The Duke of Norfolk (musician)
The Duke of Norfolk | |
|---|---|
 The Duke of Norfolk at the 2017 North Jersey Indie Rock Festival. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk music, indie rock |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Mint 400 Records |
| Website | thedukeofnorfolk |
| Members | Adam Howard |
The Duke of Norfolk is an American folk musician that is from Oklahoma.
History[edit]
The Duke of Norfolk is an acoustic folk musician and the artistic moniker of Adam Howard, a native of Oklahoma, that started playing music in folk-rock jam bands as a drummer, and by performing at coffeehouses and colleges.[1][2] Since 2007, Howard has been writing music, citing influence from the English folk band Tunng, singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens, and the electronic folk project of Ben Cooper, Radical Face.[3] His first release, a piano-driven album Shadows and Shapes was in 2009, as Adam Howard. In 2010, he began using the name the Duke of Norfolk, and in 2011 he released an EP, entitled The Lazy Sunshine.[4] Amy Jaques of Relix describes his sound as "Irish and American folk, but also heavy [in] percussion, electronica, orchestral music and blues," and his songwriting draws comparison to Belle & Sebastian and Justin Vernon.[3][5]
Mint 400 Records[edit]
In 2013, the Duke of Norfolk signed with Mint 400 Records and released the five-song EP, Le Monde Tourne Toujours. In 2014, he played at the South by Southwest festival, and released his debut album Birds... Fly South!.[6] The six-song EP Three Days From The Wolf Month released in 2015, while Howard was attending the University of Edinburgh.[3] He performed at the North Jersey Indie Rock Festival on 23 September 2017.[7] Attendre et Espérer, the second full length by the Duke of Norfolk was released in 2018, and features clarinet, cello, viola and violin.[8] Howard explains the album as "a collage of ideas and influences converging on the theme of grief but it's a bit of a hot take on the subject. I don't think I really intended it to be so, but it ended as a linear story of the first three months of grief with, sort of, dreamlike transitions–flitting from thought to thought." The third track of the album, "Shema," is described by Jonathon Frahm of PopMatters as a "jangly indie folk number, [that] belays an infectious, rootsy arrangement about its listeners as it pulls them further into a story that hinges itself on Howard's own reflections on grief. It's framed from multiple angles, taking us on a three-month journey into these observations as the Duke of Norfolk ruminates on both personal and widespread losses."[5]
Additional work[edit]
The Duke of Norfolk has appeared on several Mint 400 Records compilations. The song "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" appears on A Very Merry Christmas, and features banjo and beatboxing.[9] He contributed "singer/songwriter-esque" versions of "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Pet Sounds" and "Caroline, No" for Mint 400 Records Presents the Beach Boys Pet Sounds.[10] For At the Movies, the Duke of Norfolk does a rendition of "The Sound of Silence," that Paul Silver of Jersey Beat describes as "start[ing] out seeming[ly] close to the original, but after the first verse, when the banjo comes in, and then bowed bass, you know [it] is something special."[11]
Discography[edit]
- Albums
- Shadows and Shapes (2009) as Adam Howard
- Birds... Fly South! (2014)
- Attendre et Espérer (2018)
- EPs
- The Lazy Sunshine (2010)
- Le Monde Tourne Toujours (2013)
- Three Days From the Wolf Month (2015)
- There Is a Train (and a platform at either end) (2016)
- Appearing on
- A Very Merry Christmas Compilation (2012)
- Mint 400 Records Presents the Beach Boys Pet Sounds (2013)
- Patchwork (2014)
- 1967 (2015)
- In a Mellow Tone (2015)
- Mint 400 Records Presents Nirvana In Utero (2017)
- At the Movies (2018)
References[edit]
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Carradini, Stephen (12 December 2012), "Mint 400's Christmas contributions are worthy", Independent Clauses, retrieved 27 December 2018
- Carradini, Stephen (5 November 2013), "The Curse The Cross & The Crown / Mint 400's Pet Sounds", Independent Clauses, retrieved 27 December 2018
- Farmer, Caleb (March 2014), "The Duke of Norfolk's Migration", Bohemia, 4 (3), p. 36, retrieved 18 February 2019
- Frahm, Jonathon (28 Jun 2018), "The Duke of Norfolk Explores Grief Through "Shema"", PopMatters, retrieved 27 December 2018
- Jacques, Amy (8 May 2015), "The Duke of Norfolk", Relix, retrieved 27 December 2018
- The Music Court Staff (27 May 2014), "The Duke of Norfolk is Flying South", The Music Court, retrieved 18 February 2019
- New Jersey Racket Staff (18 November 2017), "North Jersey Indie Rock Festival: Lineup Set Times", New Jersey Racket, retrieved 28 February 2019
- NoiseTrade Staff (2013), "From The Duke of Norfolk", NoiseTrade, retrieved 27 December 2018
- The Portland Mercury Staff (13 September 2018), "Arran Fagan, The Duke of Norfolk, Hannah Haas", The Portland Mercury, retrieved 27 December 2018
- Silver, Paul (2018), "At the Movies", Jersey Beat, retrieved 27 December 2018
- Walker, Jerad (10 April 2018), "Song Premiere: The Duke of Norfolk - 'Dylan Thomas / Bitter Bitter'", Oregon Public Broadcasting, retrieved 18 February 2019
External links[edit]
Media related to The Duke of Norfolk at Wikimedia Commons- The Duke of Norfolk on Bandcamp
- The Duke of Norfolk discography at Discogs
