Unthank : Smith - Nowhere And Everywhere [LP]

Format: LP 
Catalogue No.: BRUS004V
Barcode: 5400863091927
Release Date: 17 Feb 2023
Genre: Folk/Americana

 Two North-Eastern Mercury Prize-nominated artists from different musical worlds find common ground with an exploratory merging of voices and acoustic sounds. After first meeting backstage at an Africa Express show in Middlesbrough Town Hall, Paul approached Rachel to see if she would like to sing together, given his interest in folk music and their regional connections.
 With ‘Nowhere And Everywhere’, Unthank : Smith, foremost talents in their respective fields, set out to collect songs and pen originals that claw at the beating heart of the region.
 Though Rachel Unthank has been immersed in the folk world from childhood, Paul Smith’s route towards folk began in his teens with a love of Martin Carthy, Karen Dalton, Nick Drake and Bert Jansch, especially their fingerstyle guitar-playing.
 Echoes of that approach can be heard throughout this album, albeit simplified and merged with a more direct sound akin to US avant-rock acolytes of the 60s folk revival like Gastr Del Sol and David Pajo.
 As one of two lead singers of The Unthanks, Rachel Unthank has
dedicated much of her career to celebrating folk songs by writers little known beyond the North East, such as Graeme Miles, whose
‘Horumarye’ appears on the album. Rachel’s knowledge of traditional song allowed them to quickly add material to the original songs Paul was writing, in addition to ‘Seven Tears’, a rare Unthank original, inspired by Norse mythology.
 Co-produced by David Brewis of Field Music, this raw and atmospheric album features Faye MacCalman of emerging avant-jazz group Archipelago on clarinet, and exploratory drums by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy / Alasdair Roberts collaborator Alex Neilson, of Trembling Bells (cult) fame.
 UK / Ireland tour announced in 13 towns and cities across the UK, ahead of a headline UK show including a London Roundhouse show.
 Tourdates - March 26 Glasgow St Luke’s, 27 Belfast The Empire, 28 Dublin Liberty Hall Theatre, 29 Liverpool Jimmy’s, 30 Birmingham Hare & Hounds, 31 Leeds Howard Assembly Hall, April 2 Newcastle Wylam Brewery, 4 London Bush Hall, 5 Brighton Komedia, 6 Bristol Trinity Centre (Fyfe Hall), 7 Manchester Band On The Wall.

Tracklisting
Captain Bover
The Natural Urge
Seven Tears
O Mary, Will You Go?
What Maks Makems
Red Wine Promises
Robert Kay
Lord Bateman
Horumarye
The King