{"title":"Charlie Parr","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharlie Parr is an American country blues musician hailing from Minnesota. Born in Austin and raised in Hollandale, he began his music career in Duluth, where he still resides today. With a soulful sound that resonates with audiences, Parr has established himself as a prominent figure in the music industry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eParr's unique style draws inspiration from various genres including folk, blues, and country. His heartfelt lyrics and raw vocals captivate listeners, creating an intimate connection between artist and audience. Influenced by *Possessed by Paul James*, *William Elliott Whitmore*, and other talented performers, Parr's music showcases his passion for storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout his career, Parr has released numerous albums that have garnered critical acclaim. His discography includes notable works such as \"Stumpjumper\" and \"Dog.\" With each release, he continues to push boundaries and explore new musical territories.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"little-sun","title":"Little Sun","description":"\u003cp\u003eOver the last couple of decades, Charlie Parr has crisscrossed the world on tour more times than one can count.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e He also has released over a dozen albums of his songs, acclaimed for their poetic simplicity. \u003ci\u003eLittle Sun\u003c\/i\u003e, his most ambitious album to date, was recorded with Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket) and features Parr augmenting his raw and affecting songs with stunning full- band arrangements. The remarkable backing band here includes Marisa Anderson, Victor Krummenacher, Andrew Borger, and Asher Fulero. Masterfully channeling the philosophical and transcendental qualities of the blues, Parr takes us on a journey through the winding streets of his imagination.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Smithsonian Folkways","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50389845147979,"sku":"2173932","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50389845279051,"sku":"2173933","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/529a38f8-a8cb-4297-901d-8bb74bc2be86_9263ec5d_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726375055"},{"product_id":"dog-1","title":"Dog","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharlie Parr\u003c\/strong\u003e is a singular songwriter who has built a dedicated grassroots following for his haunting, topical songs and virtuosic picking, not to mention the fact that he’s on the road 300 days a year. Based in Duluth, MN, Parr’s inspiration is drawn from the alternately fertile and frozen soil of Minnesota; his songs exude a Midwestern sensibility and humility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination of growing up with both of his parents working proud union jobs in an industrial meat factory and his largely rural environment had a broad impact on Parr’s writing. His second full album for Red House, \u003cem\u003eDog\u003c\/em\u003e, is \"\u003cem\u003eabout folks trying to get along when the atmosphere around them makes it difficult\u003c\/em\u003e,\" Parr says, who was going through a hard time in his life when the album was being recorded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe writes first person narratives as a HoBo, a hoarder who’s about to get evicted (\"\u003cem\u003ePleasant Valley\u003c\/em\u003e\"), and a man who’d like to be appreciated before his funeral, not after (\"\u003cem\u003eI Ain’t Dead Yet\u003c\/em\u003e\"). Sometimes darkly funny, sometimes just plain dark, it’s a brilliant, rawly emotional album that’s moving as all hell. CD - Digipack. LP - With Download.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Red House Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50471357251915,"sku":"1016140","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/e5824fb5-76b7-48ab-8532-3bfe7a180c23_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727399561"},{"product_id":"last-of-the-better-days-ahead","title":"Last Of The Better Days Ahead","description":"\u003cp\u003eCharlie Parr's newest album, \u003ci\u003eLast of the Better Days Ahead\u003c\/i\u003e, is a collection of powerful new songs about how one looks back on a life lived, as well as forward on what's still to come. Its spare production foregrounds Parr's poetic lyricism, his expressive, gritty voice ringing clear over deft acoustic guitar playing that references folk and blues motifs in Parr's own exploratory, idiosyncratic style. When it comes to what it all means, Parr says it best:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eLast of the Better Days Ahead\u003c\/i\u003e is a way for me to refer to the times I'm living in. I'm getting on in years, experiencing a shift in perspective that was once described by my mom as 'a time when we turn from gazing into the future to gazing back at the past, as if we're adrift in the current, slowly turning around.' Some songs came from meditations on the fact that the portion of our brain devoted to memory is also the portion responsible for imagination, and what that entails for the collected experiences that we refer to as our lives. Other songs are cultivated primarily from the imagination, but also contain memories of what may be a real landscape, or at least one inspired by vivid dreaming. The album represents one full rotation of the boat in which we are adriftlooking ahead for a last look at the better days to come, then being turned around to see the leading edge of the past as it fades into the foggy dreamscape of our real and imagined histories.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Smithsonian Folkways","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP | x2","offer_id":50475161125195,"sku":"1127408","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50475160404299,"sku":"1127407","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/67a2c65a-c729-4c5a-98d8-aa66926d5fec_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727443150"},{"product_id":"charlie-1","title":"Charlie","description":"\u003cp\u003e‘Charlie Parr’ is the eponymous new album by the Minnesota-based folk blues artist the same name. The album is a collection of new songs and new studio versions of classics \/ audience favorites from throughout Parr’s career.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded at Pachyderm Studio in Canon Falls, MN, ‘Charlie Parr’ features Charlie’s trademark resonator guitar and 12-string with co-producer Liz Draper on bass, long time collaborator Mikkel Beckmen on percussion, Jeff Mitchell on electric guitar, accordion, organ, backing vocals, and Dave Hundrieser on harmonica.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album is an honest and raw recording of Parr reflecting on himself and his career up to this point. It’s a musical reckoning that came after a freak accident less than a year ago that forced him to relearn how to play guitar, causing him to take stock of the songs he’s written over his life me. It’s a bit of the new, a bit of the old, and a bit of what’s motivated and moved him. Most importantly, it’s an audio tour of his life and career to date and a celebration of more songs and stories to come. ‘Charlie Parr’ is a stunning folk record that will surely stand the test of time, just like the man himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Parr is a folk artist for the new American Dust Bowl, a resonator-ready troubadour armed with a well-worn satchel of troubled tales that cut to the heart of a nation mired in fear and in dire need of a roots-music revival.” - Acoustic Guitar\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Red House Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50867147997515,"sku":"1072168","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c87779cf-71c7-43de-9887-edd86cf25f9b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1732113066"},{"product_id":"rooming-house","title":"Rooming House","description":"\u003cp\u003e“These folks here, in this record, have no idea what’s wrong, or how to help. They are sick with the longing to make everything better. And they can’t. Tiny things are important. This house could be anywhere. These things could happen to anyone.” With this reflection, \u003cstrong\u003eCharlie Parr\u003c\/strong\u003e introduces the characters of \u003cem\u003eRooming House\u003c\/em\u003e, a conceptual folk opera chronicling the lives of Upper Midwesterners through his quietly raucous, deeply rooted and empathetic blues.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese are songs of lost memories and hardship, but also of improvised acts of kindness that help neighbours make do.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJoined by celebrated drummer and fellow Minnesotan \u003cstrong\u003eDave King\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cem\u003eThe Bad Plus\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHappy Apple\u003c\/em\u003e), \u003cstrong\u003eParr\u003c\/strong\u003e cements his role as one of the great troubadours of our time with an album that becomes its own small yet profound offering of care.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Smithsonian Folkways","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":58635917984075,"sku":"R3538-9841","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":58635918016843,"sku":"R3538-3739","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0093074027424.webp?v=1790678571"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_f3c64ea1_thumbnail_4096_7faeea9c-9cfa-4c63-97bf-b69d65d894e9.jpg?v=1726375027","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/charlie-parr.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}