Milkwood Dreamers
Calgary, Alberta, Canada | SELF
Music
Press
Check out the latest article about the Milkwood Dreamers written by Tom Murry at www.milkwooddreamers.com
You can click on a link under the NEWS heading. - Penguin Eggs
Check out the latest article about the Milkwood Dreamers written by Tom Murry at www.milkwooddreamers.com
You can click on a link under the NEWS heading. - Penguin Eggs
Milkwood Dreamers is the Calgary, Alberta (Canada) based-duo comprised of the husband and wife team of Mel Smith and Marti Smith. Hellfire & Bone is their debut, and it’s a nice smooth ride through some soft groovy territory. The Smiths write and record soft pensive moody folky pop with threads of country running through it. Their songs are subdued and gentle, and the focus is on vocal melodies and lyrics. These songs are a far cry from the world of commercial music…we get the idea that Mel and Marti are making music mainly because they enjoy it and want to express themselves. This beautifully packaged album (housed in a cardboard foldout sleeve that features some lovely art by Kathy Cook) features eleven simple soothing tracks. Our favorites include “Hellfire & Bone,” “Beautiful Girl,” “Star Promenade,” and “How Long.” Cool refreshing music that is genuine and real. - Babysue
Discography
Milkwood Dreamers ~ Hellfire & Bone
Photos
Bio
He was writing music north of the Arctic Circle. She was strumming old Hank Williams songs at the kitchen table in Alberta. Somehow they ended up at the same jam in Calgary. Next thing you know, he got down on one knee and offered up a cherry sunburst guitar instead of a wedding ring.
Mel and Marti Smith have been making music together ever since. Their first gig together was a John Prine Tribute Show where they received rave reviews for their beautiful, seamless harmonies. Seven years later, the song lyrics are richer, the harmonies sweeter. The stories twist and turn like the branches of a Milkwood tree.
“We like to think these songs have a backbone – they’re rooted in stories about the people and places we cherish along the road,” says Marti.
The Milkwood Dreamers’ debut CD, Hellfire & Bone, comprises eleven songs featuring duets and heart-swelling harmonies. It includes a cover of the 1980s Springsteen hit, “I’m On Fire,” with haunting pedal steel by Calgary’s Charlie Haze. The album nods to bluegrass in up-tempo fiddle tune “Briar Hill,” then quiets down for intimate country ballads like “When the Money’s Gone,” and “Stars On My Pillow.” Clawhammer player Ivan Rosenberg from Portland, Oregon, adds his banjo to the mix on quick and campy “Devil Train,” and also on the title track “Hellfire & Bone,” named for the hard times between the happy moments.
Alberta born, Mel Smith has made a few records of his own (Hwy 63, Deep Field South, One Tribe). His songwriting roots draw a line through Paul Simon, Gordon Lightfoot and Jackson Brown. He has recorded and played festivals and folk clubs with a number of great musicians including Dave McCann and The Fates. He also toured the west coast and played for more than a decade with Alberta talent, Jenny Allen.
Meanwhile, Marti left Palgrave, Ontario, with a bluegrass CD in her hand and followed a circuitous route through New Orleans, Texas, California and then Vancouver. She followed her heart to Alberta and found herself in a bar called the Last Chance Saloon. There, she cut her teeth on guitar and won praise for her iridescent, pearly tones that speak of parched but beautiful landscapes. She sang in gospel/folk trio the Fallen Angel Band, and more recently, all-girl quartet Magnolia Buckskin.
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