Caroline Herring found a source of inspiration for her new CD in an unexpected place: one of her daughter Carrie’s favorite books, “The Little House.”
Herring, of the critically acclaimed 2009 CD “Golden Apples of the Sun,” is known for her folk balladry, a distinct mix of bluegrass, jazz and country. Last May, the Decatur singer-songwriter appeared with Garrison Keillor on public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”
Yet, last fall, Herring was at a creative standstill until one day, she picked up “The Little House” from a pile of books. She turned the pages of a book she’s read hundreds of times. Only this time, it sounded different. It sounded like a song.
The lyrics for the songs started coming together in one hour for her new CD, “The Little House Songs.”
“I had been working on my normal stuff and was frustrated, and there was ‘Little House’ … It was at the right place at the right time,” said Herring, who also has a 4-year-old son named Sam.
At a time when the children’s music scene is exploding, and there’s no shortage of grating music to make Mom and Dad squirm every time their little one begs to hear a favorite children’s CD, Herring’s music for youngsters is refreshingly sweet and pretty.
Her songs in “The Little House Songs” tell the story about a pink home on a hill built way out in the country and surrounded by apple trees that little by little gets encroached upon by the nearby city. The pink house eventually gets swallowed up by that nasty big city and falls into disrepair, until a woman recognizes its beauty and history and has it moved out to the country.
Recently, Herring’s musical undertakings took another expected turn.
Last month, Herring was one of eight folk music artists invited to take part in The Cecil Sharp Project. Sequestered in an English farmhouse for about one week, the group of well-known folk musicians were given the task of creating new works based on the life and legacy of Sharp, an English folk collector, with particular attention to Sharp’s Appalachian travels and song collecting from 1915 to 1918.
Almost immediately, the chemistry among the artists sparked a torrent of creativity and new songs. An assembly line of sorts was established — one artist would embark on writing some lines, another artist would flesh them out, others joined in, and then musicians added the instrumentals.
They created 18 songs in just five days.
Herring was involved in 13 of the songs, taking the lead in “Black Mountain Lullaby,” a tender and heartrending song about a 3-year-old boy in Appalachia crushed by mining-related clearing activities.
“By the third night, I went to bed at 4:30 a.m.,” she said. “I couldn’t shut my brain off and several others had that same dilemma. We were really, really brainstorming. … We lived the dream for a few days.”
After the retreat, the group performed three concerts to rave reviews. The performances were recorded and a CD is planned for release this summer.
Herring will perform songs from both bodies of work this weekend at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur. Friday, she’ll take the stage to perform some of the songs from The Cecil Sharp Project.
On Saturday, she’ll switch gears and perform music from “The Little House Songs” at two daytime performances. At her Saturday performances, she’ll also weave in story slides and illustrations that will be projected on a big-screen. Mixed with the sound of her voice, the stories will surely come to life.
Event preview
Caroline Herring . Friday at 8 p.m. for adults; family shows at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for Friday are $15 in advance; $18 at the door; Saturday shows are $10. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N . McDonough St., Decatur. 877-548-3237; www.eddiesattic.com
