Tom Chapin Let The Bad Times Roll CD

Sundance Music is pleased to announce the release of LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL, the 20th recording by folk troubadour TOM CHAPIN. Dubbed “one of the great personalities in contemporary folk music” by The New York Times, this beloved singer-songwriter, storyteller and multi-instrumentalist continues to be a strong voice and positive presence in a precarious world.Following up his critically acclaimed adult recordings, “Common Ground” and “The Turning Of The Tide,” Tom Chapin holds up a mirror to our times with studio versions of 13 brand new songs, ending with a tender live rendition of the traditional The Water Is Wide, performed with his band and his singing daughters Lily and Abigail.Chapin and his long-time collaborators Si Kahn, John Forster, Michael Mark, and Jon Cobert have penned a collection of thought-provoking songs that bring a smile and a tear. Many songs are autobiographical and deeply familial - a Chapin trademark. Love Lasts Long is a celebration of the power of a long-term relationship in a loud and fear-filled world. Two wonderful new songs, We Will Adjust and This Too Shall Pass, give fresh voice to the worries of our time, with a long view at humanity’s ability to change and change again, and somehow persevere. Boys In The Choir tells of Chapin’s mother signing up her reluctant son to sing in the church choir, which she knew would keep him safe, busy and off the streets of Brooklyn where he and his brothers grew up. Father, Daughter, Mother, Son features a parent passing on the wisdom gained through experience; a wish to pave the path for a smooth ride. The Day That Max Was Born is an exultation of new life, celebrating the birth of Tom’s second grandson. A Bridge To Somewhere turns the often heard, bad news “bridge to nowhere” metaphor inside out, with a rollicking, sing-along, old-timey song that feels like a classic. Once When I Was Young is a modal banjo-based piece reminiscent of Tom’s late brother Harry’s powerful story-songs, while Upstate New York Waltz has great fun with city names in New York State. Tom pulls out his big 12 string guitar for Down To Winfield Town, a funky celebration of the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas that Tom visits every year.Some songs adapt a more somber tone. The Hunter is a stark story-song inspired by an article about a soldier that appeared in The New York Times, putting a face on the harsh reality of war. Christmas In New England is a sweet and melancholy tale of modern times, loneliness over the holidays, and missing family and home. At the urging of Chapin’s daughter Lily, he set the haunting Edwin Arlington Robinson poem The Sheaves, about the turning of autumn wheat fields, to music. The musical styles are varied, interesting and fresh, and as always with Chapin, the musicianship (by Tom and his bandmates Jon Cobert and Michael Mark) top notch. Tom plays guitar, banjo, autoharp, mandolin, and ukulele. Co-producer, collaborator, and one-man-band Jon Cobert provides piano, keyboard, accordion, bass, harmonica, guitar, drums and percussion. Michael Mark adds bass and Irish whistle. Additional drums by Howard Fields (Harry Chapin's longtime drummer). Michael and Jon are joined by Tom’s daughters Lily and Abigail in creating sweet and tough and perfect background vocals throughout.