“A snake does not a charmer make.” – Paleo, off Fruit Of The Spirit
How many malnourished art majors does it take to screw in a lightbulb? It takes two to make a baby, about four to cart a coffin, six to build a human pyramid, twelve to hang a jury, and apparently thirteen to make Paleo‘s latest, Fruit Of The Spirit. After doing everything himself for years, it seems David Strackany finally learned how to work well with others.
Holing up in Davenport, Iowa, the twenty-something got taught the ropes of analogue recording from the original Daytrotter engineer, Patrick Stolley. Stolley’s place is a minefield of old analogue gear, a phalanx of synths and amps insulate the walls, piles of grease-thirsty old tape machines, bells, whistles, six-strings, four-strings, twelve-strings, no strings. With this wonderland at his disposal, the young magi decided to try something which’d never occurred to him before: collaboration. Friends strode in from around the region – Chicago, Minneapolis, Iowa City, Rock Island, and Lawrence – and with next to no rehearsal and no lead sheets, they huddled for a three-day creative blitzkrieg. Electrofolk artist Cloud Dog lends samples and howls in the background, the bastard folkies from Minnesota add their sad, quirk-pop sensibility, and a revolving door of drummers and percussionists take turns on the kit. Strackany just let the tape roll, and together they bottled a mischievous, mercurial record sparking with imperfection: the bruised, sweet, and colorful Fruit Of The Spirit.
Fruit Of The Spirit will be available on June 21st in both CD and Digital formats through the Brooklyn imprint Partisan Records.
Fruit Of The Spirit Track Listing:
1. Lighthouse
2. Over The Hill And Back Again
3. Pharoah
4. The Rager
5. Poet II
6. Favorite Places
7. Holly Would
8. Buddy Buddy
9. Honey Be Reckless
10. In The Movies
11. Poet
Born On The Bio:
David Strackany was raised in Elgin, Illinois. As a kid he crossed the busy street to a retirement home to chase stray angels down long linoleum halls, away from the souls they were hunting. He attended university, earned a Bachelors in Art and English, and did every drug under the sun along the way. With diploma in hand, the house in Elgin sold off, and a family strewn across the country, he started touring. For six years he lived out of his car and couch to couch, playing more than 700 shows at last count. 30 years old now, he newly lives in Iowa City, a town famous for keeping writers for short periods of time, in a house full of other struggling artists, the Blue House.
While his self-released first record, Misery, Missouri (2005) earned him high marks from a number of online sources, Paleo garnered most of his notoriety through his 2006 songwriting mecca, The Song Diary. In a single year, he wrote and recorded 365 songs consecutively. Paste called it “a streetfight of freakish prolificacy,” and Daytrotter’s Sean Moeller playfully crowned him their “Poet Laureate.” His other credits include soundtrack work alongside Okkervil River for the feature film In Search Of A Midnight Kiss (2007), winner of the John Cassavetes Award at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards, and producing These United States’ psychotropic debut record, A Picture of The Three Of Us At The Gate To The Garden Of Eden (2008), on which he played the majority of the instruments. And most recently, last year’s stripped-down, folk-pop archipelago, A View Of The Sky drew loud applause from the blogosphere and saw Paleo tour 8 months straight in 2010 to support it.
Other pertinent links:
Official Site: http://www.paleo.ws
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/schmaleo
Partisan Records: http://www.partisanrecords.com/
For media and interview requests:
Tony Bonyata
Pavment PR
e: bonyata@wi.rr.com
p: 262.903.7775
w: https://pavementpr.com
PRESS FOR PALEO’S FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
“Fruit of the Spirit is a strong collection of more memorable tunes from the ever creative, fruitful and spirited mind of Paleo.” – BLURT
“…a cohesive collection that is creative, enthralling and personal.” – J. Felton / RECORD DEPT.
