Coming September 12th!

In the spring of 2022, Laurasia went into the studio to begin its first new studio recordings as a group since the 1980s. This collaboration united the founding trio (guitarists Patrick S. Noonan & John Houshmand and violinist Jonathan Levi) with a dazzling array of vocalists and instrumentalists from around the world.

The album’s name, like the music it contains, is multi-layered. During their formative years in ’70s and early ’80s, the group’s home-away-from-home was Massachusetts’ Nantucket Island, where they were a house band at a popular restaurant and music venue, The Brotherhood of Thieves. Now, as they prepare for their 50th anniversary concert in September, “brotherhood” stands not only for that place and that time, but also the musical and personal bonds of a half-century of life together.

In this set, which the group hopes is just the first of a series of sessions and recordings, the trio rolled back the clock to the mid-1970s, and they have revisited, reworked and in some cases completely reconceived some of their earliest compositions. The roster for this new vision includes not only longtime band collaborators (vocalist Laura Teller and reed player Paul Lieberman) and musical fellow travelers (NOLA bass legend James Singleton, Colombia bassist Chucho Merchan, and the bluegrass group The Helium Brothers), but also new friends (including Atlanta vocalists Alfreda Gerald & Chinua Hawk) and even family – Jonathan’s daughter Rebecca Levi, who takes the lead vocals on almost half the tunes.

Song List

1. Before the Storm, by John Houshmand & Jonathan Levi
2. Dreams for Dinner, by Patrick S. Noonan & Galen Brandt
3. The Fiddler, by Patrick S. Noonan & Jonathan Levi
4. Sandyman, by Patrick S. Noonan & Jonathan Levi
5. Dog Days, by Patrick S. Noonan & Jonathan Levi
6. End of the Road, by John Houshmand & Jonathan Levi
7. The Island, by Patrick S. Noonan & Galen Brandt
8. The ‘Sconset Wreck, by Patrick S. Noonan & Jonathan Levi
9. Valediction, by Patrick S. Noonan & Jonathan Levi
10. Painting in the Sand, by John Houshmand & Jonathan Levi
11. The Last Leaf, by Patrick S. Noonan & Jonathan Levi
12. Little Woman, by Jonathan Levi
13. Suite: Icarus, traditional & by Ralph Towner

Laurasia

• Patrick S. Noonan guitars, mandolin, autoharp, harmonies
• Jonathan Levi violin, vocals
• John Houshmand guitars

featuring:

• Rebecca Levi, Laura Teller, Chinua Hawk & Alfreda Gerald vocals
• Paul Lieberman flutes, saxophones
• The Helium Brothers:
  • Oscar Hills banjo
  • Andy Gundell vocals, guitar, ukulele
  • Kim Oler vocals, bass
• Galen Brandt lyrics
• James Singleton & Chucho Merchán bass
• Kike Cuao, Jr. percussion
• Scott Meeder drums
• Alfreda Gerald, Cheryl Rogers & Ed Bolduc background vocals

Produced by Patrick S. Noonan & Jonathan Levi

Recorded by:

• Trammell Starks, StudioMagic (Atlanta, GA)
• Tim Stambaugh, Word of Mouth (New Orleans, LA)
• Alfonso Astudillo, Rama Studios (La Unión, Rivers Region, Chile)
• Kevin Bartlett, Sound of Music (Franklin, NY)
• AJ Gundell, One Stop Music Shop (Wilton, CT)
• Additional recording in Atlanta, Bogotá, Boston, Cetona (Italy), Greensboro (NC)

Mixed by Trammell Starks / Mastered by Bruce Barielle

Cover photos by Robert Tobey & Stephanie Berger
Design by Parlee Noonan