Edinburgh-based folk/old-time quartet Wayward Jane, featuring Dan Abrahams (guitar, double bass, vocals), Sam Gillespie (vocals, guitar, wooden flute), Rachel Petyt (fiddle, vocals) and Michael Starkey (5-string banjo, guitar, vocals), have announced their third album ‘The Flood‘, due out on September 8th. The band are on tour now (see dates below).
Each member brings a diverse range of influence and experience to create the band’s distinctive sound. Dan is a multi-instrumentalist and sought-after composer/arranger working in an impressive variety of musical contexts. His other projects include folk genre-busters Dowally and soul-funk powerhouse The Foo Birds. Sam is one-half of the celebrated Northumbrian folk troubadours The Brothers Gillespie. He is known for his delicate acoustic guitar/wooden flute playing and soaring, vibrato-inflected singing. Rachel is the other creative force behind Dowally and a firmly established fixture of the Edinburgh session scene. She has a totally unique fiddle sound, blending stylistic elements of Scottish folk, gypsy jazz acrobatics and old-time grit. Michael brings a love of American string band music and infectious clawhammer banjo syncopation. He also plays/records as part of critically acclaimed old time duo Hannah Read & Michael Starkey.
Wayward Jane’s music is described as a modern, transatlantic interpretation of American folk and old-time traditions, blending roots music with fresh arrangements and original compositions. Below, you can watch them in action, performing ‘Crossing Over Water‘, a more contemplative number from their regular toe-tappers. It begins as a gentle meditative journey before, just under halfway, Rachel begins her song, which suddenly shifts the listener’s perspective, adding weight to the plight she sings of.
The band tell us:
Crossing Over Water is a dual guitar, laid-back instrumental tune which, halfway through, morphs into a timeless and heartfelt song about memory and about the the very real precariousness that many people have to live with.
Dan wrote the instrumental tune. Initially, Rachel played it on the fiddle in a dance-style upbeat fashion, but Dan envisaged it being a slower, more bittersweet arrangement. One by one, the other instruments join the journey of the melody until the banjo leads the way to the song at the halfway mark.
Rachel wrote the song, and the lyrics are inspired by the sadness and helplessness felt when hearing about migrants trying to move to safer places. Trying not to numb out the stories and that feeling. And trying to get a grain of understanding about how it might feel to have to uproot your life and move somewhere unknown.
The video was filmed and edited by Graham Coe at Heriot Toun, Scottish Borders.
Pre-Order the The Flood here: https://waywardjane.bandcamp.com/album/the-flood
Upcoming Wayward Jane Dates
SEPTEMBER
Sat 9 Edinburgh Scottish Storytelling Centre official album launch show
Sun 10 Smailholm, nr. Kelso Smailholm Village Hall
Thu 14 Manchester Ramona
Fri 15 Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes Song Loft at The York House Centre
Sat 16 London Green Note
Sun 17 Sheffield Cafe #9