Our two new singles are both traditional songs from two very different traditions: “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down” is an African American spiritual that we learned from a solo field recording of Frank Proffitt from 1965. Proffitt is said to have learned the song from a black banjo player named Dave Thompson, also from the Sugar Grove area of northwestern North Carolina. It is a simple yet powerful musical statement, and Natalya’s stark, solo vocal mirrors the sound of many old-time source recordings that we love. — John
Stream “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down” HERE!
Our other new single is “Berditchever Sher“, a traditional klezmer tune originating in the town of Berdichev, Ukraine. A “Sher” is a Russian scissors dance. My grandfather, originally from Russia, was a professional klezmer musician in Philadelphia. He likely played this song for weddings and events and we enjoyed putting our own spin on it. You probably won’t find another version of this tune with bluegrass banjo! — Natalya
Stream “Berditchever Sher” HERE!
