And who are New Dangerfield? Well, by any reckoning they are a supergroup – albeit in the rarefied world of “old timey” music, and in particular in the reclaiming of the Black string band tradition. New Dangerfield are Jake Blount, Kaia Kater,Tray Wellington and Nelson Williams, and this first single by the band honours their namesake Dangerfield Newby who was one of five recorded Black abolitionists among John Brown’s raiders who died while taking part in Brown’s infamous raid on a federal armoury in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859. New Dangerfield’s debut single, ‘Dangerfield Newby,’ released by Free Dirt Records on April 26th, pays homage to this historical figure by reconfiguring a traditional fiddle tune – ‘Dangerfield,’ learned from fiddler Eddie Bond, also known as ‘Old Sport.’
Tray Wellington has said of the band: “I put together New Dangerfield originally to collaborate with other Black artists that I feel are constantly breaking barriers with their music. It quickly became apparent, though, that this is a project that roots music wants and needs. As we continue to make strides individually in our careers, it influences the music we make as a group. Having a joint goal of further stating roots music is for all people, and with each of us having different backgrounds, it makes for a magical and truly individual sound to add to the Black string band tradition. Working from a shared place of love for Black string band music and culture, we’re developing new sounds and new ideas that keep these traditions fully grounded in the present while steeped in shared history.”
