Back in North Carolina

As we entered the subway on Vernon boulevard, a cheer rang out in the street. The New York Marathon is today. There’s a party in the streets but we’re headed down to the greyhound station, deep underground in Manhattan. The UK tour is over. We’re southward bound for Raleigh, North Carolina and then home to our tiny house in Chapel Hill.

We’re tired and sore, and road-weary, yet our hearts are filled with gratitude. The Patchwork Tour was an epic three month slog of over 35 gigs! Simultaneously we finished recording our new album, shot a music video, and raised $20k through our kickstarter camping. Yeah it’s been a helluva trip.

As we make the long trek south it’s hard to think of anything other than the loss and devastation in western North Carolinas. The loss of lives and livelihoods, homes and businesses, is heartbreaking. It’s going to be a long road to recovery and we are seeking ways to use some of our shows as fundraisers. If you know of anyone looking to have some live music at their fundraiser please put us in touch! Our next gig is this Friday at Cane Creek Farm, near Saxapahaw, NC, it’s a pass the hat and we’re donating all our profits to Beloved Asheville.

Please join us and give what you can! RSVP here.

Although this is a homecoming of sorts, we’ll be in and out of NC for the next few months. Throughout all this we are hard at work on the new album, booking shows for 2025 (US and UK) and laying down the groundwork for fulfilling our Kickstarter rewards!

If you’re in NYC you can catch us selling Christmas trees in Fort Greene, Brooklyn from the 24th of November, right up to Christmas Eve! We’ll be on the corner of Myrtle and Vanderbilt in Brooklyn, and would love a hot drink and a chat! And if you’re in Mexico City or Guatemala in January, rumour has it we’ll be hanging out, shooting some music videos, playing some shows, and catching up with old friends down that way in the New Year.

Autumn is often a time of reflection, and as we come up on the anniversary of Robert entering the USA with his Green Card there’s a lot to be grateful for. Here’s to many more years of adventure together! And spending more and more time in our beloved NC.

Ho

Kickstarter complete!

Our UK tour is winding down, how wild is that? The time has flown by. As the autumn winds set in, our first weekend in the UK back at Green Gathering in August feels like a distant dream.

We have had so many incredible shows this time around, some of our favourite gigs are the ones we got to share the stage with other talented artists! From the The Old England in Bristol with Holly Carter back in August, to The New Adelphi in Hull with Curtis Eller’s American Circus (shout out to NC musicians!) to all the ones in between it has been such an honour! And for all of you who have supported the tour by coming out to gigs, sending us words of encouragement, helping us reach our Kickstarter goal, and sharing our music far and wide: THANK YOU!

We only have a few more gigs before we head stateside, catch us while you can:

OCT 18 BRIGHTON/HOVE, The Bee’s Mouth

OCT 20 CAMDEN, LONDON, Green Note

OCT 25 LICHFIELD, The Hub St. Mary’s (this is our official Lichfield show)

OCT 26 ECCLES, MANCHESTER, Eccle’s Town Hall with support from Casey Ridley-Birks

We are in the mixing stage for the new album and these songs are sounding epic y’all! We have so much to be grateful for, everyone who has put us up, all the talented acts we have played with, and every act of kindness along the way! We are already daydreaming about our return in late May. If there is a UK town/venue you are hoping we will come to in 2025, please get in touch soon, the bookings are already rolling in! And if you are in the UK and planning a party that needs live music between late May and late July, let us know.

As excited as we are to be returning to North Carolina, we know that there will be work to be done when we get back. As many of you may know Western North Carolina was struck by a category 4 hurricane a few weeks ago. This was in the mountains, 300 miles inland at over 2,000 ft altitude.

Flooding and landslides of this caliber (of anywhere near this caliber) are unheard of for this area. They were not prepared, and they had no way of knowing that they had to prepare for anything of this magnitude. Our hearts have been aching for Western NC and we have already donated to several organizations as well as individuals (including my cousin William who has lost his livelihood/farm and is in the difficult process of rebuilding) and we are urging you to do the same if you are able.

Here’s a list of organizations we know and trust: Day One Relief, BeLoved Asheville, PODER Emma, Asheville Survival Program / Mutual Aid Disaster Relief.

If you feel inclined to give directly to cousin William and his wife Marie to get their organic farm Bluebird Farm back up and running, here’s their gofundme.

Alicia & Robert

FINAL WEEK of ALBUM KICKSTARTER!

We are 62% funded and the love keeps rolling in! Thanks to everyone who has already backed us! And if you haven’t yet, now is a great time - help us cross that finish line and make this album a reality!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE KICKSTARTER PAGE

Photo by Chloe Noblit

We still have one more day of recording (today) and these songs are sounding so good! We can’t wait to share them with you all..

