John Reilly Friends: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

It might be easy to dismiss a music project from actor John Reilly, but that would be a huge mistake: Reilly is a fine singer, especially when he gets a hold of oldtime material, and his guitar work provides a perfect foundation for these church and porch tunes from America s past. Reilly s eclectic choice of collaborators speaks to his passion and dedication: Tom Brosseau and Becky Stark are no strangers to folk tradition. Brosseau s striking voice was first heard on NPR in 2006 he performed a Tiny Desk Concert of his own last year while Stark is a performer and a singer known to many as Lavender Diamond. Her voice fits in sweetly between Reilly s and Brosseau s in a way that recalls her work in the country trio The Living Sisters. Rounding out this homebrewed acoustic affair is Andru Bemis on banjo and fiddle, as well as Soul Coughing s Sebastian Steinberg, who plays upright bass with finesse and humor. So turn off the lights, blot out the distractions, light a candle or two, and let the glow and