Ross Gallagher - Neon Night (2024) [Hi-Res]

In the spirit of small stars burning brightest in their latest stages, ‘neon night’ is a meditation on joy and resilience as a response to the threat of pervading darkness. Ruminating on the complexity of a world shattered by conflict and environmental catastrophe that simultaneously continues to generate myriad forms of exalted beauty, we dance a song of celebration in the face of the heavy weather all around us.

Ross’ latest album neon night uses the structures and sonics of ambient and electronic music to create a musical world that is built around rhythmic bass ostinatos, clouds of processed looping electronic atmospheres, and melody. Drawing upon myriad non-Western musical influences, the songs are a collection of luminous constellations, roved between by a band of texturally minded instrumental improvisers. By turns both subtle and unapologetically noisy, neon night floats into the far reaches of outer space with a firm grounding in terrestrial tradition.

Joe Henry is a celebrated master of exploring the subtleties of American life in song. As both a producer and a singer/songwriter, he has cultivated some of the most distinctive music of his generation, mining the complexities of American life for those common threads that sing of our collective experiences. Joined here by a rhythm section and strings, Henry will punctuate his poetic musical narratives with the colors and textures of a modern orchestra.

Ross Gallagher is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who draws upon and works within a variety of American musical traditions. Born and raised in northern coastal Maine, Ross moved to New York City after high school, where he received a B.F.A. from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music while participating in the rich musical landscape of the city. He has gone on to work with a variety of artists including Marc Ribot, Joe Henry, Andrew D’Angelo, Madeleine Peyroux, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Paula Cole, and the Hogfish Opera Company.

Ross Gallagher, bass
Peter Herman, guitar
RJ Miller, drums
Meagan McIntyre, violin
Anna Maria Amoroso Noyes, viola
Benjamin Noyes, cello