Biography
In the closing years of the 1960s and the opening stretch of the 1970s, Milkwood Tapestry maintained a steady presence on New York City’s rock-club circuit. Their sound drew simultaneously from British Isles folk ensembles such as Incredible String Band and Fairport Convention and from acid-rock outfits typified by Jefferson Airplane and Jethro Tull, forging a workable equilibrium between these seemingly incompatible approaches.
Poughkeepsie-born guitarist and songwriter Roland Antonelli had already accumulated considerable musical experience—classical guitar and cello studies, followed by teaching and arranging—when he answered an advertisement Joseph Ransohoff placed in the Village Voice. Ransohoff, then a New York City law student who also pursued voice and recorder lessons while maintaining an amateur interest in musical theater that dated back to his teenage years, sought an acoustic composer and songwriter as a collaborator. After their first meeting, Ransohoff supplied Antonelli with lyrics; within seven days the guitarist had completed two songs, establishing the partnership on firm ground. For the next twelve months the pair shuttled between Poughkeepsie and Manhattan to refine material until Antonelli relocated to the city, allowing them to begin public performances.
They worked coffeehouses and clubs across the metropolitan area, appearing at such venues as Manhattan College, New York University, Café Au Go Go, the Village Gate, and the Electric Circus alongside artists that included Country Joe McDonald, Phil Ochs, Tim Hardin, Velvet Underground, and NRBQ. At one of these engagements they were introduced to Donovan’s manager, who secured an audition with Metromedia executives; the duo was offered a contract immediately. In 1969 they entered the studio to cut the album Milkwood Tapestry. Following its release, they toured small colleges throughout New York and New England and performed at the Museum of Modern Art. The record earned favorable coverage, including a notice in Billboard, and led to a live appearance on the Alex Bennett Show, a leading FM program of the period. By 1972, however, the two musicians’ artistic directions had diverged sharply, bringing Milkwood Tapestry to a close.
Poughkeepsie-born guitarist and songwriter Roland Antonelli had already accumulated considerable musical experience—classical guitar and cello studies, followed by teaching and arranging—when he answered an advertisement Joseph Ransohoff placed in the Village Voice. Ransohoff, then a New York City law student who also pursued voice and recorder lessons while maintaining an amateur interest in musical theater that dated back to his teenage years, sought an acoustic composer and songwriter as a collaborator. After their first meeting, Ransohoff supplied Antonelli with lyrics; within seven days the guitarist had completed two songs, establishing the partnership on firm ground. For the next twelve months the pair shuttled between Poughkeepsie and Manhattan to refine material until Antonelli relocated to the city, allowing them to begin public performances.
They worked coffeehouses and clubs across the metropolitan area, appearing at such venues as Manhattan College, New York University, Café Au Go Go, the Village Gate, and the Electric Circus alongside artists that included Country Joe McDonald, Phil Ochs, Tim Hardin, Velvet Underground, and NRBQ. At one of these engagements they were introduced to Donovan’s manager, who secured an audition with Metromedia executives; the duo was offered a contract immediately. In 1969 they entered the studio to cut the album Milkwood Tapestry. Following its release, they toured small colleges throughout New York and New England and performed at the Museum of Modern Art. The record earned favorable coverage, including a notice in Billboard, and led to a live appearance on the Alex Bennett Show, a leading FM program of the period. By 1972, however, the two musicians’ artistic directions had diverged sharply, bringing Milkwood Tapestry to a close.
Albums