Acoustic gems, soulful lyrics, a haunting murder ballad and spacious, wide-open sound make "Lead Me to the Water" an instant Americana classic.

NEW YORK, N.Y., USA, July 21, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Songwriter Todd Carter, founder of the Americana band “The Looking”, drew from his Indiana roots for many of the soulful lyrics in his band’s new album, “Lead Me to the Water.”

The New York City based musician, singer and songwriter's band recently released the album. In “Summer of ’76,” he sings about a childhood summer in rural Indiana: “I remember when I was young, climbing big tree in the evening sun. Indiana summer, walk those woods, me my brothers and the kids form the neighborhood."

“The Well,” a song performed on this video, is a murder ballad based on a homicidal love triangle in his family’s Indiana history.

“In the video, I play my great-great-grandfather Harvey Brookie, who disappeared in 1894 in Carroll County, Indiana,” Carter explained. “The story that came down to us is that my great-great grandma Anna Miranda Parse murdered Harvey with the help of the farm hand, George Tinkle. They married a year after Harvey disappeared. They offed Harvey and threw him down a Well. George ended up committing suicide in 1945.

“I recently spoke on the phone with a neighboring farmer in Carroll County--he said the FBI called on his grandfather about the cold case in the 1930's.”

A seventh-generation Indiana native, Todd Carter attended Indiana University and the University of Chicago. Growing up in Carmel, he said: “Our home was surrounded by corn fields and woods. I spent a lot of time under the trees thinking, reading and listening to mysterious music like Syd Barrett’s “Dark Globe” and “The Dukes of the Stratosphere”. I started writing songs early on and played in the high school band. Indiana has been a formative influence on my work as a musician.” He has lived in New York City with his family for the last 15 years.

From the first moments of the lead off track “Lead Me To The Water,” which immediately haunts the listener with its crying steel guitar, to the precisely-picked acoustic gem, “Where Did You Go?” to the contentious “Bone To Pick,’ this album by The Looking has its roots not just in Country and Indie-Rock, but immaculate ‘70s singer-songwriter classics by Jackson Browne and JD Souther.

Whether it’s Andy Hess (Gov’t Mule, Black Crowes) grooving on the bass, Diego Voglino (Marshall Crenshaw) holding it down on the drums, Steve Elliott (Shooter Jennings) lending snaky guitar lines or Sasha Dobson (Norah Jones), cooing background vocals, ‘Water’ has a full screen, spacious, wide-open sound.

Follow The Looking on Facebook and on Twitter @thelookingnyc

Praise:

“Well-known musicians...driving country rock track…and a precisely-picked acoustic gem…”
– Indie Rock Café
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“No matter where you’re from, the common threads running throughout the album make it accessible and relatable.” - The Examiner
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“A punk-bred singer with operatic ability, Carter sings of dearly departed people, places and things…” – Sonic Scoop
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“In fact it seems that these Songs for a Traveler speak to everyone, because they speak right to the heart and every listener may feel he is this very traveler, perhaps unable to find love but rather death at the corner of every dusty street.”— Country Music International
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“If this CD doesn’t make your heart hurt, your soul ache, and your inner Byron cry out, then contact Mr. Carter ’cause you’re already crossing the River Styx, and he’d sure like to get your travelogue for his next set of opuses.”—FAME

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Carol Thompson
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