So you’re an Emmy winning and multi-nominated Emmy composer so what do you do to change things up? You return to your folk and blues roots and put out two well received albums All Boats Are Going to Rise and Resurrection Blues. Resurrection Blues is number five on the Folk DJ Chart for June 2010. That’s what Ernest Troost has done over the last few years! Here’s what Ernest Says about his return to his roots at his website:
“I had been writing a lot of instrumental music over the past few years in many different styles,” says Troost, “everything from big band jazz to classical pieces for full orchestra. That is great fun, but I wanted to get back to some of the simpler music that first fired me up. I started out playing guitar and performing folk and blues tunes with a band in New England, and I really wanted to return to writing in that style again. Before I knew it, I had collected enough material for an album—and here it is.”
Both albums are filled with good story songs with characters that may be a little on the dark side. Here’s what Ernest says about that:
“It’s the dark characters that interest me,” says Troost about his songs. “If you can get into some of these characters’ heads and tell the story from their points of view, it might get a bit creepy, but it can be very dramatic, and hopefully, entertaining.”
In 2009 Ernest was invited to perform at the Kerrville Folk Festival in the New Folk competition and was named one of the winners and was invited to perform a full set at the festival!
Some of my favorite tracks on Resurrection Blues are: the title track “Resurrection Blues”, “Sad Dog Blues”, “Switchblade Heart”, “Big-Time Blues”, “Blackwater River” and “It Doesn’t Hurt”. Lisa O’Kane has recorded the song and made it the title track of her album. Here’s what it says at Ernest’s website about that recording:
The plaintive acoustic title track, “It Don’t Hurt” is a classic
of its genre, penned by acclaimed storyteller/songwriter
Ernest Troost, who also plays guitar on this cut. Lisa sings,
“Shut all the windows / Pull down the shades /
Daddy’s in a mood tonight / Daddy’s in a rage.”
It’s a story of a woman who’s pretty much seen all of life’s meanness,
but after a while, she shrugs, it don’t hurt. Heartbreaking…
So If your like me and never heard of Ernest Troost until today check out his music! As for me I’m going to keep listening because on each listen I hear more and more and like the album more! Here;s a performance of the song “Switchblade Heart” from Resurrection Blues