Sept. 3rd, 8pm

 Birdhouse Concerts

        Manhattan, KS

      

          
            
        
          

 

 

 

Press Photographs
(click to view 300 dpi)
photographs by
Punam Bean

Nora Jane Struthers
New York, New York

Tour Poster:

 

 

Artist Quotes:

"Old time music continues to reinvent itself in the able hands of young artists like Nora Jane Struthers." - Tim O'Brien


"Nora Jane infuses bright, fresh lyrics into this traditional genre with sheer intelligence. Musically, she take unconventional twists and turns, while 'holding you to the road' with commanding charm."
-Claire Lynch

"Nora Jane is one of the best songwriter-singers this side of the Himalayas!"
-David Mayfield, Cadillac Sky

 

Press:

"Nora Jane Struthers is one of the most mesmerizing, haunting and hard-hitting projects I’ve ever heard. Her lyrics are simply spectacular and have achingly beautiful melodies to boot. This is one of my favorite all-time albums and certainly the most arresting music I’ve heard in a long time." - Dave Higgs, Bluegrass Breakdown

"Instead of a vocal tour-de-force, her voice - direct and free of artifice - points the listener back to the essence of each song. She is, first and foremost, a songwriter. But unlike many songwriters who aren't performers, Struthers' singing is as polished as an Opry pro." - Steven Stone, Vintage Guitar

"A former English teacher from a family steeped in Americana music, Nora Jane Struthers writes literate variations on classic folk themes and sings them with just enough twang to sound authentic rather than academic." - Bob Strauss, L.A. Daily News

“She has a penchant for wearing vintage dresses, but Struthers’ music arrives piping hot and original.” – Arthur Wood, Maverick

“Think of Nora Jane Struthers as a preservation effort inside a sparkling residency amid the ’00s and wrapped in artistry that transcends them both.” – Mark Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

"New to Nashville, Nora Jane Struthers has been creating quite a buzz."
-Peter Cooper, The Tennessean

"Remember the name Nora Jane Struthers, because you’ll probably be hearing it in the near future in conjunction with bluegrass awards for best emerging artist and top female vocalist. Her selftitled debut CD is, simply put, a marvel that combines brilliant songcraft, a sultry yet honey-hued voice, and an inspired sense of personal musical style.

Blessed with a voice that sounds a bit like a cross between Sarah Jarosz and Laurie Lewis, Struthers immediately enters the front ranks of female bluegrass vocalists with this release. She can sing a mournful murder ballad in the first person on “Willie,” belt out a bluegrass wailer on “Greenbrier County,” warble a dazzling western tune on “Cowgirl Yodel #3,” and murmur a gentle lullaby on the traditional “Say Darlin’ Say”—all with equal ease and aplomb.

Backed by Nashville stars Bryan Sutton, Tim O’Brien, Brent Truitt, Stuart Duncan, Shawn Lane, and Scott Vestal, she easily avoids the trap of sounding like an overproduced commercial project. Buoyed by her confidence in singing her own songs, she soars and enthralls instead of sounding like the studio band is overpowering her. Writing with a clear-eyed traditional sensibility typically seen only in writers of the caliber of Gillian Welch and Tim O’Brien, her songs sound immediately like pre-modern classics that ache for other artists to pick them up and include in their own repertoire. What was that name again? Nora Jane Struthers. Once you hear this CD, there’s no way you’ll forget it. Highly recommended."   DJM, Bluegrass Unlimited