Some things recorded by J.Hache and his friends in Finland. Poor quality recordings, bad improvisations and a bit of music, maybe.

I’ve been thinking about music and its place in the world. I’ve been thinking about artistic space and our willingness to occupy it. And I’ve been thinking, again, about success, what it means and to whom I ask for validation of it. These aren’t new thoughts exactly, but they are thoughts I have taken greater root this new year.

It feels important to say out loud that I am not competing with or against any other musician for your attention. I refuse to submerge my artistic practice in the barren, cold waters of marketing speak. Branding is for cows. And while of course I want to grow my audience, to reach further and farther, to travel and make new connections through my songs, what is meaningful to me is the depth more than the breadth. 

Experience and practice, the love of those this music has reached, the support of other musicians, have gifted me a perspective that brooks less doubt about the value of what I do these days. This is a kind of success. Thank you to everyone who nourishes me. 

My work for this year, hand in hand with the exciting and messy business of releasing a new album, is to more deeply embrace gratitude and practice some radical acceptance; to take a look around and realise this may be as good as it gets, and know that it is enough. The work continues. 

My new album 'To Everything a Season' is out on 11 October. 

Big love

The Magic Lantern / Jamie x 

"Excellent, intriguing and compelling, a man to watch"
-The Guardian

"Something very, very special"
- Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music

"Gorgeous, beautiful, this stopped me in my tracks. Slightly surreal, in all the right ways" - Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2

"Every now and again you come across a piece of music that will completely take your breath away. It might not be instant, but it will. The Magic Lantern’s ‘Holding Hands’ is one of those pieces of music. 8/10"
- Fortitude Magazine

"Creating something truly mesmerizing and incredibly unique. Jamie’s ability to combine jazz and folk into something ethereal and is undeniably spellbinding. Fans of Grizzly Bear and Chet Baker will feel at home here."
- The Vinyl District



www.the-magic-lantern.co.uk
Contact: jamiefdoe@yahoo.com

AllMusic Favorite Folk Albums of 2013
Acoustic Guitar Magazine Best Albums of 2013
Rolling Stone 'Best Under-the-Radar Albums of 2011'

There are plenty of ways to tie Arborea to the freak folk and new American guitar movements that emerged in the early 21st century. Though the Maine-based husband-and-wife duo of Buck and Shanti Curran presented a halfway point between otherworldly female vocals à la Joanna Newsom and deeply disciplined guitar playing à la Jack Rose, the sum total was something altogether removed. In large part, the Currans belonged more directly to the lineage of musicians who grew out of the late-'50s folk revival, seeking to connect current music to ancient traditions, as opposed to using it as a vehicle for strictly personal expression, without sounding the least bit like revivalists.

Buck Curran served time in the Navy before settling in Norfolk, Virginia and getting a job at local guitar shop Ramblin' Conrad's. The store also acted as a local folk center and booked performances by musicians like Bert Jansch (of Pentangle), Mike Seeger (of the New Lost City Ramblers), and others. Curran mixed sound there, learned to become a luthier, and played in local blues bands. Following the marriage of Buck and Shanti Curran, the two moved to Maine, where they raised two children, and Buck worked building and repairing guitars. After more than a half-decade of marriage, in 2004, Buck purchased a banjo for Shanti, which came in a minor tuning, and the two began to make music together, quickly creating a small repertoire that blended Buck's studied chops with Shanti's haunting voice. They named themselves Arborea and, in 2006, self-released Wayfaring Summer.
The two began to tour extensively, preferring to play house shows and other more musician-oriented venues conducive to intimate performance. Using MySpace, they connected with the national network of bands that had found an audience in the wake of Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom's successes, including the Philadelphia label Language of Stone. Their sound broadened to include other instruments, including harmonium (played by Shanti), electric slide guitar, and ukulele. Buck produced a pair of compilation albums. Leaves of Life benefited African charities and featured Devendra Banhart, Alela Diane, and others. We Are All One, in the Sun was a tribute to guitarist Robbie Basho. Arborea, meanwhile, recorded several more albums, including 2006's House of Sticks and 2011's Red Planet, sometimes in collaboration with Espers cellist Helena Espvall. 
 -Jesse Jarnow/All Music Guide


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