Alright no, Shannon Stephens isn’t exactly “new” music. In fact, the self-titled album that this song comes from was released by Stephens herself about 7 years ago. But when Asthmatic Kitty put out their “Works in Progress” EP a few months ago, a song by Shannon Stephens was on it. Looking further into it, I found rumors that she’s back writing music after the long break. In fact, she played a show last week in Seattle, her first in over 7 years.

As I said, she’s apparently recording new material, which is good news for all of us. Her music is exactly as you’d expect from someone being so well connected in the world of folk; she played in a college band whose roster included, among others, Sufjan Stevens and Jamie Kempkers, and her music can be heard being covered by Will Oldham (aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy) on his new album. Basically, her music is for anyone who’s a fan of banjos, Bob Dylan, harmonicas, and females.

Unfortunately there’s no official word on the new album yet, except that it is due out on Asthmatic Kitty sometime in the future. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the old stuff though: Asthmatic Kitty is re-releasing her the original 2000 album Shannon Stephens for a limited time. You can get it here.

Grab a copy of “I’ll Be Glad,” from the old album, after the jump, and then check out the “Works in Progress” EP, which includes another song by Stephens.

Tunes:
Shannon Stephens - “I’ll Be Glad” (from Shannon Stephens)