High-flying masters of American folk

The Stray Birds, St Donat’s Arts Centre, Llantwit Major

TALENTED multi-instrumental American folk band, The Stray Birds, are coming to Wales. The three piece, made up of Maya de Vitry, Oliver Craven and Charlie Muench, will perform at St Donats Arts Centre on Friday, November, 17.

Beginning in Glasgow, the tour is in support of the group’s third critically acclaimed studio album, Magic Fire.

Recorded in upstate New York with Grammy-winning producer Larry Campbell, the release marks the first time the band worked with an outside producer and drummer.

The 12-song set opens with “Shining In The Distance,” a collaboration with fellow songwriter Lindsay Lou, also featured as a NPR’s Songs We Love; “Third Day In A Row,” a laid-back slice of infectious Americana that showcases the band’s rich harmonies; and “Hands Of Man,” a dark, Appalachian-influenced tune completed during the recording sessions in Milan Hill.

“Where You Come From” marks Charlie Muench’s first complete songwriting contribution to an album, while crowd favourite “Sabrina” features a celebration of food trucks and Yuengling.

Hailing from Lancaster, PA, the band formed in 2010, and have spent the last several years honing their sound and touring extensively. Their Borderland EP was released in 2010, followed by the eponymous full-length debut The Stray Birds (2012), Echo Sessions EP (2013), and Best Medicine (2014).

Best Medicine debuted at #2 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart and title track “Best Medicine” was named Song of the Year (2015) at the International Folk Music Awards.

The group also picked up “Best Band of 2016” and “Best Album of the Year” in the Americana UK Reader’s Poll for Magic Fire.

Previously, the band has played Denmark’s annual Americana celebration, the Tonder Festival, and Cambridge Folk Festival. In 2015, Folk Radio UK reported “The Stray Birds were, for a lot of observers, the highlight of this year’s Cambridge Folk Festival”.

Tickets cost £14 and can be booked by calling the St Donats Arts Centre box office on 01446 799 100.