My Song of the Day (and premiere) is Eggs For Honey (listen above), taken from Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer‘s new album Off-grid lo-fi. I’m not only a great admirer of Dave and Mandy (you can read previous FRUK reviews here for Maritime & Seed of a Pine) but we (me and my family that is) have a small-holding here in Somerset that we spend a lot of time on so I can really relate to the lyrics. The back-story to the song, which Mandy shared with us below, is equally enchanting:
“On the island where we live, a lot of our friends are young farmers, making a living growing sustainably/ethically raised foods… and this gives us mounds of hope for the future. Last year while touring in Iowa, we visited friends who own a farm, and they told us they had a trade set up with another farmer (trading eggs for honey.) That simple exchange seemed like such a novel thing in the times that we live in…this song also weaves in ideas from the life/generation of my beautiful grandmother Pearl, who is 96 now and used to dance (still does!) and sing in a traveling choir. She is a constant well of inspiration.” – Mandy Fer
Tracks Not Available
About Off-grid lo-fi
When Pacific Northwest Americana duo Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer named their new album off-grid lo-fi, they meant it literally. The album was recorded on a nearly uninhabited island in the rich beauty of the Washington State’s San Juan Islands. In a house built by hand with driftwood beams crossing the ceiling, while four donkeys wandered the fields outside, the two retreated from civilization to craft something intimate and powerful, something that could endure the windswept vistas outside their windows. The location came with challenges, of course– the island could only be reached by skiff, the donkeys frequently interrupted the sessions, the studio was solar and wind-powered so worked best when it was windy… But there were also moments of serendipity, like the cello Mandy discovered in the closet and learned to play, or the banjo she was able to center on to create new sounds. The result is an album of deep-focus indie roots music, pulling from musicians who understand how the natural tones of their instruments relate to their surrounding environment and who had the space to really explore this concept. The recording set up mirrored the environment with no computer screens, editing and no Auto-Tune; McGraw and Fer captured the emotional rather than technical perfection.
Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer off-grid lo-fi out June 24th
Find out more here: daveandmandymusic.com
Photo Credit: Jen Repp Photography