It could be the plot of an old Victorian novel: a piano that has belonged to the same family for generations is slowly lost to the sands of time, only to show up in a warehouse in 2012. It falls into the hands of a musician just before a hurricane comes and nearly swamps both artist and instrument. But both survive, and as the songwriter goes looking for the piano's origins, he begins to learn important things about his family, families in general, and himself. This is the true genesis story of Joseph Arthur's new album The Family, which meanders through real and imagined family forces, intertwined with long-arc historical elements. Click the player above to hear Arthur play songs from the record, and talk about family politics and histories.