ROMAN BARTEN-SHERMAN

Fifteen-year-old Roman Barten-Sherman has been playing blues guitar since the age of four. His repertoire has been inspired by the deep traditions of pre-war delta, piedmont, hill country blues and primitive American folk.

Now 2018 brings the release of Barten-Sherman’s fifth album, simply titled Roman Barten-Sherman. Featuring thirteen acoustic, original instrumental compositions, this album finds Roman striking off into new territory, drawing musical inspiration from instrumental guitar legends of the blues and new American acoustic underground, from past-masters  Rev. Gary Davis and Robert Belfour to modern purveyors Sir Richard Bishop and Ralph E. White, these extemporaneous compositions are based on Barten-Sherman stretching out country blues into new and uncharted realms.   

Although still drawing from the deep well of acoustic blues that he has been perfecting for the last decade, the new material could be heard as an outgrowth of the acoustic finger-picking style perfected by artists on the Takoma Records label in the 1960s and 1970s like Leo Kottke and Peter Lang, but especially the label’s founder, the legendary acoustic guitar master John Fahey. Although often tagged with the ‘folk’ label at the time, Fahey’s famous 60s recordings were in fact a wide-ranging hybrid of styles that formed a new American vernacular, and Barten-Sherman has tapped into that deep vein of true Americana here.

Barten-Sherman’s playing has evolved into a fluid, highly evocative personal style that moves from the stately “Frederick Maryland” to the melancholy “How We Lost the War,” and on to the darker side of “Seldom Seas” to more forceful numbers like “Oceanic Ramblings” and the up-tempo “Utility Rag.” A track like “Hole Grass” seems to pack a whole universe of experience into three minute song, evoking something(s) mysterious and sublime.

Roman Barten-Sherman’s evolution is evident on every note played on his new record, which was recorded by Tucson local Al Perry and mixed by Jim Waters.

Sample tracks of Roman Barten-Sherman (2018) by Roman Barten-Sherman here
Video performances on YouTube here __________________________________________

Nomadic West Coast psych-folkie Mark Matos, aka Trans Van Santos – who has lived in Tucson off and on over the last several years – has a knack for bringing people together. Over his career he has collaborated with members of Dead Meadow, Patti Smith band, Calexico, Iggy & The Stooges, Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Howe Gelb, Victoria Williams, best selling author David Shields and Hollywood eccentric James Franco. For almost two decades, with ten official albums and a slew of home recordings under a variety of monikers, Matos has quietly established himself on the West Coast’s psychedelic and art rock music scene. He is a fiercely independent American outsider with a steadily growing cult following. His upcoming record, TVS2, is being released in May on Jason Simon’s (Dead Meadow) Tekeli-Li label. He’ll be joined by Brian Green on bass and other local Tucson musicians tba on the plaza on April 7.

Links: www.newweirdwest.com
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The Sinners are Tucson locals Najima Rainey & Ned Gittings, playing  country blues with a southwestern flair. Gittings has played with Sunny Italy and other locals; Rainey is active in local activist politics in addition to being a musician.