‘Couple of Jerks’ is the delightful new video from The Lowest Pair. The immediate response to the good-humoured visual is to be uplifted. We see the talented performers in various outdoor locations: in woodland with the sun streaming through the trees, in backyards enjoying moments of domestic bliss and friendship, including sitting in old bathtubs to deliver their music. Krista Koehn captured the footage which was edited by vocalist Kendl Winter and it’s just right for the song and for how this collaboration, based on friendship came together. Perfectly picked acoustic guitar, mandolin and banjo is lifted by playful fiddle in a dreamily layered blend. Over this, Winter’s distinctive singing voice transports the listener as she sings of love, perfectly capturing the strangeness of relationships: “Can’t we be guardians of each other’s solitude // You can’t rescue me from myself // I can’t rescue you // Long the road // Side by side // Pointing out the quirks // Walking each other home // Like a couple of jerks.” Along with the warmth of their banjo-led folk, it’s this lyricism that make The Lowest Pair stand out.
Kendl Winter and Palmer T. Lee formed a duo after meeting by the Mississippi while touring the Midwest festival circuit. Winter have three solo albums to her name and had played in various folk and punk bands. Lee fronted string bands in Minneapolis, having built his own banjo at the age of nineteen from pieces he inherited. When he suggested they form a banjo duo, it was the beginning of a partnership that would spawn several albums.
This collaboration came as a result of Winter and Lee sharing songs around the campfire with their good friends Adam Roszkiewicz and Leif Karlstrom, fellow musicians who together are instrumental duo Small Town Therapy. The multi-talented multi-instrumentalists are also founder members of the string band Front Country and were able to contribute rich new layers to The Lowest Pair’s sound. The songs they played won over the other campers back in the summer of 2020. Inevitably, their mutual appreciation and love of performing together led to an album, which was recorded at the OK Theater in Enterprise, Oregon. The collaborative album ‘Horse Camp’ is out now and is well worth checking out. As the autumn leaves fall, bring back the feel of a shimmering banjo-led summer get together with friends. Enjoy.
