Chicago singer-songwriter Pierce Crask, who is known to pepper his solo live sets with choice Grateful Dead covers, released the vinyl version of his latest album Rising River last fall and the album has received rave reviews and airplay via KDHX, Radio Free Charleston, CHIRP, WNUR, WZRD, WLUW, WGN, and Harper Radio.

Rising River was produced and mixed by Ellis Clark (Social Act, Epicycle) at Angel City Studios in Chicago and features some of the city's top players. The album features nine Crask originals and a beautiful cover of Steve Earle's "Sparkle and Shine."

Pierce Crask, who has been entertaining audiences professionally as a solo performer since 1999, is also a founding member of the St. Louis/Chicago band Falling Martins who have, to date, released six albums to critical acclaim: “Pierce Crask hits the lyrical nail on the head” (Playback STL); “This is an extraordinary band producing elegant roots rock tinged with blues and country, with slide guitar and imaginative keys” (Ruta 66 Magazine, Spain) and “Pierce Crask may very well be this town’s Randy Newman” (Riverfront Times).

Crask released his debut solo album, The Road To Millstadt, in 2007 and its follow-up Black Label in 2008. 2012 saw the release of Live at The Shaved Duck and an instrumental EP was released in 2015 (its companion piece, a five-song self-titled EP, was released in 2018).

For 2023’s “Rising River” album, Pierce was fortunate enough to work with acclaimed Chicago producer and musician Ellis Clark, who assembled a group of some of the city's finest musicians: Marc Edelstein on upright bass, Heath Chappell on drums, Tom Linsk on keys, Mike Conroy on pedal steel, Ron Haynes on flugelhorn, and Brent Roman on percussion.