Americana singer-songwriter Sean Harrison has released his latest album, ‘Ghastly Love (and other dubious tales).’ It is available at digital retailers and physical copies can be purchased at the artist’s website.
With ‘Ghastly Love (and other dubious tales),’ Harrison demonstrates his wide-ranging storytelling skills wrapped in world-class musical production. From sophisticated stylings reminiscent of early Dire Straits and solo work from Robbie Robertson (The Band), to humble country love songs, Randy Newman-esqe black humor, regional history, frank conversations about the end of one’s life, and Springsteen-flavored anthems, Harrison weaves his songs into a beautiful and eclectic tapestry on this eight-song release. A true wandering troubadour,
Harrison’s music reflects his upbringing in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas and of his travels across a great deal of the US and Europe. The area surrounding his hometown of Fayetteville has a long and fabled history of being a fertile breeding ground for musical and literary talents, including the legendary Cate Brothers Band, Rockabilly icon Ronnie Hawkins (whose group The Hawks provided a launchpad for The Band), and Harrison’s own father, William Harrison, who wrote books and film screenplays. Against that backdrop, Sean Harrison proudly carries that legacy forward to new generations of music fans.
“I knew that this new group of songs veered away from what I’d written before, for my first album (‘Halfway From Nashville’ – 2020),” states Harrison. “The new ones were less country, more Americana, a little bit of rock and some roots flavors, drawing from a wider range of my musical influences. There is also a lot variation of feels and styles among these songs, yet they definitely belong together. I felt the album should utilize keyboards more than the first did. And I wanted to utilize more local talent and record it locally. A few parts were tracked remotely then emailed in; but the vast majority of this was recorded in drummer Darren Novotny’s non-commercial Nob Hill Studio, just six miles from my home. As for local talent, I struck the jackpot. Darren on drums, John Davies on bass – those two are the revered rhythm section of the legendary Cate Brothers Band, and they played on every song; David Ervin and Matt Nelson played keyboards; Earl Cate (a lifelong hero to me) played guitar on ‘Good Cover Story,’ and Gurf Morlix (another guitar hero) played on ‘Final Thoughts.’ It doesn’t get any better than that. Some other excellent players added key tracks, here and there. It blew my mind how nicely this all came together. What do I love most? All of these musicians felt very proud of the finished album and told me how much they enjoyed working on it. We arranged the songs in an order that is very purposeful, to be listened to as an album – hopefully.”
Harrison has released two singles in advance of ‘Ghastly Love (and other dubious tales).’ “Good Cover Story” was released in February and “Ghosts of the Old Wire Road” in March. Both were well-received in the press, with reviews and premieres for the singles and music videos by Americana Highways, Americana UK, The Alternate Root, and others.
‘Ghastly Love (and other dubious tales)’ track listing:
1 “Good Cover Story”
2. “Home Where I’m Loved”
3. “Ghastly Love”
4.“3 Part Strategy”
5. “Ghosts of the Old Wire Road”
6. “Black Beer”
7. “Doggy Dog World”
8. “Final Thoughts”
Produced by Darren Novotny and Sean Harrison
All songs written by Sean Harrison except “Black Beer” written by Philip Martin and Sean
Harrison
Harrison has also released a four-song acoustic EP, entitled ‘Son Of Rollerball (and other misfits),’ consisting of songs he originally intended to include on the “Ghastly Love” LP.
“I just couldn’t get them to fit with the rest of the album,” he said. “They work well as an acoustic EP.”
THE 2025 BIG-TIME-SMALL-TOWN TOUR
4/25 — Rio Chama Espresso, Chama, NM
4/26 — The Break Room Brewing Company, Pagosa Spring, CO
4/27 — Coyote Moon Lounge, Pagosa Springs, CO
4/30 — Mort’s Martini Bar, Wichita, KS
5/1 — Candle Club, Wichita, KS
5/2 — Mi Torito Mexican Restaurant, Galena, KS
For more up-to-date show information please visit: https://www.seanharrisonsongs.com/
ABOUT SEAN HARRISON:
Sean Harrison grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas’ fabled musical and literary environment of the ’60s and ’70s, in the fertile ground that had nurtured Rockabilly icon Ronnie Hawkins, whose group The Hawks provided a launchpad for The Band after Hawkins relocated to Toronto and took fellow Arkansawyer, Levon Helm with him. Harrison’s father was the late novelist, William Harrison, who was best known for his short story ‘Roller Ball Murder,’ which has been made into two movies; he also wrote the screenplay for the 1975 version, ‘Rollerball,’ which starred James Caan, and 1982’s ‘Burton and Speke,’ about Sir Richard Burton and aristocrat John Hanning Speke’s 1857 expedition to the source of the Nile.
Sean Harrison went to college in Texas, before joining a country band, which landed him on the main stage at Kerrville Folk Festival. He continued to play solo and band shows, eventually landing in Europe where he busked for tips on the streets of London, Paris, Florence, and Venice. Back stateside, he went back to school and earned a degree in journalism, taking jobs at The Morning News and the Arkansas Gazette before settling into a career in public relations. He never stopped writing songs. He released his first album, ‘Halfway from Nashville,’ in 2020, and has maintained a busy touring schedule ever since.
For more information about Sean Harrison, visit his website here: Sean Harrison Songs
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