the burnt pines
Boston, MA, USA and Lisbon, Portugal.
L-R Aaron Flanders, Miguel Sá Pessoa, Kris Skovmand
about the burnt pines:
When The Burnt Pines released their eponymous debut album in 2021, among the accolades the LP earned was spending 11 weeks on the AMA/CDX Top 50 Americana Album Chart, and also a Top 10 spot on the Roots Music Report’s Best Albums of 2021 year-end list. Celebrated as “sublime… an album flush with a delicate folk rock glow, a quiet caress one might find while nestled by a fire on a chilly winter’s night” (Goldmine), the critical and commercial success of their debut has paved the way for Don’t Look Down, the brilliant second album from the polycultural, globe-spanning outfit.
While the band’s unique circumstances – the trio’s core lineup consists of members based in both the United States and Portugal – were already challenging enough, a global pandemic put their debut album’s release on hold while the group figured out how best to proceed. But, as they have so skillfully and beautifully demonstrated in both logistics and craft, the challenges, both professional and deeply personal, were met with perseverance and a stunning burst of musical creativity, paving the way for Don’t Look Down. Charting intensely intimate and yet universal subjects, the new album explores such themes as divorce, escapism and redemption, weaving compelling tales alluding to ghosts and aliens, and all the while retaining a sense of hope and peace in trying times through its gentle, mesmerizing melodies and instrumental artistry. Don’t Look Down is a rare, remarkable achievement: a sophomore album that outshines its glistening predecessor.
A multicultural band anchored by three musicians who first came together at a Lisbon recording studio in the summer of 2019, The Burnt Pines not only quickly coalesced musically but also met the staggering challenges of intercontinental recording, resulting in their self-titled debut, highlighted by gorgeously textured Folk-Pop melodies and penetrating lyrics.
With lead vocals by Kris Skovmand; veteran instrumentalist and arranger Aaron Flanders on guitar and banjo; and acclaimed piano, keyboard player and arranger Miguel Sá Pessoa, their second album “Don’t Look Down” also features Fernando Huergo on 5-string electric bass, and Luis Barros on drums and percussion. Dan Fox plays upright bass on one song, and Erica Leigh and Mariana Lebre Torres sing background vocals on one song each.
Distinguished by a musical fluency that calls to mind the guitar-vocal craft of Bruce Cockburn, with touches of Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, and even the ethereal quality of Sufjan Stevens, The Burnt Pines’ Don’t Look Down is itself a veritable treasure trove, mined in musical harmony, etched in heartache, but shimmering with strength, resilience and hope.
~ Stephen L. Betts, Rolling Stone Magazine
our second album “Don’t Look Down”, is Available on all the digital streaming platforms, at this link:
https://orcd.co/okm5qxq
The physical CD or HD digital download of the album can also be purchased at Bandcamp, at this link:
“DON’T LOOK DOWN" by The Burnt Pines are:
Kris Skovmand – vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, harmonica.
Aaron Flanders – acoustic and electric guitars, guitar-banjo, harmonica, tambourine.
Miguel Sá Pessoa - piano, keyboards, melodica.
Fernando Huergo – 5-string electric bass guitar.
Luis Barros – drums, percussion.
Dan Fox – double bass on “What Did You Come Back For?”.
Mariana Lebre Torres – background vocals on “Welcome Home!”.
Erica Leigh – background vocals on “Bring Out Your Book”.
Joe Cunningham – tenor sax on “The Ghost Living In My Beer”.
All songs written by Aaron Flanders, Kris Skovmand and Miguel Sá Pessoa (Copyright Adraela Music, BMI), except: “Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of the New Day)” written by Ian Scott Anderson (Copyright BMG Monarch).
Recorded at Brookline Hills Studio, Brookline, MA and Bairro Up Studios, Lisbon, Portugal, by Aaron Flanders and Miguel Sá Pessoa.
© 2023 Adraela Music, BMI - ℗ 2023 - Adraela Records
And our debut album, “The Burnt Pines” is available on all the digital streaming platforms at this link:
https://orcd.co/1aejr8r
The physical CD or HD digital download of the album can also be purchased at Bandcamp, at this link:
“THE BURNT PINES” by The Burnt Pines are:
Kris Skovmand - vocals.
Aaron Flanders - acoustic and electric guitars, guitar-banjo, tambourine.
Miguel Sá Pessoa - piano, keyboards, melodica.
Fernando Huergo - 5-string electric bass.
Luis Barros - drums, percussion.
Dan Fox - double bass on "Outside of Us" and "Only In the Soul".
All songs written, arranged and produced by: Aaron Flanders, Kris Skovmand, Miguel Sá Pessoa (Copyright Adraela Music, BMI)
Recorded at Brookline Hills Studio, Brookline, MA and Bairro Up Studios, Lisbon, Portugal, by Aaron Flanders and Miguel Sá Pessoa.
© 2021 Adraela Music, BMI - ℗ 2021 - Adraela Records
For all the latest news, please also follow The Burnt Pines on our:
Facebook Band page:
https://www.facebook.com/theburntpinesband
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https://www.youtube.com/@theburntpines/featured
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