Simon Joyner & Friends, Low Fidelities & Infidelities (Demos/Covers/Collaborations) (2019, Grapefruit Record Club)

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Out of the blue yesterday Simon Joyner released a new album, Low Fidelities & Infidelities (Demos/Covers/Collaborations) via Grapefruit Record Club and Bandcamp. The 21-song collection includes Simon Joyner demos from his upcoming album Pocket Moon, due on Grapefruit in October, as well as covers of songs from some of his songwriter heroes including Lee Hazelwood, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Vic Chesnutt, Randy Newman, Richard Thompson, Phil Ochs and more.

The album is actually by “Simon Joyner & Friends” because the music was created in collaboration with his musician pals The Bruces, Pearl Lovejoy Boyd, The Bingo Trappers, Noah Sterba, Fred Lonberg Holm, Dennis Callaci, Sean Pratt & Megan Siebe, Roy Montgomery, Michael Krassner, Meg Baird, L. Eugene Methe, The Renderers and Irma Vep.

“I had all these covers in my (phone’s) voice memos from times when I felt like playing guitar but was unable to write anything myself,” Joyner said. “When I was heading out on this tour I just completed, I thought about putting together a CD of demos so I’d have something new to sell, and while digging through the phone, I found all the covers and had the idea to take my live recordings of the covers and send them to musician friends for them to add their own tracks to, as a kind of through-the-mail collaboration.”

Joyner and his guitar are at the center of all the songs, but his friends add subtle touches of cello, keyboards, pedal steel, drums, harmony vocals and other instruments to make for a surprisingly rich yet personal recording.

Joyner is donating all the digital download proceeds through Bandcamp to abortion access organizations in Alabama, Georgia and Missouri. People can pay what they want beyond the $7 suggested price, and all will be donated.

You can order either the digital album or the CD from Joyner’s Bandcamp page.

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Tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s Slingshot Dakota headlines. The duo has a new album, Heavy Banding, out on Community Records (after years of being on Topshelf). Joining them is Muscle Cousins. 9 p.m. $12.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.