Hailing from Virginia, but now Baltimore-based, Americana duo The Honey Dewdrops play Tuft Theatre at Swallow Hill Music on Friday, August 26.
The pair might readily draw comparisons to Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, especially when Laura Wortman’s big voice fills the void not occupied by the nimble guitar licks of Kagey Parrish. Unlike Gillian and Dave, though, The Honey Dewdrops wear their darkness lightly, their crises may be more mundane, but no less real.
The Dewdrops’ songs straddle several worlds; rural and urban (and the road), modern and archaic, aging but not yet old.
On the song “Young,” When Kagey sings about a “hi-def Andy Griffith who don’t look right” and having more friends on Facebook “than I’ve ever had” in real life, his character sounds bemused by it all, and not entirely ready to accept all aspects of modern life.
“Young” is from the band’s 2015 album Tangled Country, an album Sing Out! lauded for “a gentle and enjoyable listen.”
Freddy Jenkins praised another Tangled Country track – “Same Old” – for NPR’s Favorite Songs of the Year 2015. The Back Porch Music host celebrated the song for its “lilting banjo, gorgeous harmonies and tasteful pedal steel,” which “exemplifies this duo’s simple yet beautiful music.”
With a deep catalog of songs and a rich chemistry, The Honey Dewdrops look to create a memorable night of music in Tuft Theatre on August 26.