After the success of the musical Hadestown, which recently picked up 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, it’s no surprise that the latest project from Anaïs Mitchell is a head-turner. She has called upon the multi-talents of Josh Kaufman and Fruit Bats frontman Eric D. Johnson to form a new folk supergroup under the title of the broadside ballad Bonny Light Horseman. For their self-titled lead single, which you can watch below, Aaron Dessner also features on guitar, alongside JT Bates (Big Red Machine, Phil Cook) on drums and Michael Lewis (Bon Iver) on tenor sax.
In the Youtube description, Johnson says “This is a song about a handsome soldier who may or may not ever come home. And we named our band after it not just because it sounds kind of cool, but because it’s somewhat emblematic of what we’re trying to do here: sing you ancient love songs of timeless humanity and heartbreak. Songs that are gonna make you feel something no matter what century you’re in.”
It’s also our Song of the Day, news of their debut album will be revealed soon.
TOUR DATES:
08/01 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
08/03 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
09/03 – Evanston, IL @ SPACE
09/04 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens*
09/05 – Indianapolis, IN @ LO-FI
09/06 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium*
* supporting Mandolin Orange
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Photo credit: D. James Goodwin