With honest, heartfelt songwriting and an unmistakable sound, Asheville-based Tellico has crafted Woven Waters, an album that blends the group’s bluegrass sensibilities with British Isles influences, creating an eclectic collection of poignant folk songs. The album is available now from Organic Records.
The group worked with noted Irish musician and producer John Doyle and Grammy-nominated engineer David Arnold, to record Woven Waters in Johnson City, Tennessee. With Doyle’sguidance, Tellico created and recorded arrangements in the studio. The practice brought the group to open, uncharted territory in their musical landscape. There, they built on their distinctive core sound and found a new level of awareness to texture and melody. Augmented by Doyle’scontribution on bouzouki, the chord choices and rhythmic dynamics intertwine to create a sense of weaving the natural flow of each song’s intent, inspiring the album’s title.
Tellico’s members Anya Hinkle on vocals, guitar and fiddle; Greg “Stig” Stiglets on vocals, upright bass and harmonica; Aaron Ballance on dobro and lap steel guitar; and Jed Willis on mandolin and telecaster, were also joined by drummer David Brewer. The effect of this studio line up offers a sound that is Appalachian Americana.
Here’s what’s being said about Woven Waters:
“Anya and Stig trade off singing songs with wonderfully rich imagery of life in 21st Century Appalachia, and the string-band arrangements that occasionally branch out with tasteful harmonica and electric licks here and there are beautifully produced. If you wanna hear how modern Americana mountain music should sound, here it is.” —Martin Anderson, WNCW
“Woven Waters is a stunning follow-up from one of the most dynamic and interesting bands on the Americana scene. I knew Tellico was a band to follow forever from the first time I heard Anya’s strikingly emotional vocals. The imagery of Anya’s and Stig’s songs so tenderly examine the daily complexities of the American South, and in Jed and Aaron they’ve found melodic partners to deftly lift the songs to higher ground. With a clear mastery of the many influences that make the music of Appalachia compelling, and a modern sense of groove that makes the songs impossible to forget, Tellico has firmly inserted themselves into fine company as one of North Carolina’s best bands.” —Jacob Sharp of Mipso
Tellico will be on tour in 2018-2019 to promote the project, featuring performances at festivals and listening rooms throughout the South East. (See www.tellicoband.com for full calendar).
Listen to Woven Waters HERE.
About Tellico
At Tellico’s core is the voice and guitar of Anya Hinkle, evoking tones of Gillian Welch. Her sound is rooted in the mountains of her native southwestern Virginia, but seasoned by travels across the world. With arresting honesty, her singing and songwriting comes from the heart. The foil to Hinkle can be found in fellow songwriter, vocalist, bass and harmonica player, Greg “Stig” Stiglets. Inspired from the stories and events of daily life, his attention to melody and groove help to further showcase the instrumental prowess of the band
Both Aaron Ballance (dobro, lap steel, pedal steel) and Jed Willis (mandolin, clawhammer banjo, electric guitar) hail from central North Carolina. The state itself provides its own conservatory for study, and its students learn from first generation roots music pioneers as well as serious students of the genre in the classrooms of jams, bands and festivals.
These four musicians deepen their awareness each year of the synergy among them while eyeing terrain that is yet uncovered. From their converged paths emerges a sound that has jelled over more than a decade of collaboration. Their freshman effort Relics and Roses was well-received, gathering accolades from tastemakers and earning them stage appearances at the country’s most prestigious festivals (MerleFest, Bristol Rhythm & Roots, Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival). Tellico continues to grow as national touring artists bringing their ever expanding roots sound to an ever growing audience.
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