Leah Calvert is many things, among them a singer-songwriter and in- demand Atlanta-area fiddler and vocalist. Over the years, she has shared the stage with award-winning artists including Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Kristian Bush (Sugarland) and renowned songwriter Radney Foster. In addition to her work as a solo artist, she is a member of Atlanta acts The Dappled Grays and John Driskell Hopkins Band (Grammy winner and founding/current member of Zac Brown Band).
Calvert’s work with The Dappled Grays has spanned over a decade, during which time the group has found an audience in the United States and beyond. In 2012, they penned music for and appeared in Clint Eastwood’s film Trouble with the Curve, and their album Doin’ My Job received critical acclaim and heavy rotation worldwide, charting on both Sirius and XM.
With her new record Satellite, Calvert moves into uncharted territory, articulating a sound that is wholly her own. Though the compositions and vocal stylings offer a humble nod to her acoustic bluegrass roots, the record is musically a departure from this sound. With co-producers Marlon Patton and Rick Lollar (of Atlanta rock outfit Weisshund) providing a refined rock backdrop, Calvert deftly maneuvers through forms and styles ranging from traditional ballads to blues.
With Satellite, Calvert launches the listener directly into space; the record soars, it orbits, transmitting complex information in a palatable form. Several themes emerge: the fear and alienation that exists within our current political climate, emotional detachment from reality, and keeping safe the things which are most precious to a person -- which for Calvert include her young daughter. “Having a child,” she says, “augments the weight of the world on your heart.” In the liner notes, she includes several lines from environmental activist Wendell Berry's "How to Be a Poet," lines which ultimately became the inspiration for the record. In the poem, Berry urges readers to “Live / a three-dimensioned life; / stay away from screens. / Stay away from anything / that obscures the place it is in.” Many of the songs on Satellite read like poems, demonstrating both a clarity of thought and an urgency which demands that the listener be present in this three-dimensioned life.
Born and raised in Georgia, Marlon Patton is an Atlanta-based drummer and music producer/engineer. Hailing from a long line of drummers dating back to his grandfather, Phil Patton who played in the Chicago big band circuit, Marlon keeps his schedule interesting and packed full of all types of music. He is the first call for so many musicians not just because of his impeccable time, but because of the incredible musicality of what he delivers. He plays within a huge dynamic range, making him the perfect match for quiet piano jazz performances to hard- hitting rock gigs. He can play with everything from precision to reckless abandon and make it truly his own. He currently is a member of Kenosha Kid, Weisshund, Nelson Patton, ATL Collective, The Trey Wright Trio and The Mace Hibbard Quintet.
He has toured, performed and/or recorded with Jim White, Larkin Poe, Delta Moon, Lera Lynn, Liv Warfield, Lonnie Holley, Col. Bruce Hampton, Takana Miyamoto, John Patitucci, Lew Soloff, Bobby Shew, Rufus Reid, Marcus Printup, Kevin Bales, Wycliffe Gordon, TOKU and Russel Gunn. He has recorded for labels such as Sony, Universal, RH Music, Yep Roc, Ropeadope plus many more independent releases. His drumming has been in soundtracks on Adult Swim, ABC, and HBO.
In the studio, Marlon has carved a name for himself in the Atlanta scene recording, mixing, and producing. Some recent projects he's worked on are Jim White's Where It Hits You, Larkin Poe's Thick As Thieves, Daniel Clay's 10,000 Things, Kenosha Kid's Fahrenheit 451, ILL's Gotten Gains, and Blair Dunlop/Larkin Poe's Killing Time.
Marlon plays C&C custom drums (http://www.candccustomdrums.com/).
For information on drumming, mixing, drum tracking, engineering and/or production rates and availability please contact me: marlonpatton at mac dot com