Duane Carleton

Duane Carleton is the newest voice of rural America. His songs capture the essence of working class life. Whether he is describing the everyday people of small town America and their relationships or the struggles that they encounter in their day-to-day lives, he conveys the beauty and tragedy of a disappearing lifestyle. His music falls into the Americana style. He paints a vast and colorful landscape with his songwriting as he covers the spectrum from poetic ballads, to upbeat rockers, to political story songs that could be aptly described as the offspring of Steve Earle and The Rolling Stones. Duane was born, raised and continues to reside in rural New England and his upbringing is evident in his work ethic. He currently plays 250 - 300 dates a year, has released 14 albums as well as 1 DVD. He has completed four music videos and has recently released his latest cd entitled “American Boy” on the Higher Road Records label which contains guest appearances by Garth Hudson of The Band, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Joseph Wooten of The Wooten Brothers and The Steve Miller Band. He has also appeared as a guest on no less than 15 other cd’s by artists as varied as, Bicycle Mary, John Erlandson, and Laura Molinelli. He has opened shows and played with such luminaries as Rick Danko of The Band, Steve Miller, Gov’t Mule, Don McLean, Bret Michaels, Eddie Money, Loverboy, The Fixx, Jimmy LaFave and Steve Forbert to name just a few. In addition, he has had songs placed in films such as the HBO documentary, “Dirty Driving-Thunder Cars of Indiana”, the Edgewood Entertainment horror film, “Arachnia” which has been aired on the Starz Edge, Encore, and Encore Action channels, and the snowboard video, “Pipe Dreams”. He has also had songs used in television ads for Killington Ski Resort, Taylor’s Clear River Tavern, and Advance Music Center."Songs like "Small Town Heroes" and "The True American" are driven by Carleton's fine guitar work and singing. It's easy to laugh at some of the rock and roll bands making hit records these days, but hearing rootsy rock done this well should make you feel a little better. – Vintage Guitar Magazine -“What really makes the album stand out, however, is Carleton’s honest and skillful songwriting. He’s got a keen ability to create songs that linger in your memory long after the disc has stopped spinning. And that’s what makes “Once Lost, Then Torn Down” more enjoyable with each listen.” – Seven Days -“With so many rock ‘n’ roll albums a wasteland of unresolved teenage angst, high-decibel electronic noise, undecipherable babblings from mock poets or otherwise poorly conceived and badly produced wannabe music, Duane Carleton’s "Once Lost, Then Torn Down" stands out as an oasis of highly listenable music in a desert of creativity.” – The Times Argus -“In this day of multi mix styles, it’s nice to hear something real that’s well composed.” – Vermont Review -" 'Leaving Despair' by Duane Carleton is probably the most beautiful, honest album I have ever listened to. He really captures life in semi-rural Vermont. With all the crap you can hear on the radio today it is refreshing to hear someone sing from their heart. – Vermont Woman –