STACK NZ Sep #66

MUSIC

FEATURE

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Songbird Flying High “An old sound but not old-fashioned” is how singer Ebony Lamb describes the new album Sun/Son from Eb & Sparrow. She talks to John Ferguson on being a relative latecomer to music and the New Zealand folk and country music scene’s current renaissance. A lthough the homegrown roots scene has made huge strides in popularity in recent years, there are still many who warm textures of Sun/Son . “He is an incredibly well-regarded sound engineer and he has a great ear for things,” she enthuses. “We home and I always dedicate it to our children. But we also dedicate it to the people who have

left us too early – a few significant people within our band’s circle have passed on. It’s such a small little song but so meaningful.” A number of songs on Sun/Son , particularly the haunting MightyWind , also recall the ghostly ballads of Cowboy Junkies and Lamb says she was a big fan of the iconic Canadian outfit. However, growing up she was a big indie fan – “the Pixies changed my life” – and loved everything from Britpop to grunge. “I wanted to be a dancer so I had huge appreciation for classical music,” she adds. She is definitely a late starter when it comes to music, having only been writing and performing since around 2010. “I see folk as soul music,” she says, explaining what drew her to folk and country. “I am self-taught as a musician and I don’t have up my sleeve years of training; I had chords I could sing my own melodies to and it’s a good place to start from – and expand from. I am starting to get itchy feet – I am thinking ‘I would quite like to put down the guitar’.” Lamb agrees that the New Zealand roots scene is in the midst of a renaissance at the moment and is proud to be part of such a vibrant scene. “I think we’re in a golden era because there are a bunch of people that are like-minded who came together and are so talented – and thank goodness. I am influenced by my peers in music here and I am humbled by them, too. I have got friends

approached him and he said yes straight away because he had done a few of our live shows. His gear was really amazing and everything was recorded on old microphones from Berlin in the ‘50s.The old equipment has that warm feeling and that was consistent throughout the whole recording.”

would look at you in horror if you suggested they attend a country or folk gig. And Ebony Lamb admits that she thought pretty much the same up to five years ago. “It took quite a lot of guts for me to go to my first country gig,” the singer from Eb & Sparrow laughs. “I went to seeThe Eastern and not only was it country but it was original country and I thought ‘oh God, it’s going to be the pits’. I had never heard of them and She may be a relatively new convert to folk and country – in fact to being a singer- songwriter full-stop – but she is a fast learner. Eb & Sparrow – Lamb, ChrisWinter, Jason Johnson, Bryn Heveldt and Nick Brown – have just released their second full-length album in the space of a year and with support slots to acts such as Pokey La Farge, Beth Orton and Rodriguez under their belts, they are one of the rising stars of New Zealand’s buoyant country/folk scene. Their new record, Sun/Son , is another timeless Kiwi slice of Americana, steeped in the sounds of both traditional country and revivalists such as GillianWelch – “an old sound, but not old-fashioned” as Lamb likes to put it. Eb & Sparrow’s self-titled debut, like many other recent homegrown roots recordings, was recorded at Lyttelton’s Sitting Room Studios, but for the new album they stayed closer to home, with Brett Stanton producing and mixing the record from hisWellington base. Lamb credits him with creating the rich, had never seen them, but it was an experience that really changed me.”

She may be a relatively new convert to folk and country – in fact to being a singer- songwriter full-stop – but she is a fast learner

Lamb believes the album has also benefited from just how tight the band has become in recent years through their constant touring. While she writes the songs herself, the band’s musical expertise is an important part of the process. “We’ll play a song in a practice session several times and they do things with it that are beyond me.They also swap instruments quite often: Chris, who plays trumpet and brass, also plays bass and guitar; Jason who plays bass usually but now plays a lot more guitar; and everybody sings. So there is a change of dynamics that can happen that is really nice.” So what’s her favourite song on the new album? “I love them all for different reasons,” Lamb replies. “But probably Little Hands – in the band, everyone has loved ones back at

who are at the top of their game within New Zealand. But for me, it important to make sure we stay with our own sound.”

Sun/Son by Eb & Sparrow is out now

SEPTEMBER 2015

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