The Deep Dark Woods have announced the latest in their series of traditional music releases, ‘Broadside Ballads Vol. III’, which comes out on 3rd May 2024 on Victory Pool Records. Following ‘Vol II’, an EP released in 2021, the Saskatoon band’s new album features an eight song collection of reimagined traditional folk songs spanning centuries and continents.
The series has been issued alongside The Deep Dark Woods’ albums of original material. They focus on traditional Irish, English, and Scottish folk songs. It’s a tribute to the music that influenced main man Ryan Boldt’s writing and singing. The songs in this collection mine touch on broken hearts, love, murder and the act of leaving. Boldt says “there are not too many jolly songs in there”. However, the album is not a dour affair, benefiting from tasteful arrangements and an organic, no-frills recording sound. Boldt adds: “I’m influenced first and foremost by Bob Dylan. He is the greatest vocal phraser in all of folk and rock music, not to mention the finest songwriter of the 20th and 21st centuries. As a live band, we are definitely influenced by the Grateful Dead and the way they took their songs to interesting places each night. I’m personally influenced by the traditional music of Britain, Ireland, Scotland, and, to some degree, America.”
The lbum pre-save/ pre-order link is here but lo and behold The Deep Dark Woods also have some UK tour dates coming up in May.
May 8 Bristol UK – Hen and Chicken
May 9 Guilford UK – The Keep
May 10 Barton-on-Humber UK – The Ropewalk
May 11 Twyford UK – Swiss Cottage Sessions
May 13 Birmingham UK – Kitchen Garden Cafe
May 15 London UK – Slaughtered Lamb
May 16 Luton UK – The Bear Club
May 17 Scarborough UK – Old Parcels Office
May 18 Manchester UK – Castle Hotel
May 19 Glasgow UK – Broadcast
On their last tour they were supported by Kacy & Clayton who also performed as part of the band. The tickets for this tour list The Deep Dark Woods (Solo) so it may be just Boldt.
The band have put out one of the tracks ahead of the album release. ‘Spanish is the Loving Tongue’ is a song based on the poem ‘A Border Affair’ written by Charles Badger Clark in 1907 and to which music was added by Billy Simon in 1925. Boldt: “Clark was a cowboy poet who lived throughout the American West, and over the years, the song was recorded by many top recording artists, including Bob Dylan, Judy Collins and Ian & Sylvia.”
