GIRLYMAN: Little Star

Girlyman

Little Star

© 2005 Girlyman, Inc (634479743306)

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"Beautiful music.Girlyman's harmony-driven style veers from urban folk to country to rock to calypso doo-wop, as the songwriters effortlessly switch off lead vocals." - Salon.com

notes

"The biggest flaw of Girlyman's newest CD, "Little Star," is that it only has 12 tracks. Just when you really get into the groove of one of the best new folk-rock bands to appear on the scene since Ani DiFranco reinvented the "one girl, one guitar" routine, it's over. At the end of "This Is Me," you're abandoned, left howling for more; naked, crazy, and prepared to hunt down Ty, Nate, and Doris so you can make them sing to you all day long. Then the repeat function on your stereo kicks in, and your inner beast is calmed for another 46.4 minutes."
-Boston Edge


Girlyman's second CD, "Little Star," is a collection of twelve original songs tied together by themes of love and war. Co-produced by Girlyman (Ty Greenstein, Nate Borofsky, and Doris Muramatsu) and engineer Bob Harris, Little Star also features Julie Wolf of the Ani DiFranco band on accordion and keyboards, and Joe Dye on pedal steel.

"My favorite albums have always been the ones that feel like a journey," says Ty. "With 'Little Star' the idea was to end up in a different place than where you began." The CD begins with the upbeat "On the Air," the story of a has-been TV host, and ends with "This is Me," which is narrated from the perspective of a war veteran. Throughout, the members of Girlyman switch off songwriting duties and a range of instruments, including the acoustic and baritone guitar, djembe, banjo, and mandolin. "There's straight-up pop, a slow country dance, a variation on bluegrass that we call "girlygrass," something vaguely jazzy, and a couple rockers," continues Ty. Lyrically, there's both commentary and, as usual, confession."

The three members of Girlyman scheduled the group's first rehearsal for September 11, 2001. Doris Muramatsu and Ty Greenstein, who met in the second grade, had recently abandoned their former project as a modern folk duo; their friend Nate Borofsky had just moved to New York after four solo years on the Boston singer-songwriter circuit. When all three suddenly found themselves living in the same Brooklyn apartment, it seemed only natural to combine their talents into a new group. Obviously, the September 11 rehearsal was quickly forgotten, but the events of that day helped shape the trio's vision: "It brought us in touch with our own mortality," says Nate. "We wanted to do what felt right to us, and to not take ourselves too seriously. We started out by calling ourselves Girlyman."

Maybe it's this mix of sincerity and humor that has audiences nationwide falling for Girlyman, or maybe it's just that their soaring three-part harmonies are unlike anything you've ever heard. Maybe it's their folk-pop-bluegrass sound-something like Nickel Creek meets the B-52's-or the catchy, often haunting melodies. Either way, Girlyman is on a roll. After the group won a 2004 Independent Music Award for their debut CD "Remember Who I Am," Amy Ray (one of the contest's judges) signed them to her indie label Daemon Records. When the Indigo Girls invited Girlyman to join them on the road, the band received standing ovations at nearly every show and sold so many CDs that the label had to make an emergency shipment...and when those sold out, another.

Since then, the buzz about Girlyman has grown to a low roar. Girlyman has recently performed on internationally syndicated radio shows like Mountain Stage and has received dazzling reviews in dozens of national and regional publications. "Remember Who I Am" went on to win the 2004 Outmusic Award for Best New Album. And the trio's robust 2004 festival season included appearances at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Boston Folk Festival, and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, where Girlyman was voted "Most Wanted to Return."

"The word about Girlyman is spreading like wildfire," says Amy Ray, "and the kicker is that they've just begun."

reviews

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  • Absolutely brilliant!
    author: working4peace

    This album is absolutely amazing! The very upbeat and joyful 'Kittery Tide' is accompanied by the more serious, political, perfect harmonies of 'Commander' and 'Superior'. This CD is defenitely worth its money. This band is unlike modern day MTV artists, who produce CDs with only one or two good songs on it, but charge you twice as much. This CD does not have one or two good songs, it has twelve.

