This week on the show, a long awaited return visit from Lonnie Holley. The Atlanta artist joins us alongside his manager, Matt Arnett, son of William Arnett, the Southern art curator and collector who brought Holley to the attention of the art world in the 1980s. Lonnie and Matt join us ahead of the March 21st release of Holley’s new album, Tonky. Crafted with Irish producer Jacknife Lee (R.E.M., U2, The Killers) and featuring guests like Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, harpist Mary Lattimore, rappers Billy Woods and Open Mike Eagle, spoken word from Saul Williams, and others, Tonky rattles with blues
Category: Lonnie Holley
Lonnie Holley :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
On Lonnie Holley’s Oh Me Oh My, the visionary bluesman unearths surreal experiences in hallucinatory, stream of consciousness poetry, backed by feverish, impressionistic jazz, funk and gospel music. Jacknife Lee, the acclaimed Irish producer, assembled the musical backing and incorporated contributions from guest artists, giving Holley’s music a shimmering dreamlike depth. A diverse group of collaborators, including Moor Mother, Michael Stipe, Justin Vernon, Sharon van Etten and Rokia Koné added their voices to these revelatory songs. Today, he joins us to discuss.
Lonnie Holley :: I Went a Little Too Far (Mistreating Love)
Taking the form of a cosmic lament, Lonnie Holley’s “I Went a Little Too Far (Mistreating Love)” aches with Anthropocene remorse, and like all of the Atlanta-based artists’s best work, is imbued with an emotional resonance that’s as mournful as it is beautiful. “In this video I fell in love with the image of him as a sort of prophet, wandering the planet, warning the inhabitants to change our ways,” says director Ethan Payne. “To ‘repent’ of how we harm each other and the earth.”
Lonnie Holley :: In the Gardens at Pulp
Lonnie Holley is no stranger to collaboration. From Richard Swift to Matthew E. White and many more, his improvisatory spirit shines when working with simpatico artists. Here, he’s presented with a small acoustic combo at Pulp Arts, a multidisciplinary arts and fabrication space in Gainesville, Florida.
From The Edge of America :: Lonnie Holley and Richard Swift
Director Ethan Payne’s From the Edge of America documentary that captures the cosmic rapport between Lonnie Holley and the late Richard Swift, two men separated by decades in age, but united in spirit. Documenting the studio sessions that produced the National Freedom EP, this short form documentary offers an intimate look at two creative forces united in song.
Transmissions Podcast :: Lonnie Holley
Welcome to Aquarium Drunkard’s recurring Transmissions podcast. Today, we finish our mini-series in collaboration with the folks at Mexican Summer . In March, AD’s Jason P. Woodbury headed out to Marfa Texas to attend Mexican Summer’s […]
Lonnie Holley :: Just Before Music
“Where did it begin?” asks Lonnie Holley in his liner note. “We had songs with us all the time. Humans had songs even if they weren’t doing anything but moaning, […]