“Fruit of the Spirit from the compulsively creative Paleo is youthful, imaginative, entertaining and deeply personal in the way that most great art is.” – Jedd Beaudoin / POPMATTERS
“Every household would benefit from a little Paleo.” – WHISPERIN & HOLLERIN / UK
“Fruit of the Spirit is a very impressive collection of odd and poignant songs.” – Darren C. Demaree / ALT OHIO
“On his latest album, Fruit of the Spirit, eclectic folkie Paleo, born David Strackany, piles on all manner of clattering effects, constructing his junkyard beats like a low-budget Beck.” – THE CAPITAL TIMES
“Paleo has always been an artist who has reached out to his listeners with his honesty, and Fruit of the Spirit continues in that tradition. It touches a wide array of emotions, seemingly without trying to. For both avid Paleo fans and those who have never heard a single song (even though there are well over 365 of them), this album will certainly not disappoint.” – SWEET TEA PUMPKIN PIE
“Paleo is an artist who seems to know what the truth is, and packages that truth the only way he knows how it- in obscured sunshine folk, with irregular melodies, a voice that both swells and cracks depending on it’s octave. There’s an ease in his youthfulness, mixed with the subtleties of his own creeping lunacy. But it only appears that way because it his own version of absolute clarity as he sings, “Nothing is Real”. And if we don’t get that, then maybe we’re the ones that are losing it.” – FRIENDS WITH BOTH ARMS
“Outsider folk with gems to unearth… and great moments of beauty.” – Stephen Carradini / OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
“I love this guy! Paleo is so prolific. He puts out so many songs, so frequently… and they’re all very good and catchy. Look for his full-length Fruit of the Spirit out June 21st.” – Whitney Matheson / USA TODAY
“A barn stomping good time” – IFC
“It’s lo-fi but that doesn’t mean it’s not full of ideas and sounds and what feels like pure joy.” – LOUD LOOP
“I got Paleo’s new record Fruit of the Spirit the other day and have been loving it ever since —the whole thing is awesome.” – Matt Jordan / YOU AIN’T NO PICASSO
“By indulging his more experimental impulses and mxing mildly eccentric pop structures with wildly emotive pop deconstructions, Paleo takes listeners on a challenging musical journey, but those willing to go along for the ride will likely be won over by the album’s oddball charm and open-wound honesty.” – LOS GRILLOS
“There isn’t much to his music in the way of instrumentation or frilly sonic accoutrements — rather, it’s just Strackany’s beautifully cracked voice accompanied by a guitar guiding his personal tales.” – DENVER WESTWORD
“A mischievous, honest album.” – PROVO DAILY HERALD
“In the way of a special olympics for extraterrestrial gymnasts, Paleo’s Fruit of the Spirit always fascinates.” – MY OLD KENTUCKY BLOG
“Short, quick, and bursting with energy, Paleo’s new single ‘In The Movies’ is a nice sample of what’s to come from this indie genius.” – ROCK & ROLL GURU
“Paleo’s excellent track ‘In The Movies’ [from his forthcoming Fruit of the Spirit album] is two minutes of indie folk perfection with a melody so catchy you’ll be humming it for days.” – MAD MACKEREL UK
“Paleo’s new song ‘Holly Would’ is a fantastic little taste of the new LP, Fruit of the Spirit, due out June 21st on Partisan Records.” – TREND ROBOT
“Whether you’re cruising with the windows down or laying barefoot in the grass, Paleo’s ‘Holly Would’ will be your go-to summer jam.” – KNUCKLE RUMBLER
“Iowa’s David Strackany is an artist’s artist – a ramblin’ man with a prolific output. He also writes some wickedly simple songs.” – YVYNYL
“… a clear ‘60s rock vibe, tangled in folk.” – POP ‘STACHE
“This week Paleo, released a new music video (we are in love with) in support of his new record Fruit of the Spirit. The tune itself, ‘Holly Would,’ is a buzzy little number, featuring thoughtful anthemic lyrics, loose rag tag rhythms, great melody, and rambling growler vocals.” – FOR YOUNG MODERNS
“The lead track from the album – an upbeat, summery song called ‘In the Movies’ – is a perfect introduction to the artist and the album.” – WE ARE ALL MUSIC
[10.26.10 PRESS RELEASE] PALEO’S NEW FULL-LENGTH A VIEW OF THE SKY IN STORES TODAY THROUGH PARTISAN RECORDS
On October 26th Partisan Records will release the latest full-length effort from Paleo entitled A View Of The Sky. It will be available in CD, LP, Ltd. Edition Color Vinyl and Digital Download formats.
For Paleo, art doesn’t imitate life, it is life. Self-contained, he has been traveling the country for the last 6 years. The time has been spent studying the endless facets of a world both in and outside of himself, all the while chronicling his journey through song.
Booking his own shows, he has been playing roughly 150 dates a year while living out of his car and staying with people kind enough to share a couch, a bed, and some breakfast. Homeless and at home, he seems to have found a refuge within his songs as a prolific lyricist and writer. He recorded a song every day for 365 days as a discipline in songwriting he called “The Song Diary”. If you want to know Paleo, you have only to listen to his body of work, which at this point is staggering. Paleo’s songs focus on what most people take for granted in their day to day and year to year, revealing not just a series of dots, but a portrait.
On his newest record, A View Of The Sky, the music mines a depth of greater purpose beyond the traditional. Song after song transports the listener through melodic landscapes unique, immediate, emotive, playful, and filled with longing. There is nothing contrived in the structures of his songs, and the phrasing is a deep rooted reference to the great writers who have come before him.
