Starkland: Phillip Bimstein: “True American Original” found on 2 Starkland CDs

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Phillip Bimstein: “True American Original” found on 2 Starkland CDs

Phillip Bimstein’s music has charmed audiences and critics far and wide for many years. Airplay of his delightful Garland Hirschi’s Cows has generated hundreds of calls to radio stations (especially after being heard on NPR’s All Things Considered). His 2 Starkland CDs have been praised by such publications as The New York Times, Stereophile, and Wired.

The latest review emerges in -- Sweden. Stephen Fruitman writes at Sonomu:

“One of those true American originals, Chicagoan Philip Bimstein once went for a hike in Utah and never came back. Since settling there he has made a name for himself as environmentalist, two-term mayor of Springdale, and composer whose music has been widely performed and generously rewarded.”

Fruitman begins with comments on Bimstein’s first Starkland CD, describing the composer as “a musical Studs Terkel, interviewing ordinary folks about their work and lives and then editing it into a cohesive story with broad appeal.” He adds:

“His first collection of pieces, Garland Hirschi´s Cows, proved to be his breakthrough…The standout is "Dark Winds Rising", a labour of love, commitment and belief, music by someone who refuses to remain a bystander while his planet and its people are being poisoned. He allows three generations of a Paiute Indian family from Arizona to create a narrative about tradition and the threats modern, profit-driven society pose to it.”

Read more about Phillip Bimstein’s Garland Hirschi’s Cows CD.

Writing about Bimstein’s second CD from Starkland, the Sonomu scribe states:

“In his latest collection, Larkin Gifford's Harmonica, Bimstein introduces us to pit bosses in Vegas, a beer-slinger at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and an elderly man´s nostalgic story about his first harmonica... At times uplifting, at others merely momentarily entertaining, but what's wrong with that?”