Charles Lyonhart - Leap of Faith

Charles Lyonhart grabs the audience's attention as he paints vivid images of a life in despair struggling to understand the complexities of a dark and seductive world. '.... a genuine voice and one who should be heard' -- The Kingston Freeman. You realize immediately that this is not just another guy with a guitar and a song list. Charles was born in the Bronx where Poe Cottage became a shrine and it's late author an inspiration. The 60's brought him in touch with the truths of Lenny Bruce, and most tellingly, the words and music of both The Beat Generation and the Folk Rock movement. Making his way through the 70's and 80's sometimes on stage, other times as a writer and music critic for publications like Rolling Stone Magazine, he eventually turned to his true talents in life, a visionary songwriter and seasoned guitarist. In the 90's Charles became a regular at The Tinker Street Cafe in Woodstock, The Bitter End in New York City and various local music festivals. Gaining a loyal regional fan base, the name Lyonhart has quickly become synonymous with emotionally charged ballads delivered with brooding intensity backed with exceptional melodic arrangements. Whether he's playing with his band or solo acoustic, his live performances effortlessly showcase the solid craftsmanship as a truly accomplished artist with poetic blended narratives accompanied by rich acoustic textures and distinguishing vocals. 'Lyonhart sings of life and relationships, injustice and irony, desperation and triumph, striving and betrayal, folly and achievement.... having a stash of unreleased Lyonhart tunes is like having a private treasure.' -- Irv Yarg, Woodstock Times. After appearing at the Woodstock 25th Anniversary concert in 1994, he was soon signed to Continuum Records and two of his compositions were chosen for their 1995 compilation 'New Music from Woodstock, New York.' with over 600,000 copies sold worldwide. In June 1997 his self-released debut album 'Leap of Faith' was well received, selling over 7,500 copies through his website and concerts. He garnered critical praise both in the press and by fellow musicians. John Herald titled Charles 'one of the best singing songwriters' he's come across in ten years. 'Charles Lyonhart is a truly inspiring artist. His melodies both haunt and energize.' --Myra Friedman/Author Buried Alive/Authorized Janis Joplin Biography. Recorded mostly live with guitarist Steve Raleigh, his next album 'Exception to the Rule' soon followed. Singer/songwriter Richard Shindell recorded Lyonhart's classic 'Shades of Black, Shades of Blue', a tribute to the legendary Thomas Jefferson Kaye. Signature Sounds released it in early 2000 as part of a special 4-song EP entitled 'Spring'. Working closely this past year with long time friends and collaborators, Larry Campbell, Lincoln Schleifer and Denny McDermott, Charles is now putting the finishing touches on his latest album, 'Down to the Hard-Line'. From the quietly powerful words of Lyonhart's newly penned 'Days Gone By' to the screaming rock and roll rhythms of his insomnia ballad 'Any Price For Sleep', this careful artistic blending of various creative layers has yielded the very best of all those involved. The buzz is already out that this will be an extraordinary collection of songs that will put Charles center stage of the alternative folk music world. WHO IS CHARLES LYONHART? 'Walk into Charles Lyonhart's home and you see a framed photo of a baby-faced Bob Dylan in Woodstock, two all-access passes to Dylan tours and a report card tacked to a refrigerator. They tell you that Lyonhart is a devoted Dylan fan and proud father. Sit down at the cluttered kitchen table covered with a steel harmonica holder, notebooks of printed verses and envelopes containing songwriting royalty checks. They tell you that Lyonhart, of the Village of Florida, is a talented musician who writes published songs.' -Stephen Israel /Times Herald Record 'His songs-intelligent, cagey, capable of the restrained but still venomous bile of the romantically injured, the earnest pathos of an open spirit and the ironic wink of an on looking owl-are clearly not those of a novice, yet, almost paradoxically, they contain the focused enthusiasm and energy of a beginner. He brings a lot of special stuff to the table. -Gary Alexander /Woodstock Times 'Somewhere between Oscar Wilde, Leonard Cohen and the land of the midnight sun, lurks Charles Lyonhart, a time traveling Celt. His heart exists to be broken for it is from those pulsating shards that his songs are mined:' -Sharlene Spingler/Soho Weekly News/San Francisco Review 'It takes years to get experience and that's where Charles Lyonhart has it over many songwriters. He's been there and does that, for real. Charles Lyonhart is living in the moment, not waiting for anything. It's evident in the energy put forth in his songwriting, singing and performing. Chronicles of the loss of love, the loss of heroes, and the loss of days when there were actually heroes around:' -Stella Miller/Rhythm & News 'He opens with something powerful. Your first clenches, keeping time. Another song, and a tear you never thought would fall begins to touch your cheek. Lyonhart has moved you. Lyonhart's live show is marked by a brooding intensity in the rockers, heartfelt spiritually in the ballads, and both humor and humility in his spoken instructions and ad-libs.' -Ronald L.Smith / Rocket Magazine - Author Editor 'Lyonhart sings of life and relationships, injustice and irony, desperation and triumph, striving and betrayal, folly and achievement; his world is the same one patrolled by songwriters at every gate. But it's his way of seeing these things, the practiced and .knowing squint of interpretation which brings body to his visions. What a voice! Says someone in the audience on a tape of the Bitter End performance. The speaker is referring to audible and distinct vocal qualities that comprise only a portion of what we understand as voice here. Having a stash of 23 unreleased Lyonhart tunes is a little like having a stolen El Greco-a private treasure that, frustratingly, cannot be shared with everyone. Lyonhart is an artist who's poised to emerge not as a mere tunesmith, but as a genuine voice, and one who should be heard? -Irvyarg/Woodstock Times 'Charles Lyonhart is a truly inspiring artist. His melodies both haunt and energize; his eloquent lyrics-intense, ironic, sharp-arrow true-reflect rare depths of human experience as well as a resilient and ultimately triumphant spirit. Propelled by the traditions of the Beats and finding a center in the midnight of the soul, Lyonhart is a singer/writer who knows desperation but turns from it. Who let's us in on his battle with despair and his hold out for survival. Also he sings like a dream.' -Myra Friedman/Author 'Buried Alive'/Authorized Janis Joplin Biography.

1) When Do We Begin?
2) Leap of Faith
3) Better Off Alone
4) Sometimes
5) Shades of Black Shades of Blue
6) Another Dream Gone Wrong
7) Janey
8) Senorita Dance
9) No Heroes
10) Thinkin' About Myself Again
11) Sweet Compromise
12) Slip Away
13) Henry's Song
14) Tony's Gumbo
15) Long Way Home
16) Leap of Faith (Reprise)