ArtistWorks bluegrass banjo master Tony Trischka has released a new album ‘Shall We Hope’, a dramatized listening experience that invites its audience into the lives of characters from America’s past as they grapple with the hard realities of war, death, and the meaning of freedom. 

Twelve years in the making, the new, masterful work was conceived and written by Trischka. The narrative is told through a gathering of artists that includes Michael Daves, Catherine Russell, Guy Davis, John Lithgow, Maura O’Connell, Phoebe Hunt, Brian O’Donovan and the Violent Femmes.

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Trischka begins Shall We Hope at Gettysburg in 1938, on the 75th anniversary of the bloodiest battle ever to take place on American soil. The story goes on to deliver timeless tales of tragedy and hope.  Union and Confederate veterans, most of them in their 90s, reunite to shake hands across a stone fence one final time.  “I watched a video of the 1938 Gettysburg reunion, where the soldiers were shaking hands across that stone fence in 1938, brothers again,” says Trischka. “Though it might have been more a photo op than an indication of changes of heart, it was a poignant moment and on a deeper level, a reason for hope.”

On the Trischka-penned title song, the singer and fiddle player Phoebe Hunt sings about the stillness and solace on Gettysburg’s Cemetery Ridge in 1938. Vocalist and guitarist Michael Daves portrays Cyrus to tell his story of murder and survival on the mighty river in “On the Mississippi (Gambler’s Song).” The Irish singer and actress Maura O’Connell is an impeccable choice to tackle the “role” of Maura, who tells her tales of loss and wanderlust in “Carry Me Over the Sea.” Catherine Russell, one of the finest singers working in jazz and blues today, gives a solo performance of “I Know Moonrise,” an interpretation of a traditional enslaved burial rite that sent the deceased’s soul back home to Africa.

Trischka has been declared by the New York Times as the “father of modern bluegrass.”  His landmark solo debut Bluegrass Light was considered a watershed moment in the folk genre. He has also produced Steve Martin’s Grammy-nominated Rounder album from 2011, Rare Bird Alert, featuring crossover performances by the Steep Canyon Rangers, Paul McCartney and the Chicks. 

Listen to Tony Trischka’s new album now! 

Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the banjo? Try out a free banjo lesson from Tony and get started on the right path. You’ll quickly see what makes ArtistWorks some of the best online music lessons around. 

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