But deconstructing Paleo seems futile, because he has already moved on. His music is an echo that grows, builds to a crest, dies, and begins again, evolving always, whether someone is there to bare witness or not.
PALEO AT PARTISAN RECORDS: http://www.partisanrecords.com/artists/paleo
PALEO WEBSITE: http://paleo.ws
PALEO ON MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/paleo
PALEO ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paleo/133744690695?ref=ts
FOR MEDIA AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS:
Tony Bonyata
Pavement PR
p: 262.903.7775
e: bonyata@wi.rr.com
https://pavementpr.com
PRESS FOR PALEO’S A VIEW OF THE SKY
“The ambient yet emotionally driven lo-fi sounds of the disc could easily pinpoint Paleo in similar classification to M. Ward, but are also reminiscent of the weird-Americana of Devendra Banhart—his quivering voice cracks when he reaches for a new note, the simple melodies subtly grab your ear, and his poeticism is hardly lost in the fold.” – POPMATTERS
“A View of The Sky is an endearing album with intimate music, aggressively eccentric lyrics and shamelessly quirky tunes. They sound like what you’d get if you rubbed Daniel Johnston and Jeffrey Lewis together and added a touch of the last Iron and Wine album with its lush, exotic mix of instruments.” – BLURT MAGAZINE
“The itinerant singer-songwriter fashions one of the season’s unlikeliest stunners.” – WASHINGTON POST
“The man once wrote 365 songs in a year, and he’s still cranking ’em out … and they’re good. The new record is called A View of the Sky.” – USA TODAY
“… an easy, strumming indie-folk sound that invokes a sunny chorus of happy animals (think badgers playing flute, chiming lizards, maybe a tuba-playing elephant) all beckoning you into their traveling family fun van. Paleo isn’t all folksy fluff—songs like “Cradle of Dust” pair ebullient and dark tones.” – WASHINGTON CITY PAPER
“Troubadouran effort that draws on folk, country and rock… A View of the Sky is wildly and unexpectedly infectious.” – ON MILWAUKEE
“Paleo’s A View of the Sky, is another solid record, and an even better introduction into another up-and-coming face in the spotlight of indie-folk rock.” – SONIC DISSONANCE
“Profound, enlightening, and memorable, A View Of The Sky is an unexpected delight and treasure.” – THE MAD MACKERAL / UK
“Paleo’s music is quirky, eccentric, cerebral, confusing, and thought-provoking…. catchy as hell.” – HEAR YA
“A really excellent album full of careful and tender, but still relaxed sound. Highly recommended.” – WPTS RADIO / PITTSBURGH
“Vivid scrawls of a remarkable mind.” – MUSIC IS AMAZING
“Modern folk at its finest.” – ROCK AND ROLL GURU
“… not just a hardworking visionary, but also an undeniable talent. A View of the Sky is a perfect introduction to the creative genius that is Paleo, so if you’re unfamiliar, I suggest you take the time to get acquainted.” – KRUI RADIO / IOWA CITY
“…masterful folk music.” – TREND ROBOT
“… deep and meaningful. I want to hear every word that this man has to say, or sing. It’s all very beautiful. Folk gold.” – THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGIAN
“Ragged, raw and yet eminently listenable, this eccentric minimalist pop treat is a pleasant surprise in a music world inundated by eccentric minimalist pop. The songs sound spontaneous and never contrived, well-arranged yet full of aural curve balls. A perfect antidote to the sanitized pop that passes for top-40 today.” – PIRATE CAT RADIO / SAN FRANCISCO
“A View of the Sky represents some of the finest work of his career.” – THE DAILY NEWS
“It’s possible to find stylistic elements reminiscent of Wilco or Deer Tick, but hard to deny that Strackany is playing anything other than his own bright, organic music. A View of the Sky ranges from upbeat to melancholic, sweet to strange, and the album’s title perfectly captures, in words and visuals, the feel of this itinerant artist’s earth-bound music.” – H MAGAZINE
“… hymns of a traveler, endowed with a fascination for nature and a restless acceptance of changing circumstance.” – MOTHER JONES
“Musically, Paleo suggests a wide range of influences. The songs range from clear singer-songwriter to full band folk rock, but with very soulful dispositions.” – THE WHEEL’S STILL IN SPIN
“…a stunning world of melodic folk tunes, lead by Paleo’s beautiful, melancholic voice… one of the best folk-troubadours that I’ve known in the last years.” – GUEROLITOMUSIC
