Anthony D’Amato is touring in support of The Shipwreck From The Shore, his debut album for New West Records, which was recorded with folks from Bon Iver and Megafaun. The album has earned praise everywhere from NPR and The NY Times (who premiered the album) to SPIN and Billboard to Uncut and Entertainment Weekly for its brand of heavy-hearted folk shot through with electric streaks of rock and roll.
D'Amato first came to national attention with 2010's Down Wires, which he recorded with a single microphone in his college bedroom and NPR dubbed, "a modern folk gem." He followed it up with another home recording, Paper Back Bones, which BBC Scotland named one of the Best Americana Albums of 2012. Since then he's shared bills with Josh Ritter, Justin Townes Earle, Rhett Miller, Pete Yorn, Ben Kweller, Bleachers, Ben Folds, Joe Pug, Shawn Colvin, Twin Peaks, Band of Heathens, and more, in addition to performing at the iconic Newport Folk Festival, Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, Mumford & Sons’ Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Festival, and the Americana Festival in Nashville, where his set was named one NPR's favorite live performances of the year.
We sat down with this rising star prior to the show Thursday at The Southgate House Revival!
Give us some background on Anthony D’Amato…
I live in New York City, though I grew up across the river in New Jersey listening to Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, etc. I self-recorded and self-released two albums out of my bedroom before I signed with New West Records and released my first studio album, The Shipwreck From The Shore, last year. I recorded it with folks from Bon Iver, Megafaun, and Josh Ritter's band, and I've been traveling all over the world playing those songs pretty much non-stop since it came out.
What can one expect at a live show?
I'll play solo acoustic at the Southgate House, so it'll just be me and a guitar and a harmonica. I'll play songs and tell some stories and hopefully make a whole lot of new friends!
Tell us about your NPR Tiny Desk Concert experience. I’m slightly obsessed with that series.
The Tiny Desk was really exciting. That's one of my favorite places to see musicians perform, and it was pretty surreal to be standing in that spot. It was strange to be playing in the middle of the day with all the lights on and all these NPR folks standing around us so close in a semi-circle, but as soon as we started playing, the nerves went away and it turned out to be a ton of fun.
What is next for Anthony D’Amato?
Right now I'm in Omaha working on the next album with Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes. After this session, I'll hit the road for a month with David Wax Museum around the US, and then in December I'll join up with Israel Nash for a few weeks of shows on the west coast.
