Arthur King Presents Danny Frankel, Victoria Williams, Doug Wieselman – “Roofrack For Ralph” premiere
Roofrack For Ralph finds three expert musicians and long time friends, each with their own distinctly varied and impressive catalogs joining together to push boundaries and forge musician kinship that defies genre and tradition
Victoria Williams is a singer-songwriter with a strikingly expressive approach to storytelling. Her unique vocal delivery has led to a slew of critically acclaimed solo albums as well as collaborations with Lou Reed, Vic Chestnut and many others. Roofrack for Ralph contains some of the first new original music contributions by Williams in over a decade.
Drummer Danny Frankel’s career stretches back to the 70s. He was played with Lou Reed, John Cale, Laurie Anderson, Bo Diddley and many more.
Doug Wieselman is a reedits, guitarist and composer. He has worked with Bill Frisell, Yoko Ono, Antony & The Johnsons and many others.
The trio convened in Joshua tree in December of 2017 and composed the record. Largely improvised, the calm interplay of guitar, reeds and percussion provides a welcoming bed for sound for Williams’ vocals. The trio touches on Folk, Ambient and avant-garde jazz.
The recording took place after the passing of the trio’s close friend, Ralph Carney. This tragic event deeply affected the three and imbues these songs with a somber and reflective quality. The title of the album as well as some of Williams’ lyrics contained serve as a tribute to their friendship and memories of Ralph.
