Tony Furtado
Encyclopedia
Tony Furtado is an American banjo
player and slide guitar
, and singer/songwriter.
player of Portuguese
and Italian
heritage who was born in Oakland, California
. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon
.
player in sixth grade after doing a report on the instrument, making a rough banjo out of household items and studying the history of it. By 19, he had won a pair of National Bluegrass Banjo Championships.
As a young banjo player, Furtado found himself playing the genre of music most represented by the instrument - bluegrass
. But all along, he was listening to everything from Celtic music, Jazz, American Folk as well as artists like Tom Petty
and Jackson Browne
, MTV
was unnavoidable in the early 80s! At the same time, he was delving into his parents collection of classic rock
records (The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, etc...). At the ripe age of 19, Furtado had already earned himself a reputation as a young banjo prodigy, winning two National Bluegrass Banjo Championships. Albeit the press and praise as one of the most promising bluegrass artists, Furtado decided that one genre wasn’t enough for him. Creatively, he had something more to express. “I don’t think I could ever be happy staying in any one place musically,” says Tony Furtado.
Furtado then picked up the slide guitar and soon established that his dexterity transitioned with ease. Using fingers and a bottleneck, he absorbed everything he could from albums by Ry Cooder, Fred McDowell, David Lindley and Blind Willie Johnson. He was soon writing music with the slide guitar and featured it on his 1996 Rounder Records release, "Roll My Blues Away". After a move to Colorado, where he based his band, "Tony Furtado Band" as well as "Tony Furtado and The American Gypsies", Furtado started his "road-dog" life, playing as many as 250 days on the road. The music was mostly instrumental based, high energy folk-rock, but it wasn’t long before Furtado began writing songs. Though his previously released banjo albums featured the vocals of talents such as Allison Krauss, Tim O'Brien and Kelly Joe Phelps, this driven artist chose to add singer to his songwriter and instrumental titles.
Looking back, he says:
]
Furtado's 1987 win at the National Banjo Competition (a feat he would repeat in 1991) led to a touring sideman stint with bluegrass musician (fiddle
) Laurie Lewis
(Laurie Lewis and Grant Street) and the launch of his professional career. But, bluegrass
was only one style of music that interested Mr. Furtado. He has spent his decades in the music business fusing bluegrass, country
, rock
, blues
, jazz
, and folk
(both American
and Europe
an) on his expanding instrument arsenal of banjo
, guitar
, slide guitar
and voice
.
A Tony Furtado show has something to offer everyone. He is a real musician with a riveting voice who blends rock music with frequents of bluesy, pop, and country. Furtado’s beyond impressive, furious slide guitar skills and 25+ years of banjo experience will blow away the music geeks; for the lovers of a story in a song, Furtado has a few tales to tell; and to those who are looking for a performance, get ready to be captivated, charmed, and entertained.
If you’ve followed Tony Furtado’s prolific music career at all you won’t be surprised to know that his 15th album, Golden, is loaded with several impressive firsts. For the first time, he has self-produced and penned every track. It is also the first time his own artwork- a sculpture of a two-headed rabbit- has been featured on the cover. However, on what is arguably his most engaging, masterful recording to date, one first marks this album more than any other. After 20 years of recording, touring basically living on the road, it is the first time Furtado has ever recorded an album in the town that he calls home.
Recorded, mixed and co-produced by friend and engineer Rob Stroup at 8-Ball Studio in Portland, OR, Golden, is the product of Furtado surrounded by the comforts of home, weaving his way through the diverse cultural fabric of a city rich with music, art and talent. In classic Furtado fashion, he explores the hills and valleys of familiar and new musical territory ranging from Americana, Celtic and folk to indie rock and pop. And while his award-winning playing and unforgettable leads are present throughout, it is his vocal presence, diverse arrangements and songwriting that take center stage on Golden.
From the sad horns and heartbreaking wait for “Angelina” to the broken man portrayed in the pedal steel-driven ballad “Man Down,” and poignant, other-worldly ode “Angels We Know,” his relaxed vocal delivery, pointed stories and melodic phrasing bring a powerful authenticity to each song. Combined with masterful production- a swirling undercurrent of unique instrumentation, percussion, and sweet harmonies- makes Golden a truly landmark album for Furtado.
Inspiration for the songs and music came from his many experiences around the River City while on hiatus from the road. His weekly residencies at local venues The Woods and The Secret Society provided him an opportunity to broaden his palette and share his tunes with a huge swath of songwriters, including Casey Neill, Jeremy Wilson, Dangermuffin and Kenny White. An online songwriting “club” hosted by Adam Levy where he was joined by songwriters like Ari Hest, Vienna Teng, and Garrison Starr, spawned the rootsy “In the Hollow” and the driving devilry of “Can’t Lie Down.” Even the local art provided inspiration. The infectious instrumental “Portlandia” is classic Furtado and named after a Raymond Kaskey sculpture located above the entrance of a downtown building.
