THE AMERICAN ROOTS SERIES AT THE LINDA PRESENTS: LeE HARVeY OsMOND

Hosted by songwriter, roots scholar and multi-instrumentalist Michael Eck

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Lee Harvey Osmond, stylized as LeE HARVeY OsMOND, is a project of musician Tom Wilson. Wilson is a Canadian rock and folk musician from Hamilton, Ont. He’s won three Junos and released 14 albums including three solo records, but he doesn’t confine himself to just writing and performing music. He dabbles in movies, painting, and is currently working on his first book. Wilson’s eclectic musical style has ranged from the psychobilly / R&B sounds of the Florida Razors, to the western/roots style of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and the funk/blues inspired rock of Junkhouse. When Wilson released 2015’s Beautiful Scars, his third album under his alternate moniker, Lee Harvey Osmond, he was just beginning to grasp the full irony of using an assumed identity. Turns out Wilson had been living his entire life under one — a fact he didn’t learn until his 55th birthday, when his cousin confessed she was really his mother and his heritage was Mohawk, not Irish. That’s why the cover depicts Wilson as a powerful and raw figure, warrior-like — someone who looks as if he’s still wild. “That’s actually how I feel as an artist,” Wilson explains. “At 56, I’m just emerging from the woods, with all of this new knowledge of who I am.” A prolific songwriter, he has supplied material for Billy Ray Cyrus, Murray McLauchlan, Colin James, and Mavis Staples. His songs also appear in television, as well as motion pictures.

Michael Eck

ARTIST WEBSITE

Roots scholar and multi-instrumentalist Michael Eck is a respected songwriter; a nationally exhibited painter; and an award-winning cultural critic and freelance writer. He is also a member of Ramblin Jug Stompers, Lost Radio Rounders, Berkshire Ramblers and the Frank Jaklitsch Trio.

“Somewhere between lovelorn cowpoke and sardonic folkster is nose-pierced Albany NY dad Michael Eck, whose sharp lyrics and quick-witted guitar reflect all over like a broken mirror and shine with liberation like a tossed-aside wedding ring.” Natasha Stovall, The Village Voice

The American Roots Series at The Linda presents programs showcasing this intimate and tradition-rich musical phenomenon, and is made possible by the support of the New York Council on The Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.