Following the international success of their 2018 debut “See You Around” album, US folk trio I’m With Her returned to the spotlight this year, announcing their long-awaited sophomore album “Wild and Clear and Blue.” Officially released back in May, this collection of eleven new tunes was timed to perfection – and like the arrival of the first batch of spring produce at your local farmers market, was just ripe for the pickin’.
Each one of these contemporary folk artists has an established respective music career, but when Aoife O’Donovan (guitar/vocals), Sarah Jarosz (guitar/banjo/mandolin/vocals) and Sara Watkins (violin/ukulele/guitar/vocals) share space together, magic truly happens – something we witnessed when the trio made a tour stop at The Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York, PA, last weekend.
Having enjoyed individual performances from both Aoife and Sarah at this venue last year (with Aoife dropping hints about the possibility of this future return) – and not having seen Sara since the time I lived in the UK where she toured as a member of Nickel Creek (with her brother Sean Watkins and Chris Thile) – we made sure to snag tickets for this performance.
“Hello, York today. We’re so glad to be here, thank you so much for coming and spending your Sunday night with us here in this beautiful theater,” Sarah announced following a selection of cuts from the new album – including “Ancient Light,” one that is played in heavy rotation on SiriusXM Radio right now. “We are just so glad to be back out on the road together this year.” Adding that they are also happy to play songs from their first album, the trio would perform the title track from their 2018 release.
After taking the lead vocals on “Game to Lose,” Sara would make her first address to the packed theatre. “Well, continuing with the theme you’ve got to be game to lose – risk taking – we’re gonna do one that speaks to that place that maybe you’ve found yourself,” she offered. “If you are in this place where you are currently, where you’re like I cannot keep being in this situation, I have to go. It happens internally, it happens externally, since humans have been humans, you have to try and find the best place for yourself.” And leading into a performance of “Overland,” would add, “This speaks to the bravery that it takes for so many people to do that.”
The performance of a pair of new album tracks allowed the trio to truly shine. “Different Rocks, Different Hills” gave Sarah some time to demonstrate her banjo skills, while the slow burning instrumental opening to “Sisters of the Night Watch” led beautifully into some stunning three-part vocal harmonies (complete with Sara’s solo vocal moment that likely tested some decibel meters in the room). The three-part vocal harmonies during “Only Daughter” were also a delight to witness. Mixing in a couple of cover tunes, the trio would showcase some fine bluegrass licks when delivering “Lord, Lead Me On” (popularized by Bill Monroe), and a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Carey,” with Sarah taking time to gift this performance as a belated celebration of Joni’s birthday just two days prior.
“It’s good to be back here at the Appell Center. I was here last summer, and this is a great town,” Aoife shared during an address. “I got to go for a beautiful run along your rail trail, and I was so excited when I got back to the venue to tell the girls that I saw no fewer than fifty beavers. I was like, guys, there’s like a crazy beaver colony out there. And Sara Watkins is like, ‘really?’ and I said yes, totally positive that there are hundreds of beavers. And then she went and saw them for herself, and she said, ‘I don’t think they are beavers.’ And then we figured out that they were groundhogs.”
Pausing as laughter filled the packed room, Aoife would continue her tale. “I should have known, because we’re in Pennsylvania, the home of Punxsutawney Phil. I saw him! I saw like hundreds of Punxsutawney Phils, and they told me that winter’s going to be really mild this year,” she shared. “That’s what they are, right? Is a beaver really the size of a labrador?” More laughter, before Sara stepped in to bail her friend out. “I think they are this big,” she responded, pointing to the ukulele at her feet. “When you said there’s fifty beavers, I said, wow, there must be so many dams.’” “Maybe our next record will be inspired by beavers,” Aoife joked, adding the words ‘old groundhog’ as an alternate vocal intro to Sara’s “Ain’t That Fine.”
This Pennsylvania wildlife theme would return later in the set when Sara asked her friends if they had seen any eagles outside. “I saw an eagle nesting sign,” Aoife answered. “Eagle nesting, I didn’t see an actual eagle, I was too busy looking at beavers as we’ve already discussed. But it seems like this is where eagles are in this part of Pennsylvania?” “GO EAGLES” came a cry from the room – oh, how easy it was to engage the football fans here in Central PA. “Go Eagles, we dedicate [“Mother Eagle (Sing Me Alive)”] to all you Eagles fans,” Sarah added.
Following the title track and “Year After Year” from the new album, the trio would take their bows and bid us all good night – but of course, the audience were not ready to let I’m With Her jump into their bus and skip town just yet. Returning for a pair of encore tunes, the trio invited their opening act (Ye Vagabonds – who had flown in from Ireland just a week earlier to join the tour) to the stage for a gorgeous all huddled around a single microphone moment to perform “Rhododendron.” Ye Vagabonds deserved the standing ovation for their stunning counter harmonies as they departed from the stage (a band we hope to catch again one day), leaving Aoife, Sarah, and Sara to wrap up their ninety-minute show with one last cover; this time a lively interpretation of John Hiatt’s “Crossing Muddy Waters.”
An excellent evening of music from an incredibly talented trio. Such great music and fabulous chemistry between good friends – we are so grateful that their tour schedule brought them to our part of the world.
Set List:
- Strawberry Moonrise
- Find My Way to You
- Ancient Light
- Standing on the Fault Line
- See You Around
- Game to Lose
- Overland
- Different Rocks, Different Hills
- Ain’t That Fine
- Call My Name
- Lord, Lead Me On (The Hoppers cover)
- Sisters of the Night Watch
- Carey (Joni Mitchell cover)
- Only Daughter
- Mother Eagle (Sing Me Alive)
- Wild and Clear and Blue
- Year After Year
Encore:
- Rhododendron (ft. Ye Vagabonds)
- Crossing Muddy Waters (John Hiatt cover)
Photo Credit: Artist Website (Tour Poster)
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