“In the past 5 years, I’ve really worked my way into the fabric of this town,” said Furtado. “The experiences I’ve had, the talented people I’ve met- it just felt right to make the record here. It was so easy to pop in or out of the studio when I wanted to overdub something or have a friend come in to play on a tune. It allowed for a lot of collaboration and inspiration to be captured from everyday life.”
Many of Furtado’s local compadres, added their talents to the Golden sessions- artists like Paul Brainard (pedal steel), Ezra Holbrook (vocals), Jim Brunberg (vocals), Anders Bergstrom (drums), Stephanie Schneiderman (vocals), Scott Law (mandolin), Drew Shoals (drums), Tye North (bass) and Johnny Connolly (accordion)- are heard throughout.
An award winning banjo and slide guitar player who has recorded with the likes of Allison Krauss, Kelly Joe Phelps and Jerry Douglas, Tony Furtado has lived primarily on the road for the last two decades. And while he’s resided in many towns, they’ve mostly been temporary spaces. Now this consummate troubadour and indie label darling has finally found a place to call home. And if Golden is any indication of what home can do, we all hope he never leaves.
He currently resides in Portland, Oregon
, and tours the U.S. extensively.
, indie-rock, blues, and jazz
styles.
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player and slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
, and singer/songwriter.
player of Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
and Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
heritage who was born in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
History
Tony Furtado became a banjoBanjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player in sixth grade after doing a report on the instrument, making a rough banjo out of household items and studying the history of it. By 19, he had won a pair of National Bluegrass Banjo Championships.
As a young banjo player, Furtado found himself playing the genre of music most represented by the instrument - bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
. But all along, he was listening to everything from Celtic music, Jazz, American Folk as well as artists like Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
and Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
was unnavoidable in the early 80s! At the same time, he was delving into his parents collection of classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
records (The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, etc...). At the ripe age of 19, Furtado had already earned himself a reputation as a young banjo prodigy, winning two National Bluegrass Banjo Championships. Albeit the press and praise as one of the most promising bluegrass artists, Furtado decided that one genre wasn’t enough for him. Creatively, he had something more to express. “I don’t think I could ever be happy staying in any one place musically,” says Tony Furtado.
Furtado then picked up the slide guitar and soon established that his dexterity transitioned with ease. Using fingers and a bottleneck, he absorbed everything he could from albums by Ry Cooder, Fred McDowell, David Lindley and Blind Willie Johnson. He was soon writing music with the slide guitar and featured it on his 1996 Rounder Records release, "Roll My Blues Away". After a move to Colorado, where he based his band, "Tony Furtado Band" as well as "Tony Furtado and The American Gypsies", Furtado started his "road-dog" life, playing as many as 250 days on the road. The music was mostly instrumental based, high energy folk-rock, but it wasn’t long before Furtado began writing songs. Though his previously released banjo albums featured the vocals of talents such as Allison Krauss, Tim O'Brien and Kelly Joe Phelps, this driven artist chose to add singer to his songwriter and instrumental titles.
Looking back, he says:
“I think I was kind of doomed to be a multi-genre player from the start.”
Furtado's 1987 win at the National Banjo Competition (a feat he would repeat in 1991) led to a touring sideman stint with bluegrass musician (fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
) Laurie Lewis
Laurie Lewis
Laurie Lewis , is an American bluegrass musician.- History :Lewis fell in love with American folk music as a teenager, at the sunset of the 1960s folk revival. She says of the Berkeley Folk Festivals where she first caught the folk bug:"Oh, it was so exciting...
(Laurie Lewis and Grant Street) and the launch of his professional career. But, bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
was only one style of music that interested Mr. Furtado. He has spent his decades in the music business fusing bluegrass, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
(both American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an) on his expanding instrument arsenal of banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
and voice
Voice
Voice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
.
A Tony Furtado show has something to offer everyone. He is a real musician with a riveting voice who blends rock music with frequents of bluesy, pop, and country. Furtado’s beyond impressive, furious slide guitar skills and 25+ years of banjo experience will blow away the music geeks; for the lovers of a story in a song, Furtado has a few tales to tell; and to those who are looking for a performance, get ready to be captivated, charmed, and entertained.
Recordings and performance
Tony Furtado Brings it Home on GoldenIf you’ve followed Tony Furtado’s prolific music career at all you won’t be surprised to know that his 15th album, Golden, is loaded with several impressive firsts. For the first time, he has self-produced and penned every track. It is also the first time his own artwork- a sculpture of a two-headed rabbit- has been featured on the cover. However, on what is arguably his most engaging, masterful recording to date, one first marks this album more than any other. After 20 years of recording, touring basically living on the road, it is the first time Furtado has ever recorded an album in the town that he calls home.
