FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 24, 2024
ORKNEY FIDDLER SET TO RELEASE NEW RECORD
THE LOST SUMMER
ON APRIL 5, 2024
Cornish, MAINE, – Fiddler Louise Bichan is set to release her second album The Lost Summer on (April 5, 2024, Adhyâropa Records) nearly eight years after her debut release under her own name, Out of My Own Light (2016, Swanbister Records).
The USA-based Scottish musician and photographer uses both mediums to tell stories old and new. Masterfully blending traditional and classical arrangements, her music is thoughtful, and complex, curious and playful. She composes in response to her roots and the world around her; weaving through stories of connection, to people, nature, the past and the possibility of the future.
Bichan is joined by Conor Hearn on guitar, his brother Brendan Hearn on cello, and Ethan Setiawan (who Bichan collaborates with in duo Hildaland and with Corner House) on mandolin, octave mandolin and octave tenor guitar. Setiawan produced, engineered, and mixed the record. Special guest appearances come from Dan Klingsberg on the double bass, Simon Chrisman on hammered dulcimer, Brad Kolodner on claw-hammer banjo, fellow Orcadians Jennifer Austin on piano and Alice Tait (Bichan’s cousin) on fiddle, and Ali Levack on whistle.
Bichan says “Since the release Out of My Own Light, I have completed a degree in performance at Berklee College of Music, studying with the likes of Bruce Molsky, Darol Anger, Matt Glaser and Joe Walsh. I’ve had the opportunity to travel and perform around the States with Corner House and more, met and played music with so many inspiring people and broadened my musical horizons. I felt it was high time I took all of these new experiences and inspiration and created a new record.”
On The Lost Summer Bichan explores new settings for old compositions, as heard in “Adam and Eric’s”; once a fast reel, she was “inspired to slow it down to a lopey strathspey one late-evening, red-wine-fueled jam and recording session in the Scottish Highlands, with my friends Jennifer Austin and Rachel Seramanni, and now I can’t go back.”
Two traditional tunes from either side of the Atlantic come together in “Deltingside”. Bichan says “I’m always so interested in the ways that music travels and changes. On more than one occasion in lessons at Berklee, Bruce Molsky would start playing a tune and I’d immediately be reminded of one from back home.” Shetland tune “Deltingside” was happened upon during the pandemic, Setiawan suggested American old-time tune “Squirrel Hunters” as another with a similar feel and the two tunes were put together. “I had a lot of fun with this track and was delighted to feature two of my favourite instruments, played by two of the best; Simon Chrisman on hammered-dulcimer and Brad Kolodner on claw-hammer banjo.” Bichan remarks.
The title track was composed in 2020, while Bichan was missing home and her family. “I was being melodramatic, all certainly was not lost, despite everything 2020 threw at us, it was a great summer.” After buying an old Volvo, Bichan embarked on a cross-country road trip, taking in the sights of National Parks such as Badlands, Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Olympic, and Bryce Canyon. “I was blown away and totally inspired by the dramatic, ever-changing landscapes.” Taking along her fiddle, Bichan played and filmed videos under her Fiddlecam moniker, at many beautiful viewpoints, creating videos for “Deltingside” and “Rhena’s 80th.”
The Lost Summer was recorded in Setiawan’s home studio in Maine, as well as in an Orkney living room, where Bichan set up shop along with Austin and Tait, to record Jennifer Wrigley tune “The Watch Stone” and “Arnie’s 80th”, a collaboration between Bichan and Tait, as well as “Tune for Claire”, written in memory of a young Orcadian from a musical family.
Growing up in the remote but culturally rich Orkney islands, a place where creativity abounds and playing music has been a part of the social fabric for centuries, gave Louise a solid grounding in music. She started playing fiddle at the age of 7 after witnessing the magic of live music: “I remember the butterflies in the tummy feeling when watching concerts at the Orkney Folk Fest as a kid, wanting to be a part of it all.” The sense of community and belonging it gave her was infectious; she pestered her parents to let her learn.
In the years since, she has honed her craft, first amongst the cream of Scottish folk at Glasgow’s renowned session scene and performances with talent like Orkney group Fara and award-winning singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni, before a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she developed her style further.
Album Release Tour Dates include:
April 5: Old Songs, Voorheesville N.Y.
April 6: Blasty Trad, Concord, N.H.
April 7: The Gem Theatre, Bethel, Maine
May 8: The Burren Backroom, Somerville, Mass.
May 10: The Cape Cod Cultural Center, South Yarmouth, Mass.
May 11: The Foundry, West Stockbridge, Mass.
June 10: The Deane Center, Wellsboro, Penn.
July 18: Old South Church, Farmington, Maine
The record will be available to stream, download and buy Friday April 5, 2024.
Review copies available upon request (digital or hard copy)
For further information:
Website: louisebichan.co.uk | outofmyownlight.com | Facebook: @lbichan | Instagram: @lbichan | YouTube: @LouiseBichanOrkney | Bandsintown: @louisebichan
Media Contact: Heidi Labensart, heidi@mcguckinpr.com
# # #
