Murder ballads focus of Starr, Joplin’s new collaboration

Garrison Starr and Josh Joplin have given up their loner personas to form the new group Among the Oak and Ash.

Singer/songwriters Garrison Starr and Josh Joplin developed a tight musical relationship and personal friendship after Starr served as opening act for Joplin's tour a few years ago. But Starr's the first to admit that initially she not only had no plans to join a band with him, but that she didn't really like the original idea that he presented to her.

"I love playing with Josh and am crazy about him, but when he told me he wanted to start a band and do a CD of Appalachian music and a bunch of murder ballads I didn't really think that would work," Starr said. "But he came down to Nashville with a bunch of these songs, we started going through them and I thought it might actually work."

The results are the stirring new disc Among the Oak and Ash (Verve Forecast), which was just released June 16. It was recorded here in Nashville and features the debut offering of the group with the same name.

"Doing this type of project is something I've always wanted to do since I really got interested in playing music professionally," Joplin said. "The people who initially got me interested in music like Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs, they were to me the epitome of folk music and singing. Then with someone like Garrison, who is such a strong vocalist and guitarist, I thought we could do something really different and unique with this material, stay true to its spirit, yet make something very contemporary."

It helped a lot that Garrison wasn't really into the music from the beginning, Joplin added. When he showed Starr the songs he’d amassed, she immediately recognized one called “Peggy-O,” and then she got hooked on “The Water is Wide,” and things really took off from there, Joplin said.

"We also wanted to show how the Appalachian tradition has been influenced by other strains," Starr said. "For example the song ‘All the Pretty Little Horses’ was written by an African slave and then became very popular in the 18th century. ‘Angel Gabriel’ is another tune with a prominent African connection, while other songs can be traced back to Scotland or Ireland or other parts of Europe."

In Among the Oak and Ash, which was co-produced by Brian Harrison (who also engineered and recorded the disc at the Rendering Plant in Music City), Starr and Joplin rotate all types of duties, from utilizing different instruments like the harmonica, xylophone, piano and autoharp to sharing leads and harmony vocals. Robby Turner (pedal steel, dobro), Cari Norris (banjo, lap dulcimer) and Bryan Owings (drums, percussion) complete the lineup. Other top numbers include "Joseph Hillstrom 1970-1915" and "Look Down that Lonesome Road."

The tight musical partnership between Garrison and Joplin, plus the smooth blend that their voices develop, is among the biggest reasons why Among the Oak and Ash stands out from the pack among singer/songwriter projects. While many of the songs are at least a century old, Starr and Joplin approach them like they're brand new, voicing them with exuberance and ensuring that contemporary audiences understand why pieces like "Come All You Young and Tender Ladies" or "The Housewife's Lament" can still have relevance in today's very different atmosphere from the 1700s and 1800s.

Starr has previously recorded seven studio discs, two EPs and one live CD as a solo artist, and says that at some point she does plan to continue working on her own. Her projects, particularly The Sound of You and Me, have earned widespread praise for her animated accompaniment, fiery singing and memorable lyrics. But Starr says she's quite happy right now being part of Among the Oak and Ash.

"It's fun to be the guitarist in a group for a change and be part of a component unit as opposed to being the one responsible for everything," Starr said. "This is a very collaborative process, and it's become a very enjoyable thing. Plus I've had such fun playing with Josh and really enjoy it so much that I don't anticipate that this will be just a one-time project."

The group has already done one three-week tour, and there are plans in the work for eventual trips to Europe, plus hopefully some Music City dates shortly. Meanwhile, Joplin says that fans who see Among the Oak and Ash live will get a surprise.

"The live show is a lot more rocking than the disc," Joplin said. "I know that this type of material has its grim side, and when you say murder ballads, that really conjures up some very serious thoughts. But when people see us playing the music they see that there's another side to some of this music, and that you can still give people a very entertaining show even with really somber lyric material."