Louie Phipps and Friends was borne out of a need for human connection during Coronavirus social isolation. The first connection made was an unexpected bi-weekly songwriting trade, conducted via video-chat, with our pre-pandemic acquaintance and now dear friend, Corey Laitman. The second out-of-the-blue connection was with Chris Thile, who before the pandemic was known to our family only as an out-of-reach music icon. Last May, when Chris surprisingly invited Louie to perform on his radio program, Live From Here, he made one of the songs from the songwriting trade a de facto duet. This musical pairing made us think that other adult musicians might also enjoy creating de facto recordings with Louie. Much to our surprise, eighteen accomplished adult musicians from across the country, all featured herein, eagerly joined the collaboration as unpaid volunteers from the safety of their own homes. This much-needed creative outlet has been and continues to be a pandemic-era silver lining for everyone involved, especially our family. Many heartfelt thanks to each and every accompanist, particularly Louie’s incredible music teachers, Chris Eldridge and Robin Hoffman, as well as Anand Nayak, our friend and co-producer who brilliantly mixed and accompanied most of the tracks herein. Thanks also to Corey Laitman and Matt Fiveash for their post-production counsel, Mark Miller for unifying and mastering a varied collection of songs, Todd Trainer for the inspired behind the scenes jam sessions, and Louie’s extended St. Louis family -- Don, Maysie and Stephanie Stewart -- for Equal Enthusiasm and Summer Fields.
Gabe Phipps and Annie Salsich, Louie's parents
credits
released March 22, 2021
Unless otherwise noted, all songs by Louie Phipps, age 8
“Bird of Freedom”
Louie Phipps – vocals, ukulele
Matt Fiveash – bass
Anand Nayak – electric guitar
“Poor Chickadee”
Louie Phipps – vocals, electric baritone ukulele
Corey Laitman – vocals, guitar
Anand Nayak – organ
“To Save This Nation”
Louie Phipps – vocals, baritone ukulele
Jim Armenti – mandolin
Anand Nayak – bass
“Two Dollar Bill” (traditional, age 7)
Louie Phipps – vocals, electric baritone ukulele
Anand Nayak – electric guitar, bass
J.J. O'Connell – percussion, vocals
“Sunlight”
Louie Phipps – vocals, baritone ukulele
Dan Kellar – fiddle
Anand Nayak – bass, keyboard, electric guitar
“I Was Ready”
Louie Phipps – vocals, ukulele
Eli Catlin – vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, flute, percussion
“The Long and Narrow River”
Louie Phipps – vocals, baritone ukulele
Robin Hoffman – lute, sopranino, ukulele, vocals
Anand Nayak – bass, electric guitar, percussion
“Summer Fields”
Louie Phipps – vocals, ukulele
Anand Nayak – bass, electric guitar
Stephanie Stewart – vocals
“We Are Together”
Louie Phipps – vocals, baritone ukulele
Gabriel Phipps – vocals
Berry Bushes made available courtesy of American Public Media
Produced by Louie Phipps, Gabriel Phipps and Anand Nayak
Recorded in the safety of our homes
All but two songs mixed by Anand Nayak
"I Was Ready" mixed by Eli Catlin
"Bicycle (remix)" mixed by Jesse Flack
Mastered by Mark Alan Miller at Sonelab
Album art by Louie Phipps
Louie Phipps is a twelve-year-old singer-songwriter. He has released two albums of original music, the first when he was
nine, with accompaniment from Chris Thile, Chris "Critter" Eldridge, Sierra Hull, Anand Nayak, The Suitcase Junket & Corey Laitman. Louie’s music has been featured by The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Morning Edition and Live From Here....more
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