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<p>Reviews/PressBio & quote sheet, stage plan below (here). Reviews here.Press Photographs:Right click on Download and "save target as..." to get the high-resolution version.Hunter Robertson by Fereale RobertsonDownload Photograph by Féréale RobertsonCasey and Hunter by JP CandelierDownload Photograph by JP CandelierCasey Abair & Hunter RobertsonDownload Photograph by Féréale RobertsonCasey, Fereale and Hunter by JP CandelierDownload Photograph by JP Candelier Album cover "If You Want to Go to Sleep, Go to Bed" by Casey Joe Abair & Hunter RobertsonDownload Photograph by Fereale Robertson (design H.R.)CD Cover - Hunter Robertson Sings Songs for the MassesDownload Design by Hunter RobertsonHunter & Casey by JP CandelierDownload Photograph by JP CandelierHunter Robertson - photograph by Dominic TurnerDownload Photograph by Dominic TurnerStage Plan, Bio & Quote SheetStage PlanStage PlanOpen Full Size Stage Plan Image Bio and Quote SheetHunter Robertson Bio and Quote SheetDownload Word DocumentWhat some listeners have had to say about the music:Sing Out! reviewHunter Robertson is a modern day banjo songster. Sings Songs for the Masses is his first CD, and it’s a solo effort through and through with Hunter playing all the instruments and establishing a wide range of sounds all the while remaining solidly rooted in traditional old-time and blues.Although his biographical information is sketchy, the cover photo shows a young man and the promotional material states that he has been playing the banjo and 12-string guitar for nearly 20 years. If I had to guess from listening to the CD, I’d say he’s a much older man. His voice is deep and resonant, and his playing is very reminiscent of Doc Boggs and various Piedmont blues players.The CD opens with “Threw Down,” one of the half dozen original selections on the recording. It is a short drop-thumb clawhammer banjo piece demonstrating that he is a fine player. “She Had Eyes” follows, a tune that could easily have been heard on a plantation well before the Civil War when African American workers could only play music on whatever happened to be around them. Hunter performs on a self-made instrument called an Opus. It is a piece of music remarkably unaffected by modern styles. We are introduced to Hunter’s singing through his rendition of “Pretty Polly.” His voice would indicate a life surrounded by the horrors described in the old-time classic. “You Gonna Need Someone On Your Bond” features Hunter as a one man band as he supplies slide banjo, bass drum, high hat, kazoo and vocals. He realistically captures the sound that was quite prevalent in many southern towns on court day. Later, Hunter includes “Milo mou Kokkino,” a Northern Greek tune, as part of a banjo medley containing “Bonaparte’s Retreat,” “Ducks on the Millpond” and “Salmon Tails up the River.” Hunter Robertson is a highly talented traditional musician. Sings Songs for the Masses is as strong a solo CD as I’ve heard in quite some time.- TD for Sing Out! (v. 52/2)Rambles.Net review"Listening to Songs for the Masses (that title comprising the album's one and only flash of humor), I reflected on how rarely these days one hears traditional songs -- field recordings aside -- performed traditionally. Even less commonly encountered are records by raised-outside-the-tradition artists who choose to recreate a sound that seems to capture the feeling of homespun front-porch, dance-hall, street-corner music from the age before the advent of the recording industry. (Since we have no recordings from back then to guide us, imagination and inference are as omnipresent in the attempt as "authenticity," of course.) Hunter Robertson, who now resides in Vermont but who has lived in the United Kingdom, Greece and France, has produced that kind of record. The sole performer, he employs the banjo (along with the occasional fretless, gut-string or gourd variation) as his principal instrument, though 12-string guitar, electric guitar, kazoo and percussion also show up, if less often. There are 14 songs and instrumentals, approximately half of them traditional, the rest originals indistinguishable from traditionals. Robertson sings in a rolling rumble that will likely put you in a couple of minds: Tom Waits and Captain Beefheart in one, in the other the sort of field recording in which an ethnomusicologist is seeking to document an instrumental style and the singing, rough as a cob, is simply -- at least from the immediate academic perspective -- extraneous. Contributing to the latter psychic impression is Robertson's sometime habit of burying his vocal into the mix, if "mix" is not too fancy a word to denote the almost skinless sound; sometimes, if one were a superstitious soul, one might imagine a 200-year-old ghost was accidentally captured on the tape as, otherwise inaudible, it sang to Robertson's playing of an old tune. All of this, by the way, is perfectly fine by me. The banjo playing -- as exquisite as it is eccentric -- has the creaky ambience of a haunted house. "Banjo Medley" is 5:37's worth of four venerable tunes played clawhammer style, the last of them a Greek folk piece that feels in no way out of place. The African-American spiritual "Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin' Bed" has Robertson's growled lyrics set on top of a fierce, doom-laden 12-string groove. It is damned scary. 