Cahalen Morrison and Eli West occupy an interesting space at the intersection of old time and bluegrass music. Working as a duo on a variety of banjos, guitars and mandolins, they seamlessly merge the traditions that grew among the Appalachian peoples with their own unique approach to songwriting.
Of all the many hybrids that have emerged around bluegrass music, few are as consistently satisfying to me as the old time/bluegrass blend. That surely has to do with the fact that they have shared roots, instrumentation and often repertoire. If you appreciate one, you can enjoy the other, and if you love both, the combination is a treat.
Like so many independent artists, Cahalen & Eli are using Kickstarter to fund their next project, Our Lady Of The Tall Trees. Here’s a look at their project video, which intercuts music from the boys with scenes of West Virginia artist Mike Costello creating the woodcut that serves as the album cover.
More details and pre-orders are available on their Kickstarter page.
