Dust Diaries

Dust to Gold: The Bittersweet Metamorphosis and Sepia-Toned Songcraft of Robin Jackson A catchy and captivating song-crafter....a real storyteller.-NPR Wildly creative Portland musician takes an intimate turn with solo debut, Dust Diaries Singer, Award-winning songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Robin Jackson, known for his wild, theatrical contributions to bands like the dark Gypsy band Vagabond Opera and the infamous March Fourth Marching Band, has set aside the pomp and cabaret gesture in favor of straightforward intimacy...with a twist. Drawing on life experiences, vintage sounds, and a fresh and vivid imagination, Jackson keeps it personal, without over-sharing or quaint evasion, in well-crafted, Americana-inflected songs on Dust Diaries. With a degree in ethnomusicology and an unflagging musical curiosity, Jackson has lived and busked around the world, from an intentional beach community in New Zealand to the streets of Europe. He has mastered a myriad of instruments, from saxophone to mbira and played with everyone from Gogol Bordello, Amanda Palmer and The Decembrists. An award-winning songwriter, teacher, activist, and spirited impresario, Jackson has built on his colorful, bohemian upbringing and dedicated himself to creating and supporting music in the world and around Portland, Or where he lives. Jackson quietly takes inspiration from the Beatles, Gypsy jazz a la Django Reinhardt, and Western swing to create luminous, lyric-driven songs. In his disarmingly articulate voice, he evokes bygone days and the immediacy of love lost, family shadows, and brightly lit passions, never losing his trademark penchant for wry storytelling. Jackson comes by his songwriting instincts honestly. His late father, the inspiration for two tracks on Dust Diaries (Red Blanket and The Spring), was a prolific folk songwriter, who shared his work constantly with his son. With production guidance from friend and producer Chet Lyster (Eels, Lucinda Williams), Jackson fleshed out his guitar and piano-based compositions with old-school flair, adding strings, cascades of low brass, suggestive hints of percussion. Jackson nods to early 20th-century jazz, marching bands, cowboy songs, even chamber music The music underscores Jackson's effortless straddling of immediacy and an aching nostalgia, a sepia-toned, slightly tongue-in-cheek vibe that runs through the tracks. All flourishes aside, the heart of Jackson's solo work lies in uncovering and fearlessly engaging with intense, difficult emotions-and the opportunities for creativity and transformation they offer. 'I will always write from the power and color of metaphor, like most of the songs written for Vagabond Opera...

I wanted to explore being more vulnerable and real, too on this album.'