For fans of: John Prine, Gram Parsons, Levon Helm, Neil Young, Garcia & Grisman
Stream Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers’ single “Heavenly Rain”
via Mind Equals Blown
Brooklyn, NY // JULY 27, 2016 – After linking up with Post To Wire to premiere the album’s opening ballad “Broken Wings” (LINK), Folk/Americana traditionalists Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers are taking it up a notch as they just partnered with Mind Equals Blown to share the more upbeat, rocking tune “Heavenly Rain” [LINK], a song that showcases a darker and grittier side of the band. Where “Broken Wings” speaks of love, hope and courage, “Heavenly Rain” tells the tale of a desperate man full of regret and in search of redemption.
“One time I missed the opportunity to do something good, and the regret kept coming at me. This song came out of dealing with that. It’s kind of a dream-vision. The man in the story is wandering in a desert, praying for rain to slake his killing thirst. He falls asleep and dreams of the things he regrets. When he wakes up he realizes the way to bring the heavenly rain is to reach up and pull it down.” – Greg Cornell
With it’s swampy groove and dynamic production “Heavenly Rain” is undoubtedly a standout track off of Come On Home. Cornell’s memorable vocal and the driving rhythm section propel the song forward resulting in a tune that could have just as easily been a b-side from the Grateful Dead’s 1977 masterpiece Workingmans Dead, as it is a contemporary and very original blues number. And while we hear and feel the regret and desperation in the songs words and music, there is that familiar twist of hope lying just beneath the surface; a common thread that ties together many of the songs off Come On Home.
“Musically, it’s only one major chord on the verses with a slide to the minor chord, that gives it a bluesy, ethereal feel, so that the bridge is a relief when it goes through the normal one-four-five blues progression. When we recorded it, I kept saying “I wanna do this swampy!” which Jason Nazary the drummer luckily understood and he laid down a very solid but syncopated beat that drove the band.” – Greg Cornell
Stream Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers’ single “Heavenly Rain”
via Mind Equals Blown or below:
Engineered by three-time Grammy award winning producer, Justin Guip (Levon Helm’s 2007 album The Dirt Farmerb & 2009’s Electric Dirt), the bands latest effort Come On Home features the virtuoso fiddle playing of Adam Moss, and backing vocals from Amanda Homi, who has worked with legendary artists like Mavis Staples, Jackson Browne, and Ray Lamontagne. Musically, the group draws influence from bands and artists like Neil Young, Old & In The Way, and The Steep Canyon Rangers, and their new album is full of heartfelt acoustic ballads and foot-stomping bluegrass tunes.
Over the past few years the band has appeared at two Folk conferences (Folk Alliance in Kansas City and NERFA in Kerhonksen, NY), performed at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, toured New England and upstate New York and played at numerous festivals and venues in and around New York City. Now with a new album on the horizon and a fall tour on the books Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers are excited to hit the road and share Come On Home with their devoted and ever growing fanbase.
Biography
Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers are a Brooklyn-based, four-piece acoustic roots music band that plays original songs heavily influenced by bluegrass, country, old-timey and blues. Cornell’s songs are influenced as much by his literary heroes (Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau) as they are by his musical ones (John Prine, Gram Parson, Levon Helm, Neil Young, 1970’s bluegrass). He writes stories about regret turning to redemption, and holding onto hope through travail.
Tight three-part harmonies and excellent musicianship (guitar, fiddle, standup bass, percussion) carry the stories along, over mountains and fields, down streams to the ocean. The band recently completed recording their second album, Come On Home, in March 2016 at Brooklyn Recording, with Justin Guip (Bow Thayer, David Bromberg, three Grammy Awards with Levon Helm) doing the engineering and mixing. Cornell’s new songs include stories about immigration, the (in)justice system, The Trail of Tears, betrayal, love, work and, of course, hope.
Connect with Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers:
