Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage have grown a reputation over the last 18 months as folk singers of rare quality and musicians of singular craft. Their debut duo album, Before The Sun (reviewed here), recorded and produced in Toronto by award-winning producer David Travers-Smith, garnered national praise from the roots music press for its intimate soundscape and the duo’s stellar performances
With this good wind at their backs, the duo are back on tour this October and are releasing a very special single. October 3rd marks the 50th Anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s death and gives us a moment to reflect on his legacy. Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage are marking this moment by releasing one of Guthrie’s most personal songs: “We have opened our sets for the last year with Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key as a reminder of the footsteps we travel in” says Hannah “and because it sets the stage for what we sing for today – joy, irreverence, and an integrity of sound and feeling we feel is crucial to music right now.” Watch their new video below:
A musical pioneer of the “folk process”, Woody Guthrie took traditional songs and ballads and gave them new life, infusing them with both politics and personal stories. His directness showed how songs have the power to move the listener to action and activism; he famously inscribed his guitar with the words “This machine kills fascists”. His music and his process inspired the likes of Leadbelly, The Carter Family, and he went on to join forces with Pete Seeger to form The Almanac Singers. At heart he was a rambler, and for all the itinerant folk musicians looking to lift the spirits of the listener, Woody’s music speaks loud. Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage are two such singers, and they bring their delicate musical crafting to this song of Woody’s childhood.
Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key was originally given music by activist musicians Billy Bragg and Wilco. The Mermaid Avenue albums have become one of the greatest original US/UK folk collaborations. As Ben reflects “We love how this song represents the coming together of old and new, old time American and English folk-ish tradition and the poetry shows how Woody could tell a very personal story as much as the plight of his fellow man.”
It tells us to sing loud and dream big, way over yonder in the minor key…
Way Over Yonder Tour | Autumn 2017
29 Sep – Milton Keynes, Song Loft
05 Oct – London, Slaughtered Lamb
06 Oct – Lowestoft, Waveney Folk Club
07 Oct – Derby, Derby Folk Festival
08 Oct – Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire Music Centre
12 Oct – Cambridge, Junction II
14 Oct – Norwich, The Guildhall
17 Oct – Birmingham, Kitchen Garden Café
22 Oct – Saltaire, The Live Room
23 Oct – Stockton, Stockton Folk Club
07 Dec – Abingdon, Unicorn Theatre
Find out more here: www.hannahbenmusic.com