By all accounts, the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack was not supposed to be a hit. It featured some well-known artists (Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Ralph Stanley), but presented them singing old-time American songs. All guesses were off. The album ended up selling almost nine million copies, living on the Billboard Top 200 for nearly two years, and beating out Bob Dylan, U2, Outkast and India.Arie to win the 2001 Album of the Year Grammy.
So it's safe to say the soundtrack, with its emphasis on American roots music, struck a chord. Cicada Rhythm, an Athens, Ga. duo comprised of Andrea DeMarcus and Dave Kirslis, have located the same sound. The pair are releasing their self-titled debut studio album Oct. 30th on Normaltown Records, and we're premiering its first single, "In The Garden." What Cicada Rhythm offers is roots music that's unassuming, expertly played and sung by two clear as glass voices.
DeMarcus is a Juilliard-trained bassist, and met guitarist Kirslis when he hopped off the freight train he'd been riding and landed in her town. The serendipity of their meeting and subsequent romantic partnership is not all of what makes their music come alive, but the unfettered enthusiasm of their voices in harmony is unmistakable. "In The Garden" is a brief but endlessly endearing introduction to them.
Cicada Rhythm comes out October 30 on Normaltown Records.
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