PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

15 July 2014
Contact: Cassandra [ at ] AtKisson [dot] com
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AtKisson releases a second “surprise” album just two months after American Troubadour

Alan AtKisson surprised his fans and the music world by releasing a second, “surprise” album just two months after the release of American Troubadour.

Ancient History: Demos and Studio Recordings 1982-1996 is a collection of his earliest work, much of it recorded at home and never before released publicly.

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The eleven tracks include AtKisson’s best songs from 1982 to 1995, such as his debut folk-club hit “Whitewing” — a retelling of the myth of Icarus and Daedalus — and the haunting “Gallipoli,” with lyrics drawn on the diaries of soldiers killed in the doomed World War I battle (made famous by the Mel Gibson movie).

“We actually released this album digitally on iTunes before we released American Troubadour,” says Alan. “It’s been out there a while. We just didn’t tell anybody.”

Alan’s record label, Rain City Records, was forced to release Ancient History early according to the terms of a licensing agreement with Smithsonian Folkways, which owns the rights to a beautiful ensemble recording of “Epiphany Dream,” originally featured on the “Fast Folk Musical Magazine” in 1985.

Some of the tracks on Ancient History are plain acoustic guitar and vocals with little or nor effects. Others — such as the power-rock ballad “Invisible Man” — are polished 24-track studio recordings made as demos during Alan’s New York music career. Many were recorded on a Tascam PortaOne, a four-track cassette recorder that popularized home recording long before Apple’s Garage Band.

“Some people tell me that of all the songs I’ve written, these songs are their favorites,” says Alan. “And these tapes were just sitting around in my studio gathering dust. It’s really nice to give them a new, digital life.”

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