Songs from a Random House

Biography

On August 10, 2004 Bar/None Records released gListen, the new album from the string driven 5-piece, Songs From A Random House. Described as “inventive” (The New Yorker) and “humorously surreal” (New York Times Magazine), Songs From A Random House has established itself as one of New York’s most exciting and original acts.

Formed in 1985 by singer/composer/baritone uke player Steven Swartz and ukulele icon/multi-instrumentalist Alan Drogin, SoFARH’s current lineup features Swartz, Drogin, violist Gregor Kitzis, string bassist Jason DiMatteo, and drummer John Bollinger.

The eleven songs on gListen range from the loose-limbed funk of ‘Stretch’ to the ukelectronica of ‘Levitate,’ culminating in an acoustic cover of an electro classic: Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder’s ‘I Feel Love.’ Says the Contra Costa Times, “The songs are an accessible blend of everything from pop and swing to Americana, but the sound is otherworldly.”

Songs from a Random House has appeared on the soundtrack album to “Raising Arizona,” nationally syndicated radio programs such as NPR’s Weekend Edition and Mountain Stage, and has played a variety of NYC venues including The Bottom Line, Fez, Joe’s Pub, the Knitting Factory, Pianos, Sin-é, Tonic, as well as many others. SoFARH’s first album, “Random Numbers,” was recorded at Adrian Sherwood’s renowned On-U Sound studio in London’s East End, and released by the London-based label Sargasso. Wrote RollingStone.com, “These light folkish songs hide a deeper meaning… Recommended.”

SoFARH features prominently in “Rock That Uke,” a new documentary video film by William Preston Robertson and Sean Anderson. April 2004 brought the group’s first West Coast tour, highlighted by performances in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Berkeley; further East and West Coast tours are planned for fall 2004.