'Til now, I have not heard a version of "Red Wing" -- though long since absorbed by tradition, it began its life as a pop song in the early 20th century -- so stark and gloomy as to make one forget just how dopey the lyrics are. Even so, what a melody, all the more attractive for the way Robertson manages to turn it inside out without killing it. In another sit-up-and-take-notice moment, he gives "You Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" -- always emotionally and rhythmically dead-on -- the one-man-band treatment. Songs for the Masses is for neither the masses nor the timid. But if you're up for a walk through the lonesome valley that stretches across the moonless landscape of the old, weird America, Robertson will show you the way."- Jerome Clark writing for Rambles.NetTrad Magazine review"If I hadn't seen the picture of Hunter Robertson on the CD cover I would have thought I was dealing with an older person. But no, in fact he's a fairly young man. And that's what is amazing! At times you would think you were listening to an old 78, but recorded with modern technology. Impressive! Hunter's main instrument is the 5-string banjo, which he plays to perfection in all the old-time styles: clawhammer, two and three finger picking. Also the 12-string guitar, which is less common nowadays. I consider this to be one of the best CDs I've heard recently. To listen to, first of all, his compositions on the banjo: "Threw Down" and "Souris Mécanique", and then his very beautiful version of "Red Wing" on the fretless gut-strung banjo as well as "Crawdad Hole" on the 12-string, a little treasure.""Si je n’avais pas vu la photo de Hunter Robertson sur la jaquette du CD, j’aurais cru avoir affaire à une personne d’un certain âge. Mais non, en fait, il s’agit d’un tout jeune homme. Et c’est cela qui est étonnant ! On croirait écouter un vieux 78 tours par moment, mais enregistré avec la technologie moderne. Bluffant ! L’instrument de prédilection de Hunter est le banjo 5 cordes qu’il joue à la perfection dans tous les styles de l’old time : clawhammer, two et three finger picking. Et puis aussi la guitare douze cordes, ce qui est moins courant à l’heure actuelle. Je considère que ce CD est l’un des meilleurs que j’ai entendus récemment. A écouter en priorité ses compositions au banjo : “Threw down” et “Souris mécanique”, et puis sa très belle version de “Red wing” au banjo fretless à cordes en boyau ainsi que “Crawdad hole” à la douze cordes, une petite merveille."- Claude Vue writing for Trad Magazine (France)The Old-Time Herald review"When you live far away from most other musicians, say on Crete, you will probably develop your own styles and write your own songs after wearing out all the recordings you brought with you. On this album, the artist composed about half the songs and tunes; the rest are traditional. His voice is distinctive, sounding like an old blues singer, filtered through a rock musician such as Eddie Vedder. The banjo playing is solid clawhammer with a light, sure touch. Not traditional old-time music as I know it, but eclectic and distinctive."- Pete Peterson writing for The Old-Time Herald (vol. 11, no. 5)County Sales If you like Old-time banjo picking and you’re in the market for something different, you might try this unusual CD. But be forewarned: it ranges from the sublime to the bizarre: “songs for the Masses” it definitely ain’t. Mr Robertson is an excellent banjo picker; he also plays 12 string guitar on 4 pieces and his instrumental work is right on (check out the super picking on SOLDIER’S JOY). On a couple of tunes he plays a gut strung fretless banjo, and his 5 original pieces are interesting and well done. He also plays a fine medley of banjo tunes that incorporates BONAPARTE’S RETREAT and DUCKS ON THE MILLPOND with a couple of others in an impressive 5 and a half minute workout. The cuts that feature the 12-string guitar (plus one electric guitar cut) are bluesy, moody, and downright spooky at times. Even a one-man band piece (YOU GONNA NEED SOMEBODY ON YOUR BOND, with slide banjo, kazoo, high-hat and bass drum) adds to the overall interest. So what is so bizarre about all this? Robertson’s voice. It’s got to be the roughest voice we’ve ever heard—in Old-time, Bluegrass, Blues or whatever, and the main question we have is whether it is all a put on. Perhaps Robertson feels that this will take him back 80 or 100 years in time to where he would be considered a great find among field recording folklorists. Or perhaps this is his real voice (a scary thought). We will gladly leave that up to the listener to decide, adding again that there is some technically superb, soulful music to be heard here.- County SalesMusical Traditions review"So - this is the second CD I've received this month for which the words 'strange and worthwhile' seem appropriate..." "All of the playing is pretty quirky - and extremely interesting..."