Folk music has, I think, always had a DIY aesthetic. You strum your guitar, sing into the microphone (if available), and there you have it. Simple enough that more than a few artists have chosen to tour by bicycle. Oregon-based couple Kristen Grainger and Dan Wetzel have raised that quite a few notches on their new release, Time And Materials. In addition to playing all the instruments and singing all the harmonies themselves, Dan is a luthier and made all the instruments himself, and their daughter designed the album cover. As for the music, well, it’s also several notches above average, showcasing Kristen’s beautiful vocals and Dan’s picking prowess to the mostly original compositions on the record.
The CD opener, Sound Of Losing You, sets a gloriously high bar for the record. With Kristen & Dan playing to their strengths, “the house that’s grown quiet as a church on a Monday” represents the empty heartbreak of a past relationship. Even more lonely is At Your Door, with just vocals and a single guitar embracing the barren composition. ‘Til I Have You is pure folk beauty in a story of the journey home where you appreciate the simple things in life along the way. Honey On My Tongue is a Graham Sharp-penned tune, similarly beautiful in its representation of the passion of parenthood.
I have to drop in a sidebar at this point. As noted earlier, Dan is a luthier and made the instruments here, including a guitar built from The Tree. It’s a singular Honduran mahogany tree that is stunning in its grain pattern. Dan plays the guitar he built with wood from that tree in a song called The Luthier, a story about a boy and his tree.
A couple of my favorites on the record are new versions of songs originally released 15-20 years ago that have become fan favorites. Doris Dean is the story of a woman named after a wild west trick rider, and the woman’s hope that her life isn’t “all there is for the lesser of the Doris Deans.” Next Best Western is a prayer for safe deliverance to the next town on the tour. Still Life Cafe is also a character study, this time of small cafe staffed by immigrants from all over the world. Motormouth is an absolutely delightful alternate trip through the atlas to Johnny Cash’s I’ve Been Everywhere. It features Dan on banjo and, if possible, cites even more locales than Cash.
Kristen and Dan have been putting out records for a couple of decades, with various versions of the True North Band. They’ve veered around a little between bluegrass, folk, and country. What’s remained a constant has been Grainger’s well-crafted songs and the couple’s stellar harmonies, from sad to joyful. You can hear all of that in the duo’s new album, Time And Materials.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.