about

Left Field's music is difficult to characterize. Original songs make up roughly two-thirds of their concert repertoire and cut a wide swath across an agglomeration of musical forms and subjects — from social commentary ("New Beatitudes"), to historical subjects ("Father Abraham"), to political satire ("Spurn Not George Bush"), to songs that offer keen insight into the troubled waters of interpersonal relationships ("Let's Get Old and Cranky"), as well as the psychological plight of the aging hippie ("Billions of Brain Cells Ago"). Their non-original material encompasses a broad panorama of musical interests, including (but not limited to), American traditional music, gospel, jazz, and contemporary pop. Much of their music features 3- and 4-part vocal harmony, accompanied by guitar, mandolin, keyboard, accordion, and other instruments of indeterminate pitch. Left Field is Bill Neely, Liz Emmert, Deborah Griffin Bly, Bill Bly, and Mark Dann.

recordings

Left Field has produced two CDs: a collection of live performances entitled Still A-live! and a studio recording called Extra Innings.
Both are available online at cdbaby.com/cd/leftfield.

credits

Left Field contributed several original tracks to the monthly compilation of contemporary songwriters, The Fast Folk Musical Magazine, edited by Jack Hardy. This series was recently digitized and archived in the Folkways collection at the Smithsonian Institution. More information, including how to get CDs, can be obtained at http://www.si.edu/folkways/fastfolk.htm

The group appears regularly as part of the Minstrel Coffeehouse concert series in Morristown, NJ, produced by the Folk Project.

Left Field also makes the odd foray onto the radio waves for Princeton University's WPRB-FM, as guests on the weekly series Music You Can't Hear On the Radio, hosted by John Weingart.

contact

To book Left Field, or for further info on Left Field's recordings and performances, e-mail leftfield{at}infomonger{dot}com.

blurbs

"LEFT FIELD does not fit neatly into one musical category, but they appeal to a wide variety of musical tastes. People hearing them for the first time always leave delighted, often expressing surprise that music so unusual and so good can still be known by so few." -- John Weingart, host of Music You Can't Hear on the Radio (WPRB-FM, Princeton, NJ)

"LEFT FIELD'S name is very appropriate to their music... they do mostly their own warped compositions...with wry humor and great four-part harmonies." -- Minstrel Coffeehouse, Morristown, NJ

"LEFT FIELD is a zany and super-talented group. They do an amazing variety of songs... riotous political numbers...gospel and other traditional songs... lovely ballads. LEFT FIELD is highly recommended! If they're in your neighborhood, don't miss them." -- Concert review, New York Pinewoods Folk Music Club Newsletter

"LEFT FIELD is quite possibly the best choice of a name for a band I've seen in ages... insane, but delightful." -- East Coast Rocker

"Wacky, irreverent, wonderfully entertaining." -- Folk Music Society of Northern New Jersey

"LEFT FIELD features a unique blend of satirical, humorous and evocative songs... unmistakably original." -- Speakeasy, NYC
Last updated 2/11/04