Black Prairie | |
|---|---|
 Black Prairie in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genres | Americana [1] |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Sugar Hill |
| Members | Chris Funk Nate Query Jenny Conlee John Moen Annalisa Tornfelt Jon Neufeld |
Black Prairie is a six-piece string band from Portland, Oregon. [2] The band formed in early 2007. Their first album, Feast of the Hunter's Moon , was released on April 6, 2010, on the Sugar Hill label. [3] [4]
The band began when The Decemberists' Chris Funk (dobro) and Nate Query (bass) had some time off from touring and decided to put together a side project. Other members of the band include The Decemberists' accordion player Jenny Conlee and drummer John Moen, singer and violinist Annalisa Tornfelt of Bearfoot and The Woolwines, and guitarist Jon Neufeld of Dolorean and Jackstraw. [2]
The band performed at the South by Southwest festival in March 2010, [5] Oregon's Pickathon Festival in August 2010, and toured in October 2010. [6]
Their musical influences include bluegrass, klezmer, jazz, tango, and Romanian music resulting in a unique sound. [2] Chris Funk says Black Prairie's sound "bridges the music of Clarence White and Ennio Morricone". [3]
| Title | Details | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Bluegrass [7] | |||
| Feast of the Hunter's Moon |
| 4 | |
| The Storm in the Barn |
| — | |
| A Tear in the Eye Is a Wound in the Heart |
| 4 | |
| Wild Ones |
| — | |
| Fortune |
| — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Nowhere, Massachusetts" [8] | Jason Roark |
| 2014 | "Let It Out" [9] |
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The resulting band blended together an impressive array of styles and textures, from tilted bluegrass, klezmer, and runaway Gypsy music to folk, blues, and a bit of jazz, resulting in a unique and fresh take on a kind of free-spirited alternative Americana.
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