Above: Humming House's music video for 'Anthony's Song' – performed on the Today show in conjunction with Sing Me a Story.
About Sing Me a Story
Our mission is to bring the voices of children in need to the world through music.
The imagination of children who have fallen victim to circumstance has the power to capture what is common and pure in us all. In conjunction with music, which has the ability to carry those messages across borders, stigmas and stereotypes, we hope to further an understanding that we're ultimately all the same. Such an understanding could foster greater compassion, healing and peace throughout the world. Visit Website.
About Artist Joshua Wolak
Inspired by the revolutionary stylings of the father of bluegrass himself, Joshua embraces a very forward and physical approach to the mandolin. And just as Bill Monroe challenged the traditions of his day, so too does Joshua strive to break down genre barriers and bring the magic of the mandolin to a wider audience, without limitation. The Americana band Humming House—in which he is a founding member—has been the perfect vehicle for this experimentation, and has allowed him a platform for energetic live performance for four years. Under the umbrella of Americana, Joshua draws inspiration from both Irish and American folk music, bluegrass, classic country, and jazz. Though, truth be told, he grew up listening to more Radiohead than roots music, and – as a lifelong fan of experimental sound – is not afraid to draw inspiration from more modern sources. This disparity of influence culminates in a delightfully curious style, which adds an addicting and artistic depth to his arrangements. View full artist profile.
About Humming House
The spotlight on Nashville, with its musical values and timeless traditions, is currently bright. And no band embodies what’s right about 21st century Nashville more completely than the quintet known as Humming House.
It’s the way they weave together threads of Music City’s folk, soul, and bluegrass legacies. It’s in the inspirational and revealing songwriting. It’s in their acoustic instrumentation, presenting mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitar and bass in fresh roles. It’s in the pleasant tension between rousing energy and nuanced arrangements. And it’s in the voices, with two complimentary stylists up front and backed by the full band’s rapturous harmonies.
Revelries, due out March 24, 2015 on Nashville label Rock Ridge Music, is the third recording bearing the Humming House name, yet it’s something of a debut. Version one of the band came together in 2011 when songwriter Justin Wade Tam called on some friends from a local Celtic music jam to flesh out recordings of songs he’d written. The sessions, assisted by Tam’s star producer colleagues Mitch Dane and Vance Powell, mixed strains of bluegrass and Irish braided with vintage swing and open-throated early 60s hootenanny folk music. Humming House earned some quick attention for videos of its infectious songs “Cold Chicago” and “Gypsy Django.” They landed performance slots with tastemakers such as Lightning 100, Daytrotter and the Americana Music Association festival. They had chops, respect, and trajectory.
After that, two personnel additions galvanized the band. Leslie Rodriguez brought a lustrous female vocal to mesh with Tam’s hearty singing. And fiddler Bobby Chase brought classical training and down-home fire. That rounded out a band of highly skilled instrumentalists, including Josh Wolak on mandolin and Ben Jones on acoustic bass. Between the five of them, there’s scarcely a genre or period that somebody in the band hasn’t spent time learning or embracing, from Leslie’s early love of show tunes to Josh’s time playing bluegrass to Bobby’s occasional beat boxing. They’re the picture of East Nashville’s melting pot musical culture, and Revelries is the first album these musicians have written, arranged and recorded together. Read complete bio.
