Inner Peace video from The Often Herd

Contemporary grassers The Often Herd, hailing from the north of England, have their debut, full length album set for a June release, and have a new single and music video available now.

Since getting together several years ago, The Often Herd has won international notice, being named the Best European Bluegrass Band of 2018 at the La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France, and performed a virtual showcase at last year’s World of Bluegrass conference.

The band consists of Evan Davies on mandolin, Rupert Hughes on guitar, Niles Krieger on fiddle, and Sam Quintana on bass. They specialize in original material written within the band, typically coming from Hughes and Davies.

Rupert says that their sound is rooted in the songs they compose.

“We don’t try to write bluegrass songs. We just write what comes naturally to us and arrange it using the textures we have at our disposal. Our influences stretch far and wide and that really shows when we convert non-bluegrass audiences to our music.”

Evan agrees, seeing this as the band’s mission.

“This record is a melting pot of all of our experiences and influences. We reflect on our lives as musicians, stories we hear around us, and try to convey a sense of our place in the world whilst also being somewhat introspective. Marrying these ideas with the classic sound and themes of bluegrass isn’t always easy, but for us it’s the only way to go!”

That is what fills their upcoming project, titled Where the Big Lamp Shines, and what they have on offer in this video for Inner Peace, shot around Newburn and Scotswood in Newcastle upon Tyne. It perfectly captures the somewhat eerie vibe of the song. Noel Dashwood joins the band on reso-guitar.

Inner Peace is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and directly from the band on bandcamp. Where the Big Lamp Shines is set for release on June 3.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.