The Stray Birds are a young folk-roots trio from Pennsylvania farm country who play as if they’ve been making music together forever. Their harmonies are gorgeous and gritty, and their deft instrumentals always serve the song. “Clearly these are players with chops, songwriters with a fierce command of their craft. But they also seem to have a grip on when to lend a hand, and when to let the songs fly on their own. This record was certainly one of the finest debuts of the year,” says about.com of their self-titled debut album, named to NPR’s Top Ten Folk/Americana releases of 2012.
 
The trio features Maya de Vitry on fiddle, banjo, and guitar, Oliver Craven on archtop guitar and fiddle, and Charles Muench on upright bass. All three sing – beautifully! Fly Magazine calls them a “super-talented acoustic trio whose virtuosity doesn’t get in the way of their soul” and praises their “rich vocal harmonies, tight acoustic arrangements, and heart-wrenching songs.” Last year, they released an EP of artful covers, including the great Louvin Brothers song “When I Stop Dreaming,” and they’ve recently released another full-length album featuring more originals, Best Medicine. For the healing power of beautiful music, catch The Stray Birds at the Freight!

Jordie Lane of Melbourne, Australia inspires lofty comparisons. Rolling Stone Magazine invokes “the soulful tenderness of Ron Sexsmith and Ray LaMontagne” and says that his “gentle finger picking and intimate vocals lend a somber grace that is universal.” The Bluegrass Situation describes him as “a young man with an old soul and an honest sound, harkening back to Gram Parsons and Bob Dylan.” FBi Radio of Sydney compares him to Jeff Tweedy and Jackson Browne – but when you give Jordie a serious listen, you discover that he has a sound all his own, a gritty blend of folk and pop, at times lyrical, at times raw. The son of a comedian and a clown, Jordie spent his early years in his parents’ traveling circus, and now he’s touring the world with the likes of Billy Bragg, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Old Crow Medicine Show, Neko Case, Cat Power, Ruthie Foster, and The Moody Blues. This year, he’s released a live album, Live at the Wheaty, and a five-song EP, Not Built to Last, which inspired the Sydney Morning Herald to proclaim, “this guy is one of the country’s contemporary legends.”

Visit The Stray Birds' website

Visit Jordie Lane's website

Listen to a track from the Stray Birds:

Photo by Monica de Vitry