By Anna Mantzaris
Teddy Thompson (that’s Thompson as in spawn of Richard and Linda) may be an English boy by birth, but the 31-year-old’s rock-folk-country sound will make you think he’s spent years fine-tuning his sound deep in the land of the American south.
Taking on the greats – Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, George Jones – Thompson’s latest CD, Up Front and Down Low(Verve Forecast), is a thoughtful collection of interpretations of C&W classics and not-so-well-known gems, with dad Richard and pal Rufus Wainwright lending their talents. A New Yorker by residence, Thompson takes his show on the road opening for Suzanne Vega; he appears Monday, Nov. 12, at the Fillmore.
Bay Guardian: How did Up Front and Down Low come about? Why an album of covers?
Teddy Thompson: I came home after touring after the last record for a year. I didn’t have a lot to do. I started just recording some songs for fun, but I liked the way it came out and I thought maybe it would make a good side-project album.