Song Premiere: Joy Kills Sorrow Scale “Such Great Heights”

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Joy Kills Sorrow (cr. Shervin Lainez)

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The members of Joy Kills Sorrow cast a wide net, rolling their classical chops and jazz conservatory training into a rootsy sound that stretches the boundaries of bluegrass. On Wide Awake, their upcoming 7-song EP, that band occupies the intersection between tradition and innovation, even throwing in a cover of the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” for good measure.

“It’s a tune that people recognize,” says guitarist Matt Arcara, who co-founded the Boston-based quintet, “and it gives them a lens to see Joy Kills Sorrow through. We’ve always been interested in this idea of how to play non-traditional music in a traditional string-band setting. “Such Great Heights” gave us an opportunity to say, ‘OK, how can we take this mostly electronic recording and spread the bits and pieces around to the different instruments?’”

Look for Wide Awake on June 4, and catch Joy Kills Sorrow on the road this summer.

Joy Kills Sorrow Tour Dates

May 20                                      Knoxville, TN                                                       Tennessee Shines

May 21                                       Jackson, MS                                                             Hal and Mal’s

May 22                                    Baton Rogue, LA                                                        Mud and Water

May 23                                       Lafayette, LA                                               The Blue Moon Saloon

May 25                                       Kerrville, TX                                                 Kerrville Folk Festival

May 28                                      Santa Fe, NM                                Santa Fe Performance Exchange

May 29                                   Albuquerque, NM                                                              Low Spirits

May 30                                        Phoenix, AZ                                       Musical Instrument Museum

May 31                                    Los Angeles, CA                                                                  The Mint

June 2                                       Santa Cruz, CA                                                        The Crepe Place

June 3                                         Berkeley, CA                                                     Freight and Salvage

June 4                                         Newberg, OR                                        The Newberg Music Center

June 5                                      Bellingham, WA                            Green Frog Café Acoustic Tavern

June 6                                         Portland, OR                                                   Alberta Rose Theatre

June 7                                          Seattle, WA                                                            Fremont Abbey

June 9                                    Vancouver, Canada                                                         St. James Hall

June 10                              Qualicum Beach, Canada                          Oceanside Community Church

June 15                                       Loveland, CO                         KUNC’s Tuna Fish & Peanut Butter

June 16                                       Palisada, CO                        Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Festival

July 3                                         New York, NY                                              Madison Square Music

July 6                                       Portsmouth, NH                                        Prescott Park Arts Festival

July 7                                       Cambridge, MA                                                              Club Passim

July 28                            White Sulphur Springs, MT                        Red Ants Pants Music Festival

August 10                                 Huntington, VT                                      Valley Stage Music Festival

August 16-18                       Owen Sound, Canada               Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival

September 8                              Richmond, VA                                         Modlin Center for the Arts

November 8                                 Athens, TN                                                            The Arts Center

 

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