BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN

The marquee at Vancouver’s Hollywood Theatre

The album cover is from this artwork hanging on the wall
in the Irish pub where the band recorded much of their latest album

PLAYLISTS
Full album on Spotify and YouTube

ONE VIDEO SONG When I Was Younger
Recorded live in Ireland’s Levis Corner Pub

More Bonny Light Horseman
• Kurated No. 71 and • Kurated No. 161

REVIEWS KLOF, Exclaim!, No Depression
These three insightful reviews praise the album – each for different reasons

Bonny Light Horseman sold out Vancouver’s Hollywood Theatre on October 14. The trio from left to right is Josh Kaufman, Eric D. Johnson and Anaïs Mitchell. (photo from their Instagram)

BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN

Moving from supergroup to sublime

The three music veterans who joined forces in 2019 to form Bonny Light Horseman were immediately dubbed a “folk supergroup”. And their first self-titled album underlined the praise. It earned a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album and another for Best American Roots Performance.

Now promoting their third record, the trio of Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson and Josh Kaufman are not only a supergroup but a sublime musical force. Their 18-song double album, Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free is their best work yet. Strong folk-rock-pop songwriting is framed in impeccable arrangements and intricate instrumentation. The themes they probe offer insightful and poignant observations of quotidian life.

“It’s midlife, family life, domestic frustration, falling in love, seeing the love of your life disfigured somehow by your long relationship, remembering mortality, a lot of journeying, trying to be present — all of that,” says Mitchell in a recent interview with Ashevillestages.com.

“It often felt like we were writing towards or into each other’s experience or in conversation. I think it ends up feeling like a long dinner conversation with old friends.”

The joy of “live and in person”

This sense of intimacy and knowing permeates both album and band. That vibe was fully charged during their Hollywood Theatre show in Vancouver last month. The powerful vocal chemistry between Mitchell and Johnson has its own wavelength. It’s the heart of a multilayered sound that also foregrounds Kaufman’s impressive guitar play.

What’s the big surprise and pure joy of seeing Bonny Light Horseman live? They’ve demonstrated they know how to “folk”. But who knew they could rock – and so fervently? Their commanding stage presence backed by a drummer and bass player adds an unexpected dimension to their latest work. Their playing amplifies and gives the songs punch and weight. But what sets the band apart is the sure and intuitive bond that drives their performance and captivates a rapturous audience.

Says Mitchell: “I never got to be part of a band like this before — the comradeship is deep. I consider these guys my deep, life-long brothers and it’s an honour to travel and make music with them. Again, it feels more pure and less fraught with the highs and lows of the ego. At its best, I forget who’s playing what part and just melt into the music. That’s what I think we’re all after with music: a blurring of the edges of the self.”

A note on recording in Ireland

Most of the album was initially recorded in the Levis Corner House pub in the small village of Ballydehob in Ireland’s County Cork. The band had the pub to themselves for three days and on the third night invited members from the community to join them as they performed and recorded. Many of the songs – like When I was Younger – are on the album with only minimal post-production work in Los Angeles.

From their Bandcamp write-up: “The band invited the community, in fact, bringing a kind of Irish session ambiance to the recording. You’ll hear coughs, conversations, and applause as the Cork locals move through the recording space living their own lives. It’s both an ode to small village life and an homage to the informal nature of early folk recordings.”

The album art

“It was like the pub version of our band,” says Eric Johnson about the painting that hung on the wall of the Levis pub. It watched over the band during their working time and became the album cover. “I was making eye contact with that person for most of the recording,” Johnson says of the artwork. And there was a deeper connection. The barkeeper’s wife had long named the woman in the painting Bonnie.

Kurated is a music sharing project.

02 November 2024

PLAYLISTS
On Spotify

On YouTube

https://music.youtube.com/browse/VLPLG-pRIXeCU7dnVVReTFBEheEMWF6u6Evt

Track List

There are 20 titles here but only 18 songs. Tracks 4 and 15 are spoken word snippets.