Kurt Weisman – Orange

Racking up the reissues before we slide out of 2025, and the second half of the year seems particularly packed with aughts folk treasures. Following on the issue of Grass’ lost LP and a decade delayed LP from Baba Yaga, this one seems less fraught, but no less deserving of new ears. If you know Weisman, it’s likely from his time with Feathers, the New England psych-folk collective that brought together some of the scene’s finest, including Kyle Thomas (King Tuff), Ruth Garbus (Happy Birthday), Meara O’Reilly (Grass), and Asa Irons (Witch). Weisman’s solo works share a pastoral fragility with the band, weaving gentler wonders with more experimental fodder that feels akin to the slightly noisy strains coming out of Jewelled Antler’s ranks. Weisman’s second record was issued on limited CD from Autumn Records, the Vermont store and label run by musician Greg Davis.

The record vibrates with Weisman’s elfin energy, songs that sail on soft breezes, that slalom the tall grasses. Where his first solo record was full of offbeat instrumentation, layered arrangements, and dense mythology, Orange more fully embraces the private press folk aesthetic. Mostly just Kurt and his guitar, with a few embellishments of synth and clarinet from friends, Orange offers an aura of solitude; a hideaway from the world that radiates warmth, humor, and a humble positivity. The CDs have been long out of print and for years this has been a bit lost to the wilds, so it’s nice to see it back with it’s fist vinyl issue. For too long the reissues market has been latched to the ‘60s and ‘70s, though the late ‘80s college circuit has been making a strong case as well. It’s nice to see some efforts to dig into the early-mid 2000s. So many CD-rs came and went without getting their due. If you missed Orange in its first rotation, now’s an excellent time to hideaway in his secret garden of folk.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.