Barrett Davis will release a new album, The Ballad Of Aesop Fin, on October 7. The album’s single, “Lazarus,” and an accompanying live performance video, both premiere exclusively below.
“Aesop Fin is a mythical character, raised in the woods,” Davis said. “His dad is a moonshine runner, his mother nowhere to be found. Aesop finds a lover and ends up getting killed in a gambling incident, then she ends up tumbling into a waterfall – it’s symbolic of the vicious cycle of tragedies in these mountains of Appalachia.”
A native of Lake Toxaway in Western North Carolina, Davis was raised in a musical family, his father a guitarist, his mother a pianist, and his sister now a professional opera singer. As a teen, Davis ventured to nearby Brevard where he saw local bluegrass outfit Steep Canyon Rangers and renowned drummer Jeff Sipe regularly perform. Coming full circle, Davis’ previously shared single, “Quiver,” features fellow North Carolina native Woody Platt of Steep Canyon Rangers.
Davis, a self-described “musician-turned-carpenter-turned-musician,” was a member of the indie-folk band Foxfire, which was founded in 2011 and disbanded in 2014. One of Davis’ former Foxfire bandmates, Aaron Aiken – who now fronts Pink Beds, produced The Ballad Of Aesop Fin and played mandolin and guitar.
The record also sees contributions from bassist JT Linville, banjoist Owen Grooms, keyboardist Derrick Gardner, Dobro/pedal steel/lap steel player Jackson Dulaney, pedal steel guitarist Ryan Stigmon, drummer Ryan Sargent, fiddler/cellist Noah Gardner and vocalist Johanna Davis.
Barrett shared the following statement regarding “Lazarus”:
“A song about friendship and renewal. ‘Lazarus’ serves as a reminder that life is too important to waste time hating your brother. Life on earth is short and dependent on friendship. Be good to one another.”
Watch a live performance video of “Lazarus,” captured at Echo Mountain Recording, and a video for the album version of the track below:
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Lazarus – Live From Echo Mountain
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Lazarus – Official Music Video
