Getting to Know. . . REBECCA HALL (The Strangelings)
 by Kathy S-B  ·  12 July 2007

Rebecca Hall is one half of the duo Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson and one fifth of The Strangelings (who will be playing at the me&thee in March 2008). Rebecca and Ken’s song “Lucille Lucille” has just been selected as one of the five finalists in the Great Waters Folk Festival this summer. Listen to it here. Rebecca and Ken call Vermont home but spend a good part of their time touring all around the country. Rebecca’s last recording “Sunday Afternoon” contains many memorable tunes which upon first listen make you want to go back and listen all over again. That’s a sure sign of a winner. Keep an eye and an ear or two open for Rebecca and Ken or The Strangelings when they come to town!

You describe your music as “retro folk.” What is your definition of that genre of music?

We’ve been told by many audience members that, upon first impression, our music reminds them of an earlier time. Some say it reminds them of the 1960s folk boom years, bringing to mind performers like Ian & Sylvia or Simon & Garfunkel; others that it reminds them of 1920s acts like the Original Carter Family. They also say that upon a second or third listen, they begin to notice a modern quality as well — it may be something in our singing style or lyrical subject matter that does this. So we coined the term “retro folk” to try to describe our music in a nutshell; it evokes a bygone time, but there’s something new about it as well.

To my ear, you music has a distinct Appalachian-type feel to it. It’s traditional with a wee bit of an edge to it. Did you grow up listening to traditional music?

Not exactly. My first singing experience was in church choirs, so I did get a good grounding in a lot of classic, centuries-old hymns. Later on I spent years singing jazz and blues standards in New York City. I was not writing my own songs at this time, just interpreting the standards and learning how to sing in front of an audience. Then Ken gave me a copy of Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, which had just been reissued on CD. That was really my first introduction to traditional music. And many of these ancient songs do have quite an edge to them! That was really what attracted me to this style of music. It seemed so real and unaffected, and the stories in the songs were so interesting; they drew me in, just like reading a great novel. For the first time, I began to get ideas for songs of my own. I had always struggled with writing songs before, but writing in this style seemed to be natural for me, and that’s always a good sign! So I kept on with it, and before I knew it, music had taken over my life. Before I knew it I was quitting my day job and devoting my life to this strange new pursuit.

How long have you and Ken been playing together?

I should mention that Ken and I have been married for 13 years. It’s been a gradual process; at first I was performing solo, then Ken started singing harmonies and playing harmonica here and there. The audience really liked this, so we started working him in more and more. There were also times when other musicians were involved — we managed to keep a band going for about a year or so — but eventually we winnowed it down to just the two of us. We decided to make the move to becoming full-time musicians, and we wanted to do this as a duo.

Tell us how you came to join Pete and Maura Kennedy and Chris Thompson in the Strangelings?

We first met the Kennedys and the Thompsons about five years ago, at a Folk Alliance conference. We were scheduled to perform in-the-round together, and immediately hit it off. Everyone seemed to have a grounding in traditional music, but we were all writing our own songs — there was a lot of common ground. Years went by and we kept in touch, especially with Pete and Maura, for whom we opened quite a few shows when we were just starting out.

The Kennedys and the Thompsons formed The Strangelings originally as a 4-piece act, and the band was an instant hit. They made a DVD of their incredible debut performance; a sample of which is available here. This DVD is a great way to experience The Strangelings in its original configuration. Shortly afterwards, Meredith Thompson had her second child and decided to take some time off to raise her family, so Ken and I were called in to replace her.

We’ve just finished recording the first Strangelings album, which we’re very excited about. The album will be made available for the first time at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in July, which will be the band’s festival debut. It’s a privilege to be working with such talented and professional individuals!

How would you describe the music of the Strangelings for those who don’t know what to expect?

I’m not sure which band member came up with this particular description, but in my opinion, it’s perfect. . . think of the Strangelings as Fairport Convention meets a female Jethro Tull at Loreena McKennit’s castle!

The group is focused around the vocal trio of Maura Kennedy, Chris Thompson and myself, with fantastic backing by Pete Kennedy on instruments too numerous to list, bass by Ken Anderson, and occasionally joined by Cheryl Prashker on drums and percussion. More information is available here.