Song Premiere: Eliza Gilkyson, “Solitary Singer”
Renowned Austin folksinger, Eliza Gilkyson will release her 20th album, SECULARIA, on July 13 via Red House Records. Gilkyson’s music, in the classic folk music tradition, has always offered a vivid reflection of the times we live in. SECULARIA, the anticipated follow-up to her 2014 release Nocturne Diaries, is described as “a collection of spiritually charged songs that do not fit within the parameters of traditional religious beliefs, challenging us to embrace a more inclusive perspective, to respect all life and to be accountable for our actions in these divisive times.”
The album features a performance with the internationally acclaimed Tosca String Quarter, vocal cameos by Shawn Colvin and gospel singer Sam Butler, and a duet with her friend, the late Jimmy LaFave. Two tracks on the album, including the lead single, “Solitary Singer,” are songs adapted from poetry written by her grandmother, Phoebe Hunter Gilkyson, co-written with Eliza’s father, folksinger Terry Gilkyson.
Gilkyson says, “My grandmother Phoebe Hunter Gilkyson wrote the lyrics to ‘Solitary Singer’ probably around 1949, later put to music by my dad Terry Gilkyson–it was the theme song of his folk music radio show when he worked in the Armed Forces Radio Network in the early 50’s. She often co-wrote with my dad, even writing the opening lines for some of his hits as a silent partner. She was incredibly creative and a sort of free spirit given the parameters of her day and age. This gorgeous lonely song celebrates the possibility for a human relationship with the natural world, and perfectly reflects the foundation upon which I was raised.”
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Pre-order SECULARIA at Red House Records – HERE.
6/01/18 Kerrville, TX – Kerrville Folk Festival
7/11/18 Salt Spring Island, BC – Pitchfork Social (at Bullock Lake Farm) Three Women and the Truth (Eliza, Mary Gauthier and Gretchen Peters)
7/13/18 & 7/14/18 Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Folk Music Festival (Eliza, Mary Gauthier and Gretchen Peters)
8/09/18 Lunenburg, NS – Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival
9/20/18 Houston, TX – McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
9/23/18 Austin, TX – One World Theatre
