From Varnaline to Solo Success: Anders Parker's Musical Evolution
From Varnaline to Solo Success: Anders Parker's Musical Evolution
THROWBACK THURSDAY - from August of 2023
This week's throwback is a revisit to the singer/songwriter/guitar slinger with an almost insatiable intellectual and musical wanderlust - Anders Parker.
We closed out the fifth season of Abandoned Albums by talking with the troubadour who entered the scene in the mid-90s when a 4-track recording he made in his Portland, OR apartment, titled Man of Sin, got passed around. As you'll hear, Anders then formed a band and began walking a trail that has defined his life.
As the leader/songwriter/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist of the band Varnaline, Parker toured and eventually released 5 albums under that name… and Anders entered the indie music lexicon.
As all things do, Varnaline ran its course, beginning phase two of Anders's artistry - a phase that has seen him exploring both his own solo work, collaborating with folks like Jay Farrar of Son Volt, and even adding music to some of the late Woody Guthrie’s songs. The resulting album New Multitudes found him collaborating with Jim James, Jay Farrar, and Will Johnson and remains a fan favorite.
The interview would’ve spanned two or three hours in order to cover everything Anders has accomplished in his career… and continues to accomplish.
Pull up a chair, relax, and discover one helluva great artist - by every measure and definition of the word.