Kathy & Carol

“Kathy Larisch and Carol McComb have brought a new, luminous quality to the growing ranks of city folksingers. In Kathy and Carol (Elektra) their voices intertwine as if each were the mirror image of the other. Their music is innocent ---innocent of malice and greed---and it is unabashedly lovely." Nat Hentoff, Cosmopolitan, 1965.

Though this quote was written four decades ago, it is as true now as it was then. Carol McComb and Kathleen Larisch’s 2010 release, “Keepsake” is garnishing equal praise. Linda Ronstadt writes, “Speaking as a very long time Kathy and Carol fan, THIS DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! Great work you two. Another thing, you sound mature but not over the hill. Just fully realized. Couldn't be better.”

What has always set Kathy & Carol apart from most other traditional folk performers is their unique sense of harmony. It is remarkable for its use of shifting intervals, haunting dissonances, counterpoint, and unisons. Their a cappella songs send shivers down the spine. Their original songs written by Carol have timeless appeal. Their renditions of Carter Family songs are unique, yet they have a ring of authenticity to them because Kathy & Carol have roots in traditional American and British Isles music that run very deep. Roots music is in their bones.

Kathy Larisch and Carol McComb began singing together in their high school years in Southern California. During the 1960’s these two gifted singers worked the Western folk circuit, sharing the stage with the New Lost City Ramblers, Bill Monroe, Taj Mahal, Phil Ochs, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee, Jackson Browne, the Kentucky Colonels, Mason Williams, Linda Ronstadt and many others. They played major folk festivals from Berkeley, CA to Newport, Rhode Island.

After a 30-year hiatus from making music together while each pursued other interests, Kathy & Carol are stronger than ever. Their much-cherished Elektra album remains a timeless treasure and tribute to traditional British Isles and American folk music. Its re-release in 2005 on CD generated much renewed interest in their music, and brought the two back together to perform again.

In the past few years, Kathy & Carol have been featured artists at the San Diego Roots Festival and at the California Autoharp Gathering, where they received Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2008. They have played the Mt. Laurel Festival in Pennsylvania, The Ark in Michigan, numerous venues in the house-concert circuit, and regularly appear at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA.

Their new CD “Keepsake” is aptly titled. Kathy & Carol’s unique blend of harmony singing, along with their masterful guitar and autoharp playing, are a treasure to hear.