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Nashville-based Americana/world/roots quartet The Deer’s Cry — Karen Ballew (lead vocals, harp, harmonium), Patrick Atwater (bass, upright bass), Bryan Brock (percussion, drums), and Will MacLean (banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar) — makes music that defies description, with its varied influences (Americana, Celtic, bluegrass, jazz, folk) and stunning instrumentation. When you add Ballew’s enchanting vocals, the music goes from amazing to out of this world. It’s a musical melting pot of the best sort, and the band’s new album, “Heal the Heart,” which was just released, is the balm and comfort that listeners need to escape from the overwhelming headlines and stresses of day-to-day life.
Vents Magazine sat down with Ballew to talk about the new record, and we took a deep dive into the natural beauty and hope that reverberates in the song “Dogwood Tree,” including its inspiration, and the writing and production process. We chatted about the band’s sound, the impact that living in Texas and Nashville has had on her musically, and what’s next for this creative, vibrant, and unique group.
Hi Karen, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Life can be a bit crazy sometimes, but overall, I’m doing great! Thanks for having me!
You have an amazing new album out in September. What can you tell us about it? How did you come to gather this collection of songs together?
In December 2020, I wrote a song called “Pieces.” Not long after, a producer in Nashville, Nick Bullock, reached out about the possibility of working together. Of course, we ended up recording “Heal the Heart” with Nick, and we’re forever grateful! For every project I’ve worked on, there has always been a “seed” song that served to guide the writing and creation. “Pieces” was that for “Heal the Heart,” and it grew as a kind of narrative poem, exploring themes of healing, hope, and transformation! Poetry and traditional music are great sources of inspiration to me. In addition to original lyrics, “Heal the Heart” includes poetry by Irish writer Joseph Plunkett, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Irish language poet Dairena Ní Chinnéide, and a text from the “Cherokee Morning Song” in the Tihanama language!
One of the songs on your new album, “Dogwood Tree,” is really special and caught my attention right away. It’s a great listen. Can you talk to us more about this song? How did you come to write it? What was the inspiration behind it?
I think nature has a way of reminding us of what’s important in life. One day in January, I was looking out at the bare branches on the dogwood tree, and I started thinking about how, in just a few months, it would be covered with beautiful white blossoms. That was the spark of hope I needed, and I soon began writing the lyrics for “Dogwood Tree.” I love singing Irish folk songs, and the lyrical quality of this music has had a great impact on my voice as a songwriter.
How was the recording process for that song? Any great stories from the studio? How did the song come together?
After writing a song, I’m always excited to arrange it with my bandmates and hear how the song evolves and where it ends up! Will introduced an awesome vibe with his banjo playing, and the rhythm from Bryan’s African calabash and Patrick’s bass gives the song a wonderful energy. I come home from rehearsal and play the draft recordings for my family, and my husband always says, “This song’s been ‘groovified!’ I love it!”
Once we got in the studio, Patrick added six bowed bass lines, and I remember Will saying, “We’re gonna need five more bassists now,” ha ha. Nick created a wonderful environment for us to experiment and try different ideas, and I think it helped us find a unique soundscape for this song that fits both the atmosphere and mystical quality of the lyrics. To round off the sound, our friend Hannah Holbrook recorded accordion, I added some vocal harmonies, Bryan recorded additional layers of percussion, and our producer Nick added Wurlitzer and synth!
Do you have a favorite lyric line or two in this song? What about those words really works for you or speaks to you?
I think my favorite two lyric lines are:
“The blossoms grow as white as snow
And grace the lonesome ground
With whispered dreams of far-off streams
Where living waters flow.”
Songwriting, for me, is not something I come up with, but rather, something I discover; like unearthing an artifact or drawing water from a well. I think what speaks most to me about these lyrics is that, despite all our intellectual and technological advances, there is still magic and mystery in the world—an abiding beauty and truth, which beckons us to listen.
What do you hope listeners get from hearing the song?
Even with all the personal struggles and turmoil in the world, I hope this song can be a source of hope and encouragement to people. Perspective is a powerful thing. This song began as a reminder to myself to look for the beauty in life, remembering to approach it with a sense of wonder and possibility.
Your sound mixes up different genres—there’s your Americana side, your folk side, a tiny bit of jazz, world, Celtic, roots rock…The result is really fantastic. The music sounds classic but also really fresh at the same time, which we love. How did you settle upon the “The Deer’s Cry sound”? And how would you describe your sound, using one sentence?
Before we started arranging the music for this album, we didn’t set any limitations or parameters based on what we thought our sound should be. Instead, we allowed ourselves to enter a creative space of collaboration and let the sound be what it was. There was a sense of discovery and exploration in the process; every idea was considered, we had fun and experimented with things, and whatever idea served the song and added to the experience, we kept! And through this process, I believe we found our sound as a band: a prism of diverse inspiration.
You are based in Nashville. How do you think living there and any other places you have lived has impacted your sound and your music overall? How has it shaped your music?
In Nashville, I’ve had the opportunity to hear some incredible songwriters and stellar bluegrass, Americana, rock, country, blues, jazz, funk, and soul music! It’s inspiring to hear these artists live, and I think the impact of listening to this music has fused in an interesting way with my earlier experiences in choral, Irish, and world traditional music.
I grew up in Abilene, Texas singing in choirs and musical theatre productions. At Furman University, I studied music theory, choral music, and art songs—my favorite was the medieval and Renaissance music, which I think has influenced the melodic style of The Deer’s Cry!
From 2009 – 2017, I lived in Dallas, where I was immersed in the Irish music scene taking classes at the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat and teaching Irish language songs at the North Texas School of Irish Music. Living in a big metropolitan area also gave me the opportunity to hear music from other countries and traditions. A friend of mine, Paul Neeley, had put together a global Christian worship ensemble, playing and singing biblical songs from around the world. I led worship with this group for seven years, and the musical styles and themes have greatly shaped my voice as a songwriter!
What else is happening next for you?
We will be doing our “Heal the Heart” album release show in Nashville at the Analog at Hutton Hotel on Wednesday, October 5th! We’re also looking forward to playing a concert in my hometown of Abilene, Texas on October 22nd and to a performance on the “Today in Nashville” show on December 6th!
Artist website: https://www.thedeerscry.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeerscryband/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeerscryband/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvr3cS-YXq8SyRAcB8g7vJg
