These folks here, in this record, have no idea what’s wrong. Or how to help. They are sick with the longing to make everything better. And they can’t. Tiny things are important. This house could be anywhere. These things could happen to anyone.” With this reflection, Charlie Parr introduces the characters of Rooming House, a conceptual folk opera that chronicles the lives of Upper Midwesterners through his quietly raucous, deeply rooted, and empathetic blues. These are songs of lost memories and hardship, but also of the improvised acts of kindness that help neighbors make do. Joined by celebrated drummer and fellow Minnesotan Dave King (The Bad Plus, Happy Apple), Parr cements his role as one of the great troubadours of our time with an album that becomes its own small yet profound offering of care.

Release Date: October 16, 2026
Record Label: Smithsonian Folkways
Format + Color: Compact Disc

Tracklist:
Duluth 1964
Rooming House 
Mother Sara 
(what’s so funny about) Universal Healthcare
Bank Robber
Duluth 2026
Lilliput Park 2026

Cover Art Designed By: Danny Duffy

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