When Roger Street Friedman decamped to his home studio back on Aug. 20, 2023, the idea was to shake off the self-described “post-partum depression” of touring and supporting his prior album, 2023’s “Love Hope Trust.” Exhausted by the uphill effort that comes with being an independent artist, Street Friedman aimed to decompress and reset rather than recording a new album.
Ten months later, he emerged with the self-produced “Long Shadows,” a rich Americana-flavored collection of songs steeped in the personal along with historical perspective, all of which will be shared when the Sea Cliff resident hits the stage at My Father’s Place. The result is a pleasant surprise, given the lack of expectation involved when he asked a handful of musicians to start doing these periodic musical meet-ups that were intended to be “a good hang.”
“When I had Justin Guip, who is this great engineer, come down and do some basic tracks, I started recording and realized I could produce this,” Street Friedman explained. “It sounded good from the get-go. It was a cool process because the musicians would come down and I had a whole bunch of unrecorded demos and ask them what they thought of this or that. Seven or eight out of the 10 songs were already written. As the recording session progressed, I was more hopeful. I just put one foot in front of the other. I had Jeff Kazee, who was with Southside Johnny, come in and play keyboards. I had some great background singers, Cassondra [James Kellam] and Rasul [A-Salaam], along with my daughter, Allie. All of a sudden, I had a record.”
Opening with slide-guitar soaked “Rolling in Again,” “Long Shadows” kicks off with an infectious mid-tempo jam wrapped in rich harmonies, stellar piano runs and a driving rhythm reminiscent of vintage John Hiatt. As someone who cut their teeth growing up in the Vietnam era and immersed in the music of Pete Seeger, Neil Young, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell, Street Friedman plunges into some of history’s more unsavory chapters.
The nourish vibe of “The Banks of the Brazos” takes the listener on a swampy fever dream of a ride through the real-life horror of Texas’ post-Civil War convict leasing system (aka “slavery by another name”) while the picturesque lyricism of the satirical “The Land of the Leaf Blower and the Mighty SUV” sounds like what Randy Newman might have written had he decided to tackle red-lining. A particularly poignant moment comes via “I Think We Know,” a ruminative prayer for peace and love inspired by the horror of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that left Street Friedman stunned, angry and full of despair. Material like this reflects the album’s title.
“While I feel like a kid, I was thinking a lot about how at my age how much of a shadow history can cast on the past, present and future,” he said.
If it sounds like Street Friedman is primed to deliver a live show rich in substantial songs and a rich communal experience, you’d be correct. And while some songs might be steeped in serious subject matter, the man who is front and center is primed to deliver a mix of sincerity, warmth and rich narratives.
“It’s a fun show for sure where we try to deliver a 90-minute set that can be emotional at times,” he said. “I have this really good band I’m touring with that feels like it’s all gelling together very nicely. We do songs from pretty much every one of my records and we also have some fun, surprise covers. I tell stories about the songs and sing the songs.”
Street Friedman’s troubadour roots can be traced to a first batch of records his brother helped him purchase after the former had scraped together enough money to buy a record player, an amp and some vinyl when he was 10 years old. The haul included Cat Stevens’ “Tea For the Tillerman,” Browne’s “Late for the Sky,” Jethro Tull’s “Thick As a Brick” and Paul Simon’s self-titled 1972 sophomore outing. Over time, Street Friedman’s affinity for storytelling found him pursuing a musical path well into his adult years, always treasuring the value of a great composition.
“A great song is a great song,” he said. “In many ways, I feel like a folk singer. A lot of my songs are about my own life experiences and how I feel about my relationships with my significant others. Whatever I’m writing about, I try not to beat people over the head. My goal is to tell stories that evoke feelings, but I also feel that if I see something, I have a responsibility to say something.”
Roger Street Friedman will be appearing on Nov. 20 My Father’s Place at the Roslyn Hotel, 1221 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn. For more information visit www.myfathersplace.com or call 516-625-2700.
