Tara Nevins
Tara Nevins • American roots traditionalist Tara Nevins releases an exploration of her own heritage, musical and otherwise, in Wood and Stone, her first solo album since Mule to Ride in 1999. Wood and Stone showcases her ever-evolving repertoire as she journeys both back to her own “roots” and head-long into new territory.
“Tara Nevins‘ rare blend of enormous talent coupled with genuine down-home humbleness has won the hearts of fans and colleagues alike. Tara has this worldly awareness combined with a fragile innocence” ~ Larry Campbell
Fans of Nevins from her 21-year tenure with Donna the Buffalo are familiar with her versatile talents; she shares the vocal and songwriting responsibilities for the band and is a stellar musician on fiddle, guitar, and accordion. Prior to DTB, Nevins was a founding member of the all-female, old time Cajun band The Heartbeats. Wood and Stone delivers the musical expertise fans have come to expect and surprises with new perspectives.
“This album is personal and sort of revelatory,” Nevins says. “It’s an expression of recent emotional discovery within relationships lost and found, and how knowing the core of who we are is the real deal.
“There were so many elements I wanted to explore—to combine all the pieces of my personal musical puzzle–and then have it come together in a cohesive whole. “
I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Larry Campbell. I am honored to have had him both produce and play on my record. He’s an amazingly talented and soulful musician. He has a very natural, down-to-earth approach and an instinctual insightfulness that I really appreciate; he really got what I was after. The whole experience was inspiring and challenging in a very positive way.”
“Campbell is a much-sought-after musician/producer renowned for his work with Bob Dylan and still rolling from the success of Levon Helm’s two Grammy- winners, Dirt Farmer and Electric Dirt, which he produced.”
He found Nevins’s project immediately compelling. “I liked the feel of the project– her combination of old-time mountain music and original songwriting—and I was taken with Tara’s unique talent; she’s got a distinctive voice—there’s a kind of honesty that shines through.”
The record kicks off with the title cut “Wood and Stone,” and that “honest” element is readily apparent in this touching tribute to home and family. Old-timey acoustics are quickly joined by drums and steel guitars as Nevins sings about “the better part of me” regarding her upbringing and early influences. “It’s got that magical blend of music and lyrics,” Campbell says of it, “and it really paints a picture of where she comes from.”
Ten of the thirteen tracks are originals, and Nevins’s complexity gets a broad stage. She dispenses wit and wisdom with an atypical take on love and relationships through gritty songs such as “You’ve Got It All” and “You’re Still Driving That Truck,” then turns to wrenching hearts with songs like “Snowbird” (accompanied by Jim Lauderdale), a beautiful metaphorical ballad about the pain of loving someone unable to truly give back, and “Tennessee River,” a haunting, gripping song about the stranglehold love can have over a person’s whole existence.
“Stars Fell on Alabama” sounds like it fell from her heart and pen too, but Nevins has the capacity to take a well-known standard like this, change the melody, and perform it so ingenuously that it fits in seamlessly to the whole groove of the record.”
Nevins’s rare blend of enormous talent coupled with genuine down-home humbleness has won the hearts of fans and colleagues alike. “Tara has this worldly awareness combined with a fragile innocence,” Larry Campbell notes, “which makes her songwriting and music very accessible…very appealing.” Wood and Stone is sure to add to that appeal.
Wood and Stone is available at Amazon • www.amzn.to/lcEglg
LINKS
FaceBook • www.facebook.com/TaraNevins
Mailing List • www.donnathebuffalo.com
Booking • (212) 581-3100, sethrappaport@theagencygroup.com
Store • www.donnathebuffalo.com/store
Contact • www.donnathebuffalo.com/contact
Performances/Tickets • www.donnathebuffalo.com/tour_dates
WebSite • www.taranevins.com
Twitter • www.twitter.com/donnathebuffalo
News/Blog • www.donnafans.com
iTunes • www.itunes.apple.com/us/artist/tara-nevins/id199044749
Amazon • www.amazon.com/Tara-Nevins/e/B000APLKXQ
MySpace • www.myspace.com/taranevins
WikiPedia • www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Nevins
ARTICLES
Wood And Stone
www.jambands.com/reviews/cds/2011/05/03/tara-nevins-wood-and-stone
Twenty years later, Donna the Buffalo still roamin’
http://tinyurl.com/3h9pcl3
AN INTERVIEW WITH TARA NEVINS OF DONNA THE BUFFALO
http://tinyurl.com/3vfv7el
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Hello Tara,
You are amazing ! You’re music/message is so mesmerizingly beautiful.
You are articulate and interesting and I am so happy you followed your dream. You have deep and soulful talent…’Tennessee River’ is haunting, captivating and truly reaches inside the heart, especially when one can relate.
I would love to hear from you. I live in Chatsworth NJ, due west of Long Beach Island .Just here 1 year. I moved from the beach to the woods, it is so beautiful …very simple yet magnificent. I am totally surrounded by the beauty of Nature. There is a Cranberry Festival here Oct 20-21, it is supposed to be very cool, we’ll see…
Anyway as I said I would love to hear from you. My phone # is 201 937 8550,
you look the same as when you were 16 years old.
Love your friend always,
Laurinda
PS saw your Aunt a couple of weeks ago inTappan (by my Mom’s house), she is the same, so funny, so cool.