The final show in the series will feature crowd favorite Darlingside, with Henry Jamison, celebrating their brand-new record, Extralife. The last time Darlingside played Central Oregon, Sisters Folk Festival produced the show at the Tower Theater.
The word “extraordinary” is defined as something beyond, amazing, or incredible. The word “extralife” doesn’t exist. But in the world of Darlingside — another previously non-existent word — it’s all about invention, expansion and elevating everything into the realm of the extraordinary both conceptually and through musical performance.
The band’s new album intensifies the journey begun on its critically acclaimed 2015 album, Birds Say. On that project, Darlingside’s quartet of bassist Dave Senft, guitarist/banjoist Don Mitchell, violinist/mandolinist Auyon Mukharji and cellist/guitarist Harris Paseltiner fused assertions (Go Back), assumptions (God Of Loss), predictions (The Ancestor), projections (Do You Ever Live?) and reflections (White Horses). “We put our heads together and created this collective consciousness about bits and pieces from our past and how we saw the world based upon reminiscences,” explains Paseltiner about that sojourn. Birds Say mastered a musical and lyrical path that led to the more challenging territory explored on Extralife. Mukharji describes the Extralife concept as “…a life beyond where we are now, whether that’s a brand new thing, a rebirth, or just a new version of ourselves as we move forward.” So by abandoning Birds Say’s nostalgia and its tales of “what once was,” Darlingside created its polar opposite with Extralife, the new album exploring “what is now” and “what might be” simultaneously in the brave new world. Darlingside continues to push the boundaries of genre-expanding music with stunning harmonies, progressive, thought-provoking lyrics and intensely creative live shows.
Once again, thank you to all of you who have been so supportive through the cancellation of the 2017 Festival. We appreciate your patience, generosity and understanding over these last few months.
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