Annie Bacon's Folk Opera
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Annie Bacon's Folk Opera

San Francisco, California, United States | SELF

San Francisco, California, United States | SELF
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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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""in a word, magnificent""

“(annie bacon) has written a folk opera that is, in a word, magnificent” - penseyeview.com


""an amazing . . . experience""

“(an) amazing, musical, moving experience.” - Quicksaidthebird.wordpress.com


""an amazing . . . experience""

“(an) amazing, musical, moving experience.” - Quicksaidthebird.wordpress.com


"" . . . a huge success.""

“Writing a compelling story is a tricky task. Writing tunes that sound good from the first listen is a huge challenge. Doing both at once is near impossible. Perhaps that’s why there have been so few decent operas in the last century or two. But the challenge hasn’t stopped Annie Bacon picking up her ukulele and writing her ‘Folk Opera’. And it’s a good job she wasn’t intimidated as it’s a huge success.” - Ukulelehunt.com


""the Folk Opera soars with the talent and energy of its performers""

“The audience watching (the) Folk Opera, seems to agree. What may have been a “stop in a line” of events for their evening has held them all in a state of awe . . . (the) Folk Opera . . . soars with the talent and energy of all of its performers.” - TheRumpus.net


""the Folk Opera soars with the talent and energy of its performers""

“The audience watching (the) Folk Opera, seems to agree. What may have been a “stop in a line” of events for their evening has held them all in a state of awe . . . (the) Folk Opera . . . soars with the talent and energy of all of its performers.” - TheRumpus.net


Discography

The Folk Opera, self-released, December 2010

Photos

Bio

Written and composed on the ukulele during a 6-week trip on two distant continents, recorded live at The Tower Studios in SF’s Mission District, and self-released digitally and on vinyl in December 2010, Annie Bacon’s The Folk Opera is a haunting and triumphant extended musical suite written for ukulele, upright bass, fiddle, trumpet, and multiple voices.

You can listen to a stream of the piece in its entirety at www.thefolkopera.bandcamp.com

The haunting and simple melodies, beautiful soaring harmonies and captivating folk and bluegrass rhythms are memorable after only one hearing, the characters are so indelibly drawn, you’ll feel like you know them, and the story – tracing the events of a single afternoon that expand into life-changing moments for a few different people in a small town – is as timeless as classic literature. Described by reviewers as “transfixing” and “almost indescribably poignant and beautiful,” The Folk Opera is a comedy, a tragedy, and a love story. It will make you smile, and it will likely make you cry. And in the meantime, you’ll want to sing along and maybe get up and dance.

Comparisons are a diverse and eclectic cross between A Prairie Home Companion, Neko Case, Jeff Darnielle, Patty Griffin, Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” traditional American folk musicals such as “Oklahoma,” and Bob Dylan’s “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid” Soundtrack, but the reality is that Annie Bacon’s Folk Opera is, in fact, a musical world unto itself, with few, if any, antecedents in musical history.

In just over a year and fewer than 20 performances, The Folk Opera has achieved a grassroots following so dedicated that the live recording sessions were fully funded through a Kickstarter campaign by donations from avid fans. Mixed and mastered by ex-Fantasy Records staff engineer David Luke (who worked with Jefferson Starship, Mike Marshall, and The Grateful Dead, among others) The Folk Opera translates equally well to recorded media as it has to the live stage.

Featuring some of the Bay Area music scene’s most up-and-coming stars, the recording and live show highlight Joe Lewis (Os Beaches, Honeycomb) on the upright bass, Elizabeth Greenblatt (the OSHEN) singing the lead character, Joel Dean vocalizing the Old Man and the Mechanic, Savannah Jo Lack (Ruth Gerson), giving voice to Aunt Sara and playing fiddle, and Annie Bacon herself, playing the ukulele and singing Rita, the waitress.