Ernest Troost – Folk Roots Radio Interview

“If the Carter Family, Robbie Robertson and Alfred Hitchcock had written songs together, they might sound like this.” That’s how L.A. based Ernest Troost introduces himself in concert. What makes him so remarkable is that he’s a late arrival on the folk scene. After studying jazz guitar and classical music at Berklee College of Music, Ernest built a career as an award-winning TV and Film composer in Hollywood, working on the cult classic Tremors, HBO’s A Lesson Before Dying, many Hallmark Hall of Fame specials and, more recently, the Campbell Scott indie film Crashing, which features the title track from Troost’s album “All the Boats Are Gonna Rise”. Along the way he composed, arranged and produced two albums of lullabies for Judy Collins. Ernest started making a name for himself as a singer-songwriter when he picked up the guitar in 2004; and in 2009 he was named a New Folk Winner at the famed Kerrville Folk Festival. His latest album, “O Love”, is already creating quite a buzz within the folk community. An album of real Americana, it features widescreen story songs alongside beautiful and heartfelt love songs. Showcasing a variety of styles from Piedmont blues through waltzes and the odd bit of rock n’roll, O Love is an album that will surely feature in many people’s best of the year. We tracked him down for an interview, at home in California. Music: Ernest Troost, “Old Screen Door”, “Harlan County Boys” and “The Last Lullaby” from “O Love”. (Travelling Shoes Records, 2014)