"These songs are little jewels, instantly embracable by afficianados of American roots music. There's simply not a misstep." www.indie-music.com
“Amalgam” shines with great folk writing and Thorne’s thoroughly talented voice." Syracuse Post Standard
" (Buddy) Holly might have sounded something like this if he had migrated to the Village scene in the latter 1960s, as folk music was transforming into folk-rock - in other words into an intelligent, inner-directed, generally acoustic pop. www.rambles.net /Lancaster, PA.
"Quirky folk with an even quirkier edge." www.americana-uk.com
“Amalgam” is a perfect marriage of folk, bluegrass, alt.country, and roots rock. (It) finds a mature musician who has something to say and a great way to tell it." www.smother.net / Manassas, VA
"With Thorne, it's best just to forgo categorizing and appreciate him for what he is -- a gifted songwriter who dabbles in assorted musical strains: Folk, country, bluegrass, pop. Maybe that's why he called his latest CD "Amalgam." It's no coincidence." Erie Times News, PA
" Amalgam is full of stories that will captivate and amuse you for hours. A team of great bluegrass and folk artists shine on this well crafted album"
Jamestown Music Inc. Des Moines, IA
"Borrowing from folk and hints of bluegrass, Richard's songs are light hearted like an afternoon ride, at times not unlike early Cat Stevens. Lyrically spun around a character who seems to 'get it' and knows everyone else can too."
www.jezebelmusic.com
"Richard Thorne.... is obviously not your typical acoustic singersongwriter. Perhaps folksinger is too narrow of a label for Thorne. The New York City native seems to thrive on diversity. Trading Post East, Wadsworth OH
"Thorne's way of combining quirky melodies with narrative lyrics is reminiscent of early Bob Dylan. Thorne does succeed in standing out from the crowd in his use of unconventional chord structures. "
Folk World, The On-line Music magazine UK
"Richard.. demonstrates his ability to write songs that don't all sound the same, a trap some writers tend to fall into. www.greenmanreviw.com
Although he was born, and spent his younger years, upstate in what is often referred to as "The Finger Lakes" area of New York, he has been a longtime resident of New York City. He has been both an actor and a dancer, but it is music that has dominated his life. He played both the piano and drums at a very young age and as a teenager drummed in an orchestral, marching, jazz and many a garage rock, band. After pursuing a career throughout the Seventies in theater and dance, which included a brief scholarship at the New York School of Ballet, he returned to playing the drums for several "New Wave" bands. In 1980, he stepped out front to make his debut as a guitar strumming singer songwriter, accompanied by a saxophonist and a bongo player, at a folk club in Greenwich Village. He soon added an electric violin and bass to the mix, named the group Richard Thorne and The Side Effects and preceded to write and play his quirky alternative pop/folk rock songs that crossed different genres and styles, and often confused many a listener along the way. It was sort of Gordon Lightfoot meets Roxy Music and The Velvet Underground. His band eventually evolved into a more standard rock lineup of guitars, bass, drums and either a sax or keyboards and in 1981, he released his debut single (45 RPM ) "Junkie For Your Love" backed with"Everybody's Looking for a Hero". He continued to perform throughout the 80's and early 90's, either solo or with the ever changing Side Effects, though one of his more successful, if ephemeral, projects, was his musical and somewhat theatrical revue, "Richard Thorne's Summer Party".
In 1993, except for one impromptu performance at a hotel bar in Jalapa, Mexico, he took a very long sabbatical from both performing and writing. But as the new century approached, he once again picked up his guitar to write and record, what one critic called, an alternative folk pop EP entitled "Undercover Overachiever" (2000). He later teamed up with a banjo player and edged toward a more acoustic, roots sound with a bluegrass and old timey country edge, though not in the traditional sense of those genres. He often continued to keep the quirky pop sound as well as a nontraditional chord structure in his songs. The result of that collaboration, with the addition of an acoustic bass and fiddle, all of whom he named The Teasels, was the CD "Freight Trains and Strange Dreams" (2002). The title track of that CD is included on a compilation CD called "Ride The Train" Volume 6 (NBT Records)
With the release of his new 11 song CD, AMALGAM (2005), Richard continues with his eclectic mix of acoustic pop, roots, folk, country and nontraditional bluegrass sound. He continues to perform in NYC and to tour throughout the Midwest and along the East Coast.
The Participants on this CD are:
Richard: vocals, guitars, drums and percussion
Mark Verdino: acoustic bass
Dennis Lichtman: mandolin and fiddle
Mike Nolan: pedal steel and lap steel
Jostein Gulbrandsen: lead guitar on Joe Gould
Jean Caze: trumpet
Bill Hauser: tenor sax
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