Videos by American Songwriter
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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