Girlyman

Antiwar songs by Girlyman
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Girlyman

GIRLYMAN LITTLE STAR EDITORIAL REVIEW

“Little Star” - Girlyman
Nate Borofsky, Doris Muramatsu, and Ty Greenstein of the modern folk trio Girlyman scheduled the group's first rehearsal for September 11, 2001. Doris and Ty, who met in the second grade, had recently abandoned their former project as a duo; their friend Nate had just moved to New York after four solo years on the Boston music scene. When all three suddenly found themselves living in the same Brooklyn apartment, it seemed only natural to combine their talents into a new group. According to Nate, the rehearsal was quickly forgotten, but the events of September 11 helped shape the trio's vision: "It brought us in touch with our own mortality. We realized that we wanted to have fun, to do what felt right to us, and to not take ourselves too seriously. We started out by calling ourselves Girlyman." Maybe it's this mix of earnestness and humor that has audiences nationwide falling in love with Girlyman, or maybe it's just that their soaring three-part harmonies are unlike anything you've ever heard. Maybe it's their folk-pop-bluegrass sound—something like Nickel Creek meets the B-52's, where the members switch off songwriting duties, lead vocals, and a range of instruments—or maybe it's the catchy, often haunting melodies. Either way, Girlyman is on a roll. After the group won an Independent Music Award for their debut CD Remember Who I Am, Amy Ray (one of the contest's judges) decided to sign them to her indie label Daemon Records. When the Indigo Girls invited Girlyman to join them on the road, the as-yet unknown opening act received standing ovations and sold so many CDs that the label had to make an emergency shipment...and when those sold out, another. Since then, the buzz about Girlyman has grown to a low roar. Since signing with Daemon, Girlyman has appeared on internationally syndicated radio shows like Mountain Stage and has received dazzling reviews in dozens of national and regional publications. The trio's robust 2004 festival season included appearances at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Boston Folk Festival, and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, where Girlyman was voted "Most Wanted to Return." "The word about Girlyman is spreading like wildfire," says Ray, "and the kicker is that they've just begun."