April 7, 2009

My Name is Chicken Joe

Four-time Grammy-nominated duo Trout Fishing in America bring the children’s story My Name is Chicken Joe to life beginning April 7, when the storybook-music CD combo is released via Canadian publishing house The Secret Mountain. Trout Fishing in America have earned widespread critical praise from USA Today, Billboard and The Los Angeles Times, which touted the band as “Some of the most lyrically creative, musically sophisticated, vocally muscular music-makers in the family music business.” The duo formed by Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet has also been recently included in "Performing Songwriter’s Top 100 Most Influential Independent Performers of the Last 15 Years List".

My Name is Chicken Joe features an album of 11 previously released Trout Fishing in America songs inserted in the back cover of the book, including the title track. The innovative packaging, combining a hardcover book with a CD, is ideal for young children. Featuring vivid illustrations by accomplished French-Canadian artist Stéphane Jorisch, My Name is Chicken Joe tells the whimsical story of a cat named Chicken Joe and other funny, nonsensical animals. Trout Fishing in America’s lighthearted folk provides a fitting soundtrack to the story.

Roland Stringer, founder of The Secret Mountain says of the project, “We look for songs that tell stories, music that works for both children and parents. Such is the case with Trout Fishing in America: witty lyrics that capture a child’s perspective, tuneful pleasurable melodies and solid musicianship. My Name is Chicken Joe is a wonderful opportunity to introduce our Storybook-Music CD line in the U.S. with artists who have such a loyal following as family performers and truly embrace our idea of offering original stories and music for all eyes and ears!”

The Secret Mountain is dedicated to the creation of children’s books, videos and audio recordings of the highest quality. Recent releases by The Secret Mountain include the acclaimed Down at the Sea Hotel, which features dream songs by icons including Neil Young, Tom Waits, Don Henley and Billy Joel, as performed by roots music artists Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka and Guy Davis, amongst others.