Winnipeg folk/ bluegrass quartet Oh My Darling are enjoying their latest tour in support of their new CD “Sweet Nostalgia.
“The weather is actually nicer in Winnipeg,” said Rosalyn Dennett, Oh My Darling’s vocalist and fiddle player.
“We used to get made fun of for being from Winter-peg,” she observed from Nanton, in the middle of a non-stop tour which brings the band to the Slice, April 5.
They completely embraced the title of the new CD “Sweet Nostalgia,” by recording it in a house made out of straw bales in Roseland, Manitoba and by adding a lot more traditional numbers rather than the upbeat originals they are best known for.
“On this CD we really started being a lot more collaborative in our songwriting process,” she said.
“We used to each bring songs to the band and the band would finish them,” she continued.
Recording in the straw bale house was an interesting experience.
“It was a neat for us. It is in the middle of nowhere. There was no cell phone service or internet. It was just the four of us together over seven days. And we were all there in the same room together, which is better than one person coming in and recording their track and one more coming in two weeks later,” she added.
“We recorded it live off the floor because we wanted to capture the energy of our live show.”
Following the theme of the CD, they chose several traditional pieces and gave them their own unique twist including highlights “Fly Away,” “Roustabout and “Kiss and Tell.”
“We’ve been playing “Fly Away” for a long time and I’m pretty sure we played “Roustabout” at our very first jam session,” Dennett recalled.
As always, gorgeous vocal harmonies are an integral part of the Oh My Darling sound, however they are a relatively late additon to the band.
“Actually it was a suggestion from a person in High River who suggested we add harmonies. And I’d never really sang anything before,” Dennett said.
“Now, we really, really enjoy singing harmonies,” she said.
They are looking forward to coming back to Lethbridge.
“It’s been about a year. We’re hoping more people come out and hope they have a really fun evening,” she said.
“I think we’ll be putting on a pretty upbeat show to get people on the dance floor and toes tapping,” she said.
“We’ll play a couple of sets and get some toes tapping. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and it’s our bass player’s birthday.” she said.
The show begins at 9 p.m., April 5. There is a $10 cover.
