Fursaxa
Encyclopedia
Fursaxa is a USA-based acid folk or freak folk
project led by Tara Burke (born June 28, 1969) of Philadelphia. Her home-recordings feature acoustic guitar
, simple Casio
electronic keyboard
s, accordion
, dulcimer
and her heavily overdubbed vocals on a 4-track recorder.
She has been making music since childhood. Her music has been compared to Nico
's solo work and is often categorized among New Weird America
artists. The writings of Medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen, Vladimir Nabokov
, and Mircea Eliade
have influenced the lyrics and mood of her work. Her musical influences include: World music, Krautrock, film soundtracks, Minimalism, Medieval and Renaissance music. She has recorded with numerous bands as a guest or side-project, including Acid Mothers Temple
, fellow Philadelphians Bardo Pond
, Iditarod, Scorces, The Valerie Project
, and Six Organs of Admittance
. Fursaxa is currently signed to the London based ATP Recordings
label. Tara is confirmed to play the ATP New York 2010
music festival in Monticello, New York in September 2010.
Singles, EPs, and Limited Releases
Self Released (Sylph) Recordings
Freak folk
Freak folk is a genre of folk music associated with contemporary artists such as Faun Fables, Animal Collective, Davenport, Devendra Banhart,CocoRosie, Panda Bear, Kelli Ali, Joanna Newsom, Bowerbirds, Woods, Greg Weeks, Hecuba, Akron/Family, Rio en Medio, Birdengine, Sufjan Stevens, Sean Hayes,...
project led by Tara Burke (born June 28, 1969) of Philadelphia. Her home-recordings feature acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, simple Casio
Casio
is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its electronic products, such as calculators, audio equipment, PDAs, cameras, musical instruments, and watches...
electronic keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
s, accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
and her heavily overdubbed vocals on a 4-track recorder.
She has been making music since childhood. Her music has been compared to Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
's solo work and is often categorized among New Weird America
New Weird America
New Weird America describes a subgenre of psychedelic and indie music, often psych folk, of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.-Origin of the term:...
artists. The writings of Medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen, Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
, and Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religious studies that persist to this day...
have influenced the lyrics and mood of her work. Her musical influences include: World music, Krautrock, film soundtracks, Minimalism, Medieval and Renaissance music. She has recorded with numerous bands as a guest or side-project, including Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest...
, fellow Philadelphians Bardo Pond
Bardo Pond
Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons , John Gibbons , Isobel Sollenberger , Clint Takeda , Jason Kourkonis , and Aaron Igler...
, Iditarod, Scorces, The Valerie Project
The Valerie Project
The Valerie Project is a Philadelphia-based psych-folk band. Their first album, released in 2007, is intended to serve as an alternate soundtrack to the cult Czech New Wave film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. They have also performed live at screenings of the film...
, and Six Organs of Admittance
Six Organs of Admittance
Six Organs of Admittance is the primary musical project of guitarist Ben Chasny. Chasny's music is largely guitar-based and is often considered new folk, however it includes obvious influences, marked by the use of drones, chimes, and eclectic percussive elements...
. Fursaxa is currently signed to the London based ATP Recordings
ATP Recordings
ATP Recordings is a record label that was started in 2001 by London concert promoter Barry Hogan of Foundation/All Tomorrow's Parties. It was originally created to bring out a compilation cd after the Tortoise-curated All Tomorrow's Parties event...
label. Tara is confirmed to play the ATP New York 2010
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
music festival in Monticello, New York in September 2010.
Discography
Studio Albums- Mycorrhizae Realm - CD, ATP Recordings (2010)
- Travellers Two - CD, Important Records (2008) - as Tau Emerald, collaboration with Sharron KrausSharron KrausSharron Kraus is an English singer, songwriter and musician with strong ties to the US. Kraus was born in New York but grew up in Leicester, England...
- Alone in the Dark WoodAlone in the Dark Wood-Track listing:#"Intro" – 0:16#"Lunaria Enters the Blue Lodge" – 3:24#"Bells of Capistrano" – 2:47#"Drinking Wine In Jarrow" – 1:27#"Black Haw" – 3:16#"Clé Elum" – 1:46#"Alone in the Dark Wood" – 4:35#"Nawne Ye" – 2:20#"Sheds Her Skin" – 3:47...
- CD, ATP Recordings & LP, Eclipse Records (2007) - AmuletAmulet (fursaxa album)-Track listing:#"Rheine" – 9:39#"Rodeo in the Sky" – 3:56#"Crimson" – 13:39#"Song to the Cicada" – 13:03#"Tyranny" – 7:27#"Trobairitz" – 8:09#"Renounuos" – 11:39...
- CD, Last Visible Dog (2005) - LepidopteraLepidoptera (album)Lepidoptera is the fourth major studio release by Fursaxa.-Track listing:#"Freedom" – 6:09#"Purple Fantasy" – 3:05#"Velada" – 5:42#"Moonlight sonata" – 4:31#"Neon Lights" – 2:54#"Karma" – 3:59#"Poppy Opera" – 7:28#"Russian Snow Queen" – 3:50...
- CD, ATP Recordings (2005) - Madrigals in Duos - LP, Time-Lag Records (2004)
- Fursaxa - LP, Ecstatic Peace! (2002)
- Mandrake - CD, Acid Mothers Temple (2000) & LP, Eclipse Records (2004)
Singles, EPs, and Limited Releases
- Maidenstone - 7" EP, Mt. St. Mtn. (2007)
- Harbinger of Spring - 3"CD, Jewelled Antler (2004)
- Fursaxa/Juniper Meadows - split CDR, Foxglove (2004)
Self Released (Sylph) Recordings
- Kobold Moon - CD (2008)
- Myriad of Satyrids - CDR (2006)
- Amulet - CDR (2004)
- The Cult From Moon Mountain - CDR (2003)
- Trobairitz Are Here From Venus - CDR (2002)