tin hat
Born of age-old friendships and deep musical connections.
The music of Tin Hat is subtle, introspective and generous. It has the uncanny ability to be both melancholy and joyful, sprightly and sinister. From the start, Tin Hat has embraced the limitations of their old acoustic instruments, letting the rich tone of 150-year-old wood speak for itself… and the accordion, of course, which always speaks for itself.
Evocative melodies, subtle textures and elegant arrangements are the hallmark of this evolving composers’ collective. Though Tin Hat (formerly Tin Hat Trio) never pitches their tent in any musical camp for very long, their musical topography is varied yet remarkably cohesive. Their atmospheric sound sways gracefully between the worlds of folk, classical, Americana and countless others. The New York Press put it this way: Tin Hat “interweaves Old World Europe with postmodern America, south-of-the-border sensuality with concert-hall propriety, and odd-metered syncopation with deeply soulful grooves.”
Their first five studio albums – Memory is an Elephant, Helium, The Rodeo Eroded, The Book of Silk and The Sad Machinery of Spring – were largely instrumental, but included vocal cameos by Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, Mike Patton, and Carla Kihlstedt. On their most recent studio album – the rain is a handsome animal – 17 songs after the poetry of E.E. Cummings (New Amsterdam Records) – Kihlstedt embraced the dual role of violinist/vocalist, interpreting Cummings’ concise, bold and whimsical poetry.
The most recent Tin Hat line-up is:
BEN GOLDBERG – CLARINET, CONTRA-ALTO CLARINET
CARLA KIHLSTEDT – VIOLIN, VOICE
MARK ORTON – GUITAR, DOBRO, BANJO
ROB REICH – ACCORDION, PIANO