THE DEAD TONGUES
The Dead Tongues
The Dead Tongues is the project of Ryan Gustafson, a Western North Carolina-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who has been building one of modern folk's most distinctive voices for over 15 years. Rooted in Appalachian folk traditions while embracing American jamband expansiveness and southern gothic atmosphere, his music has accumulated over 20 million Spotify streams — including 22.5 million on 'Pale November Dew' alone. His fifth album 'Dust' was recorded at Sylvan Esso's studio Betty's in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with collaborators including Joe Westerlund (Watchhouse, Megafaun) and members of Mountain Man. His two 2024 albums 'Body of Light' and 'I Am a Cloud' — described as '16 complete tunes split across interweaving and disparate albums' — further cemented his reputation for ambitious, self-directed folk recording. He has toured in support of Ben Howard and Sarah Jarosz, appeared at Hopscotch and Bristol Rhythm & Roots festivals, and received airplay on KCRW, WXPN, and WUNC. Paste Magazine called him 'An artist folk/Americana fans need to know.' He has 116,000+ monthly Spotify listeners and 48,000 followers.
Bio
The Dead Tongues is the project of Ryan Gustafson, a Western North Carolina-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who has been building one of modern folk's most distinctive voices for over 15 years. Rooted in Appalachian folk traditions while embracing American jamband expansiveness and southern gothic atmosphere, his music has accumulated over 20 million Spotify streams — including 22.5 million on 'Pale November Dew' alone. His fifth album 'Dust' was recorded at Sylvan Esso's studio Betty's in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with collaborators including Joe Westerlund (Watchhouse, Megafaun) and members of Mountain Man. His two 2024 albums 'Body of Light' and 'I Am a Cloud' — described as '16 complete tunes split across interweaving and disparate albums' — further cemented his reputation for ambitious, self-directed folk recording. He has toured in support of Ben Howard and Sarah Jarosz, appeared at Hopscotch and Bristol Rhythm & Roots festivals, and received airplay on KCRW, WXPN, and WUNC. Paste Magazine called him 'An artist folk/Americana fans need to know.' He has 116,000+ monthly Spotify listeners and 48,000 followers.
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