Recorded at the magical Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York, and mixed by Jim Scott (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Wilco), Krasno Moore Project: Book of Queens is a lively tribute to women in music. Across nine soulful covers, the longtime friends reimagine the work of female musical icons Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Billie Eilish, Sharon Jones, H.E.R, Kacey Musgraves, Brittany Howard, Peggy Lee, and Aretha Franklin. Krasno and Moore are joined by accomplished organist Eric Finland throughout the record and the album features special guest appearances by Branford Marsalis, Cory Henry, and Robert Randolph. Today the group shares their cover of Brittany Howard’s “Stay High” featuring Cory Henry.
“When Stanton and I got together and decided to make a record we knew we wanted to focus on a concept that we both believed in,” explains Eric Krasno. “With the help of our wives (Lauren and Lauren), we started discussing a few ideas and agreed that a tribute to our favorite female singers and songwriters would be perfect. There are so many amazing songs to choose from spanning every genre and every era. Stanton and I zoned in on songs that had the right melodies and moods for an organ trio format. As soon as we started adapting the songs, adding grooves, and making demos with Eric Finland (organ/keys) we knew we had something special.”
Stanton Moore continues, “With this record, we wanted to create an album that we would be proud to play for our wives…something that we could listen to while making dinner or hanging on the beach. Our goal was to assemble a collection of songs that created an instant vibe from beginning to end, and could be enjoyed with family and friends time and time again.”
Eric Krasno and Stanton Moore first met in the mid-90s, when Eric was attending college in Northampton, MA. Stanton frequently passed through the area on tour and Eric became a fan of his drumming. Eager to make an impression on Stanton, Eric would always give Stanton demos of his latest guitar work. Stanton listened to these CDs and soon realized that kid Krasno was on to something. Krasno went on to found Lettuce and Soulive, while Moore founded Galactic and Garage-a-Trois. Through their various projects, the pair have crossed paths and shared stages together countless times over the past 25 years, forging a friendship along the way.
During the 2022 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Krasno and Moore discussed the possibility of working together on a more regular basis with a consolidated project in mind. Together, they came up with the concept of making an organ trio record of covers that would focus on female artists and honor the endless amount of incredible music they have gifted the world. They brought on their friend Eric Finland to round out the sound. The result is a stunning collection of covers that sound vaguely familiar, yet quite unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.
