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Will Bernard & Beth Custer: Sky
ByThe pair have been working together, contributing sound to each other's projects for more than thirty years,. With Sky they have stripped their sound down to just the two instruments, the clarinet and guitar, plus occasional diaphanous vocals from Custer. The sixteen tracks maintain an Americana feel throughout, so the music is rich and folksy. They play a waltz, "Sweeping Staircase," with Custer's clarinet accompanied by Bernard on acoustic guitar; a bluesy spiritual "Glistening Spirit" is a reminder of the Delta via Custer's magical incarnations. The pair deliver a diverse menu from a swampy blues "Not Necessarily Stoned" to the ballerina's dancing "Luv Jones" in which bass clarinet commingles with Bernard's electric guitar effects. Each piece has that 'after you,' 'no, after you' feel to it. Such courtesy, one which prevails throughout, can only be attributed to a truly copacetic couple.
Track Listing
Bear in Shamanic Transformation; The Curve; Fence; Glistening Spirit; Rhymes with Buster; Sky; Sweeping Staircase; John Brown’s Body; Luv Jones; Not Too Fancy; Daikon Radish; Stain; Not Necessarily Stones; Simone; Deadpan; White Horse Shoes.
Personnel
Beth Custer
clarinetWill Bernard
guitarAdditional Instrumentation
Beth Custer: bass clarinet, vocals; Will Bernard: acoustic guitar, electric lap steel guitar, vintage acoustic guitar and resonator.
Album information
Title: Sky | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Dreck to Disk Records
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