Charlie Parr Debuts New Song 'Bear Head Lake'

Minnesota-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Charlie Parr's new song, “Bear Head Lake,” is debuting today.

Reflecting on the song, Parr shares, “Go north. Find a quiet place where you can't hear the engines anymore, can't smell the cigarette smoke or diesel fumes, where you can't see the neon lights or get a signal on your cell phone. Go for a walk and look at the sky, lie down and look at the ground, submerge yourself in cold, iron-colored water, then sit on the rocks and breathe.” 

“Bear Head Lake” is the third song unveiled from Parr's anticipated new album, Little Sun, which will be released March 22 on Smithsonian Folkways (pre-order/pre-save here).

Notably his first ever album to not be recorded entirely live, Little Sun was produced by close friend and collaborator Tucker Martine (Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket) in Portland, OR during the worst snowstorm the city had seen in decades. Across these eight tracks, including previously released songs, “Boombox” and “Portland Avenue,” Parr offers a clarifying work that reflects on the world and people around him. 

Already receiving critical attention, Uncut proclaims, “One of America's great troubadours, in fine form,” while Minnesota Public Radio's “The Current” praises, “Parr is more a storyteller than anything else…There is a talent in taking the ordinary passages in a day and turning it into prose, and on his latest album, Little Sun, he leans into those experiences again,” and Roots N' Revelry declares, “His songs are not just melodic journeys but convey compelling stories brimming with vivid characters and poignant themes…Charlie Parr embodies the soul of American folklore.”  

In addition to Parr (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Little Sun—the prolific artist's eighteenth album—features highly acclaimed guitarist Marisa Anderson as well as background vocals from Anna Tivel along with Andrew Borger (drums, percussion), Asher Fulero (piano, Hammond, keys) and Victor Krummenacher (electric bass, upright bass, bass VI). 

Of the project, Parr shares, “Up until this very album, my recordings have always been done live, with few if any overdubs and nearly always the first take—leave all the mistakes, missed lyrics, extraneous noise, and whatever else might happen there for the ages. Most records have been recorded in roughly the time that it took to play the songs. And that's been fine, actually. Here's a new way for me, though: here's an album that was recorded live but in collaboration with producer Tucker Martine, who's become a friend and trusted musical ally. You'll hear what happened, so I don't need to describe it to you, but I'm very grateful for the opportunity to work with this very talented group of musicians.”

Relentlessly on the road, Parr has performed across the world for the past two decades, earning his reputation as an underground DIY legend. Parr will continue to tour through this summer including shows at Milwaukee's Vivarium, Chicago's Old Town School of Folk, Cambridge's Club Passim, New York's Mercury Lounge, Washington, D.C.'s Jammin' Java, Nashville's Legion Post 82, Denver's Bluebird Theater, Seattle's The Crocodile, San Francisco's The Chapel, Los Angeles' Gold Diggers and Minneapolis' First Avenue among many others. See below for complete tour itinerary. Full details can be found at www.charlieparr.com/tour-dates.

Born in Austin, MN and now based in Duluth, MN, Parr has seventeen albums since his 2002 debut including his most recent, 2021's Last of the Better Days Ahead, of which No Depression praised, “They don't make them like Parr anymore—the sponge-like folk troubadour that imparts all he's absorbed, beckoning us closer to sit cross-legged at his feet and listen, and to find crumbs of our own stories within his.”

Additionally, Acoustic Guitar declared, “chock full of memories and energy with a sprightly sense of adventure” and Americana Highways proclaimed, “in the realm of traditional acoustic blues and folk very few people master it. With Parr's latest release he has done just that.” In addition to his work as a musician, Parr also released his debut novel, Last of the Better Days Ahead, in the fall of 2022. 

CHARLIE PARR CONFIRMED TOUR DATES

March 7—Milwaukee, WI—Vivarium*

March 8—Stoughton, WI—Stoughton Opera Hall*

March 9—Chicago, IL—Old Town School of Folk*

March 10—Ann Arbor, MI—The Ark*

March 11—Rochester, NY—The Lovin Cup

March 12—Cambridge, MA—Club Passim+

March 13—Gloucester, MA—The Cut+

March 14—Exeter, NH—The Word Barn+

March 15—New York, NY—Mercury Lounge+

March 16—Jay, VT—Jay Peak Resort+

March 17—Northampton, MA—Back Porch Festival

March 19—Washington, D.C.—Jammin Java

March 20—Carrboro, NC—Cat’s Cradle†

March 21—Asheville, NC—Eulogy†

March 22—Nashville, TN—Legion Post 82

March 23—Lexington, KY—The Burl

April 4—Denver, CO—Bluebird Theater‡

April 5—Fort Collins, CO—The Armory‡

April 6—Salt Lake City, UT—Commonwealth‡

April 7—Boise, ID—Shrine Ballroom‡

April 9—Bozeman, MT—The Elm#

April 10—Missoula, MT—The Wilma#

April 11—Spokane, WA—District#

April 12—Seattle, WA—The Crocodile#

April 13—Portland, OR—Polaris Hall#

April 14—Arcata, CA—Humbrews#

April 16—San Francisco, CA—The Chapel#

April 17—Mariposa, CA—The Grove House#

April 18—Los Angeles, CA—Gold Diggers#

April 19—Phoenix, AZ—Valley Bar#

April 20—Flagstaff, AZ—Yucca North#

April 21—Albuquerque, NM—Fusion#

April 27—Austin, MN—Paramount Theatre

May 3—Minneapolis, MN—First Avenue^

May 4—Fargo, ND—Fargo Brewing Company

May 18—Mineral Point, WI—The Mineral Point Opera House

May 19—Des Moines, IA—XBK Live

May 21—St. Louis, MO—The Old Rock House

May 22—Little Rock, AR—White Water Tavern

May 23—McAlster, OK—Spaceship Earth

May 24—Eureka Springs, AR—Strings of the Kings 2024

May 25—Kansas City, MO—recordBar

May 26—Maquoketa, IA—Codfish Hollow Barnstormers

June 7—Ontonagon, MI—Ontonagon Theatre of Performing Arts

June 22—River Falls, WI—Kinnistock

July 13—Monticello, MN—Nordic Folk Festival

July 19—Oak Hill, NY—Grey Fox Festival 

*with special guest Two Runner

+with special guest The Wildmans

†with special guest The Resonant Rogues

‡with special guest Anna Tival

#with special guest The Lowest Pair

^with special guests Mama’s Broke and Marisa Anderson

photo credit: Shelly Mosman

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