New Music: Folk Road Show

By Rachel Woodward, September 1 2016 —

The Folk Road Show consists of four folk singers from Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands. Dominique Fricot, Benjamin James Caldwell, Pieter Van Vliet and Olaf Caarls came together during a European tour last year in order to take each other’s music and create a collaborative album.

Their debut self-titled album is a soft, melodic ode to love, loss and growth. The album features music written by each individual artist reworked by the band to incorporate their own vocal and instrumental stylings.

Songs like “Helena” — a love song dedicated to the band’s always-failing tour bus — are a great example of the band’s collaborative work, turning something like a tour bus into a muse capable of inspiring intricate lyrics.

One of the most impressive aspects of the band’s work is their masterful harmonies. Songs like “Sweet Redemption” flawlessly execute a Fleet Foxes-esque harmonic exploration with unique instrumentation alongside gorgeous and raw lyrics describing intimate emotions.

While Folk Road Show demonstrates the talent of each artist individually and as a whole, it pays an homage to the rewards of collaboration. Collaborative songwriting alongside the individual stylings of each artist create an album that will stand the test of time and set the band’s gears in motion for a successful future.