$23.50–$30.50
Circle of Friends members who give $500+ annually receive 10% off concert tickets.
Describing themselves as “baroque folk,” River Whyless puts a hauntingly sweet spin on traditional foundations. English traditional-folk sounds are some of the band’s obvious touchstones, putting them in a category similar to contemporaries such as Seattle-based Fleet Foxes and the British band Stornoway.
Composed of Ryan O’Keefe (guitars, vocals), Halli Anderson (violin, vocals), Alex McWalters (drums, percussion), and Daniel Shearin (bass, vocals, harmonium, cello, banjo), the band is the expression of a group of musicians, three of whom are songwriters, who have played together in various forms since their college days in the North Carolina mountains.
Floating over the compelling and eclectic instrumental mix is Anderson’s voice, which finds a mark between Sandy Denny’s ethereal plea and Crystal Gayle’s country swoon.
This immensely talented band from Asheville, N.C., was my favorite discovery at this year’s Americana Music Festival. River Whyless builds its music around fiddle, guitar and harmonies, with imagination and textures that set the band apart from many of its acoustic and folk-based peers. . . . Brilliant harmonies and words.
—Bob Boilen, NPR’s All Songs Considered
Their mesmerizing sound, built by seamless harmonies, soaring violin and unusual percussive elements, demonstrates the power of the collective, but so does the band’s songwriting.
—Glide Magazine