A singular presence in American roots music, Powell is widely regarded as a “musician’s musician.” His artistry is grounded in the hills of Appalachia and the bayous of Louisiana, where he learned banjo, fiddle, and accordion from his grandfather and community elders.
A layered meditation on its title, Wake features twelve original compositions and one cover—George Harrison’s “Long, Long, Long,” serves as a transition to two of the album’s many standouts—"Ally Ally In Come Free,” and “China Grove.” Produced, mixed, and engineered by Powell at his renowned Bayou Teche Louisiana studio, Wake finds him playing nearly all of the instruments himself. The result is immersive and transportive — a record alive with textures: homemade banjos and fiddles, shimmering electric guitars, soft French horns, full-bodied drums, cascading harmonies, and the ambient sounds of Louisiana swamps, trains, and street fairs. Guest appearances include Amelia Powell, Sophie Powell, Rhiannon Giddens, Darrell Scott, Kai Welch, and others.
Over the course of his career, Powell has toured extensively accompanying artists such as Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, Rhiannon Giddens, Loretta Lynn, Irma Thomas, Jack White, Buddy Miller, and Steve Earle. In film, he has collaborated with directors Anthony Minghella, Ang Lee, and Spike Lee. He has contributed to multiple Grammy-winning projects across genres spanning Folk, Country, Blues, and Rock. Since the 1990s, his own recordings have continued to shape a new generation of traditional musicians and songwriters. He remains a sought-after producer and composer. His best-known composition, “Waterbound,” has been recorded over 100 times.
“…[The wake] stretches behind us all of our lives, telling our story in swells and ripples, tracing our path before receding into what was and will be. It is the wake we share in celebrating the life of a loved one gone on - a rowdy New Orleans second-line, a haunting Appalachian rafter-shaker, a quiet Cajun waltz in the family room. It is the waking we must do to presence: this simple action that finds us witnessing the truth of the light that animates us. It's the moment eyes first open, in all the differing dawns, and what they see, whom they see, how they long to see. It's sun and water, motion and stillness, fantasy and vision. It's first steps
and last breaths. It's here and now, here and gone." ~ Dirk Powell
A singular presence in American roots music, Powell is widely regarded as a “musician’s musician.” His artistry is grounded in the hills of Appalachia and the bayous of Louisiana, where he learned banjo, fiddle, and accordion from his grandfather and community elders.
A layered meditation on its title, Wake features twelve original compositions and one cover—George Harrison’s “Long, Long, Long,” serves as a transition to two of the album’s many standouts—"Ally Ally In Come Free,” and “China Grove.” Produced, mixed, and engineered by Powell at his renowned Bayou Teche Louisiana studio, Wake finds him playing nearly all of the instruments himself. The result is immersive and transportive — a record alive with textures: homemade banjos and fiddles, shimmering electric guitars, soft French horns, full-bodied drums, cascading harmonies, and the ambient sounds of Louisiana swamps, trains, and street fairs. Guest appearances include Amelia Powell, Sophie Powell, Rhiannon Giddens, Darrell Scott, Kai Welch, and others.
Over the course of his career, Powell has toured extensively accompanying artists such as Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, Rhiannon Giddens, Loretta Lynn, Irma Thomas, Jack White, Buddy Miller, and Steve Earle. In film, he has collaborated with directors Anthony Minghella, Ang Lee, and Spike Lee. He has contributed to multiple Grammy-winning projects across genres spanning Folk, Country, Blues, and Rock. Since the 1990s, his own recordings have continued to shape a new generation of traditional musicians and songwriters. He remains a sought-after producer and composer. His best-known composition, “Waterbound,” has been recorded over 100 times.
“…[The wake] stretches behind us all of our lives, telling our story in swells and ripples, tracing our path before receding into what was and will be. It is the wake we share in celebrating the life of a loved one gone on - a rowdy New Orleans second-line, a haunting Appalachian rafter-shaker, a quiet Cajun waltz in the family room. It is the waking we must do to presence: this simple action that finds us witnessing the truth of the light that animates us. It's the moment eyes first open, in all the differing dawns, and what they see, whom they see, how they long to see. It's sun and water, motion and stillness, fantasy and vision. It's first steps
and last breaths. It's here and now, here and gone." ~ Dirk Powell
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