Eclectic musical backgrounds coalesce magnificently in the folk revival force that is Old Hannah. All from different parts of the country, members Tyler, AK, Morganne, Sean, and Blade came together in Boston, and started Old Hannah in November of 2008. The band mainly plays in hootenannies around New England, and is working on their first album. With inspiration like Appalachian and Catskillian folk music, spirituals, and Peter Paul and Mary, the band intends to “bring historical American music back into the forefront,” as articulated by singer AK.
The songstress of Old Hannah delivers the folk resurgence with a unique variation; above the accompaniment of Pete Seeger-esque banjo and guitar instrumentation drifts and glides a distinctly classically trained singer. AK reflects on how her musical education benefits her folk singing: “I couldn’t sing the way I do now without having studied opera and vocal performance; the focus on control and breath support affords me so much more nuance in my voice that I couldn’t get a grip on when I was younger. Studying classical music gave me a rock-solid foundation to build on.” AK effortlessly sustains the long, languid folk melodies sweeping up and down the octaves, proving the technical mastery of her craft. She moves between brooding croons and soaring, poignant high notes without so much as a break to breath.
I had the good fortune to email back and forth with the band:
Liv: What is your pre/post concert routine?
AK: It depends on the venue. If it’s a hootenanny, there is whiskey involved for me. If it’s not, usually we just hype each other up until we perform so we have boundless energy to get a crowd really excited.
Tyler: After shows we like to smile, smoke a lot of cigarettes (minus AK), and receive hugs.
Liv: Musical influences?
Tyler: My friends, especially Vikesh Kapoor and Nicholas Beaven, are my chief influences. Not that I try to sound like them but that I sort of write to them; I write songs with them in mind, thinking, “Would Vikesh and Nick like this? Also, I’ve listened to the new Spitzer Space Telescope album about nine times this week; it is incredible.
AK: We really like Bessie Jones and Sam Amidon, too!
Liv: What’s your song writing process?
Tyler: I started out writing simpler songs because I sang everything; I’m limited as a singer. But playing with AK allows me to write more elaborately because I have all the confidence in the world in her as a singer. The songs I sing have easier melodies, whereas the songs I write for AK are more complex in terms of rhythm, leaps, faster singing, and key changes. She makes it sound effortless.
AK: One of our more popular songs, “Hidden Shore”, was written over e-mail; Tyler sent me a recording of the guitar and I wrote a melody and lyrics, recorded them over his guitar track, and then sent the whole file back to him.
Liv: Where do you see the band in five years?
AK: At least two albums, and touring like crazy.
Tyler: I also plan to start a side project called Gayclad Lightclad. AK really wants to play the keytar, so it’ll be our keytar band.
On “Hidden Shore”, a demo track found on the band’s Myspace and mentioned by AK above, it’s as if the singer shares a secret with the listener. AK’s lilting, sincere voice casually relays sweet lyrics over the lightly strumming guitar. The intimacy is almost disconcerting; AK quietly but firmly leaves her voice resonating in one’s soul long after the music ends. Unfortunately, the mix is uneven, and AK’s vocals are lost once or twice behind the loud guitar.
Check out the band’s Myspace by clicking here
