Modified from a message I sent to my brother-in-law - this is how I first heard about Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer:
I discovered Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer through a supernal cover of the song Farewell to Saint Delores by Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem. I was entranced by the stately tone and pure vocal performance. I marveled at the rich, perplexing lyrics and was intensely curious about the history of the song. Looking at the credits, I first became aware of Dave Carter.
I wanted to hear more, so I previewed some of the Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer songs on Amazon.com. At this point I must admit a somewhat capricious nature. I didn't hear anything during that first casual listening session that really captivated me, and so I let it drop for awhile.
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| Tanglewood Tree, the Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer masterpiece, a ridiculous steal at $6.99 from Amazon.com |
Fortunately, second chances do exist. After discovering Spotify I decided to listen to Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer more intently. I listened to all of the music on Spotify, including while washing dishes (for some reason, that's always a good test), and was soon convinced that I had discovered some of the best songwriting since the 60s era (Dylan, the Beatles, etc.).
Dave Carter's story is interesting, but I won't go into it now. Suffice it to say that he left a regular job and studies of philosophy to be a musician, and the world is a richer place. I also believe his meeting with Tracy Grammer was perfect. She rounds out his sound and perfectly complements his rough genius. I really started warming up to their music on the songs that she sings.
To speed you along in your discovery of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, here are some of the songs that I particularly enjoy:
Gentle Arms of Eden
When I Go
Gentle Soldier of My Soul
To speed you along in your discovery of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, here are some of the songs that I particularly enjoy:
Gentle Arms of Eden
When I Go
Gentle Soldier of My Soul
Additional Notes:
I honestly can't remember how I discovered Rani Arbo, but it may have been when I was reading articles online about women in folk music. I believe it was in connection with Sinead Lohan (albums No Mermaid and Who Do You Think I Am are both great, but hard to find). I seem to recall that I was listening to Sinead Lohan obsessively, had just discovered Patty Griffin (all of her music is excellent, but 1,000 Kisses and Children Running Through are particularly good, while you may want to wait on Flaming Red until you've heard all of her other music), and was looking for more women folk musicians. Of course, by that time Emmylou Harris was one of my favorite musicians, someone I discovered through her connections to the Byrds (Gram Parsons, who was in the Byrds for a short period, discovered her - and you'll want to listen to Wrecking Ball and Pieces of the Sky and then pretty much everything else).
