Jake Xerxes Fussell: Live For Tiny Desk's Home Concerts
It’s only February, but I can already tell you that Jake Xerxes Fussell’s newest album Good and Green Again will be on my year-end favorites list.
Drawing from folk, American and even bits of Appalachian music, Fussell has created a beautiful, challenging and yet hopeful album. His incorporation of strings and horns (sometimes reminding me of Gregory Alan Isakov flourishes) brings a lushness to the music that’s comfortable in all the right ways.
Earlier this year, Fussell recorded his (at home) NPR Tiny Desk Concert. According to NPR: “Fussell recorded at a friend's home in Pittsboro, N.C., with Casey Toll on upright bass and Libby Rodenbough on violin, harmonium and backup vocals. The mantle behind them is adorned with a tiny desk surrounded by various vegetable-shaped candles.”
You’re not going to find much better things to do with 18 minutes. Give it a try:
Setlist:
“The River St. Johns"
"Have You Ever Seen Peaches Growing on a Sweet Potato Vine?"
"Breast of Glass"
Players:
Jake Xerxes Fussell: guitar, vocals
Libby Rodenbough: violin, harmonium, backing vocals
Casey Toll: upright bass