Newly signed to Rebel Records, Dehlia Low echoes the sounds of early country with a strong bluegrass flavor, crafting a fresh originality that feels like home in the flourishing roots music soundscape. Their new release ‘Ravens and Crows’ was produced by the Infamous Stringdusters’ Travis Book and hit the streets on August 2nd, 2011... Dehlia Low’s vocal harmony and instrumentation reflect a deep connection to traditional music with modern arrangements and relevant, smart songwriting. The band combines their gripping, rustic-flavored vocal style with instrumental prowess. Performing original songs that feel at once both old and new, the band is rooted in bluegrass while pushing their sound into Americana, Roots Country, and Folk, true to their southern Appalachian roots. Dehlia Low formed in late 2007 as part of Asheville, North Carolina’s roots music renaissance. Singers Anya Hinkle (from Blacksburg, VA on fiddle) and Stacy Claude (from Atlanta, GA on guitar) pulled together a group of talented pickers from the region: Aaron Ballance on Dobro (Winston-Salem, NC), Bryan Clendenin on mandolin (Hurricane, WV) and Greg Stiglets on bass (Jackson, MS). Dehlia Low’s eagerly-anticipated Rebel Records debut ‘Ravens & Crows’ was released August 2nd. This album helps to firmly establish Dehlia Low as one of the most compelling and distinctive young groups on the acoustic music scene today. With their tasteful, sometimes moody, blending of different styles, the group has created a unique sound that already seems fully mature and established. The album was produced Travis Book, a member of the International Bluegrass Music Association multi-award winners and Grammy-nominated The Infamous Stringdusters. A singer, songwriter, bass player and lifelong "band guy," Book was the perfect fit. “The stars really aligned to have Travis come out to Asheville and work on this project during a break in the Dusters’ busy touring schedule,” said Claude. “He has a terrific ear and tremendous experience with arranging music in the studio. He was on the same page with us immediately in developing the songs and arrangements we brought to the project. His positive energy made all the details fall into place. The whole experience was a great lesson in faith and fun, and you can really hear that on the album.” About the record, Book says, "the band and I are traveling the same path, creating music with friends that speaks from our experience, ignoring convention and following our ears. The traditional aesthetic and down-to-earth nature of the music initially drew me to the project, but the raw creativity and uniqueness of the members and the seamless integration of their influences and biases were what made this project really special." The record is the latest release on Rebel Records. Rebel’s president Mark Freeman says, “Rebel Records is thrilled to have Dehlia Low as a part of the Rebel family. The Asheville, North Carolina-area has seen the emergence of a number of amazing roots-oriented groups over the last few years and Dehlia Low is certainly one of those bands at the forefront of the scene! They project a highly energetic, contemporary sound that is fresh yet still very much rooted in tradition. I have no doubt their distinctive singing and original material will quickly win over new audiences everywhere." The ten original songs are filled with compelling poetry that conveys a sense of time and place wholly familiar yet hard to categorize. Hinkle’s songwriting ranges from a coming-of-age gallop in “State of Jefferson,” to southern sounds and mythology in “Goin’ Down” and “Ravens and Crows,” to the mesmerizing, bluesy “Drifting on a Lonesome Sea.” Stiglets’s wordplay and cadence are Dylanesque in “Thunder,” while his imagery and melody are both intriguing and heartbreaking in “Ride” and “Better Left Unsaid”-- all in sharp contrast to the hard-edged, bluegrassy “$40 Chain.” Clendenin’s “Change Up” showcases the instrumental work of the group. Of the two covers on the album, the band swings Willie Nelson’s “What Do You Think Of Her Now” behind Claude’s vocals, while taking “Cannonball Blues” to bare bones. Ravens and Crows follows two previous studio albums and one live album that have been released since the band formed in 2007. Their inaugural EP Dehlia Low and full-length studio album Tellico both scored in the top 20 of WNCW 88.7FM’s top 100 new releases of 2009 and 2010, respectively, and garnered praise from Bluegrass Unlimited, SingOut!, No Depression and others. The buzz led to an exciting tour in 2010 