“… a man fearless in the search for meaning, or at least a few marketable songs.” – WLUR RADIO / LEXINGTON
“While Paleo’s music is more about capturing an emotion than painstaking studio tinkering, the songs on A View Of The Sky are more fully arranged than the sketch-like musings of The Song Diary. Organs, xylophone, and horns abound while the material still adheres to the lo-fi aesthetic that so characteristically encompasses his work. A View Of The Sky is consistently buoyed by Strackany’s stream-of-consciousness lyricism and anti-perfectionism. Top notch ramshackle folk fare.” – CAPTAIN OBVIOUS
PRESS FOR PALEO’S SONG DIARY PROJECT
“The guy makes Ryan Adams and Bright Eyes seem lazy. Paleo’s is an incredible story of creativity and discipline. It’s all chaos and intrigue, visions of Jeff Buckley and Donovan and Tom Waits and M. Ward – all eerie psych-folk sounds and gorgeous poetry and it demands your attention: Once you’re in, you’re in.” – Bruce Warren / WXPN
“Profound in a way that you’ve never heard. There’s so much at work in all of these miraculous songs about some of the roots of evil and wonder. A man this enlightened might glow in the dark.” – Sean Moeller / DAYTROTTER
“Paleo mostly trades in the folk-troubadour tones common to M. Ward – or, if you’re a real scholar, Death Vessel and Micah Blue Smaldone.” – MAGNET
“In a streetfight of freakish prolificacy, Paleo could kick Stephin Merritt and Ryan Adams’ asses any day (perhaps taking on Robert Pollard and Sufjan Stevens for an encore).” – PASTE
““… an ambitious task… that may be a bit much for most mortals.” – PERFORMING SONGWRITER
“Incredibly prolific D.I.Y. nomad… this talented artist shows no signs of slowing down at all.” – THE TRIPWIRE
“… a modern-day Jack Kerouac… haunting and melancholic voice.” – DAYTON DAILY NEWS
“… a devotion that makes Sufjan Stevens look like a dabbler. These songs are a more-than-worthy array of lo-fi, quirky folk.” – POPMATTERS
“Undeniably impressive” – TIME OUT CHICAGO
“Armed with a gently cracking voice, a six-string acoustic guitar, and a never-ending repertoire of expressive folk-pop ballads, the itinerant singer/songwriter staves off creative ennui with an ambitious online “song diary.” …the lo-fi recordings swing between howling world-weariness and manic, bat-shit happiness, recalling both the magical weirdness of Neutral Milk Hotel and the disturbed genius of Elliott Smith.” – FLAVORPILL NYC
“…a challenge even for the likes of Bob Dylan…” – NEWCITY CHICAGO
“In an age where being prolific is the new black, Paleo is the most stylish of musicians.” – THE BOSTON GLOBE
“…ambitious… eccentric…impressive.” – CREATIVE LOAFING: TAMPA
“… raw, acoustic folk songs and a gentle voice somewhere along the lines of Elliott Smith.” – AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
“…a gathering of sobering thoughts that feel like drifting ashes and sound like they’re coming from a man completely wiped out.” – THE QUAD CITY TIMES
“…these tentative lo-fi songs are quite lovely.” – PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
“…stirring lo-fi indie folk” – TAMPA BAY TIMES
“…a masochist’s dream.” – THE DCIST
“…one-man Chicago whisper-rock balladry that sounds a little like Danielson and Iron and Wine only sadder (if that’s possible).” – THE ARKANSAS TIMES
“… a lyrically complex and sonically grabbing performance by a talented songwriter and passionate performer. Paleo (aka Dave Strackany) explores the bittersweet elements of life with a joy and drive seen in very few singer/songwriters these days. The shifting themes and mood of each song gave a feeling of a solitary troubadour who absorbs his passing surroundings better than most absorb the water they drink. It is a happy relief when one realizes that there are still people like Strackany out there absorbing and relating the experience of travel and human drama from town to town with a poetic tongue and sincere voice.” – MEDIATRON
“… stretches the folk wanderings of Nick Drake and Tim Buckley… has the lyrical play of Jeff Tweedy and, at times, the vocal delivery of a devilish Jack White, although balanced with a more poetic freedom.” – ROCKY MOUNTAIN TIMES
“… stripped down, lo-fi masterpieces that can just as easily draw comparisons to Bob Dylan as they can early Elliott Smith and acoustic Dinosaur Jr.” – ART SCENE IOWA
“a talented and prolific young singer/songwriter.” – UR CHICAGO
“366 songs in 366 days, a feat to bring Bob Dylan, Robert Pollard, and even Prince to their prolific songwriting knees.” – ZEITGEIST NEW ORLEANS