Caleb Aronson

Artist Information

Biography

...In Brief:

"In a world full of folk "artists" putting out cookie cutter songs with tried and true hooks, Caleb is clearly original. With the wit and temperament of early Paul Westerberg or classic Neil Young, Caleb Aronson contributes music that is meaningful, real and authentic"
~ Knock Out

Singer-songwriter Caleb Aronson was born and raised in Alaska. When he wasn't wandering the hills and mountains, he was fishing... and causing trouble. Aronson taught himself guitar and, with his love of poetry, began writing songs at the age of 14. Since then, Aronson has played venues from Folk Festivals, clubs, coffeehouses, and stern-wheel riverboats in Alaska, to the subways and the legendary Club Passim in Boston, MA. He’s won songwriting awards including an award for his song ‘Northbound’ in a lyric contest hosted by American Songwriter Magazine, and an Individual Artist Grant Award from the Rasmuson Foundation of Alaska.

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"Aronson's got such an acute sense of place..."
~ Anchorage Daily News

In 2005, Caleb Aronson wrote and recorded his debut record, 'Livengood'. Named after an old gold mining town 90 miles north of Aronson’s hometown, 'Livengood' (pronounced Lie' ven' good) is a collection of original songs, of which most are based on Alaska history. Aronson felt his first record should be about origins. And since Alaska is where he calls home, he felt most of his songs should be Alaska-based as well.

Self-released in March 2006, 'Livengood' is a 2-disc, 29 song record fully composed, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Aronson. Insistant on making his debut record reflect an Alaskan “do it yourself” integrity, Aronson recorded the entire record on portable digital recorders in a vacant cabin in the woods, a basement, a garage, and in a friend’s kitchen among other places.

In an April '06 interview with the Anchorage Daily News, Caleb summed up the process of producing the 29 song 'Livengood' by saying:

"A lot of people have come up and told me how ambitious, crazy and stupid that is," Aronson said last week. And what does Aronson think now that he’s completed the year-long crafting of his double-CD “Livengood"?

“Definitely ambitious and crazy," he replied. "But not stupid."

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Festivals and Conferences

2008 Anderson Bluegrass Festival
2007-2008 Club Passim’s “Cutting Edge of The Campfire Festival”
2006 Alaska Folk Festival
2006 Clucking Blossom Festival
2006 Bear Paw Festival
2005-2006 Midnight Sun Festival
2005 Alaska Music Conference
2002-2006 Fairbanks Folk Festivals

Select Venues

Club Passim, Cambridge, MA
T.T. The Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA
Toad, Cambridge, MA
Johnny D’s, Somerville, MA
Lizard Lounge, MA
Plough & Stars, Cambridge, MA
Pioneer Park, Fairbanks, AK
World Music For The Kenai, Kenai, AK
Snow Goose Pub, Anchorage, AK
Red Onion Saloon, Skagway, AK
The Marlin, Fairbanks, AK

Awards

2006 Honorable Mention, American Songwriter
Magazine Lyric Contest
2006 Winner, Rasmuson Foundation Individual
Artist Grant Award

Instrumentation

Caleb Aronson - Guitars, Harmonicas, Vocals

Discography

"From The Next Town" (2008) - EP
"Livengood" (2006) - LP

Links

• Caleb Aronson on MySpace
• Caleb Aronson @ CDBaby

Audio

• Something Else More (Full Song From "From The Next Town")
  Listen  
• Reversing Falls (Full Song From "From The Next Town")
  Listen  
• Tune (Sample From "From The Next Town")
  Listen  
• Road To Ruin (Full Song From 'Livengood' Disc I)
  Listen  
• Birdman of Alcatraz (Full Song From 'Livengood' Disc I)
  Listen  
• South Leaning House (Full Song From 'Livengood' Disc I)
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Something Else More
• Reversing Falls
• Tune
• Road To Ruin (From 'Livengood')
• Birdman of Alcatraz (From 'Livengood')
• South Leaning House (From 'Livengood')

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Spring 2006 Individual Artist Project Awards announced [+ Show ]
  

  Anchorage - Thirteen Alaskan artists are the spring 2006 recipients of Project Awards offered thro...
  Anchorage - Thirteen Alaskan artists are the spring 2006 recipients of Project Awards offered through the Rasmuson Foundation’s Individual Artist Award Program. These awards provide Alaskan artists, at any stage in their artistic career, up to $5,000 to support specific, short-term projects that have a clear benefit to their growth as an artist and creative development of their art.
  The Foundation received more than 155 applications from across the state. "There were numerous exceptional applications from very talented Alaskan artists. The review panelists spent many thoughtful hours deciding who would receive this round of awards and we are pleased with the outcome," commented Victoria Lord, Foundation Program Associate.
  
  Project Award recipients are:
  
  Caleb Aronson, music composition - Kenai
  Mr. Aronson, an emerging folk singer, will record and produce a second CD.
  
  .......

• Honorable Mention for Northbound [+ Show ]
  

  American Songwriter hosts a bi-monthly lyric contest, and the song "Northbound" was given an Honor...
  American Songwriter hosts a bi-monthly lyric contest, and the song "Northbound" was given an Honorable Mention. Look for it in this month's issue or here: www.americansongwriter.com or more specifically: www.americansongwriter.com/?content=pastwinners

• From An Anchorage Daily News Review and Interview [+ Show ]
  

  "The first CD [of Livengood] is acoustic, with a soft, folky feel; most of the tracks are mellow a...
  "The first CD [of Livengood] is acoustic, with a soft, folky feel; most of the tracks are mellow as could be, even when they also contain overtones of fear, delight or resignation. The second is all electric, more energetic and wild and elaborate.
  
  The best part of "Livengood" -- an entirely self-made, self-released project -- is that it is straight-up Alaska. Every song is inspired by the events and people of this state. Aronson's got such an acute sense of place, listening to the CD is like flipping through a photography book. And it contains a bunch of history lessons.
  
  ...but this collection is far from Alaskana."
  
  

• From An Alaska This Month Review and Interview
  

  "Aronson's unique style of storytelling, [for instance,] shines throughout in the album..."

• From A Fairbanks Square Review and Interview [+ Show ]
  

  "Among these twenty-nine tracks are none of the misty-eyed odes to nature one commonly associates ...
  "Among these twenty-nine tracks are none of the misty-eyed odes to nature one commonly associates with Alaskan singer-songwriters. These are the stories of desperate people (and often real people: Joe Vogler, Johnny Waterman and Chris McCandless are among the locally legendary figures that drift through these songs. It's an Alaska rarely acknowledged...as a songwriter, and particularly as a lyricist, he's on to something... He's a distinctively Alaskan artist."

Setlist

Set Duration: 45-90min
Latest Sets Included:

Blue Laws
Road To Ruin
Birdman of Alcatraz
The Rest of You
Ashland
So Long, Too Soon
Close Second
Northbound
End of the Highway Town
Reversing Falls
Tune
Something Else More
Gifts
South Leaning House
Crazy Used To Be

Basic Requirements

Calendar