Sean Rowe is back! Get ready for that voice!
“This album was truly a risk and a chance encounter. It played out like a spring storm in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.”
About half-way through the recording of Sean Rowe’s excellent new album, The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights (Fluff & Gravy Records), he and producer Troy Pohl were taking a break. They were holed-up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, working at Brian Joseph’s studio, Hive, which is situated on a remote acreage of rolling green hills. While catching their breath, they noticed a minivan that had turned off of the rarely traveled road adjacent to the property and onto the grass, driving straight towards them. It pulled so close that it almost touched the picnic table. A stout and somewhat menacing man emerged, who did little to calm suspicions when he spoke.
A blessing and curse of a curious mind paired with a sense of adventure is that one becomes a collector of stories. Some, like this, play out over the course of a few minutes while others, more profound and complex, take years to untangle. Rowe, an artist and nomad at heart, has made himself into the perfect repository for spun yarns of every variety — hysterical, terrifying, heartbreaking, mystifying, and ridiculous — and on this record, he makes it clear that at some point it’s hard not to feel them all at once.
The album’s title is taken from its first single, “To Make It Real.” “All this darkness, dressed in colored lights. Everything is wrong but you look so damn beautiful tonight.” It’s a relatable couplet that illustrates the paradox between what once was and what now is, while the chorus howls in response to being lost in the in between. “When you lose your way, when you lose your face, when you’re paid in full for what you used to steal. When you lose that love, when you lose your mind, well then oh my God, you make it real.”
And do not miss opening act Jenna Nicholls. Never miss a chance to see this songbird star!
The music of Jenna Nicholls has been turning heads since she arrived on the door step of the Lower East Side of NYC. Whether she’s crooning a jazz standard, belting out a New Orleans style dirge or plucking her 1920’s style original ballads on her Ukulele, she’s giving a vintage genre a new spin with her own lush nostalgic style and melodic sensibility.
Recently, Jenna has toured with Ingrid Michaelson, shared the stage with Oscar Winner Glen Hansard, Amanda Palmer, Lucius, Joan as Policewoman, Gerry Leonard (Spooky Ghost/David Bowie). She’s performed in venues all over the world including the Beacon Theater NYC, and Carnegie Hall.