The award-winning Illinois folk trio give C&I readers a first listen to their forthcoming album, Weary Traveler, available November 9.
Harmony-driven folk trio the Deep Hollow are set to release their sophomore album, Weary Traveler, on November 9. In the meantime, we’ve got an exclusive first listen.
Based out of Springfield, Illinois, and composed of Micah Walk, Elizabeth Eckert, and Dave Littrell, the Deep Hollow blend classic Midwestern Americana vibes with traditional folk energy. Think stripped-down guitar-playing, three-part harmonies, and award-winning songwriting.
“Weary Traveler is only the second record for the Deep Hollow, but the three of us have been making music as solo acts or in other projects for many years,” Walk says. “Liz has been singing since she was very young and grew up doing community theater. She’s recorded some solo material and made it to Hollywood on American Idol some years back. Dave has had a few projects over the years but mainly a progressive rock band called the Station that has toured pretty extensively. I have a band that plays my songs and often perform as a solo act. With the Deep Hollow only being a few years old, it is by far the youngest project for any of us. But it had such immediate magic — we all knew right away that it was something special.”
Coming from slightly different musical backgrounds, the bandmates all bring a little something different to the Deep Hollow.
“You might not think that a prog-rocker, a folky songwriter, and a show singer would make a good trio, but it really works,” Walk says. “Dave’s slide and electric guitar work really add to the Americana vibe, and Liz has such a great voice — she’s really the one that makes the three-part harmony sound so nice.”
The Deep Hollow won American Songwriter magazine’s 2014 songwriting contest. In 2015, they released their Kickstarter-launched self-titled debut album, then in early 2016 reached No. 3 on the Folk DJ chart.
With Weary Traveler, they bring even more to the table.
“The songs on Weary Traveler were written a little differently than the ones on our debut,” Walk says. “On the first record, we did a lot of sitting down and writing together. And there is one (‘Fall’) on the new album that was actually written back then but didn’t make it on the debut. For most of the songs on the new album, though, we did a lot of sharing rough recordings on our phones. At this point, we’ve been performing long enough that we kind of know who will likely sing what part. And we’ve gotten into the habit of trying new songs at shows with no rehearsal. Really keeps everyone on their toes.”
Album highlights include Walk’s favorite song, “Freedom Street” (he dubs it a “sort of David Rawlings-meets-T Bone Burnett” track), and the fun rock opener “Real Life.”
Get an exclusive first listen to the new album, below.
For more information on The Deep Hollow, their upcoming tour dates, and to pre-order their album Weary Traveler, visit their website.