AJ Roach
Encyclopedia
AJ Roach is an American singer-songwriter
originally from Virginia
, but now based in Brooklyn, NY. Roach was born in Newport News
, Virginia
, but his family moved to his parents ancestral home in Duffield
, Virginia
when Roach was still very young.
As a teenager, Roach reportedly spent a number of months under the tutelage of cult blues guitarist Washboard Williams; however this rumor has never been properly substantiated, and Roach's playing style does not suggest such tutelage.
After attending college in Virginia, Roach lived in several different cities on the east coast of the United States
before moving to San Francisco. The move to San Francisco was a turning point for Roach's musical career. There he met and befriended musicians like Tom Meshishnik, Todd Sickafoose
, Sean Hayes
and Noe Venable
. The musical impact that these relationships had on Roach can be heard on Dogwood Winter, his first studio album. The album was jointly produced by Meshishnik and Sickafoose, and features Venable on backing vocals on several tracks.
, David Eugene Edwards
and Vic Chesnutt
. He is considered a troubadour in the tradition of Townes Van Zandt
, Bob Dylan
and Leonard Cohen
. His performances are so powerful that it is commonplace for audience members to be moved to tears. Roach's dry and cutting wit has made the stories he sometimes tells between songs almost as celebrated as the songs themselves.
and in Europe
, at times performing as many as 250 dates per year. Roach has had a number of "revolving cast" musicians who have formed his band over the years. Some musicians that Roach has performed and or recorded with include Mia Birdsong (vocals), Todd Sickafoose
(bass), Noe Venable
(vocals), Alisa Rose (violin), Nels Cline
(guitar), Brian Williams
(guitar), Adam Roszkiewicz (guitar, mandolin), Nino Moschella (drums), Tom Meshishnik (guitar), Ian Parks
(guitar, bass, organ), Steve Moore
(piano, trombone).
AJ Roach's first full-length recording is entitled Dogwood Winter and was released in the United States in the summer of 2003 on the New Folkstar recording label. A subsequent UK release followed in January 2005. A follow-up to Dogwood Winter, Revelation, was released in the UK in late 2006 and had an American release in January 2008 on Waterbug Records
. Revelation reached number 1 on the Euro-Americana Chart in December 2006. Also in December 2006, the album reached number 5 on the Freeform Americana and Roots (FAR) Chart.
Roach frequently appears in concert with Nels Andrews
. The two are close friends and have toured together often in both the United States and Europe. They are reportedly planning a full-length album together, having already recorded a split 7" vinyl entitled Duct Tape & Whiskey.
in Wilkesboro, North Carolina
.
Revelation reached number 1 on the Euro-Americana Chart in December 2006
began chronicling their hectic touring schedules through the use of hand held video cameras. Their video blog can be found at http://www.CursingKerouac.com and is posted on youtube
under the username cursingkerouac.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
originally from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, but now based in Brooklyn, NY. Roach was born in Newport News
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, but his family moved to his parents ancestral home in Duffield
Duffield, Virginia
Duffield is a town in Scott County, Virginia, United States. The population was 91 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport–Bristol –Bristol Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
when Roach was still very young.
As a teenager, Roach reportedly spent a number of months under the tutelage of cult blues guitarist Washboard Williams; however this rumor has never been properly substantiated, and Roach's playing style does not suggest such tutelage.
After attending college in Virginia, Roach lived in several different cities on the east coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before moving to San Francisco. The move to San Francisco was a turning point for Roach's musical career. There he met and befriended musicians like Tom Meshishnik, Todd Sickafoose
Todd Sickafoose
Todd Sickafoose is an American jazz and rock bassist originally from the San Francisco Bay Area who now lives in Brooklyn, New York.He is best known for playing bass with Ani DiFranco, but he has also led his own group called, "Todd Sickafoose's Blood Orange".Sickafoose has been a member of the...
, Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes (musician)
Sean Padrick Hayes is an American singer-songwriter.Hayes is a native of New York City, but raised in North Carolina. He began playing traditional American and Irish music with a band called the Boys of Bluehill...
and Noe Venable
Noe Venable
Noe Venable is an experimental folk/pop singer-songwriter. She has earned a loyal fan base in her native San Francisco, in part through frequently performing in small, intimate venues...
. The musical impact that these relationships had on Roach can be heard on Dogwood Winter, his first studio album. The album was jointly produced by Meshishnik and Sickafoose, and features Venable on backing vocals on several tracks.
Musical style
A. J. Roach's writing blurs the line between indie and traditional folk, and he has drawn comparisons in the press to Will OldhamWill Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
, David Eugene Edwards
David Eugene Edwards
David Eugene Edwards is an American musician.He is the lead singer of Wovenhand, and also the main songwriter and the principal musician on the recordings of the band. He is the former lead singer of 16 Horsepower...
and Vic Chesnutt
Vic Chesnutt
James Victor "Vic" Chesnutt was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, Little, was released in 1990, but his breakthrough to commercial success didn't come until 1996 with the release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, a tribute album of mainstream artists...
. He is considered a troubadour in the tradition of Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt
John Townes Van Zandt , best known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American Texas Country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
. His performances are so powerful that it is commonplace for audience members to be moved to tears. Roach's dry and cutting wit has made the stories he sometimes tells between songs almost as celebrated as the songs themselves.
