Funny songwriter Howie Newman is back in the recording studio

MELROSE, Mass. - May 4, 2016 - PRLog -- Comical singer-songwriter Howie Newman, a veteran of the New England acoustic music scene, is back in the studio, recording his first full-length studio album in 10 years.

With the help of engineer Rob Ignazio, he has recruited some of the top local musicians, including fiddle player Jackie Damsky (who also tours with Newman) and reed man Bill Novick. The album, titled When You're Happy, is scheduled for release in the fall.

"Yeah, it's been a while," admits Newman (www.howienewman.com), who played more than 150 gigs last year. "I've been very busy performing but I did squeeze in some time to write new songs. The time is right for a new album.

"I'm very excited about this project. I really like the new material and we're going to re-record some of the stuff from my live album, giving it the full studio treatment. That's what I love about recording. You take a song that's just guitar and vocal, and build it into something special."

The title track, "When You're Happy, I'm Happy, too," is a lively swing tune that features Novick's jazzy clarinet chops. Other new songs include "Where is Everybody?," an amusing look the folk music business, and "The Ballad of Mike Hessman," a bittersweet tale of a ballplayer who set the all-time minor league record for home runs.

Newman also dabbles in some serious subject matter with "Reality Check" and "It's Only Money."

So far, all the rhythm tracks and lead vocals have been completed. "Now comes the fun part," he says. "Adding backup vocals and more instrumentation. I always have an idea of what kind of sound I'm looking for but you never really know what the final version is going to be. To me, that's exciting."

It's also expensive. Newman will be doing the design work and promotion himself but has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help defray some of the other costs, like studio musicians, studio time, mixing and mastering. The budget for these items is $3,500.

You can access the Indiegogo campaign page at www.indiegogo.com/projects/howie-newman-s-new-cd--2#/. There is also a link on the home page of Newman's website (www.howienewman.com).

Donations of any amount are welcome. You can support this project by pre-ordering a copy of When You're Happy or purchasing any of Newman's other CDs at a steep discount with free shipping.

Newman and Damsky, who team up in an energetic folk-rock duo, will be promoting the album with a tour of outdoor concerts this summer. For more information visit www.howienewman.com/howieandjackie

For more information about Howie Newman and his new CD, visit www.howienewman.com.