  • author: Annika Jayne

    Well, it's a great CD but I really liked Remember Who I Am better than Little Star. The harmony vocals are outstanding once again but I find the melodies a little harder to grasp. I miss melodies like Hey Rose, The Shape I Found You In or David. But all in all I enjoyed listenting to Little Star!

  • Beautiful harmony, brilliant songwriting
    author: Zan

    Little Star shows the amazing range of Girlyman's talents. We have the "girlygrass" of "Kittery Tide," the political anger of "Commander," the gender-exploration of "Young James Dean," and the more countryish "I Wonder Where You Have Gone." It starts with the upbeat memories of a regretful TV has-been and continues through the characters of a mother mourning her soldier-son's death, the person who is finally noticed by the objest of his/her affection, the '50s "tomboy" lesbian, our esteemed president, and ending with a veteran's reflections on how (s)he has been shaped by the war. The least empathetic is "Commander," but even there, it's not just "you're horrible," it's "let's examine why you are where you are, doing what you're doing." I could list at least 6 songs that would be worth the price alone. All together, and with a rather nice arc, it is stunning.

  • Supreme delight
    author: Liz Hauck

    We've loved Girlyman since we first saw them perform live in Connecticut. The Little Star album was completely fulfilling. They just get better and better. And CDBaby is fantastic.

  • This album rocks!
    author: Tina Lamers

    I love the band and this cd so much I ordered another copy for my brother-in-law. He and his wife also think the album is awesome. Great harmonies!

  • I deeply believe Girlyman should visit Holland and boom!
    author: Nick (the Netherlands)

    'Little star' got a fully meant 5 star rate from us in the Netherlands. I had the same gut feeling and was equally in the grasp of this album like I was a year ago after listening to 'remember who I am' for the first time. Friends and family agree, this is a treat (and not a dutch one!). Hope you will soon be doing a european album promotion/roadtour, We'll be there!! lots of succes from us over here!

  • author: Michael Hughes

    This trio has the tightest, most beautiful, intricate and nicely unpredictable harmonies you will ever hear. I saw them live first. I bought their Remember Who I AM CD after the show and much to my surprise, the CD actually sounded exactly what I had just heard, the CD and live were equally amazing. I'm a singer/songwriter myself, and not usually the best audience, but I listened to every note. Love this band.

  • excellent Cd !!!
    author: Tina

    Excellent Cd !!! I first heard of Girlyman on NPR and was glad to find your them on CD Baby. Harmonies are beautiful!

  • WOW
    author: Candace

    This is my first Girlyman album, and I love it! Great harmonies and lyrics mesh together to make some great music. Loving it.

  • Incredible harmony and great messages
    author: Tom Melcher

    The second CD produced by Girlyman may even be better than their first. The harmony is out of this world...those voices go together and complement each other so incredibly well. The song "Soldiers" is especially awesome. The messages in the songs are also great.

  • Better and Better!!!
    author: Blackie

    Little Star is beautiful!! Soldier is my favorite, but the entire collection is really excellent. The tour opening for Dar is fabulous, go see them if you get a chance. Son of a Preacher man reigns supreme!!

  • Warning: very addicting
    author: Amy

    I saw Girlyman in concert when they opened for Dar Williams and was totally blown away by their beautiful harmonies. I ordered this CD the very next day. Since then, it has been on constant rotation in my car CD player. This is an awesome CD start to finish---as someone else said, it's hard to pick just one favorite song! I *highly* recommend it.

  • Intriguingly fanstastic.
    author: Anne

    Fantastic CD! The music immediately got me hooked and the lyrics keep me intrigued.

  • Another Wow CD from Girlyman
    author: ThumbsUp

    Soul-touching harmonies and delicious musicianship make this a CD that you will listen to again and again. The main attractions of Girlyman are certainly back in force. Compared to the first album, this recording is tighter, more polished and professional - they just sound great.

  • WONDERFUL!
    author: Jennifer

    I love it. I heard the song 'I know where you are' at their concert with the Indigo Girls and it blew me away... I was thrilled to find it on this album. Strangely, a bit of this album reminds me of something from Big River, the musical. The harmonies are magical, and I can't wait to see them again!

