For Team GDW, being based here in the US northeast, our concert-going season typically wraps up for the year around the US Thanksgiving holiday, before kicking back into life come the following spring. The unpredictable nature of the winters in these parts has frequently impacted travel plans over the last decade, so any live music adventures that land in our laps during this period of hibernation become a much welcome distraction during our downtime.
With a somewhat favorable weather forecast, our plans for a potential January excursion to the Shenandoah Valley this past weekend were very quickly confirmed. We seldom need an excuse to make this short trek – we truly love visiting this scenic valley that straddles the VA I-81 corridor – but when our travel dates added an opportunity to enjoy live music from Baltimore, MD-based folk duo The Honey Dewdrops – well, it’s an easy decision. Tickets bought!
Performing at Pale Fire Brewing Company (a brewery with a dedicated space for live music – and a gem of a venue that we hope to return to), this weekend would have a theme of “firsts.” It would be our first overnight stay away from home in 2025, our first visit into the downtown core of Harrisonburg for our first concert of the year. And for the wife/husband duo of Laura Wortman (guitar/banjo/vocals) and Kagey Parrish (guitar(s)/vocals), it marked their first concert performance of the new year too.
Our previous encounter with The Honey Dewdrops was back in 2022 around the release of their “Light Behind Light” album. With the arrival last summer of their latest recording, “Here in the Mountains,” this collection of tunes is unlike their previous work to date – being instead a collaborative project with friend (and VA-based amateur musician) Jace Goodling to share his story of being an adopted child searching for his biological parents many decades later in life. Such an intriguing premise, here was an evening of story and song that we looked forward to experiencing in the cozy confines of this intimate venue.
Performing a solid mix of covers and original material across a pair of 45-minute sets, the duo held nothing back from the offset, delighting the packed room with a lively (and electric guitar-centered) interpretation of “Worry B Gone,” the first of two popular Chris Stapleton tunes on their setlist. With additional cuts from Ola Belle Reed and Hank Williams, the audience would also be privy to the first public performance of the Kacey Musgraves hit tune, “Rainbow.” Laura would take the lead on “Like I Thought,” an original composition originally inspired by the music of Lucinda Williams – and on this night, dedicated to those adversely affected by the current California wildfires and not being in control of things.
Several tunes from their own repertoire were shared, some with a unique twist – such as “Hold Love,” which was reconfigured to pair Kagey’s electric guitar with Laura’s banjo. And with a reimagined version of “Silver Lining,” the duo found a perfect segue into the new album material, complete with an explanation as to why they chose to re-record one of their songs. “About ten years ago we made an album called Silver Lining and we recorded it in a southwestern Virginia town called Catawba,” Laura shared. “It felt important to go back to this song that we’d written a long while back.”
“Making this album was a very interesting process,” Laura later offered, adding some background about Jace’s 30-year quest to try and find his parents. “Something he wanted out of this was to be able to express gratitude to his biological mom … and [that] he had what he says an amazing and fulfilling and beautiful life. So, he wanted to do this album with us to express that gratitude, and it’s a huge honor to hold somebody else’s story and try to convey it through songs and words.”
Following a performance of the album’s title track, Kagey would offer some context about “She Wanted Me” – itself dedicated to the time of Goodling’s adoption. “His mother had to take him home for five days to truly decide if she wanted to give him up,” he stated. “Man, I couldn’t figure out how to put that in a song, exactly, so I came up with this one, which is about when you test drive a car and then have buyer’s remorse and return the car.” “It was such an interesting collaboration to do with somebody,” Laura continued, adding that Jace did not want the sad nature of his story as the album’s focus. “I feel that this is a good example of taking what sounds kind of sad and turning it into a honky-tonk buying a truck song. You might think ‘what does this have to do with adoption,’ and you’d be right, but he didn’t want it to be very topical. We’re just giving you the insiders scoop. That’s what this song is about, but it could also be about buyer’s remorse about buying a truck.”
Closing their second set with the crafty inclusion of “Long December” (the popular Counting Crows 90s tune), this well-timed cover gave Laura one final opportunity to connect with the audience. “Just thinking about that line, the winter makes you laugh a little slower, makes you talk a little lower, oh man, winter!” she shared. “I just want to say that I hope this is a really good year ahead. It kind of feels like it’s starting off in a really crazy way, but it’s hard not to mention that doing stuff like this, getting together and community, go outside more, be with your people, and love is your answer. Let’s try to make 2025 the best we can.”
Set List:
- Worry B Gone (Chris Stapleton cover)
- You Know It Ain’t Friendly
- More Than You Should Say
- Where The Wild, Wild Flowers Grow (Ola Belle Reed cover)
- Silver Lining
- Here In The Mountains
- She Wanted Me
- Goodbye
- Friendship (Chris Stapleton cover)
- Same Old
- Moon Pies
- Hold Love
- Garden
- Like I Thought (Golden Aster tune)
- Rainbow (Kacey Musgraves cover)
- Ramblin’ Man (Hank Williams cover)
- Long December (Counting Crows cover)
Encore:
- Holy Hymn
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.