The outpouring of support that we’ve received so far is amazing, from people sharing the campaign across social media to No Depression featuring us on their “Crowdfunding Radar” column - We would not be here without you all! Thank you!

New Music Video
On the 22nd Sep, we’re releasing the official music video for our song “The Devil You Don’t” from our last album. Everyone who donates to our Kickstarter gets access to the video private link, before it goes live. We had a lot of fun with this one and the devil mask we used is even up for grabs as one of the Kickstarter rewards.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE KICKSTARTER PAGE

Kickstarter Countdown Party
Join us for a livestream on the 25th of September as we close out the Kickstarter live on Facebook from 7pm BST. Visit the Facebook event here. We also plan to stream on Instagram at the same time (if technology permits). We’ll be sharing songs and stories, doing another denim jacket prize draw, and chatting about the new album late into the evening! Tune in for the final push! (for a chance to win the denim jacket, share the Kickstarter link on Facebook, or in an Instagram story to be put into the hat).


Patchwork Tour UK
We’re half way through our UK tour and we’ve still got some exciting shows lined up. London last night was a great crowd, we had to cancel our York gig due to low ticket sales, apologies to anyone who was hoping to make that one. We’ll be live-streaming instead so do join us on the 25th September for that (see above).

Once again, thanks for all the Kickstarter support, and if you’ve not yet checked it out, go and leave a donation and/or choose a reward. Every dollar (or pound) counts! Help us make this album a reality.

Your fans,


Alicia and Robert

UPCOMING SHOWS

SEP 21 NEWCASTLE, Belta Blues Dance Fest

SEP 24 DONCASTER, The Crooked Billet

SEP 27 SHEFFIELD, Cafe#9

SEP 29 WORCESTER, The Marr’s Bar

SEP 30 BRISTOL, Blue Monday’s

OCT 02 BRISTOL, Folk Tales on The JS

OCT 03 FROME, 23 Bath St.

OCT 05 OSWESTRY, Hermon Arts

OCT 07 HEREFORD, The Left Bank Speakeasy

OCT 10 LIVERPOOL, Kazimier Stockrooms

OCT 11 LICHFIELD, The Hub (songwriter showcase featuring Alicia Best)

OCT 13 HULL, The New Adelphi

OCT 18 BRIGHTON/HOVE, The Bee’s Mouth

OCT 20 LONDON, Green Note

OCT 25 LICHFIELD, The Hub St. Mary’s (this is our official Lichfield show)

OCT 26 MANCHESTER, Eccle’s Town Hall

Album Kickstarter Now Live!!

We are LIVE folks! We have 30 days to reach our $20k goal and with your help we know we can do it!
(Click here to view and join the Kickstarter campaign page)

As an independent band we have been hands-on with every aspect of bringing this album to life, so far, and yet we know that saying ‘DIY’ is an oversimplification.

The truth is, we rely on the support of so many people along the way, and it is because of each of YOU that we are able to bring this album to life!

From the musicians and engineers, to our family, friends, and fans, we are so grateful to have you all raising us up!

Share the project on Facebook/Instagram and/or donate TODAY and you’ll be entered to win a bespoke denim jacket!

Join us on Facebook livestream tomorrow (Wednesday the 28th) at 4pm GMT (9pm EDT) for the first prize drawing and a few live songs as we keep the momentum going.

Keep an eye on our Facebook and instagram for more prize draws, livestreams, and other updates and join the Kickstarter campaign here.

Alicia and Robert

Raising $20k in 30 days! Album Kickstarter launches on Tuesday!

The countdown has begun! Our album crowd-funder will launch this Tuesday the 27th of Aug when all the rewards, story, and video GO LIVE. We have 30 days to reach the $20k target and it’s all or nothing!

Out-the-gate-momentum is crucial and will increase our success, as well as boost our chances of being featured on Kickstarter's home-page.

EVERYONE who donates/shares on launch day will be entered into a special prize draw that we will livestreamed on Aug 28th!

VIEW THE PRE-LAUNCH PAGE HERE, click the 'Notify me on launch' button to be reminded and get ready to donate and share on day 1. 

The funds raised will go towards making physical copies (CD and vinyl), paying for the studio time and equipment, promotion, videos, and distribution.

We have a bunch of rewards on offer, including custom band-made mugs, bespoke masks, cassette tapes, and even a hot-air-balloon concert at 1,000 feet! Click here to view the pre-launch page and get a reminder!

Thanks to all who took part in our last two campaigns. The feeling of holding a record that was made through crowdfunding is powerful, freeing, and humbling.

We’re so excited to get this one out there and into your hands. Stay tuned for more updates, sneak peeks, and previews to come!

