Little Sun, the eighteenth album from prolific Minnesota-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Charlie Parr, will be released March 22 on Smithsonian Folkways. Ahead of the release, “Boombox” is debuting today.
Of the track, Parr reflects:
In this neighborhood, music is eternal and transcendent and surrounds us at all times, whether we’re listening or not. And it affects each of us differently, and that’s a gift. Listening to music can be interactive, even if you’re alone. I want to listen intentionally.
Notably Parr’s first ever album to not be recorded entirely live, Little Sun was produced by close friend and collaborator Tucker Martine (Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket) in Portland, OR during the worst snowstorm the city had seen in decades. Across these eight tracks, Parr offers a clarifying work that reflects on the world and people around him. In addition to Parr (vocals, guitar, harmonica), the album features highly acclaimed guitarist Marisa Anderson as well as background vocals from Anna Tivel along with Andrew Borger (drums, percussion), Asher Fulero (piano, Hammond, keys) and Victor Krummenacher (electric bass, upright bass, bass VI).
Reflecting on the project, Parr shares, “Up until this very album, my recordings have always been done live, with few if any overdubs and nearly always the first take—leave all the mistakes, missed lyrics, extraneous noise, and whatever else might happen there for the ages. Most records have been recorded in roughly the time that it took to play the songs. And that’s been fine, actually. Here’s a new way for me, though: here’s an album that was recorded live but in collaboration with producer Tucker Martine, who’s become a friend and trusted musical ally. You’ll hear what happened, so I don’t need to describe it to you, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work with this very talented group of musicians.”
Relentlessly on the road, Parr has performed across the world for the past two decades, earning his reputation as an underground DIY legend. Parr will continue to tour through this spring including shows at Milwaukee’s Vivarium, Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk, Cambridge’s Club Passim, New York’s Mercury Lounge, Washington, D.C.’s Jammin’ Java, Nashville’s Legion Post 82, Denver’s Bluebird Theater, Seattle’s The Crocodile, San Francisco’s The Chapel, Los Angeles’ Gold Diggers and Minneapolis’ First Avenue among many others. Full details can be found here.
Born in Austin, MN and now based in Duluth, MN, Parr has seventeen albums since his 2002 debut including his most recent, 2021’s Last of the Better Days Ahead. In addition to his work as a musician, Parr also released his debut novel, Last of the Better Days Ahead, in the fall of 2022.
