Friedman, now 54, lives in a small Long Island town and re-started his career in music in 2010 following the loss of his parents and the birth of his daughter. He told USA Today, “It’s never too late to make a change, to take your life in a direction that brings you joy and closer to realizing your dreams.” With Shoot The Moon, he’s making up for lost time in a very palpable way. “It was scary,” he says of his decision to make music his full time pursuit, adding, “I had gotten to a point where, to be myself, I had to give music everything I had.” And he’s done just that with the new project, most of which he premiered live on his recent “World Tour Of Los Angeles.” He brought his band, Frank Ferrara (guitar), Jim Toscano (drums), Matt Schneider (bass) and Concetta Abatte (fiddle/vocals) who are heard on the album, to four Southern California venues over the course of four days in connection with the YoubloomLA Music Summit and Festival.
No Depression likened Friedman’s sound and approach to that of Bruce Cockburn, Gordon Lightfoot and Fred Neil. The roots music website’s John Apice called his a “faithfully driven melodic voice,” suggesting, “this artist is someone you can explore without growing weary.”
All but one of the album’s 13 tracks were written or co-written by the artist who was joined by collaborators including Al Anderson, the veteran of NRBQ who has penned hit songs for Carlene Carter, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood and Tim McGraw, among others. Also contributing to the songwriting process were co-producer McTeigue and Francis Galluccio who has written for Celine Dion, Danielle Bollinger, Destiny’s Child, Marc Anthony, Mandy Moore and others. The album’s sole cover is a version of “Paradise,” written by John Prine, an artist for whom Friedman has great abiding admiration. Of his songs, Friedman comments, “I strive to tell stories, to make them as real and truthful as I can by finding the poetry in ordinary moments.” Shoot The Moon exudes an album-oriented cohesion which is to say there is a broad spectrum of feelings and genres threaded together by Friedman’s well-developed aesthetic sense. His stylistic calling card is both earthy and urbane, spanning pastoral folk, euphoric New Orleans-style horn driven pop-rock, alt-country, blues, and R&B.
Additional musicians on Shoot The Moon include Amy Helm, Levon Helm’s brilliantly gifted daughter, Jason Crosby who has worked with the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh as well as Susan Tedeschi, Olabelle’s Fiona McBain, Ari Hest, Antigone Rising’s Nini Camps, Rich Hinman who work with Sara Bareilles, and The Mastersons. Horn players include Jay Collins (Gregg Allman, David Bowie), Mac Gollehon (Rolling Stones) and Baron Raymonde (Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart). Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies, Warren Zevon, Uncle Tupelo, Throwing Muses, Dinosaur Jr., Morphine, Juliana Hatfield) mixed the album at his Camp Street Studios, formerly Fort Apache, in Boston.
Roger Street Friedman "Shoot The Moon" Track Listing:
http://rogerstreetfriedman.com
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