Oliver the Crow are Nashville-based fiddler Ben Plotnick and cellist Kaitlyn Raitz. Their self-titled debut album is due for release on June 22, 2018 and was crafted in a solar-powered cabin in the middle of nowhere Vermont, over the course of just three and a half days. Kaitlyn and Ben played by natural sunlight during the day, and candlelight in the chilly evenings. They checked on the power level in between takes, made their meals next to the mixing board, and slept near their gear and instruments.
The album was produced by Toronto’s experimental electronic duo Speaker Face who are Eric Wright and Trent Freeman – who also perform in The Fretless…a band which Ben Plotnick is also a member. A small world.
Watch their new video for Bear in a Den on which Kaitlyn shared the following:
“’Bear in a Den’ is a song Ben wrote in response to frustrating mind frames. A song about how the world keeps on moving and has real issues, regardless of whether people choose to ignore them or not. Definitely more political undertones to this one… It was written in response to the sentiment of “America being the greatest country in the world”, and therefore not needing to take any example from countries around it. Also about the idea of being so lucky to be a heterosexual white male in North America, and how some people with that luck evaluate the whole world as if everyone has the same luck… not to rant. (This one was written by Ben .. haha)”
Speaker Face loved the challenge of evoking drums and guitar while staying faithful to the duo’s instrumentation. “The only sounds on this record are of cello, fiddle, and voice, even though it’s hard to believe at times. We triple checked, in fact. It’s legit.”
There’s no denying the sheer inventiveness of this duo, they deliver a fresh folk sound with a pop sensibility that is sure to appeal to wide cross-section – exciting times ahead for both them and their audiences.
Photo Credit: Taylor Noel Photography