November 15th 2024

“American Railroad” The album is out Nov. 15 on Nonesuch Records and the single “Swannanoa Tunnel / Steel-Driving Man” is out now.

The album is the culmination of four years of research, collaboration, and music-making, having brought Silkroad artists all across the United States to uncover and uplift the stories of those who built the transcontinental railroad and connecting railways across North America. My composition, Tamping Song is a song to celebrate the contribution of Japanese immigrant railroad workers.

“Swannanoa Tunnel / Steel-Driving Man” is a tribute to the ghosts of the hard working men who gave their lives building the Swannanoa Tunnel in North Carolina, whose stories have been forgotten and words claimed not as their own. It ends with a version of the popular traditional tune “John Henry” or “Steel-Driving Man,” about the folk hero John Henry, who beat the steam drill with his hammer, only to die of a burst heart. 

Also, please support the people who have recently lost everything in Swannanoa, NC in Hurricane Helene - here are places to give:

Appalachia Funders Network https://www.appalachiafunders.org/

World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/search/tag/north-carolina

Operation Airdrop (Concord, NC) https://www.operation-airdrop.com/hurricane-helene

Beloved Asheville (Asheville, NC) https://belovedasheville.com/get-involved