- Rod Stradling - Musical Traditions (go there for the full review)SepiachordThere's the old adage "Don't judge a book by its cover." The problem with that cliche is this: *That's what covers are there for!* Covers are there to give you some idea about what can be found inside, there to pique your curiosity...I raised an eyebrow when I slipped Hunter Robertson's "Sings Songs for the Masses" from its envelope. Young guy, long haired, holding a baby, fuzzy focus... I estimated that I was in for a listening of homemade but uninventive folk. Something young and soft.How (wonderfully) wrong I was. Hunter's not as young as he looks... at least not in his soul and the music is anything but soft. "Sings Songs for the Masses" is a collection of gritty americana with Robertson's skilled banjo playing as the focus. It's fairly traditional (more than half the numbers are vintage tunes) but this collection never sounds stale. Perhaps that has as much to do with Hunter's gruffy Tom Waits-like voice as it does the energy and vitality of his playing.And it does sound vital. This isn't some stodgy, dusty recreation of old-time field recordings (if it was Robertson probably wouldn't include kazoo in the instrumentation or a greek folk song in the repertoire). Hunter brings youth and energy to these songs, which bodes well for his future outings.- SepiachordBluegrass Unlimited reviewHunter Robertson is an old-time music musician from New England who has compiled an unusual 14-song collection blending both traditional and original material. Hunter performs all vocal and instrumental parts that include banjo, fretless banjo, 12-string guitar, kazoo, and electric guitar. Robertson's raspy vocals may not be universally acceptable, but they do fit into the fabric of the arrangements. Featured performances include "Pretty Polly," Robertson's own "She Had Eyes," "Ol' Virginee," and a bizarre rendering of "Crawdad Hole." In spite of its title, Hunter Robertson "Sings Songs For The Masses" may be of limited interest except to those daring souls prepared to venture into unexplored territory.- Bluegrass Unlimited (Sept. 2008)~ "Hunter's delivery is raw and archaic. I don't know what the masses say, I guess they take it rather indifferently, but so mustn't we." - FolkWorld (Germany)~ “I like your tunes very much... I won't say they're "the real stuff", 'cause this is a quite ungrounded cliché. It's that mixture of rawness and tenderness and the feeling that you love on different levels whatever you are engaged in when playing.” - Low Down Nick~ "Hunter Robertson's banjo-driven score is apt accompaniment for doc's emotional highs and lows."- Variety (in reference to the score for The Ostrich Testimonies, directed by Jonathan VanBallenberghe)~ "That's some dirty stompin downhome stuff! Damn." - A.S.~ "Reminds me of a modern Dock Boggs with a kazoo and a drum!" - D.L.~ "...you have plenty of talent! “Sings Songs” is a beautiful record, honest and true to the spirit of deep blues, but at the same time so full of you, your emotions and personal experiences evident in rhythmic and melodic nuances of your playing. From banjo, through guitar, to plucked opus (which is new to my ears), I like it all. Some people say that you need to look into the future to keep things interesting. I see it in a different way. Digging deeper is interesting and it is exactly what you do. Congratulations!"- Przemek Draheim, Blues DJ on Radio Sfera~ "...some fine pickin—clawhammer, gut-string fretless, & tin-can banjo, 12 string guitar, old-school sounding vox + kazoo too! Excellent. Sounds ancient. Play!"- Kimberly, WRUV's Folk Music Director~ “…sounds like what oldtime music would sound like if it was played by Tom Waits or Captain Beefheart. Great stuff.” - T.D.~ "hunter takes me away in his world of dark ,hard stomping blues,wailing banjo tunes,with his husky deep voice tom waits would be jealously.far and away the best of old-time,raw,wild and melancholic ......"- Andreas Neck~ "Banjos are capable of a wide range of styles and moods and I enjoy them all - but the thing that will grab me every time is a haunting melody supported by a banjo that is full of conviction and growl. With a range of old time clawhammer and finger styles and low gravelly vocals, Hunter Robertson Sings Songs for the Masses fills my need for moving, haunting banjo perfectly.The songs have the feeling of old field recordings in that most are one take tunes without the sterile touch of heavy post production mixing and over dubbing. Just Hunter, his instrument, and his voice.His version of "Redwing" is the first, and only, that I have heard that matches the mood of the music with the subject of the lyrics, and it changed forever how I think of the song. "You Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" breaks out the slide and demonstrates that the banjo can sing the blues with the best of them. Throw in some gut-stringed fretless, a little 12-stringed guitar, and a smattering of kazoo and opus and the result is a great CD that breaks a lot of people's idea of what "banjo music" is."- Yopparai Kyabetsu. Check out Yopp's videos of his homemade banjos.©2002-2008 Hunter Robertson - www.hunterrobertson.com </p>
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