Arden, North Carolina (January 29, 2021) — With two full albums of refreshingly original material already to her credit, singer-songwriter and banjoist Gina Furtadohas quickly become one of the most powerfully individualistic artists working in the bluegrass vein today. Now, following the success of the whimsically lighthearted “Alley Cat,” The Gina Furtado Project is back with “Gone,” a new single that offers further evidence of her unique melodic, rhythmic and lyric sensibilities.
Produced, like “Alley Cat,” by GRAMMY®-nominated Mountain Home artist Thomm Jutz, “Gone” is a showcase for the Project’s virtuosity, as Furtado, her sister Malia(fiddle) and guitarist Drew Matulich dish up inventive solos, while the latter’s percussive mandolin teams with Max Johnson’s robust bass for a dose of classic bluegrass muscle that keeps the music moving along. Furtado delivers the solo vocal with characteristic confidence, navigating her way with determination through the tangled emotions of a lyric that oscillates between conveying the pain of abandonment and the persistence of hope:
“Why don’t you lock me in a cell
Throw out the key, you might as well
Those memories keep hanging on
And you’re gone.
Just look at me
Left at the pound
Your loyal hound
Here waiting by the door
A fool could see that you don’t want me anymore”
“I always enjoy dipping my toes into various genres with my songwriting, but at the core I’m a bluegrass banjo player through and through,” notes Furtado, a 3-time nominee for the IBMA’s Banjo Player of the Year award. “‘Gone’ draws from some of my earliest influences, which go back to songs about heartache, hopelessness and the hard driving bluegrass style of South West Virginia. It was really fun to cut loose a little on this one!”
Listen to “Gone” HERE.
About The Gina Furtado Project
Formed by innovative artist Gina Furtado, The Gina Furtado Project brings unique musicianship and songwriting that breaks free from the assumed constructs of traditional music modalities and makes a new musical statement influenced by emotion, played with the highest skill, and expressing an enormous verve and vitality.
Furtado, known for her work as the banjo player for Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, has a long history with her banjo. Born and raised in Front Royal, Virginia, Gina began touring up and down the east coast in her tween years with her siblings, earning countless ribbons from fiddlers conventions, a strong reputation in the regional bluegrass scene, and a stamp from Bluegrass Today as “absurdly talented.” She later played in a number of regional acts before making her international touring debut with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers soon after joining the group in 2016.
While touring, she is joined by Drew Matulich on guitar and Malia Furtado, her sister, on violin, who each bring experience and energy to the band.
Now based in Asheville, NC, Matulich grew up in Georgia and began playing guitar at 8. While studying music in college he performed with several bands of various styles in and around Georgia and Florida before immersing himself in the Bluegrass scene of Western North Carolina. He has toured and recorded with Billy Strings, made a guest appearance on Roland White’s album and shared the stage with the likes of David Grisman, Bryan Sutton, Sam Bush, Cody Kilby, and Sierra Hull.
Malia’s musical journey began at the age of 3 with classical violin lessons and took a turn, when she attended her first festival, Galax Old Fiddlers Convention, a few years later. Since then, she has performed with a number of different groups, taken home a range of prizes, graced the stage of numerous venues up and down the East Coast and given private lessons in both bluegrass and classical playing. Malia is the Director of Education at the Front Porch Music School in Charlottesville, VA, and currently teaches adult continued education courses in bluegrass fiddle at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, VA.