Parsonsfield is a multi-genre band founded in 2011 in

Mansfield, Connecticut Mansfield is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 25,892 at the 2020 census. Pequot and Mohegan people lived in this region for centuries before the arrival of English settler-immigrants in the late 17th cent ...

. The band consists of Chris Freeman, Antonio Alcorn, Max Shakun, and Erik Hischmann. The original members met while attending the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

. The name comes from the town of

Parsonsfield, Maine Parsonsfield is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was just 1,791 at the 2020 census. Parsonsfield includes the villages of Kezar Falls, Parsonsfield, and North, East and South Parsonsfield. It is part of the Portland& ...

, where they recorded their debut album. The band tours in the USA and Canada from their base in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

History

Beginnings

The band began as an offshoot of the university's folk music club. Chris Freeman, Antonio Alcorn, and others met weekly in the student union to play traditional music. The gatherings were open to anyone, and didn't hold any performances, through a misunderstanding, members of the club were offered an opening set at

Toad's Place Toad's Place is a concert venue and nightclub located in New Haven, Connecticut. History The building, located on York Street down the street from Ashley's Ice Cream and across an alley from Mory's, Mory's Temple Bar, was the original location ...

in New Haven, Connecticut. Freeman and Alcorn put together an impromptu band, and soon recruited music students Harrison Goodale (bass) and Max Shakun (guitar) to continue playing shows. The band was also invited to perform at a band competition at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival in August 2012 where they won fan favorite award. They recorded and sold Cd's in very limited numbers.

Career

In 2013 the band signed to

Signature Sounds Recordings Signature Sounds Recordings is an independent record label specializing in Americana and modern folk music. Jim Olsen and Mark Thayer founded the label in 1995 to promote acoustic musicians who were playing in Northampton, Massachusetts. Signatur ...

and released their self-titled debut album, ''Poor Old Shine'', produced and recorded by

Sam Kassirer Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional ...

(

Josh Ritter Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of ...

Lake Street Dive Lake Street Dive is a multi-genre band that was formed in 2004 at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. The band's founding members are Rachael Price, Mike "McDuck" Olson, Bridget Kearney, and Mike Calabrese. Keyboardist Akie Bermiss j ...

Langhorne Slim Langhorne Slim is an American singer-songwriter, (born Sean Scolnick on August 20, 1980 in Langhorne, Pennsylvania). He attended high school at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase ...

) in

. Erik Hischmann, the session drummer hired for the album, joined the band soon after recording was completed. In July 2014 the band changed its name to Parsonsfield. The following month marked the band's second studio release, ''Afterparty EP'', featuring covers of songs by

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He wo ...

Bert Jansch Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter ...

, and

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempora ...

, as well as traditional songs and one original. In September 2016 the band released its third studio album, ''Blooming Through The Black,'' also produced by

(

), and recorded in Collinsville, CT in an abandoned axe factory on the banks of the Farmington River. In March 2018, Parsonsfield released their fourth studio album, ''WE'' - produced by Dan Cardinal (

The Low Anthem The Low Anthem is a band from Providence, Rhode Island formed in 2006 by friends Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky. The current lineup consists of Knox Miller (vocals, guitars, trumpets, saws), Prystowsky (vocals, drums, double basses, synths), ...

Darlingside Darlingside is a four-person indie folk band from Boston, MA. The band consists of Don Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, Harris Paseltiner, and David Senft. Their style has been described as “exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop� ...

) and recorded at Dimension Sound Studios in

Boston, MA Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

. This marks their first time recording in a traditional studio. The first single, "Kick Out The Windows" was released in February with a companion video, which premiered by

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

. In December 2018, Goodale left the band. In early 2021, Max and Erik left the band.

Film, television and theater

In winter 2013, and winter 2014–spring 2015, Parsonsfield wrote and performed an original soundtrack to ''The Heart of Robin Hood,'' a theatrical production playing eight shows per week in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. After returning from Canada, the band relocated to

Leverett, Massachusetts Leverett is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,865 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Town of Leverett is located on the t ...

. In March 2016 ''Weeds or Wildflowers'', track 1 on ''Poor Old Shine'', was featured on

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** AM ...

's '' The Walking Dead'' (Season 6, Episode 12: "

Not Tomorrow Yet "Not Tomorrow Yet" is the twelfth episode of the sixth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'', which aired on AMC on March 6, 2016. The episode was written by Seth Hoffman and directed by Greg Nicotero. Pl ...

"). In September 2016, Parsonsfield wrote and performed an original score for the 1922 silent documentary ''

Nanook of the North ''Nanook of the North'' is a 1922 American silent film which combines elements of documentary and docudrama, at a time when the concept of separating films into documentary and drama did not yet exist. In the tradition of what would later be c ...

''.

Current Members

In live performances, members of the band all sing, and often switch instruments and trade places on stage. Besides their primary instruments, various members play

saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge. It is used to cut through material, very often wood, though sometimes metal or stone. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and mo ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usual ...

, and auxiliary percussion. * Chris Freeman – banjo, guitar, pump organ, bass, lead vocals * Antonio Alcorn – mandolin, banjo, bass, vocals

Previous Members

* Max Shakun – guitar, pump organ, synthesizer, bass, vocals * Erik Hischmann – drums, bass, vocals * Harrison Goodale – bass

Other work

Hischmann (drums) is credited as assistant engineer for ''The Beast In Its Tracks'' (

), '' Bad Self Portraits'' (

), and various other albums including ''Poor Old Shine''.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

Official website

Parsonsfield on Spotify

Parsonsfield on Facebook
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 2011 American folk musical groups Rock music groups from Massachusetts University of Connecticut alumni Rock music groups from Connecticut Signature Sounds artists 2011 establishments in Connecticut