There’s a great moment on ‘See You Around’, the debut album by bluegrass trio I’m With Her.
At the end of the jaunty instrumental ‘Waitsfield’, there is a pause before the trio and producer Ethan Jones (Ryan Adams, Kings Of Leon) laugh and celebrate finishing it. “The reaction you hear at the end of it is like, ‘Oh my gosh! We got through it and we didn’t mess up!’” laughs singer/ guitarist Aoife O’Donovan.
“I’m so glad we actually left that on the record because, to me, it really exemplifies the spirit of the recording project, which was we were all together, we all recorded at once, everybody was being held accountable, there was no isolation, there was no way to edit your own little mistake.”
Aoife is a bluegrass veteran, first gaining recognition as a member of the Boston bluegrass group Crooked Still. In 2014, Aoife linked up with her friends, fiddler Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek and guitarist Sarah Jarosz, for a performance during a workshop at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
The performance was so well-received they were asked by the Punch Brothers to do another set later that evening, rehearsing “in the bathroom backstage a couple of hours before the show”.
“We all had known each other for years and performed with each other, but never before had sung in two-part harmony,” Aoife says.
“It hadn’t actually occurred to me to form a trio with them before. In retrospect, we should’ve thought about it because it does seem like a natural thing to have happened. But it was definitely a pinch-me moment and one that I’m so grateful for.”
In 2015, the trio began touring as I’m With Her, well before it became the logo of Hilary Clinton’s unsuccessful presidential campaign (“It hasn’t been a problem for us,” Aoife says). After covering the likes of Nina Simone and Adele, they arranged writing retreats in Los Angeles and another one in a Vermont farmhouse during the winter.
A few weeks later, they were recording their original songs (along with one written by long-time friend Gillian Welch) in England with Ethan Jones, all gathered in the same room around one microphone. “Absolutely everyone contributed to each song.
“I think it was a really unique process in that a lot of times in co-writing somebody always has more ownership of the song and the lyric. In this band, because we all have such respect for one another, it was easy. They feel like they’re our songs, they don’t feel like they’re any one person’s songs. To make room for other people’s ideas, to really take people’s suggestions and go with it.”
I’m With Her has toured constantly throughout 2018. In 2019, the band are visiting Australia (“The source of the avocado toast craze,” she laughs) for Byron Bay's Bluesfest, which celebrates its 30th anniversary. Not only will it be the band’s debut Australian tour, it will also mark the first time in the country for Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz, much to Aoife’s disbelief.
The shows will be a treat for fans as the trio’s compositions have developed as they continue to have fun together onstage. “The songs have evolved a lot,” she says.
“After a year of playing them live, we’ve added sections, we’ve changed sections, and we’ve had them grow in different ways. Those two musicians are just so unbelievable. Even after playing almost 112 shows this year, so far I still feel really lucky [to play with them].”
I'm With Her Australia Tour 2019
Tue 16 Apr - City Recital Hall (Sydney)Thu 18 Apr - Melbourne Recital Hall
19-22 Apr - Bluesfest (Byron Bay)