Alicia and Robert

Bristol Bound and Layin' Down

The clock tower chimes on St. Michael’s hill and A Different Thread take a much needed (albeit brief) rest in-between recording and touring. The road is long and full of risks, but it’s so good to be back on it!

We’ve been busy adding the finishing touches on our album here in Bristol, England. It’s shaping up to be our best one yet and we can’t wait to share it with you all!

The album Kickstarter campaign is currently under official review and we will be launching it as soon as it is approved - this should be within a week or so.

Our next performance is in Bristol this Friday (tickets here) and we managed to get some local press;



After that, we head to Hay-on-Wye, Birmingham, Coventry, and then north to Manchester and beyond! We’re so glad to have you all on board for this journey, check out our instagram for all the tour shenanigans.

Hope to see you soon!



Upcoming shows: [SEE ALL DATES HERE] or click a venue below for tickets

AUG 10 TIMSBURY, Tangled Blues Fest

AUG 16 BRISTOL, The Old England

AUG 17 HAY-ON-WYE, The Globe

AUG 18 BIRMINGHAM, Kitchen Garden

AUG 19 DERBY, Flower Pot

AUG 21 COVENTRY, The LTB

AUG 22 MANCHESTER, Carlton Club

AUG 27 HEBDEN BRIDGE, The Trades Club

SEP 18 LONDON, What’s Cookin

SEP 21 NEWCASTLE, Belta Blues Dance Fest

SEP 24 DONCASTER, The Crooked Billet

SEP 25 YORK, The Black Swan

SEP 27 SHEFFIELD, Cafe#9

SEP 29 WORCESTER, The Marr’s Bar

SEP 30 BRISTOL, Blue Monday’s

OCT 02 BRISTOL, Folk Tales on The JS

OCT 03 FROME, 23 Bath St.

OCT 05 OSWESTRY, Hermon Arts

OCT 07 HEREFORD, The Left Bank Speakeasy

OCT 10 LIVERPOOL, Kazimier Stockrooms (ticket link TBA)

OCT 11 LICHFIELD, The Hub (songwriter showcase featuring Alicia Best)

OCT 13 HULL, The New Adelphi

OCT 18 BRIGHTON/HOVE, The Bee’s Mouth

OCT 20 LONDON, Green Note

OCT 25 LICHFIELD, The Hub St. Mary’s (this is our official Lichfield show)

OCT 26 MANCHESTER, Eccle’s Town Hall

Off to a Green Start + Hebden Bridge gig added to tour

We’re fresh off the back of Green Gathering Festival, what a fantastic time we had! We’re playing in Bath tonight and we have just confirmed a new gig in Hebden Bridge, near Halifax - we’ll be playing at The Trades Club on Tuesday 27th August. Tickets here

Our album Kickstarter has been delayed (because we bit off more than we can chew) and we’re now hoping to launch on Aug 16th. We’re back in the studio this week putting the final touches on the record and it’s sounding fantastic! We can’t wait to share these songs with you all and reveal what we’ve been working so hard on!

Until then, if you’re in the UK then come to a show, and wherever you are, keep your hearts full and let the music flow.

Yours,

Robert and Alicia

UPCOMING SHOWS (click on venue for tickets and see our full list of dates and tickets here)

AUG 08 BATH, Chapel Arts

AUG 10 TIMSBURY, Tangled Blues Fest

AUG 16 BRISTOL, The Old England

AUG 17 HAY-ON-WYE, The Globe

AUG 18 BIRMINGHAM, Kitchen Garden

AUG 19 DERBY, Flower Pot

AUG 21 COVENTRY, The LTB

AUG 22 MANCHESTER, Carlton Club

AUG 27 HEBDEN BRIDGE, The Trades Club

SEP 18 LONDON, What’s Cookin

SEP 21 NEWCASTLE, Belta Blues Dance Fest

SEP 24 DONCASTER, The Crooked Billet

SEP 25 YORK, The Black Swan

SEP 27 SHEFFIELD, Cafe#9

SEP 29 WORCESTER, The Marr’s Bar

SEP 30 BRISTOL, Blue Monday’s

OCT 02 BRISTOL, Folk Tales on The JS

OCT 03 FROME, 23 Bath St.

OCT 05 OSWESTRY, Hermon Arts

OCT 07 HEREFORD, The Left Bank Speakeasy

OCT 10 LIVERPOOL, Kazimier Stockrooms (ticket link TBA)

OCT 11 LICHFIELD, The Hub (songwriter showcase featuring Alicia Best)

OCT 13 HULL, The New Adelphi

OCT 18 BRIGHTON/HOVE, The Bee’s Mouth

OCT 20 LONDON, Green Note

OCT 25 LICHFIELD, The Hub St. Mary’s (this is our official Lichfield show)

OCT 26 MANCHESTER, Eccle’s Town Hall