Interpretive Balladry
I've been researching, interpreting, and singing traditional ballads since 2018 - mostly songs from England, Scotland, Ireland, Appalachia, and the North Atlantic world. Recently, I produced an a cappella version of the traditional American folk song “Wayfaring Stranger” for Andrea Luka Zimmerman's film of the same name. I've compiled some of my ballad interpretations below, both those produced in the studio, as well as those filmed live in an extemporaneous setting. I'm in the process of moving my videos off of YouTube and onto MakerTube. This is an instance of PeerTube which shares the burden of hosting videos across multiple servers and takes the presentation of my art out of Google's hands.
“Wayfaring Stranger” [Roud 3339]
My rendition of this song was commissioned by Andrea Luka Zimmerman for her film of the same name, which has been presented at festivals in the UK and US throughout 2025.
I self-recorded this a cappella version with little editing or adjustment. The music video was directed and edited by Andrea Luke Zimmerman.
"Hares on the Mountain" [Roud 329]
My rendition of this traditional ballad draws inspiration from Shirley Collins' classic version of the song, as well as the version recorded by Isobel Anderson and Ruby Colley.
This recording was co-produced by Fern Maddie and Colin McCaffrey. The music video was directed and edited by Fern Maddie, with videography by Matthew Martin and using footage from the Prelinger Archives and Critical Past.