Sufjan gets behind the Welcome Wagon
If you showed me the cover of this (2008!!) album from Brooklyn’s Welcome Wagon and asked me if’n I would like to borrow it from you and listen to it, my first reaction would be “No.” That would be based largely on the fairly unbelievable cover. But shucks — beyond that Seventies-tastic artwork lies a whole downpour of wholehearted harmonies and majestic banjos on this debut album from Rev. Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique. As it helpfully says on the cover, “Pastor and wife join voices in sacred foks songs for All Ages.”
The album was produced, recorded, and arranged by Sufjan Stevens, and this song was originally written by past Sufjan collaborators Danielson Familie. Fans of Sufjan’s music will appreciate the same childlike delight and shiny newness in their music.
Sold! To The Nice Rich Man – The Welcome Man
Welcome To The Welcome Wagon is out December 9th, and that night they are playing St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Brooklyn.
Name: Heather Browne
I attended a bible study (RUF) led by Vito at NYU in 2003. It’s so cool to know that his songs are finally getting a wide audience!
Anonymous — December 7, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
I can’t stop listening to this!
LMS — December 10, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
Big article in this month’s Paste about them
aims — December 11, 2008 @ 10:11 am
If you love banjos and stuff, check out the mandolin man of Albany – Matthew Loiacono, and his amazing album “Kentucky.” You can find him at http://www.heartstack.org. Hope you dig him as much as we do at our station, Exit 97.7, WEXT.
chris — January 1, 2009 @ 9:32 pm