Touring
Roach is best known for his vigorous touring schedule in both the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, at times performing as many as 250 dates per year. Roach has had a number of "revolving cast" musicians who have formed his band over the years. Some musicians that Roach has performed and or recorded with include Mia Birdsong (vocals), Todd Sickafoose
Todd Sickafoose
Todd Sickafoose is an American jazz and rock bassist originally from the San Francisco Bay Area who now lives in Brooklyn, New York.He is best known for playing bass with Ani DiFranco, but he has also led his own group called, "Todd Sickafoose's Blood Orange".Sickafoose has been a member of the...
(bass), Noe Venable
Noe Venable
Noe Venable is an experimental folk/pop singer-songwriter. She has earned a loyal fan base in her native San Francisco, in part through frequently performing in small, intimate venues...
(vocals), Alisa Rose (violin), Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
(guitar), Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
(guitar), Adam Roszkiewicz (guitar, mandolin), Nino Moschella (drums), Tom Meshishnik (guitar), Ian Parks
Ian Parks
-Biography:Described by Chiron Review as 'the finest love poet of his generation', Parks was born in 1959 in Mexborough, South Yorkshire. The son of a miner, Parks grew up during the declining years of the industry - something which was to have a profound effect on his later work...
(guitar, bass, organ), Steve Moore
Steve Moore
Steven Dean Moore is a former Canadian professional ice hockey center, best known for receiving what turned out to be a career-ending injury as a result of an illegal hit by then Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi....
(piano, trombone).
AJ Roach's first full-length recording is entitled Dogwood Winter and was released in the United States in the summer of 2003 on the New Folkstar recording label. A subsequent UK release followed in January 2005. A follow-up to Dogwood Winter, Revelation, was released in the UK in late 2006 and had an American release in January 2008 on Waterbug Records
Waterbug Records
Waterbug Records is a small independent record label based in Glen Ellyn, Illinois specializing in singer-songwriters and traditional folk musicians who do original research. The label was founded as an artist cooperative label in 1992 by singer-songwriter Andrew Calhoun. Calhoun described the...
. Revelation reached number 1 on the Euro-Americana Chart in December 2006. Also in December 2006, the album reached number 5 on the Freeform Americana and Roots (FAR) Chart.
Roach frequently appears in concert with Nels Andrews
Nels Andrews
Nels Andrews is a folk singer based in Brooklyn, New York. Known primarily as a folk singer, few know of his apprenticeship with cult blues icon Washboard Williams....
. The two are close friends and have toured together often in both the United States and Europe. They are reportedly planning a full-length album together, having already recorded a split 7" vinyl entitled Duct Tape & Whiskey.
Awards and Distinctions
In 2004, Roach was the general category recipient of the 12th Annual Chris Austin Songwriting Award at MerleFestMerleFest
MerleFest is an annual "traditional plus" music festival held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina on the campus of Wilkes Community College . The festival, which is held the last weekend in April, is hosted by Grammy Award winner Doc Watson and is named in memory and honor of his son, Eddy Merle Watson,...
in Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Wilkesboro is a town in and the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,159 at the 2000 census, and it is the second largest municipality in the county. The 2010 Census listed the town's population at 3,044. The town is located along the south bank of the...
.
Revelation reached number 1 on the Euro-Americana Chart in December 2006
Cursing Kerouac
In 2009, Roach and his friend, Nels AndrewsNels Andrews
Nels Andrews is a folk singer based in Brooklyn, New York. Known primarily as a folk singer, few know of his apprenticeship with cult blues icon Washboard Williams....
began chronicling their hectic touring schedules through the use of hand held video cameras. Their video blog can be found at http://www.CursingKerouac.com and is posted on youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
under the username cursingkerouac.
Discography
- Appalachia EP (2002, New Folk Star)
- Dogwood Winter (2003, New Folk Star)
- Live EPLive EP-Australian Release:The Mars Volta repackaged the Live EP and re-released it included with the Tour Edition release of De-Loused in the Comatorium, as well as an Australian-only single for "Televators" in January, 2004, coinciding with their tour with the Big Day Out. It featured the recorded...
(2004, New Folk Star) - Duct Tape & Whiskey - Split 7" vinyl single with Nels AndrewsNels AndrewsNels Andrews is a folk singer based in Brooklyn, New York. Known primarily as a folk singer, few know of his apprenticeship with cult blues icon Washboard Williams....
(2005, New Folk Star) - Revelation (2006 Lucky Dice (UK); 2008, WaterbugWaterbug RecordsWaterbug Records is a small independent record label based in Glen Ellyn, Illinois specializing in singer-songwriters and traditional folk musicians who do original research. The label was founded as an artist cooperative label in 1992 by singer-songwriter Andrew Calhoun. Calhoun described the...
(US)) - The Poplar Tree (On Hold)
- PleistocenePleistoceneThe Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
(In Production)
On compilations
- "Black Lung" on Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian CoalfieldsMusic of CoalMusic of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields is a 70 page book and two CD compilation of old and new music from southern Appalachian coalfields...
(2007 Lonesome)
External links
- Official website
- AJ Roach, page at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- AJ Roach, strait gig at Civic Actions
- AJ Roach collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - http://www.youtube.com/cursingkerouac video blog with Nels AndrewsNels AndrewsNels Andrews is a folk singer based in Brooklyn, New York. Known primarily as a folk singer, few know of his apprenticeship with cult blues icon Washboard Williams....