  • Spreading the Girlyword
    author: Jeff

    I pre-ordered Little Star, so my copy is autographed. The group signed my copy of Remember Who I Am after a concert. Since then, I have been buying copies for others. I bought a copy of the two cds for my twin nieces. They have to share. I bought a copy of Little Star for a woman who has been protesting the Iraq on a weekly basis for two years now. She said that she loved it so I bought her Remember Who I Am. How could anyone not love this group?

  • A very awesome CD
    author: Terri

    I think I heard the last song on the CD on the radio, but whatever song it was, it was enough to make me want to buy the CD. This CD has the best harmonies I have ever heard in my life and has inspired my singing-lesson-taking self to be more devoted to music and singing, after hearing how these three sound. The songs are beautiful, heady, thought-provoking, emotional tunes. A definite must for anyone who appreciates fine harmonies with brains behind them.

  • Unique harmonies, intelligent songs, the whole package
    author: Bruce

    It shouldn't be too much to ask for in a CD: strong musicianship, quality singers, interesting songs with intelligent lyrics ... but it's exceedingly rare to find the whole package. Girlyman (and "Star") has it all, with a unique sound characterized by unusually interesting and tight harmonies. I would never have heard of this CD other than through browsing CD Baby. It's a real find.

  • They Have Hit The Top Of The Charts Once Again!
    author: Sabrina Spear

    Girlyman is FABULOUS! The first CD was great... and they have done it again with their second CD "Little Star" May they be blessed with rocketing to the top of the charts in every city not only in the US but all over the world and beyond. Their music...sinks deep into my bones...cells and heart!

  • Melodic souls capture the peaceful flair of MIND BLOWING GREAT MUSIC !
    author: Shelly

    Can't get enough - fan for life.

  • What harmonies!
    author: Steve

    Mesmerizing, beautiful, insightful songwriting...what more could you want in a CD.

  • filled a music void in my life
    author: minvan

    Girlyman fills a music void in my life that I was unaware existed

  • Awesome CD!!!!
    author: Bryn

    Best CD I have gotten in a while. Can't pick one track as my favorite cause I like them all!!1 Hope there is not such a long wait between CDs!!!!

  • wonderful harmony
    author: bikephoto

    I listened to the main song on folk-radio and I was so impressed by the harmony that this trio has. These folks really play the vocal chords with skill. The lyrics are quite good and I enjoy the variety of the CD

  • fan for life
    author: Laura McAllister

    every song is a winner...fantastic harmonizing. I love the little star c.d. and play it endlessly!!

  • Fan-freakin'-tastic
    author: Amie Norris

    Frankly, I loved the first CD so much that I was hesitant to buy the second for fear that it just wouldn't cut it. Boy was I glad when I received it and listened right away - home run! This album is fantastic - my favorite tracks are Soilders and Commander.

  • Great music!
    author: Richard

    Can't stop listening to this CD. Found them cruising CDBaby and bought this and their other CD. Great stuff you won't be disappointed

  • Girlyman's tight harmonies and excellent songwriting is awesome!!!
    author: JoMaLe

    I saw Girlyman recently at the advice of a young friend. This 50 plus-year-old woman is totally hooked on their tight lyrics and excellent songwriting. I was amazed how much sound came out of 3 people in a live concert setting. I was fortunate to see them in a small opera house and could enjoy them in front row seats. I am definitately HOOKED!!

  • Great CD!
    author: T Lamers

    I saw Girlyman in concert with the Indigo Girls, and had to buy their cd. They were awesome in concert, and the cd is just as good. I'll definitely be listening to this one over and over!

  • Another amazing album from Girlyman!
    author: Scott T. Finn

    I heard some of these songs when I went to an Indigo Girls concert where Girlyman opened. I actually enjoyed Girlyman's music more than Indigo Girls. I wanted to buy the CD's that night but didn't have cash on me. I got home and immediately went to the website to order both CD's. This CD really impressed me. I love listening to all the songs. Very meaningful and beautiful. Love it. Thank you Girlyman. :)

  • Impressive!!
    author: Erin

    I'd never heard of them, just bought the CD on a whim, and I am VERY happy I did. Every time I put it in, people ask who it is. I am impressed!!

