FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NYC POET AND SONGWRITER ALAN SEMERDJIAN RELEASES A NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR THE SONG “FOR BLACKBIRDS”
JUNE 18th, 2013.
New York City poet, songwriter and educator Alan Semerdjian is pleased to share with the world the new music video for “for blackbirds.” The song is the first track on his latest collection, aptly called Quiet Songs for Loud Times, which comes out on the NewSong Recordings label later this month and is accompanied by a CD Release Concert at the Rockwood Music Hall in the Lower East Side on June 28th. The album is rich with sparse instrumentation and Semerdjian’s trademark poetic reflection, and “for blackbirds” is no exception.
The video was conceived and directed by Jeremy Newberger of Ironbound Films, an independent film company that is well known for its award-winning documentary work, and borrows from a few different filmmaking aesthetics including art house and collage to highlight the song’s theme of how the past informs the present. “I’ve long been enamored of Semerdjian’s unique blend of music, poetry, and performance art,” says Newberger about the collaboration. “His latest evokes a visual response apropos of his soulful introspection.”
It’s Semerdjian’s first music video since “Can’t Wait,” whose heartwarming charm and poignant humility made a huge splash on internet audiences in 2009. Quiet Songs for Loud Times is mixed by Mike Bloom (The Elected, Rilo Kiley, Julian Casablancas), who has worked with Semerdjian on his previous two releases (2005‘s When There Was Something Wrong With You and 2009’s The Big Beauty), and features appearances by Aram Bajakian (Lou Reed, Diana Krall) on electric guitar, Chris Kuffner (Ingrid Michaelson) on bass, Dave Diamond (Assembly of Dust) on drums and percussion and Matt Iselin on piano and organ. The team succeeds at constructing a mature and artful intimacy that is consistent with Semerdjian’s distinct sound while striking notes familiar in modern folk music, indie and art rock, and Americana traditions. The result is a stunningly beautiful album in both sound and sentiment, finding Alan Semerdjian at the top of his craft.
To see the video, click here.
To pre-order the album, visit www.newsongrecordings.com.
For more information on Alan Semerdjian, visit www.alansemerdjian.com.
Media Contact:
Ford Willis
NewSong Recordings
828 232-4314, x303
