Fairs & Festivals
Chris Vallillo Press Releases
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Click Here to Download Press Release in Microsoft Word DOC Format Media Release ROOTS MUSICIAN TO PERFORM Nationally acclaimed folksinger Chris Vallillo will perform at ___(location)___ __________________ this _________at ____(time)____. Performing in an old time roots based style on six string and bottleneck slide guitars, harmonica, jew's-harp and hammer dulcimer, Vallillo weaves original, contemporary and traditional folk songs and narratives into a compelling and entertaining portrait of the history and lifestyle of the Midwest. Much like the famed Illinois poet Carl Sandburg, Chris collected many of the songs that he plays from the last of the pre radio generation in rural Illinois and performs them on vintage instruments. From the joys of hand cranked ice cream to the music of Stephen Foster, Jimmy Rogers and the Carter Family it’s an entertaining performance that will have you tapping your toes and singing along. Vallillo’s songwriting has often been compared to the poems of Edgar Lee Masters, whose famous "Spoon River Anthology" depicted the complex struggles of Midwestern life in simple verse. His musical is steeped in the roots based /rich acoustic textures of bottleneck slide, finger style and flatpicked guitars that echo the influences of Mississippi John Hurt, Norman Blake, Doc Watson and John Fahey. Perhaps the archaeology degree Vallillo earned at Beloit College helped him see the important little details of life which imbue his songs with a sense of history. The About.com Music Education page described Vallillo’s music as “a perfect example of incorporating music to teach history in an engaging way.” While “Dirty Linen magazine described Vallillo’s work as "vivid, original story songs" delivered with an "eye for detail and a sense of history." His most recent CD, Abraham Lincoln in Song. charted at #10 on Billboards Bluegrass chart in March of 2008. Program Information: For more information, to arrange interviews, or for photo opportunities, please contact:
For Immediate Release With Abraham
Lincoln in Song, Vallillo combines Lincoln's own words and stories
with period folk songs and contemporary folk music to shed light on one of our
nation's most beloved historical figures -- not only as a remarkable leader,
but as a man who knew and loved this very music himself Skillfully presenting
both well known and obscure songs from Lincoln's time, Vallillo tells Lincoln's
story -- from his birth in Kentucky
through his death in 1865 at the hand of John Wilkes Booth. From an old
jew's-harp tune Lincoln used to playas a circuit riding lawyer, to political
songs like Lincoln and Liberty, to
the moving civil war song "We Are Coming
Father Ahra 'am" Vallillo's
show lets the music to tell the tale in a way that words alone can't match. The show resonates with today's headlines as well. "As I've performed this show over the last
year, I've been increasingly struck by parallels between Lincoln's time and our
own," notes Vallillo. ''The country faces challenges we haven't seen since
the Great Depression. I can't count the number of times I've heard audiences
comment on the fact that 200 years after the birth of the man who would abolish
slavery, we are inaugurating Barack Obama our first African American President
- a man who admires Lincoln and in many ways emulates his political
style." Extensively researched and historically accurate,
both the live show and compact disc recording of Abraham
Lincoln in Song have
been endorsed by the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and
the Commissions of Illinois, Kentucky and
Pennsylvania. When released
last year, the CD of music from the show hit #10
on the Billboard Bluegrass Album Charts. Vallillo himself is a performer with an affinity for
American roots music and a gift for
translating historic topics into modern day understanding without losing the
bedrock from which they surface. A former archaeologist turned
folksinger/songwriter, he is a skilled six-string and bottleneck slide
guitarist whose love of the past evolved into a love for old music. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum's Phil
Funkenbusch notes, "With Abraham
Lincoln in Song, Chris
Vallillo takes the audience on a musical journey, making history come alive
with his excellent blending of music and
storytelling. He grabbed hold of the museum visitors here, establishing
excellent rapport with the audience with this thoughtful, humorous and moving show." Vallillo has performed Abraham Lincoln in Song at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, The Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum, the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site, President Lincolns Cottage in Washington DC and theaters, museums and historic sites around the country to celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. Program Information: For more information, to arrange interviews, or for photo opportunities, please contact: | |
