News

Cold River Blues

Presenter: Emily Davis and Cal Williams Jr
Artist/Company: Emily Davis and Cal Williams Jr
Artform: Music - Folk
Rating: PG
Origin: SA

Emily Davis, Cal Williams Jr and Kory Horwood invite you to wade with them through the deep, dark waters of Cold River. With acclaimed musicianship and gripping on stage chemistry, these troubadours perform original blues and folk songs, inspired by the dark, divine and disturbing events of their sojourn downstream.

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In their leaky boat, with enough whiskey to stave the hunger, and enough guitars to do the tellin’, these troubadours weave the narratives of those they meet along the way; murderous lovers, ritual baptisms, small backwater towns; life, death and all that passes between. Bringing together their love of Appalachian, swampy blues, dixie, and bluegrass folk music, these musicians have hand crafted this unique set of original works, to capture stories once silently witnessed only by the mythical Cold River itself.
Having both enjoyed similar successes as solo artists, including sell out national shows, critical acclaim for their respective newly released albums and national airplay on Triple JJJ, Davis and Williams Jr were ready to sink their teeth into a side project together. Dissolving as soloists and coming together to form a mangled and somewhat anarchistic duo, Davis and Williams Jr could no longer ignore calls from their admirers to create a fresh body of work together. Combining their love of folk and blues music with enlisted double bassist Kory Horwood, they recorded their album ‘Cold River Blues’ in 3 days. This collection of inspired Appalachian, folk, and bluegrass songs was sparse, raw and a tad mystical. Hallmark guitar moves provided by Williams Jr, driving bass by Horwood, and silky vocals by Davis pooled this concept album together, representing a long, slow sojourn down a heartless river and the recounting of strange happenings witnessed along the way. But a record just wasn’t enough. These songs were living and breathing. The creative hangover had left Williams Jr , Davis and Horwood gagging for more opportunities to let their dark little hearts sing together, play together, drink together and engage with a live audience in their new found land of creative abandon. And so, ‘Cold River Blues’ live was born, right on time for the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2012. Brining their trademark acerbic wit, charming onstage buffer Kory Horwood, and enough smouldering tension to set a small house on fire, Davis and Williams Jr promise to deliver a dark carousel ride to Adelaide Fringe Festival audiences at the Wheatsheaf Hotel’s rustic Tin Shed. Amidst the sweaty solos, expect deliciously raw confessions, a large dose of black humour, smooth 3 part harmonies, and enough pickin’ pluckin’ and drinkin’ to bring the most submerged inner-yokel to the surface. But above all expect the unexpected, as these three artists deliver their darkest, most raw series of original works yet. "Cal Williams Jr. is one of Australia’s finest slide blues guitarists" - Hipnote, Australia‘Davis exudes a groundedness that is utterly absorbing’ Db Magazine‘I’ve seen Cal and Emily play live a few times and it’s always a fantastic performance’ Chelsea Sinnot, MusicSA

 

Emily Davis, Cal Williams Jr and Kory Horwood invite you to wade with them through the deep, dark waters of Cold River; Flowing high in the mountains, where ravens circle the pines, they begin their musical journey downstream. In their leaky boat, with enough whiskey to stave the hunger, and enough guitars to do the tellin’, these troubadours weave the narratives of those they meet along the way; murderous lovers, ritual baptisms, small backwater towns; life, death and all that passes between. Bringing together their love of Appalachian, swampy blues, dixie, and bluegrass folk music, these musicians have hand crafted this unique set of original works, to capture stories once silently witnessed only by the mythical Cold River itself.
Having both enjoyed similar successes as solo artists, including sell out national shows, critical acclaim for their respective newly released albums and national airplay on Triple JJJ, Davis and Williams Jr were ready to sink their teeth into a side project together. Dissolving as soloists and coming together to form a mangled and somewhat anarchistic duo, Davis and Williams Jr could no longer ignore calls from their admirers to create a fresh body of work together. Combining their love of folk and blues music with enlisted double bassist Kory Horwood, they recorded their album ‘Cold River Blues’ in 3 days. This collection of inspired Appalachian, folk, and bluegrass songs was sparse, raw and a tad mystical. Hallmark guitar moves provided by Williams Jr, driving bass by Horwood, and silky vocals by Davis pooled this concept album together, representing a long, slow sojourn down a heartless river and the recounting of strange happenings witnessed along the way. But a record just wasn’t enough. These songs were living and breathing. The creative hangover had left Williams Jr , Davis and Horwood gagging for more opportunities to let their dark little hearts sing together, play together, drink together and engage with a live audience in their new found land of creative abandon. And so, ‘Cold River Blues’ live was born, right on time for the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2012. Brining their trademark acerbic wit, charming onstage buffer Kory Horwood, and enough smouldering tension to set a small house on fire, Davis and Williams Jr promise to deliver a dark carousel ride to Adelaide Fringe Festival audiences at the Wheatsheaf Hotel’s rustic Tin Shed. Amidst the sweaty solos, expect deliciously raw confessions, a large dose of black humour, smooth 3 part harmonies, and enough pickin’ pluckin’ and drinkin’ to bring the most submerged inner-yokel to the surface. But above all expect the unexpected, as these three artists deliver their darkest, most raw series of original works yet. "Cal Williams Jr. is one of Australia’s finest slide blues guitarists" - Hipnote, Australia‘Davis exudes a groundedness that is utterly absorbing’ Db Magazine‘I’ve seen Cal and Emily play live a few times and it’s always a fantastic performance’ Chelsea Sinnot, MusicSA

·         This event contains coarse language

Sessions

The Wheatsheaf Hotel

30 George Street Thebarton

23^rd February, 8.30pm

3^rd March , 8.30pm

4^th & 18^th March 4.30pm