ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Well, this episode is an absolute treat. To Virginia! The heart of colonial America, but a more gracious reputation would be that it is the home of guitar phenom, artist, historian, folklorist, writer, vegetable grower, and excellent fellow, Daniel Bachman. And what a conversation we have!
Of course, we dive deep into colonial history, its resonances to our current context, and unpacking the past as a lens to understand our place in this world. This history and the deep power of place is intimately imbued in Daniel's music, as he invokes ghosts, spirits and "non-human collaborators" on albums such as the spectacular and singular Axacan.
We get into some esoteric territory, talking about the historical trauma held by the earth itself, recording in these traumatised spaces, and the darkly poetic reality that as sea levels rise in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay, the land that was so deeply traumatised by colonialism, slavery, slaughter and brutality will be the first to sink beneath the water. The earth holds onto its trauma, and the plantation houses will one day rot beneath the waves.
But before this all starts sounding too bleak for your tastes, let it be known that Daniel, and this conversation, is filled with compassion, love, connection, reflection and honesty. We talk about musicians, and how the emotional awareness necessary to create moving and powerful music, often comes from broken, but beautiful souls. We talk guitars, songwriting, and Daniel's journey from banjo picker to guitarist (upon hearing the mighty sounds of John Fahey and Jack Rose), and now back to the banjo (and hosts of other instruments, sounds and field recordings). Years on the road making music, and growing into scholarship without a formal university qualification - we are all free to engage in these things.
Perhaps most exciting, we speak about his forthcoming new album (tentatively due for release around November), and discuss the inspiration and intention behind the record. His "string band" album, largely inspired by family history, and specifically the blind Hostetler String Band. But make no mistake, the record pushes firmly forward in the aesthetic of Almanac Behind and his other more recent releases. And I'll go on record saying that the new one is a goddamn masterpiece.
But anyway, go ahead and give it a listen. Don't lose hope - we can live in balance with the earth and with the past, but as Daniel says "it's a lot to live through."
