(Long Island, NY) Gathering Time, a Long Island-based folk-rock harmony trio best described as a co-ed Crosby, Stills & Nash with a bit of the Byrds and a jot of Joni Mitchell, released a new CD, When One Door Closes…, to Americana, Folk and AAA radio last month.
It was the third most-played album on folk radio in January, according to radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion list for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. When One Door Closes… is the trio’s third full-length album and the first since welcoming new member Gerry McKeveny on guitar and vocals last March.
“A new beginning for the new year,” is how founding member Stuart Markus characterized the release, noting that the title reflects the addition of McKeveny to the line-up, after the departure of founding member Glen Roethel. The group has been touring, primarily in the eastern U.S., since 2008.
The album contains three traditional songs on which Gathering Time has put new spins: the American classic “The Fox,” played to a Bo Diddley beat; a bluesy, slide-guitar-inflected “Rain and Snow;” and the nautical “Mingulay Boat Song,” a favorite in the UK but less known here, done with an almost spiritual fervor. It also contains two ‘60s classics: Phil Ochs’ “There but for Fortune” and CSN’s masterpiece “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” along with six originals by the members and one by a friend.
Here’s a link to a video of Gathering Time performing “Mingulay Boat Song,” a traditional maritime tune, at last year’s Patchogue Folk Festival:
The three Gathering Time members rotate on lead and harmony vocals, Markus and McKeveny switching off on bass guitar with the latter taking most lead guitar duty, and Hillary Foxsong contributing hand percussion. All three play guitar, and New Jersey folk musician Mike Agranoff plays concertina on one track.
The album release caps a year of accomplishment for the trio, which played on the main stage and several workshop stages at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival last summer, having been voted one of three acts “Most Wanted” to return out of the 24 in the 2012 Emerging Artists Showcase (and more than 100 who applied). Gathering Time also was a headliner at the South Florida Folk Festival last month. The trio was voted “Best of Long Island” for 2011 by in a Long Island Press readers’ poll and was selected for a coveted formal showcase at the 2011 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conference.
DJ Artie Martello of WIOX in upstate New York writes “When I first heard Gathering Time’s 2008 CD Songs of Hope and Freedom, I knew I was hooked. Now, five years later with one replaced member, nothing has changed. The addition of Gerry McKeveny to the beautiful voices of Stuart Markus and Hillary Foxsong gives credence to the title of their new album… Gathering Time remains one of the finest three-part harmony groups in the genre of folk music today and will surely keep opening many doors to a bright future.” John Platt, host of “Sunday Breakfast” on New York’s WFUV, notes that the trio has “harmonies that can charm the birds out of the trees, strong original songs, and a savvy repertoire of cover songs, ranging from traditional folk to classic rock. They appeal to audiences of all ages.”
Gathering Time’s new CD may be previewed at http://soundcloud.com/gatheringtime/sets/when-one-door-closes. More information on the trio can be found at www.gathering-time.com.
