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MP3 The Henry Brothers - Death Is Only A Dream
13 MP3 Songs in this album (39:57) !
Related styles: Country: Old-Timey, Folk: String Band, Type: Acoustic
People who are interested in Alison Krauss Louvin Brothers Oh Brother Where Art Thou should consider this download.
Details:
THE HENRY BROTHERS DEATH IS ONLY A DREAM
↔↔↔↔1/2 Maverick Magazine Oct 2010
These brothers hail from Norfolk but their musical geography roams and rambles further afield, scaling the Appalachians and coming down the other side, descending into the dark heart of traditional American song craft. Their debut is made up entirely of old time death songs and murder ballads, read in a traditionally elegiac and stately manner, and it’s clear that the Henries – Mark and Graham – are well versed in this music. They are able to treat it seriously and respectfully but also to enjoy it, to communicate a passion and to allow the blood to course through these songs, rendering them more immediate than their storied and murky histories may suggest.
The brothers form a central resonator and upright bass duo, holding their achingly off-kilter harmonies afloat and augmented by an array of guest musicians, most notably Sid Griffin of the Long Ryders who provides mandolin. And these are all songs deeply ingrained in the traditional Americana canon: Banks Of The Ohiorolls along over frantic banjo scales. Katie Dear is rendered almost dreamlike by a distant birdsong fiddle part, and other than four brief bass notes, Gloryland is read in an astonishingly beautiful a capella mode.
To the aficionado of such music, DEATH IS ONLY A DREAM can be seen as a wholly competent and often exhilarating performance of both revivalism and extenuation, a knowing and glorious visitation of a timeless musical form, and to the layman this record can function as the kind of stepping stone, reference point or brief window that one may associate with, say, the O Brother soundtrack. And even an aficionado will cede that such a comparison is truly high praise. AlexC
TSA Recordings
33 Josephine Av
SW2 2JY
07986364840
henrybrothers@https://www.tradebit.com
The henry brothers
Death is only a dream
Album Launch:
August 20th 2010
The Greennote
106 Parkway
Camden
LONDON NW1 7AN
TSA Recordings are proud to announce the release of the debut CD of old time death songs and murder ballads from the rising stars of UK Americana..
The Henry Brothers, ‘Death
is Only a Dream’. (TSA122)
Featuring Special Guests:
Sid Griffin (The Long Ryders/The Coal Porters)
Patrick Arbuthnot (Hank Wangford/The Rockingbirds)
Chantal Hill (The Cedars)
Jeremy Mendonca (Norton Money)
Howard Burton (Deep River/The Dude Coopers)
Jess Hannar (The Three Beards)
About The Henry Brothers
Mark plays a resonator (‘National’ style) guitar, Graham plays Double Bass and they sing harmonies together as if they’ve been doing it their whole lives, because they have. The brothers have been in bands together since their early teens, mostly playing around their native Norfolk.
When their last band (The Flavours) fizzled out in 2006 they found themselves increasingly fascinated by the strange dark tales of grizzly murder and untimely demise recorded in the 1930’s ‘40’s and ‘50’s by a string of Brother acts, such as the Louvin Bros, Monroe Bros, Bill and Earl Bollick –The Bluesky Boys, Dixon Bros, Allen Bros etc.
The Henry Brothers formed in spring 2007 with the intention of entertaining themselves and a few friends, but after performing, very informally, at a Bar in July ’07, they were offered five more gigs and the whole thing took on a life it’s own.
They’ve since entertained audiences all over the UK including Glastonbury Festival and Bestival (twice), as well as London’s Luminaire & Bush Hall.
Graham Lives in Norwich, while Mark Lives in London, where they play most of their gigs.
About the album
For their first full length Album, The Henry Brothers have augmented their sound on eight of the thirteen songs, with some of the friends they’ve made in the Country, Bluegrass, Americana and Folk bands they have enjoyed sharing a bill with over the past two years. Subtle backing from all concerned, gives ‘Death is Only a Dream’ variations in tone, while maintaining a simple, uncluttered sound throughout.
Producer Taff Perkins is a Musician, DJ, Music Archivist, Writer, Field-Recordist and founder member of the Norfolk & Norwich Music History Society. His intention was to capture The Henry Brothers sound as simply and directly as possible, without using studio trickery. He recorded The Henry Brothers playing and singing together with just two mics. Taff’s background in field-recording made him the right man for the job.
The guests were all recorded by Taff in their own homes, to help maintain that homespun feel and because Taff believes, and the brothers firmly agree, that people play better in their own front room than in recording studios.
About the songs
Death is Only a Dream - Hank Williams Snr’s favourite song, this is a spiritual meditation on the nature of death. The text was written by C. W. Ray and the chorus was added and the tune was composed by A. J. Buchanan. The song first appeared in the 1892 Living Songs for The Sunday School, The Epworth League, Prayer Meetings, Revivals, and All Special Occasions of Christian Work and Worship edited by McIntosh and W. G. E. Cunnyngham.
