“A fella that sings like this with this kind of work on the lyrics must be channeling Woody Guthrie... The pickin’ is real nice, but the vocal steals it... You just believe every line he sings. ”
Alan Barnosky is a North Carolina-based guitarist and songwriter proudly nestled within the realms of bluegrass, folk, and country blues, writing songs and flatpicking melodies with admiration and respect for the American roots traditions of years past.
In his debut full-length solo album (Old Freight, released November 2017), Barnosky offers a fresh take on the traditional folk record. Stripped down to only the raw elements, Old Freight balances nuanced and subtle acoustic instrumentation with genuine songwriting to deliver ten songs that are raw and real. There are no recording engineering tricks or gimmicks here; only melodies that stick, lyrics that capture, and harmonies that ring.
Barnosky emerged as a songwriter amid Washington, DC’s thriving folk and bluegrass music scene. His rhythmic flatpicked guitar and honest songs have drawn comparisons to Norman Blake, Doc Watson, and Townes Van Zandt. Over the years he has performed with bands at The John Hartford Memorial Festival, the IBMA's Bluegrass Ramble, and as a finalist in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival's band contest. He lives in Durham, NC where he also performs with bluegrass 5-piece Counterclockwise String Band and the acoustic trio Fabius Page.