Keeping it in the family

Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Exeter based folk trio Wildwood Kin are one of the most exciting new acts to appear in CCM in the last few years. The band is an all female trio formed by sisters Bethany and Emillie Key and their cousin, Meghann Loney. The Kin play an ethereal, rootsy, indie folk Americana style. It is catchy yet ambient, blending a number of styles in a genre that is better to experience than to describe.

Tribal drum rhythms  dominate many of their tracks, courtesy of stand-up drummer Meghann, while their unique style is accentuated by Bethany's bouzouki and keyboard playing, and great fretwork from Emillie. However, as any fan will inform you, the crowning glory of the Kin's performances will always be the immaculate vocal harmony style, an ingredient that has marinated from a life time spent growing together. Watching their performances reveals their secret - they absolutely love playing and singing as one, and this strong familial bond extends to embrace their shared Christian faith.

Wildwood Kin exploded onto the mainstream music scene earlier this year when they appeared on a special 30th anniversary edition of the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test. Introduced by the legendary Bob Harris, they played two live tracks including their single Steady My Heart. The entire performance can be enjoyed in the video link below. Their first break however, came earlier in 2017 when they performed on the BBC Introducing Live stage at Glastonbury Festival and at the Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park event alongside fellow Devonian musician Seth Lakeman. Their signing to the Sony record label saw the 2017 release of their debut album Turning Tides, which received wide critical acclaim.



When I caught up with Meghann and Beth for a conversation they had just played MainStage at Creation Fest 2018, and were preparing to head off to play at BoardMasters Festival, in a lineup that included The Chemical Brothers and George Ezra. They were highly amused at a mailing mixup in which their consignment of Wildwood beanie hats had not arrived, because they had been confused with Bastille's Wild World merchandising. When I asked them about their influences, they quoted Sigur Rós, Fleetwood Mac and even Dolly Parton amongst those that had inspired them. You can hear the full interview by clicking the red and white arrow link below. Wildwood Kin are a band to look out for in the future, and not simply because of their unique placing in the Contemporary Christian Music genre. These are musicians with a serious amount of talent, they have a bright future ahead, and they know exactly where they are headed.



Creative Commons License
Keeping it in the family by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

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