Katy Dear - A double suicide song. The earliest text appears as a broadside from Chrome, Sheffield, titled ‘Drowsy Sleeper’ in the Bodelian Library from 1817. The song and its close variants have many names: "The Drowsy Sleeper " “Oh Molly Dear (Go Ask Your Mother)” “Silver Dagger;” “I Will Put My Ship in Order”.
Features Jess Hannar on Fiddle.
Banks of the Ohio – A murder ballad and bluegrass standard This classic story can''t be traced to a particular origin, but similarities have been noted between it and certain English broadside ballads about murders, and it may be based on a real murder.
Features Howard Burton on Banjo.
Two Little Rosebuds – An infant death song about two non-swimming sisters who go wading in a millpond. No further information available.
Mary of the Wild Moor - This song tells the tragic tale of homeless Mary and her child, who seek refuge at her father''s house. He does not hear her shouts and Mary and her child freeze on the doorstep. The earliest surviving evidence of "Mary Of The Moor" is a broadside, with the caption The St. James Looking Glass, printed by James Catnach in London from around 1820.
Features Sid Griffin on Madolin.
Tragic Romance – A death song from America about a case of mistaken identity. No further information available.
Darlin Corey - Known by many names including "Dig a Hole in the Meadow," "Darlin'' Cora," "Little Lulie," "Darling Cora," "Corey, Corey." The first collected version was made by Cecil Sharp in 1918 from English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians (1932, no. 152; with tune).
Features Jeremy Mendonca on Guitar.
In the Hills of Roane County – A murder ballad based on the the killing of Thomas Galbreath in in Roane County, September of 1884. Willis Maberry, was Tom Galbreath''s brother-in-law and, according to the records found in the Historic Roane County Courthouse archives, Willis shot him with a shotgun, though he wasn’t tried until 1909. Maberry wrote a poem about the murder while in prison, which was later set to music, which became this song.
Features Howard Burton on Banjo.
This Time Another Year – A traditional spiritual about the inevitability of death which, like so much southern American gospel, transcended the racial divide. No further information available.
Fair Eyed Ellen – A murder ballad of uncertain American origin. The Bluesky Boys were taught this song by their grandmother along with most of their traditional material. No further information available.
Features Sid Griffin on Madolin.
Little Glass of Wine – A murder and suicide ballad from Virginia.
No further information available.
Features Jess Hannar on Fiddle.
Gloryland – A spiritual about heaven being better than earth.
No further information available.
Satan’s Jewell Crown- A gospel song of sin and redemption.
No further information available.
Features Chantal Hill on Vocals and Patrick Arbuthnot on Pedal Steel.
Quotes
“We’ve shared a stage with so many fantastic musicians over the last couple of years it seemed a shame not to utilise them.” Graham
“We’ve got Sid Griffin on our Album. SID GRIFFIN, from the Long Ryders, for Christs sake!” Mark
“Everyone played so sweet for us, they were all just great. Mostly playing out of their comfort zones really ‘cos we are very ‘Old-Timey’ which is a very different feel, it means much more restraint than Bluegrass for instance which is so virtuosic, flash & fancy.” Graham
“It’s great to finally record with Patrick (Arbuthnot: The Rockingbirds), we’ve known him for years ‘cos he lives in Norwich.” Mark
“I love what he did on ‘Satan’s Jewel Crown’” Graham
“And Chantal (Hill: The Cedars), on that one too, of course.” Mark
“The Cedars are a fantastic band and Chantal’s a proper chanteuse” Mark
“She’s got a hell of a set of pipes” Graham
“We nearly didn’t bother with ‘Satan’s Jewel Crown’, We hardly ever play it live, ‘cos it really needs that third harmony.” Mark
“It was the runt of the litter but now it’s just lovely”. Graham
“We are NOT obsessed with death. Folk music is. People have sung about death forever. Death was a very real part of everyday life up till the middle of the last century. Everyone lost at least one child. Life expectancy was pretty low all around. Songs where people died were just as normal and acceptable as those with a romantic theme. Since the development of modern medicine our culture has grown uncomfortable with death as a subject of song. A hundred years ago if you got ill there really was a good chance you might die. ” Graham
“Everybody lost at least one child, or a brother, and parents, of course. Not that it wasn’t a shattering event for the families but it was commonplace & nobody felt it was a strange thing to sing about. These days people seem perfectly comfortable with it in film and books and TV shows. Illness, serial killers, disasters and destruction are all over the media.” Mark
“Murder is high drama and high drama is what people have always wanted. These days it’s gone less mainstream, Gangstar Rap, Metal & Goth still use mortality as a central theme alot.” Graham
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