Yesterday’s post was about a band stuck in the 60’s and today’s is about a singer emulating the 30’s. What gives?! Elizabeth Butters is a Boston based musician/singer who studies and performs songs from that era. In particular, she’s drawn to some of the more somber and creepy death ballads of the time. Elizabeth works at Passim Cafe as an archivist and is in demand in the New England folk circuit. She performs with a dulcimer, guitar, and usually with an accompanist on musical saw (David Goligorsky).
Seems Elizabeth Butters was born at the wrong time; besides a fascination with the music of this time and region (Appalachia, the deep South), she also performs in one of hundreds of antique formal dresses or outfits (an old nurses uniform for instance). She’ll take this insistence on historical accuracy into the studio with her as she begins recording her debut. She is in the process of recording songs onto an analog reel to reel (naturally!) with the plans of releasing them in the fall as a 10″ 33rpm LP on heavy card stock (of course!).
“Hang Me Oh Hang Me” is a perfect example of the type of song Elizabeth performs with it’s dark subject matter and antiquated sound. You can hear the musical saw warbling in the background. Elizabeth’s vocals have a naive, resigned, and childlike quality to them which makes the subject matter all the more disturbing. For more information check out Elizabeth Butters’ MySpace or read this excellent article by Colin Asher on Weekly Dig.
Hang Me Oh Hang Me (low recording levels — turn it up!)
Elizabeth Butters with David Lamb
“Down In the Valley” with David Goligorsky