Storyhill | Shade of the Trees
Published: June 9, 2010
You won’t dance your socks off to these guys. You’re more apt to sit back on the sofa and enter a bit of a dream state with this collection of new folk tunes from the popular Bozeman duo of Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson.
They’ve been working so long together it seems they can read each other’s musical thoughts. The duo started performing as Chris and Johnny in 1989, later played as Storyhill, toured exhaustively, recorded several albums, broke up (to their fans’ dismay), and finally re-formed.
Now they’re in the midst of a national tour to promote the new album, and organizing their annual songwriting festival, known as Storyhill Fest, near Bozeman.
Sparsely produced by Grammy-winning songwriter Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks and others), Shade of the Trees is just guitars and vocals – those tightly-knit, soaring harmonies that Storyhill is so well-known for.
There’s a Dan Fogelberg-ish sensibility to their lyrics, and with their close vocal harmonies and accomplished unison-vocal cadences, they show off the comfort they’ve attained from performing together for so long.
The meditative opener, “Avalon,” is a hopeful love song with a mythical ambience and signature high tenor harmonies some female divas can’t even hit.
“Better Angels” has the fellows channeling the exact quaver of John Denver’s pipes, and twangy country notes and bent licks populate “Cover Your Tracks.” The pretty “World Go Round” has a bluesy, minor tilt with a chorus that sticks with the listener. “Getaway,” quiet and a bit jazzy, is whisper-soft, sporting an interesting chord progression and lyrics that belie its melodic naiveté.
The gossip-laden “Town Talks” is a soft-rockin’ toe-tapper that reflects the duo’s acute observations of human interactions. It’s got nice lead and the kind of unison singing that’s hard to do. But these guys nail it, again and again.
Visit the duo at www.storyhill.com, or hear them live at the Storyhill Fest West, July 16-17 at Hyalite Lake, near Bozeman.
– Mariss McTucker
