SONTALK, Erik Koskinen

×

Expand

Darin Kamnetz

Erik Koskinen

press release: By way of familial candor and visceral vulnerability, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Joseph LeMay shares personal trials, tribulations, and triumphs under the moniker *SONTALK.* Throughout his burgeoning career, the artist had attracted a fervent following and critical acclaim on the 2014 solo offering, Seventeen Acres, released under his legal name. In the years since, the music transformed into a blend of delicate dissonance, distorted slide guitar transmissions, sequenced beats, vinyl samples and warm electronics, culminating in the April debut of SONTALK: Act I EP on Sony Music Masterworks. Initially meant as an introduction to his full-length debut, the EP’s lead single “I Am a War Machine” garnered praise right out of the gate as Stereogum claimed, “LeMay sounds vulnerable, but the sunny thumping instrumentation delivers enough momentum to aid in a kind of soul-saving atonement.”As he took the project on the road, the track generated over a million streams within a few months. The conversation has just begun. The new SONTALK album, Stay Wild, is out now via Sony.

Sprouted from a blend of American folk, country, rock-n-roll, and blues, Erik Koskinen and his top-shelf band realize a sound that is distinctive and fresh while familiar and classic. The Minnesota songsmith announces the June 28 release of Burning The Deal on Real Phonic Records/Tone Tree Music, sharing the shuffling “Big Plane” video. The clip features Amelia Fleetwood (daughter of Mick) and the track is out now via all DSPs.

"'Big Plane' is a touring love song, written for my gal in Minnesota," says Koskinen. "When I was in Europe opening for Low, I wrote this song wanting to get home and hang with my love.”

Koskinen’s albums are a lyrical and musical metaphor of America’s theaters of war, history, relationships, and reflections in the mirror. Burning The Deal was produced by Koskinen and Bernie Larsen (Melissa Etheridge, Jackson Browne) and recorded by Jason Mariani (Mumford & Sons, Kenny Loggins) at Brotheryn Studios in Ojai, California.

Knowing but not didactic, Koskinen channels the ways of Whitman and reverently enters the anthology of uniquely crafted wry songs with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Ry Cooder while speaking as plainly as your neighbor. The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls Koskinen “the real deal” and “the best country songwriter in Minnesota.”  

The doors open at 6:00 pm and music starts at 7:30. Music is wrapped up before 10:30.  

Where is the Shitty Barn?  506 E. Madison St., Spring Green (Yes, you are entering the industrial park)

Are shows kid friendly?  Children 6 years and older are welcome. Because it is an intimate concert setting that lasts 2+ hours, it is not a good place for jelly grubs and squirmy worms. We love your kids (really!), but we leave our young'uns at home and you probably should, too: If our adult patrons are disturbed, we will ask you to step outside and/or leave.  All of that said, you know your kids better than we do.  Infants/toddlers (lapable kids) do not need a ticket (all other kids do).

Dogs?  What about dogs? Please, no dogs. We're an old farm in an industrial park, and they're just not safe.

Do you take credit cards?  C'mon!  It's just a shitty barn!  Cash-money, baby! 

Do you sell food/beverages?  Enos Farms is on-hand for every show. They provide A-MAZING chow at reasonable prices, including veg and GF options. Please patronize them. We used to start a charcoal grill every show, but with Enos Farms serving such tasty food it has gone to the scrap heap. You can bring your own picnic, but leave the brats at home. Also, please no beverage carry-ins. We sell wine, beer, some soda and water at our cash bar.

Are tickets available at the door?  We strongly encourage purchasing tickets in advance.  Shows do and will sell out, though any unsold tickets will be available at the door.  It's best to check our website, Facebook page or Twitter account for the latest details about ticket availability. We never cancel a performance in advance. We can fit everyone in the Barn so the show will go on if it's raining. The weather can vary a lot within our small geographic area. So if it's storming in Madison, it can be clear in Spring Green.