Recorded, mixed and co-produced by friend and engineer Rob Stroup at 8-Ball Studio in Portland, OR, Golden, is the product of Furtado surrounded by the comforts of home, weaving his way through the diverse cultural fabric of a city rich with music, art and talent. In classic Furtado fashion, he explores the hills and valleys of familiar and new musical territory ranging from Americana, Celtic and folk to indie rock and pop. And while his award-winning playing and unforgettable leads are present throughout, it is his vocal presence, diverse arrangements and songwriting that take center stage on Golden.
From the sad horns and heartbreaking wait for “Angelina” to the broken man portrayed in the pedal steel-driven ballad “Man Down,” and poignant, other-worldly ode “Angels We Know,” his relaxed vocal delivery, pointed stories and melodic phrasing bring a powerful authenticity to each song. Combined with masterful production- a swirling undercurrent of unique instrumentation, percussion, and sweet harmonies- makes Golden a truly landmark album for Furtado.
Inspiration for the songs and music came from his many experiences around the River City while on hiatus from the road. His weekly residencies at local venues The Woods and The Secret Society provided him an opportunity to broaden his palette and share his tunes with a huge swath of songwriters, including Casey Neill, Jeremy Wilson, Dangermuffin and Kenny White. An online songwriting “club” hosted by Adam Levy where he was joined by songwriters like Ari Hest, Vienna Teng, and Garrison Starr, spawned the rootsy “In the Hollow” and the driving devilry of “Can’t Lie Down.” Even the local art provided inspiration. The infectious instrumental “Portlandia” is classic Furtado and named after a Raymond Kaskey sculpture located above the entrance of a downtown building.
“In the past 5 years, I’ve really worked my way into the fabric of this town,” said Furtado. “The experiences I’ve had, the talented people I’ve met- it just felt right to make the record here. It was so easy to pop in or out of the studio when I wanted to overdub something or have a friend come in to play on a tune. It allowed for a lot of collaboration and inspiration to be captured from everyday life.”
Many of Furtado’s local compadres, added their talents to the Golden sessions- artists like Paul Brainard (pedal steel), Ezra Holbrook (vocals), Jim Brunberg (vocals), Anders Bergstrom (drums), Stephanie Schneiderman (vocals), Scott Law (mandolin), Drew Shoals (drums), Tye North (bass) and Johnny Connolly (accordion)- are heard throughout.
An award winning banjo and slide guitar player who has recorded with the likes of Allison Krauss, Kelly Joe Phelps and Jerry Douglas, Tony Furtado has lived primarily on the road for the last two decades. And while he’s resided in many towns, they’ve mostly been temporary spaces. Now this consummate troubadour and indie label darling has finally found a place to call home. And if Golden is any indication of what home can do, we all hope he never leaves.
He currently resides in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and tours the U.S. extensively.
Style and sound
Mr. Furtado mixes Americana, folkFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, indie-rock, blues, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
styles.
Discography
- Golden (2011) Funzalo Records
- Deepwater (2009) Funzalo Records
- Thirteen (2007) Funzalo Records — ASIN: B000LP6KNA
- Bare Bones (2005) - Live Funzalo Records — ASIN: B0007NMJDQ
- These Chains (2004) Funzalo Records — ASIN: B0002C4IYK
- Live Gypsy (2003) - Live Dualtone Music Group — ASIN: B00009EIQ9
- American Gypsy (2002) What Are Records? — ASIN: B00006BNFC
- Tony Furtado Band (2000) What Are Records? — ASIN: B00004U937
- Tony Furtado & Dirk Powell (1999) Rounder Select — ASIN: B00000I5KF
- Roll My Blues Away (1997) Rounder Select — ASIN: B0000002NA
- Full Circle (1994) Rounder Select — ASIN: B0000002MB
- Sugarbeat (1994) with Matt Flinner, Ben Demerath, and Sally Truitt, Cojema released-then Blue Planet Records...out of print!
- Rounder Banjo Extravaganza (1993) Live album with Tony Trischka and Tom Adams, Rounder Records
- Within Reach (1992) Rounder Select — ASIN: B0000002KL
- Swamped (1992) Rounder Select — ASIN: B0000002JV
Distinction and awards
- A two-time winner of the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship in Winfield, KansasWinfield, KansasWinfield is a city situated along the Walnut River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301...
1987 and 1991.
External links
- Official Website Tony Furtado
- Funzalo Records Tony Furtado
- Tony Furtado Band collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - [ allmusic] Biography: Tony Furtado
- "Tony Furtado: Thirteen" by George Graham The Graham Weekly Album Review #1460, as broadcast January 10, 2007 on WVIA-FM.