  • Beyond good
    author: Richard

    Cruised CDBaby and found them. Bought both this CD and Remember Who I am. Awesome! Can't stop listening to them both. You won't be disapointed.

  • Music to keep you safe and warm in the evening
    author: Brian

    Little Star is an excellent second effort. The lyrics are more "mature", the musicianship is more confident and involved, the harmonies remain soaring and enrapturing. This is a CD for late nights with the remains of a half-spent bottle of wine and leftover kungpao chicken -- it's music to wrap you like a blanket against a surprise summer chill. It will take you through the night.

  • the best new group that's come along in years
    author: Susan Lederer

    I was 1st awed by them at Felcon Ridge in '04, and again at the Boston Folk Festival '04, and can't wait to see them live again. In the meantime their 2 CDs are keeping me happy! The harmonies are amazing!!! 3 new amazingly creative talents. I hope you keep this going for years to come.

  • Great follow up to one of the most impressive cds I own!
    author: Steve Hewitt

    Yes, I too wondered whether this dinamic trio could have a successful somphmore cd - they have it! Here again are the wonderful arrangements, great solos, and beautiful harmonies - so much better than the usual- and thank doggie not over produced - just enough. Great follow up to one of the most impressive cds I own!

  • Very nice!
    author: FUNK musician TAKi76

    10 stars!

  • simply amazing!!!!!!
    author: Melinda Marshall

    simply an amazing and beautiful cd! Amazing vocals and composition and superlative writing! I cannot stop listening to girlyman or this new cd!!!!

  • Great CD
    author: Gina

    Great CD-it's refreshing to have a new and young group that can sing and have natural TALENT! Great harmony!

  • Absolutely fabulous!
    author: Del

    It's just not long enough. Their harmonies just melt around me and I'm in heaven!

  • There are not enough superlatives to adequately describe this group.
    author: Lorenzino

    I held my breath when I ordered Girlyman's second CD, "Little Star," from CD Baby. The first album, "Remember Who I Am," was absolutely wonderful, and I feared the follow-up could not possibly match my expectations. Happily, "Little Star" shines just as brightly. I holds pride of place in my car's CD player, unseating "Remember Who I Am," which had been playing there continuously since I found Girlyman. Wow. (I just hope they make it back to Portland, Oregon, where we can hear them in person!)

  • Beautiful, funny, and smart
    author: Zekejojo

    This CD is amazing in so many ways. Many of the songs are ridiculously beautiful (Soldiers, I Know Where You Are, This Is Me) and the harmonies are unbelievable. Some of the songs are fun (On the Air) and genre-bending (the country/bluegrass Kittery Tide and I Wonder Where You Have Gone). Several are political or social commentary (Superior, Young James Dean, Soldiers, Commander). The genius of this band can't be explained. Just take a listen to all the clips and you'll be hooked!

  • Girlyman is anything but a Little Star...
    author: annalea

    This highly anticipated second CD from Girlyman is phenomenal! The stories of love and war are moving and fun to listen to. The band member's personalities come through each song in a different way and the harmonies are amazing! The depth of the sound is most impressive!

  • little star is a huge star
    author: icyspook

    that first review from the boston reviewer really says it all! the cd is fun to listen to, has the beautiful harmonies girlyman is known for, and will not disappoint.

  • Even better than the first time!
    author: Totally0Random

    I've seen Girlyman live many times, and they're just amazing. Their covers, which are not available on CD, are often beautiful and sometimes hilarious. For those of you who don't have the chance to see them live, Little Star is the next best thing. The songs on the CD sound so close to the live versions that you can sit back an imagine being there. If you want real music played by fiercely talented musicians who clearly love making music, Little Star will live in your CD player for weeks. Girlyman has combined the best aspects of the folk, pop, rock, and bluegrass genres. Their music is a rare mixture of lush three-part harmonies, well crafted lyrics, emotional depth, humor, and social commentary. I have been addicted to Girlyman’s first CD, Remember Who I Am, and Little Star is proof that the band is getting better and better. This is easily the best CD released this year. I love all the songs on Little Star, but my favorites are On the Air, Young James Dean, Soldiers, Bird on the Wire, and This is Me.

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