Alastair Moock
Encyclopedia
Alastair Moock is an American
folk
singer-songwriter
based out of Boston
. He is known for his gruff voice, thoughtful lyrics, and fingerpicking guitar
style. His songs have won awards at many of the country's most prestigious competitions, including songwriting contests at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
, Sisters Folk Festival, and the Great Waters Music Festival
.
His interest in traditional music started at a young age when his father took him to Pete Seeger
and Arlo Guthrie
concerts. What he heard and saw that evening affected him strongly. While invigorated by the music, he noticed how the audience became part of the event by joining in the singing. A few years later he discovered Woody Guthrie's
Library of Congress recordings. During his college years, Moock spent his junior year in Zimbabwe which served as a turning point in his life. After college Moock moved to Boston, and although he didn't know much about the contemporary folk scene, he soon discovered the acoustic singer/songwriter scene. Launching his performing career at open mikes, he formed friendships with performers such as Ellis Paul
and Mark Erelli
. In 1997 he released his debut album, Walking Sounds, and followed it with the eight-song mini-album Bad Moock Rising in 1999.
Moock says that he's always been moved by music "that connects me to progressive issues and social involvement. It's always been a big part of what I've wanted to do as a musician." That social involvement has resulted in Moock often organizing benefits to help those in need.
His latest album, Fortune Street, produced by David "Goody" Goodrich, was released in the United States and Europe by Corazong Records in May 2007. In his review of the album for Sing Out!
, Scott Sheldon wrote "There are no simple songs on Fortune Street; each grapples with hard times, deep feelings, or dramatic moments in history." The album includes two historical ballads: "Woody's Lament" exploring Woody Guthrie's internal conflict between his family and the pull of the road, and "Cloudsplitter," a modal mountain dirge based on Russell Banks' novel about the life of abolitionist John Brown.
In December 1999 Moock first hosted his Pastures of Plenty series at Club Passim
in Boston. The series features a group of songwriters and musicians who come together to celebrate the roots of American music. The series is named after a well-known Woody Guthrie tune. In essence a hootenanny, the lineup for that inaugural show included Moock, Laurie Geltman, Les Sampou, Laura Risk, Sean Staples, Eric Royer, Tim Kelly, and Rob Laurens. A fall 2002 presentation of Moock's Pastures of Plenty showcased at the Boston's Regent Theatre.
In 2010, Moock's first children's album, A Cow Says Moock, received the "Recommended" award by the Parents' Choice Foundation. The Parents' Choice Award
s program honors the best material for children in these categories: books, toys, music and storytelling, magazines, software, videogames, television and websites.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
based out of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. He is known for his gruff voice, thoughtful lyrics, and fingerpicking guitar
Fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking ....
style. His songs have won awards at many of the country's most prestigious competitions, including songwriting contests at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival and dance festival formerly held at the Long Hill Farm in Hillsdale, New York, USA. In 2006, the event moved to nearby Dodds Farm, just off Rt. 22, five miles north of the Rt. 22/Rt. 23 intersection in Hillsdale, on...
, Sisters Folk Festival, and the Great Waters Music Festival
Great Waters Music Festival
The Great Waters Music Festival is an annual summer music festival held on the campus of Brewster Academy located on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, USA, two hours north of Boston...
.
His interest in traditional music started at a young age when his father took him to Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
and Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
concerts. What he heard and saw that evening affected him strongly. While invigorated by the music, he noticed how the audience became part of the event by joining in the singing. A few years later he discovered Woody Guthrie's
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
Library of Congress recordings. During his college years, Moock spent his junior year in Zimbabwe which served as a turning point in his life. After college Moock moved to Boston, and although he didn't know much about the contemporary folk scene, he soon discovered the acoustic singer/songwriter scene. Launching his performing career at open mikes, he formed friendships with performers such as Ellis Paul
Ellis Paul
Ellis Paul is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, provocative and urbanely romantic folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s...
and Mark Erelli
Mark Erelli
Mark Erelli is an American folk singer/songwriter from Reading, Massachusetts. He currently resides in Massachusetts. Erelli is a 1996 graduate of Bates College, where he majored in Biology, and holds a Master's Degree in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts...
. In 1997 he released his debut album, Walking Sounds, and followed it with the eight-song mini-album Bad Moock Rising in 1999.
Moock says that he's always been moved by music "that connects me to progressive issues and social involvement. It's always been a big part of what I've wanted to do as a musician." That social involvement has resulted in Moock often organizing benefits to help those in need.
His latest album, Fortune Street, produced by David "Goody" Goodrich, was released in the United States and Europe by Corazong Records in May 2007. In his review of the album for Sing Out!
Sing Out!
Sing Out! is a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that has been published since May 1950.-Background:Sing Out! is the primary publication of the tax exempt, not-for-profit, educational corporation of the same name...
, Scott Sheldon wrote "There are no simple songs on Fortune Street; each grapples with hard times, deep feelings, or dramatic moments in history." The album includes two historical ballads: "Woody's Lament" exploring Woody Guthrie's internal conflict between his family and the pull of the road, and "Cloudsplitter," a modal mountain dirge based on Russell Banks' novel about the life of abolitionist John Brown.
In December 1999 Moock first hosted his Pastures of Plenty series at Club Passim
Club Passim
Club Passim is a folk music club in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was opened by Joyce Kalina and Paula Kelley in 1958, when it was known as Club 47 , and changed its name to simply Passim in 1969...
in Boston. The series features a group of songwriters and musicians who come together to celebrate the roots of American music. The series is named after a well-known Woody Guthrie tune. In essence a hootenanny, the lineup for that inaugural show included Moock, Laurie Geltman, Les Sampou, Laura Risk, Sean Staples, Eric Royer, Tim Kelly, and Rob Laurens. A fall 2002 presentation of Moock's Pastures of Plenty showcased at the Boston's Regent Theatre.
In 2010, Moock's first children's album, A Cow Says Moock, received the "Recommended" award by the Parents' Choice Foundation. The Parents' Choice Award
Parents' Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award is an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It is considered a "prestigious" award among children's products, and has been...
s program honors the best material for children in these categories: books, toys, music and storytelling, magazines, software, videogames, television and websites.
Discography
- Walking Sounds (1997)
- Bad Moock Rising (1999)
- A Life I Never Had (2001)
- Let it Go (2005)
- Fortune Street (2007)
- A Cow Says Moock (2010)
External links
- Official web site
- CoraZong Records
- Moock's Fortune Street (Album review from ArtsEditor.)
- "Inspired Americana: the rootsy music of Alastair Moock" (April 2003 article from ArtsEditor.)