Press Release
Source: Propeller Publicity
Two-time folk Grammy nominee Eliza Gilkyson is sharing the first single, the “brightly ethereal” (Folk Alley) “Safety Zone”, from her new album, Home, set for released June 23 on her own imprint, Realiza Records. Premiering today, the song came about after a bad accident Eliza suffered at last year’s Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.
Eliza Gilkyson – Photo credit: Robert Jensen
“I left my car in gear when I pulled up and got halfway out of the car, which rolled forward and dragged me down a dirt road, over a low rock wall and into a tree,” she recalls. “I don’t know why I didn’t die, and when I re-live it the math just doesn’t add up, like how did I survive that? It felt miraculous, still does.”
Folk Alley’s Henry Carrigan writes, “Gilkyson conveys the unearthliness of the scene of her accident … the song patters along Gypsy jazz, Django Reinhardt-like rhythm guitar strums while Don Richmond’s resonator guitar lines and Ray Bonneville’s moaning harp notes weave under and around each other, creating a spooky reverberation as the song slowly unfurls. The gospel-inflected chorus features a call and response structure that affirms the power of universe that protects the singer from harm, at least in this moment.”
Pre-order Home HERE
Home reunites Eliza with producer/multi-instrumentalist Don Richmond and features a wide range of songs that reflect Eliza’s appreciation for family, home and hearth, in a time when those things have become essential to maintain sanity and decency.
Cameos include a gorgeous duet with Robert Earl Keen, “How Deep,” that asks some of life’s important questions, and a sweet duet with longtime friend Mary Chapin Carpenter, “Sparrow,” on the appreciation a songwriter feels for their fans and friends who inspire their songs into being.
Other standout tracks include the upbeat and hopeful “World Keeps on Singing,” the gospel tinged “Safety Zone,”and the stripped-down love song “Witness,” which features Eliza’s brother, renowned L.A. musician Tony Gilkyson (X, Lone Justice, Chuck E. Weiss) on soulful electric guitar. In the harmony-laden “Sunflowers,” she imagines a Ukrainian mother’s wish for normalcy and safety.
And in the epic storytelling ballad “Man in the Bottle,” she features snippets of her dad’s songs — hit songwriter Terry Gilkyson (“Bare Necessities) — played by the Southwest’s beloved Western dance band, The Rifters, and longtime family friend Van Dyke Parks, who played in an early incarnation of her dad’s band “The Easy Riders” when he was just a teenage.
Eliza Gilkyson – Photo credit: Robert Jensen
The album wraps up with the title track “Home.” Written by Karla Bonoff, the song reflects on the ways that home can be a sanctuary in the most difficult times.
Eliza says, “The pandemic changed our lives and our world forever, illuminating the sanctity of home and hearth, of trusted friendships and family, and a new deeper appreciation for the many little blessings we may have taken for granted before this cataclysmic shift occurred. It has been a time of terrible loss and insecurity about the future, as well as one of newfound resolve, connection and commitment. These songs were born out of all these conflicting forces coming into play while trying to find the balance.”
TRACK LISTING
1. True North
2. World Keeps On Singing
3. How Deep
4. Sunflowers
5. Safety Zone
6. Witness
7. Here Comes the Night
8. Man In the Bottle
9. Sparrow
10. Home
LIVE DATES
THU, 6/15/23 Taos, NM — Taos Center for the Arts United States
PRAISE FOR ELIZA GILKYSON
“Gilkyson once again demonstrates that she is one of our most insightful lyricists, telling stories with such an emotional intensity that we cry every tear, feel every heartbreak, mourn every loss, and exult in every joy about which she sings from her heart. ‘Songs From the River Wind’ is sheer perfection from first note to last…” — No Depression
“a most exquisite collection.” —American Songwriter
“A combination of gravity and grace… Her writing is poetry, something that most songwriters strive for but not so many actually achieve. The strength of her lyrics and music help set the work apart.” -Buddy Magazine
“Even her darkest moments are warmed by a genuine compassion for the lost souls who sometimes populate her stories, and a very real concern for the world we all live in is woven through every tune… Whether she looks into darkness or light, Eliza Gilkyson’s vision is impressive. ” — All Music Guide
“This is pure, unaffected music, crafted to perfection by a veteran Americana artist thoroughly at peace with her recent move to a less cosmopolitan, more rustic environment.” —Holler
ABOUT ELIZA GILKYSON:
Eliza is a twice Grammy-nominated (2006/2015) singer-songwriter and activist who is one of the most respected musicians in Folk, Roots and Americana circles. Her songs have been covered by Joan Baez, Bob Geldof, The Conspirare Choir, Tom Rush and Rosanne Cash and have appeared in films, PBS specials and on prime-time TV.
A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, and an inductee into the Austin Songwriter Hall of Fame, she has won countless Folk Alliance and Austin Music awards, including 2014’s Songwriter of the Year. Her critically acclaimed political masterpiece, 2020, topped the folk radio charts and won Eliza the “Best Song of the Year” award from the Folk International Alliance. She followed that with a move from Austin, TX to Taos, New Mexico which inspired her 2022 Western-themed album, Songs From the River Wind, holding in the Top 10 of the folk radio charts for eight months. The album was inspired by her father, celebrated folksinger Terry Gilkyson, and his 50s folk trio The Easy Riders, with the songs spanning four decades.
