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Aztec Two-Step 45th Anniversary Show w/ special guests The Nields with The Nields

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AZTEC TWO-STEP’s 45^th Anniversary!

Since 1971 Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman have been writing and performing songs that helped make their generation's musical memories. Bursting on the scene in 1972 with their critically acclaimed self-titled debut on Elektra Records, Aztec Two-Step’s first album and three subsequent albums for RCA Records were staples of progressive FM and college radio, and helped usher the music of the 1960s into the '70s and beyond.  Since then, Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman have spent a lifetime making music together as the folk-rock duo that takes its name from a poem by beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Recording and touring non-stop, Rex and Neal have accumulated forty-five years of awards, accolades and TV and radio appearances that include the David Letterman Show, World Café Live, and the King Biscuit Flour Hour, and have graced countless stages including those of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. In 1987, the duo's Living In America received the New York Music Award for Best Folk Album and was named in Billboard’s year-end critic’s poll, and in 1999 they were the subject of  No Hit Wonder, a documentary that aired on PBS.

After 45 years, Rex and Neal continue to impress audiences with intelligent songwriting, dazzling acoustic lead guitar and soaring two-part harmonies, and are considered to be one of acoustic music’s most respected and enduring acts.

"...songwriting pairs don't often find themselves creatively collaborating after five or even ten years. Rock music has...Elton John and Bernie Taupin. In folk music there is Aztec Two-Step."  - CtFolk

“…the right sound at the right time…beautiful acoustic guitar playing and questioning lyrics…songs performed with forceful vocals and near perfect instrumental harmonies.”– Variety

Aztec Two-Step

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www.aztectwostep.com

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Aztec Two-Step  - “Naked” CD Release!

Legendary folk-rock duo Aztec Two-Step will celebrate the release of their new album "Naked," performing highlights from the CD, including “Family,” “Long Black Lincoln” and the title-track “Naked” - a socially-conscious and uplifting song with contemporary themes.  The duo will also perform fan-favorites from their storied 46-year career.

The story of Aztec Two-Step is intertwined with the history of folk-rock music in America, originating from a chance meeting at an open mic night in a Boston folk club in 1971.  In 1972, Aztec Two-Step, whose name comes from a poem by beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, burst on the scene with their self-titled debut album on Elektra Records. Since then, Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman have spent a lifetime making music together. Their first album, along with their subsequent albums on RCA Records, were staples of progressive FM and college radio and helped to usher in the folk-rock music of the 1960’s into the 70’s and beyond. As their recording career continued, so did the critical acclaim. They have been praised in countless major US newspapers and magazines, including Rolling Stone, and have appeared on TV and radio shows including David Letterman, the King Biscuit Flour Hour and World Café Live. In 1987, ‘Living in America’ received the New York Music Award for best folk album and was named in Billboard’s year-end critics’ choice poll.  After 45 years, Rex and Neal continue to impress audiences with their intelligent songwriting, dazzling acoustic lead guitar and soaring two-part harmonies, and area considered to be one of acoustic music's most beloved and enduring acts.

“…the right sound at the right time…beautiful acoustic guitar playing and questioning lyrics…songs performed with forceful vocals and near perfect instrumental harmonies.” -Variety

“May Aztec Two-Step’s word-brain fill the Air. Anybody that interested in poetry’s welcome to enter my ear.” - Allen Ginsberg

 

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Jesse Colin Young, David Bromberg, Shawn Phillips, Tom Rush, Phoebe Snow

The Nields

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www.nields.com

XVII, the Nields’ seventeenth album, is both their most personal and their most community-minded. Well into their third decade as a musical partners and—judging by this sublime album––at the very top of their game, the Nields turn to meditations on time, and turning points, their roots and community – both musical and personal – but they also express joy in the present, faith in the future, and a whole lot of hope and promise. The Nields’ albums are often an eclectic mix of ideas and music styles, but clear themes emerge. Love and China (2002) was about the fragility of love and relationships. The Full Catastrophe (2012) explored the messy experience of raising a family. XVII has the Nields looking out from midlife, focusing on themes of time, love and community.The primary inspiration behind XVII was Nerissa and Katryna’s hero, Pete Seeger, who died in January of 2014. His love of sharing music and his passion for justice had been a part of their lives since before they were born (their parents fell in love at a Pete Seeger concert). His death affected them profoundly. Pete is clearly on the album in songs like “Joe Hill” and “Wasn’t That a Time,” but the entire album is infused with his spirit. It’s there in the Nields’ delight in sharing music and in using it to build a community. And it’s there in the title XVII: when compared to a career and life like that of Pete Seeger, they’re not even out of their teens. 

The songs on XVII are about the lessons we hope to learn by midlife: accepting the passage of time and the choices we’ve made, and being thankful for the moments of grace. They are about knowing where we’re supposed to be, and recognizing that there are many things we may never understand. They’re about having faith in something bigger, be it God, humanity, love, or all of the above.

Although many of the songs on XVII have the Nields looking back at their lives and their career, it’s also an album about enjoying the moment: “What a world we get to live in when there are wonders such as this” (“Normandies”), looking ahead to what’s next: “I know the only way is forward; I don’t mind what might have been” (“Treasure”), and embracing in the people around you: “Someone needs to ask for help tonight, and someone wants to lend a hand. We’re all of us, on the bus, sharing our way to trust, we all just walk each other home” (“Dave Hayes”).

Written by Nerissa, but with significant contributions from Katryna, the songs show a confident songwriter trusting her voice, willing to take leaps, and able to write songs that are deeply personal. “Nerissa wrote my favorite songs she’s ever written and they were more fun to sing than anything I’ve ever gotten to sing.” The songs give Katryna room to stretch her voice, from intimate whispers to full throated soaring. The sisters’ vocal interplay and intricate harmonies—the duo’s hallmark—are as thrilling as ever.

“I feel like when Pete died,” Katryna recalls “all musicians thought ‘How do I carry on this tradition that he gave us and how do we nurture that.’ The greatest thing you get to do as a musician is create a community; that’s the gift that Pete Seeger gave us more than anything else. It’s our job to just keep singing and to keep encouraging others to keep singing, too.”

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