A trio of long-time friends and stellar musicians are bound to have good chemistry. But when each friend has a Grammy or two to their name, you know you’re in for the real deal.
Enter Tom Paxton, Cathy Fink, and Marcy Marxer, who have teamed up to form a folk supergroup of sorts.
In their refreshing and authentic folk flavor, Paxton, Fink, and Marxer mix their combined talent to create socially relevant songs, as if it were 1968 all over again. The group has announced their upcoming live double album, All New, due to come out July 29th. To tease the record, the trio has released their single, “We’re Getting Back To Normal.”
Breaking down the group into its parts, we have legendary acts in themselves.
Paxton, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winner, is as good a songwriter as they come. His songs, which address injustice, inhumanity, social issues, and the absurdities of modern culture, are timeless classics recorded by the likes of Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, and more. Legendary folk singer Pete Seeger said, “Tom’s songs have a way of sneaking up on you. You find yourself humming them, whistling them, and singing a verse to a friend.”
Fink and Marxer, two-time Grammy winners for their records cELLAbration: a Tribute to Ella Jenkins, and Bon Appétit!: Musical Food Fun, have been playing music together for over 35 years. They are instrumental masters, displaying raw talent on guitar, mandolin, and cello-banjo. They hone a deep passion for music that encourages the education of children with music, and the community connectedness that is built from it. They’ve toured the world spreading their love of music, and even played a show for the Queen of Thailand.
Although these three have been collaborating since the 80’s, their recent recording endeavor has been completely different due to the pandemic. Through weekly Zoom chat sessions, the group wrote many of the songs that are included on All New. After more than two years into the pandemic, the trio decided to record a whopping 28 songs into a double album. The result contains themes of love, comedy, history, social justice, and great storytelling played through the various genres of folk, bluegrass, swing, and even Celtic.
With the single “We’re Getting Back To Normal,” the audience is sung an honest and straightforward description of how it feels to be moving closer to the end of the pandemic. It’s a classic feel-good tune that is reinforced by Fink and Marxer’s old-timey harmonies and a jolly fiddle. It’s a good tell of what’s to come from these music greats, and is an exciting demonstration of their collective talent. I can’t name a soul who doesn’t need a little pick-me-up song like this from time to time. Especially one that everyone can relate to.
It’s good to see legends still swinging for the fences.
