Music
Press
There’s the inevitable comparisons to other folk duos like Small Potatoes but wild carrot has a sound all their own, anchored in Pamela Temple’s well-crafted songs, gorgeous soprano voice and Spencer Funk’s amazing mastery of guitar and mandolin. A player like Spencer could easily overpower the songs with instrumental gymnastics but instead he lays back to let the lyrics carry the song, then comes forward when that right touch of beauty is needed. Don Porterfield joins in on bass, Chris Rosser adds vocals and percussion, plus there are others on violin, vocals, Dobro, banjo and more. And don’t forget Pamela’s guitar, concertina, penny whistle and bowed psaltery adding a nice bed to the mixes.
My favorites here are the story songs. We hear about Pamela’s grandpa and great-grandpa, both preachers, in “Out of the Deep End” and in the wistful “Tracks”, about a woman who always thought she’d leave town on the train that passes next to her home. “Running From Mercy” is one of a few covers (Rickie Lee Jones and Leo Kottke). You’ll want to sing with the Have Mercy Choir on that one and if you aren’t tapping your toes, you ain’t breathing. “Lay Me Down” is a peaceful requiem for 9/11, while “These Songs” is their upbeat, award-winning song about a woman’s introduction to folk music.
The CD booklet is gorgeously designed by Karen Anderson, with stunningly beautiful photos by Ron Hosenfeld. You can’t just have a taste of wild carrot. Slowly savor their contemporary folk rooted in tradition and know you’ll be coming back again and again.
– Jamie Anderson - SingOut! Magazine, Winter 2004
Local duo wild carrot continues its rise as one of the top Folk acts in the region with the release of their first-rate new album, Hope. Since their last release, Defined, in 1999, the duo has reached many career milestones, including picking up a deal with Falling Mountain Music label out of Virginia, receiving numerous awards, and being named cultural ambassador to Chile, where they recently toured for two weeks.
The cherry on the top of the wild carrot sundae is Hope, their first studio album (Defined was done live, with no overdubs). The duo has stepped it up on every level, from production to presentation to writing. Where Defined had the couple in a pure, untainted setting, it was also mostly other people’s material being re-interpreted. Hope has an engaging studio crispness and features gifted guest musicians, but it’s still singer Pamela Temple’s voice and Spencer Funk’s acoustic guitar that remain the focus. They’re not using drum machines and Hip-Hop samples or anything, but the studio setting makes the record more fully realized, not to mention even more radiant, than its predecessor.
The best thing about Hope is that it features mostly original songs, written mainly by Temple (with co-writing help from Funk on a few songs as well). On songs like “Tracks” and “Bitter Blood”, Temple and Funk have made wild carrot the full package, able to stand nose-to-nose with any Contemporary Folk act going. Songwriting is the most vital aspect of Folk music, and Hope shows that wild carrot has the skills to rank with the best of ‘em.
Wild carrot celebrates the new CD on Sunday at the Leo Coffeehouse (where the two first met over a decade ago) in the Old St. George church in Coryville, starting at 7pm. For more info go to wildcarrot.net.
– Mike Breen - City Beat, April 9-15, 2003
Okay, I read about Pamela Temple’s voice before I heard it and was thinking “hype” until I listened to this disc. She really does have a high, clear, beautiful voice that evokes Joni Mitchell at times. She picks guitar and plays pennywhistle, and even bows the psaltery, while her partner Spencer Funk plays guitar and mandolin. It’s pure folk and it’s pure-dee-good. Cincinnati, Ohio natives, they perform together in that seamless fashion that only dedicated musicians achieve after lots of practice and a shared goal. I suspect that goal is to entertain as well as to advance the cause of folk music. I find them entertaining anyway.
– Peter Read - Nightflying.com, August 2004
Discography
I've Heard That Song Before - LP
Hope - LP
Defined - LP
Photos
Bio
Pam Temple and Spencer Funk are wild carrot. This Cincinnati-based, award-winning group has what it takes to please all types of folk music fans. Rooted in traditional American music, their repertoire branches in diverse directions: from award-winning original songs to swing, from traditional and not-so-traditional folk songs to show tunes and blues. They perform interesting arrangements with vocals, guitar, mandolin, concertina, penny whistle, dulcimer and the occasional bowed psaltery. In quartet with their Roots Band (Brenda Wolfersberger and Brandt Smith), they expand to to four vocals and add bass, banjo and dobro. Wild carrot's entertaining and moving performances have something for everyone. Their performances have often been described as "honest, soothing, uplifting and fun all at the same time", moving an audience from laughter to tears and back again in a way that makes the listener feel like they're in a conversation with old friends. All of this adds up to a performance that's been described as "seamless", "life-sized complex, subtle and powerful" and "a joy."
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