INTERVIEW: Americana duo The Black Feathers spread their wings on debut US tour
Americana Lady
Posted On October 23, 2018
The Black Feather are no strangers to No Depression readers. The UK Americana duo first came on our radar in 2014 with their album, Strangers We Meet. This fall of 2018 marks the first time the couple (yes, they’re married), Ray Hughes and Sian Chandler, have performed in front of US audiences. They kicked off their 21-city tour in Nashville to a packed house at The Bluebird Cafe during the AmericanaFest in September, and they’ve been truckin’ up the east coast for the past month. I had the pleasure of speaking with the jet-setting duo to talk about their debut American tour, writing songs about issues like alcoholism, and their upcoming plans for 2019…
Coming to tour the US from the UK for the first time, are you finding any differences in the American audiences than from audiences in the UK or Europe? Any surprises?
Ray: There aren’t really any major differences. We seem to be quite lucky in finding little pockets of enthusiastic music lovers everywhere we go!
Sian: Americans seem to have trouble pronouncing my Welsh name and the name of our hometown Cirencester. Apart from that it’s pretty similar.
Ray: There seems to be more of a demand for vinyl in the US, which is awesome. We’re all about the vinyl!
How has working together as husband and wife been throughout your career? How does your relationship affect your songwriting process?
Sian: It’s been awful. – just kidding. It’s pretty amazing to be able to be on this journey together. It makes all the sacrifices one has to make being a musician a lot easier. Being out on the road, for example, for us is just like a home from home.
Ray: We’ve had to make some adjustments over the last few years. Our songwriting approaches have always been polar opposites, but we’ve been working to try to narrow that gap and work more closely together. The last few songs have been very encouraging!
Your songs are very emotional and deal with some intense life issues, such “Holy Water” that addresses addiction. What are your inspirations for your songs typically?
Ray: It varies a lot. It can be anything from newspaper articles, political situations, or personal experience. “Holy Water” is the latter, inspired by a show we played in the chapel of a rehab facility in Nashville. I’d made it to 6 years sober that day, which made the show extra special.
Sian: We really just want the listener to feel something, so anything and everything can inspire our songs. If it makes you feel, then it’s worth writing about.
What is a live Black Feathers show like?
Ray: Like being a fly on the wall in our house. Like being a sort of voyeur in the least creepy way possible.
Sian: You just made that sound creepy…
Ray: Snake Farm – ughhhhhhhh
What are your plans for 2019?
Sian: New Album. New Videos. More Touring. World domination.
Ray: Like if Pinky and the Brain formed a band…
The Black Feathers will be hitting the following cities in the coming weeks:
10/25 – House Concert, Huntington, VT
10/27 – 6 On The Square, Oxford, NY
10/28 – Trinity Music Series, Portland, CT
11/1 – House Concert, Manchester, NH
11/2 – Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA
11/3 – Old Sloop Coffeehouse, Rockport, MA
11/4 – House Concert, New Haven, CT
11/10 – Eiland Arts Centre, Merchantville, NJ
11/11 – Rosie’s Cafe Concerts, Brick, NJ
11/13 – Rockwood Music Hall, New York, NY
11/16 – Our Times Coffeehouse, Garden City, NY
11/18 – Cozy Cabin House Concerts, Watchung, NJ, US
For full tour schedule: theblackfeathers.com/tour
Here are the latest videos by The Black Feathers – “The Ghosts of Have Eaten Well” and “Holy Water” – below. Grab some tissues for the second one…
For more info: theblackfeathers.com
