Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of "Street Tracker," a new song by Pieta Brown.
Brown's new album, Postcards, features a bevy of interesting collaborations—one for each track, in fact—all of which are based around the concept of "musical postcards." "Street Tracker" happens to feature Dire Straits legend Mark Knopfler.
"The spark for 'Street Tracker' was a photograph I saw of a motorcycle, not long after getting home from being on the road, touring," Pieta says. "I saw a kind of openness, or freedom, and also a kind of power in the machine. I hear and feel this same mix in Mark's playing."
Postcards explores the role of distance and isolation in collaboration. Pieta is forced to tour often, which makes things difficult in terms of staying connected with friends and family. So, as a unique way to keep in touch, she recorded stripped-down, acoustic shells of new songs and sent them to friends/family. Her instructions for these "musical postcards" were simple: complete the song and send them back.
"My vision for the Postcards album was really about open collaborations. And I was lucky enough to send the track to Mark one day and receive his beautiful contribution back shortly after. Mark's songs, sound and artistry continue to inspire me...to have him play on the track was a true gift."
Other collaborators include Calexico, Mason Jennings, David Lindley, Carrie Rodriguez, Caitlin Canty and the Pines.
Postcards will be released March 10. It's available for preorder right here.
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For more about Brown and Postcards, check out the album teaser at the bottom of this story and visit pietabrown.com.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
