The Woodbine & Ivy Band is a group of Manchester musicians who came together to arrange and perform the ten traditional songs that make up this album. For each song they invited a different singer to contribute a lead vocal. You will find contributions from Jackie Oates, Fay Hield, Nancy Wallace, Olivia Chaney, Pinkie Maclure, Jim Causley, Jenny McCormick, James Raynard, Rapunzel & Sedayne and Elle Osborne.

The band channels the hazy spirit of classic country rock, with layered guitars and a fluid yet muscular rhythm section, warm pedal steel guitar, harp, trumpet, Hammond organ and synthesiser. They aim to create an expansive sound that reaches beyond that usually associated with traditional song. Although the musicians involved are not all from a folk background, there is a sly tipping of the cap towards the electric folk revival of the 1970s.

The singers were initially invited to perform the songs a cappella and, during a series of late night sessions, the band used these performances as a guide to their arrangements. The fruits of these free-ranging sessions were consolidated during recording dates in North Manchester’s Limefield Studio, where the legendary folk producer, Bill Leader, was around to lend a hand and give the band his quiet nod of approval.

The musicians and singers were gathered together under the direction of Peter Philipson and Michael Doward and include some of Manchester’s finest players in John Ellis, Rachael Gladwin, Luke Das-Gupta and Alan Cook. The final recording session brought together a 12 piece vocal chorus to add rousing singaround backing vocals.

Amongst their influences, the Woodbine & Ivy Band cite the music of Sandy Denny, John Martyn, The Byrds, Pentangle, Crazy Horse and the drone rock of Spaceman 3. This album is also one for fans of Joe Boyd’s Witchseason Productions and much of the music released on the Harvest, Leader and Transatlantic record labels.