Tributary profile picture

Tributary

tingling and flowering and flowing..

About Me

Conceived in 1992 and slowly percolating up to this point is the band Tributary. Originating from the south of Detroit and revolving around singer songwriter artist Frank James English, Tributary at its heart embraces the direct simplicity of the solo acoustic minstrel tradition. Yet Tributary is an open collaborative effort as well and involves various artists while creating a wide variety of size, color and texture. Balancing the audible and visual, Frank has had a full career in the Fine Arts as well. It was in 1990 that his poetry began to find form as song. Armed with a Gibraltar Trade Center classical acoustic and 1965 Electra Electric he began crafting and covering. Gradually picked up doumbek and djembe drums and joined the great drum circle culture surge of the late 90’s and after, truly living the life of a creative spirit rambler. Was able to learn and play with some of the great local Detroit area folk artists in the tradition and beyond such as Raymo James, Rodriguez, Xavier Moore and Buford Jones... In 2001 the Tribal Fusion band Spirit Rising was created as a collaborative effort and often accompanied the rich incensed magic of Night Fire performances. Night Fire is an Ann Arbor based contemporary dance group. Now Brooklyn based artist Satchel Jones has contributed lead guitar on tracks Arkansas, Take My 45 and Fulsom Prison Shoes. Tributary is continuously flowing into new lands of artistic journey.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 04/11/2007
Band Members: Co creatives at times.. Frank English singin, writ and strummin, harmonica and percussion with some help from my friends at times, looking to collaborate with open minds wherever you are.
Influences: Nature, Spirit and a Ticking Clock.. Ted Hawkins, Woody Guthrie, Precious Bryant, Rodriguez.. 1984 Detroit Tigers, John Lennon, John Sinclair, Eric and Polly Rapp, Sara M, Sade, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, RL Burnside, Mississippi Fred Mcdowell, Townes, Bruce, The Last Unicorn, The Secret of Nimh, Emmett Otter's Jug Band, Star Wars, the beginning of MTV,.. !.. alleys, the Attic Bar, the Butler Twins, Bob Seger and the Seger System, Charles Burchfield, Jack Beal, Sondra Freckleton, Anslem Keifer, Albert Pinkham Ryder, William Blake, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, my FAMILY!, dirt roads, Mazzy Star, MC5, Hank, Detroit Music, Neil Young and every street anywhere player i have ever found...
Sounds Like: Someone whom likes to play in tunnels and in fields..
Record Label: Unsigned

My Blog

CHILL OUT AND GOIN' BACK HOME! New Compilations!

Tributary is included in these fine compilations CHILL OUT just released at the end of 2008 and the upcoming GOIN' BACK HOME to be out early this summer!  Its an honor to be a part of these projects w...
Posted by on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:55:00 GMT

Deepak Chopra: Obama and the Palin Effect

Subject: Deepak Chopra> > Obama and the Palin Effect> by Deepak Chopra> > Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national > psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is per...
Posted by on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:36:00 GMT

EARTHDAY EVERYDAY!!!

Its a beautiful Earthday here in Detroit. Spring is in full swing and our yard and animals are talkin. Please take some time this spring to think about planting native speciesin your yard wherever you...
Posted by on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:37:00 GMT

Skippin Stones

On the streets or in the tunnels or in rooms or in the field or anywheres I am there playin the guitar, painting, writing down streams and flowing.  Bouncing baby and singing then feeding the bir...
Posted by on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:30:00 GMT

THE SERPENTINE FLOWOUT March 7th!

March 7th THE SERPENTINE FLOWOUT! It's a FREE night of music at Hamtramck's Seven Brothers Bar starting at 9pm! Tributary Garth Reeves Satchel Jones Howard Glazer With some special surprise in there s...
Posted by on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:03:00 GMT

Music of the Spheres

Twas the heat of the summer and I had been invited to a backyard party in Detroit.  The invite came from the internet and proof that some beautiful opportunities can come from this myspace flip.&...
Posted by on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:33:00 GMT