in support of Tellico, with appearances some of the most prestigious festivals in the U.S., including Merlefest and the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, where they shared the stage with the Stringdusters, Seldom Scene, and Alison Krauss and Union Station. In 2011, Dehlia Low will be taking their “Appalachiagrassicana” sound across the U.S. and Canada in support of the new album. Here is what the press is saying about Dehlia Low’s Ravens and Crows: “The group has taken off like a skyrocket...and deservedly so: in a musical world that doesn't always treasure creativity, Dehlia Low has staked out a good piece of ground all its own.” ~ Nashville Scene, Jon Weisberger “Dehlia Low's "Ravens & Crows" is carefully crafted to lure traditional, country, bluegrass and Americana fans. They are generally appealing to all of these genres without alienating anyone, which is hard to do.” ~ Boone Mountain Times, Ashley Wilson “Heavenly lead & harmony vocals...superb original songs...musical prowess.” ~ Al Shusterman, Backroads Bluegrass on KCBL “...bittersweet vocal harmonies and spirited picking...Dehlia Low promises to bring the sounds and soul of the Blue Ridge Mountains …” ~ Art News New Orleans “...relying on the warm tones of acoustic guitar, mandolin, upright bass, slide guitar, and not to mention fiddle thumpin’, strummin’ and pickin’ underneath honeysuckle vocal harmonies — the Asheville, N.C., quintet seems like it has rolled straight off a mountainside and right onto a wraparound wooden porch in some summer-grass valley.” ~ Style Weekly, Mike Hilleary “The real highlight on Ravens and Crows is the vocal harmony. Lead singer Anya Hinkle, guitarist Stacy Claude, and bassist Greg Stiglets' voices blend beautifully on songs like the album's title track.“ ~ Americana Music Examiner, Chris Griffy “...really special. I have added them to my “must see” list permanently.” ~ The Bluegrass Blog, Diane Farineau |
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"... high lonesome songs about going home are easy to relate to. Most of these songs [Dehlia Low - Live], which sound like classic tunes, are originals written by the band. When they are really cranked up, Dehlia Low all seem to be taking solos at the same time, without stepping on one another. Instead they form a locomotive with each instrument trading position as the drive wheel." ~ Sanuk D with the Mountain Xpress "Dehlia Low is a string music band based out of Asheville, NC that perfectly captures that beauty of mountain music and they are the perfect ambassadors of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With these beautiful songs…they are able to dig deeper into the Appalachian culture than many roots bands." ~ Taproot Radio "Although the band is an all-acoustic aggregation, their musical style extends beyond the boundaries of bluegrass... Dehlia Low is rapidly becoming a musical force to watch for." ~ Bluegrass Unlimited "...one of those kinds of bands that I just really fall in love with. They're called Dehlia Low and at the bare bones, they're a string band, but…in a way string bands used to be when there wasn't such a genre splint of what country music was and what bluegrass music was and what blues music was. It's where those points converge for me. They're primarily writing their own material, very strong material, and they're one of those bands that you're going to start hearing a lot more of." ~ Iaan Hughes, No Depression "This group boasts some stirring two part harmonies, courtesy of fiddle player Anya Hinkle and guitar player Stacy Claude. Their voices intertwined on two different melody lines at the end of John Hartford-inspired “Baby It Rolls Right On,” a song about the impermanent nature of this life. Dobro player Aaron Ballance was, to quote Silas Lowe, “A stone cold mutha” on his axe, and it was just plain fun to watch bassist Greg ‘Stig’ Stiglets stomp his feet and grin, utterly taken in by the music." - Sarah Hagerman, Steam Powered-Preservation Society "Dehlia Low: The heartfelt mountain sounds of this new band recall the Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers. Listen for 'If That's the Way You Feel,' 'When I Can Read My Titles Clear,' and 'Plains of Tellico.'" ~ Diane Amov in an article about Merlfest 2010 "We've fallen in love with this cd [Tellico] over here, every one of us…we've had more requests for it than any other disk in the past year and a half. It's a hit record....fresh....solid songwriting and the vocal duet is what gets them. " ~Dennis Jones WNCW 88.7 |
