. He picked fruits and vegetables in many locales, following the harvest seasons across Europe. He wrote constantly, soaking up the life experience and honing his craft. In 1985, after landing in New York with only $5.00 in his pocket, Osborne hitchhiked to New Orleans to meet up with a friend. “Once I got to New Orleans, everything I heard in my head — the music, the way people treated each other — was happening. I knew I was home.” He naturally absorbed the spirit of the Crescent City into his soul, as he was fully embraced by the city’s vibrant music community. Shortly after moving there, he found out that his grandfather, a sailor, had lived in New Orleans for many years. His grandfather then began telling him vivid stories of the city, and sharing old photographs. “I just felt connected to his memories,” Osborne says, “and I knew I was where I was supposed to be.” Anders spent his first few years in New Orleans writing and developing his sound and style, all the while continuing to soak up the music of the city. He cut his first two albums for the independent New Orleans-based Rabadash Records in 1989 and 1993. The excitement surrounding those releases led to a major label deal with Sony’s Okeh imprint in 1995. Osborne released a series of successful albums for Shanachie and MC Records, all to wide critical and popular acclaim, before joining forces with Alligator Records. With the 2010 release of AMERICAN PATCHWORK, Osborne’s fame suddenly reached a whole new level. Critics went wild, with OFFBEAT saying, “AMERICAN PATCHWORK is the album Osborne fans have been waiting for. The record is a focused and tuneful triumph. Osborne’s gifts as a guitar player are significant. His voice is so emotionally intense it feels like an explosion. He writes with remarkable eloquence...this is the living definition of great art.” In the studio and in concert, Anders Osborne channels the music throughout his entire body, becoming a whirling dervish of pure energy. BLURT says, “This is modern music at its transcendent best.” PASTE adds, “He is wildly diverse, thoughtful and raw.” With BLACK EYE GALAXY, Osborne’s star has exploded into the universe, fully formed and spinning freely in its own unique direction.

Latest Articles


Mike Zito Announces FIRST CLASS LIFE Tour, Record Release Concert at Atomic Cowboy Pa Photo Mike Zito Announces FIRST CLASS LIFE Tour, Record Release Concert at Atomic Cowboy Pavillion
by Tori Hartshorn - April 30, 2018

Both Zito - who resided in St. Louis for 32 years - and Johnson, who produced Zito's new album, are from the city famously known as the Gateway To The West. 'A double shot of St. Louis musical heritage,' is how Ruf Records' founder, Thomas Ruf, refers to this unique double-billing of Zito and Johnso...

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nights Sweats' 'Live at Red Rocks' Out on Stax Records 11/10 Photo Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nights Sweats' 'Live at Red Rocks' Out on Stax Records 11/10
by Caryn Robbins - October 12, 2017

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nights Sweats' first-ever full-length concert recording, Live at Red Rocks, will be released November 10, 2017 on Stax Records....

The Magpie Salute Gear Up For Debut U.S. Tour Kicking Off In Indianapolis
by Caryn Robbins - July 24, 2017

Coming off eight European dates earlier this month--a mix of headline shows and festival appearances--THE MAGPIE SALUTE will launch their much-anticipated first-ever U.S. concert tour July 26 in Indianapolis....

The Magpie Salute Announce Additional 20 Fall Tour Dates
by Caryn Robbins - June 07, 2017

Ahead of this Friday's self-titled debut album release (June 9 worldwide via Eagle Rock Entertainment), THE MAGPIE SALUTE have announced an additional 20 dates this fall including a two-night stand at Irving Plaza in NYC on November 15 and 16....

The Magpie Salute Release Music Video For Lead Single 'Omission' From Debut Album
by Caryn Robbins - May 31, 2017

THE MAGPIE SALUTE--the new 10-piece band that brings together Rich Robinson, Marc Ford and Sven Pipien of The Black Crowes with other dynamic musicians and co-ed singers from around the world--yesterday (5/30)partnered with THE INDEPENDENT (U.K.), ROLLING STONE (Germany) and OUI FM (France) to premi...

The Magpie Salute Expand U.S. Headlining Tour with More Dates
by Caryn Robbins - May 15, 2017

THE MAGPIE SALUTE--a new band bringing together Rich Robinson, Marc Ford and Sven Pipien of The Black Crowes--today (5/15) announced additional dates for their national headlining tour starting July 26...












Videos

Recommended For You