Today, Grammy-winner Aoife O’Donovan has released two new, original songs — “More Than We Know” and “Captain’s Clock.” It’s the debut of a collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Joe Henry (Rhiannon Giddens, Bonnie Raitt) that will yield more music in the coming months. “More Than We Know” was co-written by Henry, and features special guests The Milk Carton Kids. Both songs were recorded this Spring while Aoife was in-residence at Full Sail University in Orlando, FL, with Joe bringing in a collection of musicians from around the country.
O’Donovan and Henry will be joined by Full Sail University engineer Darren Schneider at this year’s Americanafest in September for a behind-the-scenes discussion of their collaboration. For more information go HERE
With a deceptively easy lilt buttressing pinpoint harmonic interplay between O’Donovan and The Milk Carton Kids, “More Than We Know” pierces as it soothes. “Captain’s Clock” charts an unexpected course defined by impressionistic horn arrangements, plucked bass and gently psychedelic guitars. Listen to both new songs HERE
The two new songs arrive ahead of a busy and uniquely varied 2021 tour schedule that will find O’Donovan playing headlining dates both with Alan Hampton (Andrew Bird) and Griffin Goldsmith (from Dawes) and introducing an expanded group later this year that will include second vocalist Isa Burke (Lula Wiles); performances of her newly written song cycle on the women's suffrage movement “America, Come;” shows with string quartet highlighting material from her 2020 EP Bull Frog’s Croon; dates with Goat Rodeo Sessions, the collaborative group of Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan; appearances at Newport Folk, Freshgrass and more.
Keep an eye out for more news from Aoife this year.
ABOUT AOIFE O’DONOVAN
Grammy award-winning artist Aoife O'Donovan operates in a thrilling musical world beyond genre. Deemed “a vocalist of unerring instinct” by The New York Times, she has released two critically-acclaimed and boundary-blurring solo albums including In the Magic Hour, which Rolling Stone hailed for its "Impressionistic, atmospheric songs [that] relay their narratives against gorgeous pastoral backdrops."
A savvy and generous collaborator, Aoife is one third of the group I’m With Her with bandmates Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz. The trio’s debut album, See You Around, was hailed as "willfully open-hearted” by NPR Music. I’m With Her earned an Americana Music Association Award in 2019 for Duo/Group of the Year, and a Grammy-award in 2020 for Best American Roots Song.
O'Donovan spent the preceding decade as co-founder and frontwoman of the string band, Crooked Still and is the featured vocalist and a songwriting contributor on The Goat Rodeo Sessions - the group with Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile. She has appeared as a featured vocalist with over a dozen symphonies including the National Symphony Orchestra, written for Alison Krauss, performed with jazz trumpeter Dave Douglas, and spent a decade as a regular contributor to the radio variety shows "Live From Here” and “A Prairie Home Companion.”
2021 TOUR DATES
July 22 - Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA
July 23 - United Theatre - Westerly, RI ~
July 24 - Payomet Performing Arts Center - North Truro, MA
July 26 - Newport Folk Festival - Newport, RI
July 28 - Filene Center at Wolf Trap - Vienna, VA *
July 29 - Festy at Chisholm Vineyards - Charlottesville, VA!
July 30 - Shenandoah Valley Music Festival - Orkney Springs, VA^
July 31 - Booth Playhouse - Charlotte, NC^
Aug 1 - The Peace Center - Greenville, SC^
August 11 - Ascend Amphitheater - Nashville, TN +
August 13 - Amphitheatre at the City of Auburn - Auburn, AL +
August 15 - Vilar Performing Arts Center - Beaver Creek, CO +
August 16 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO +
August 17 - Red Butte Garden - Salt Lake City, UT +
August 18 - Edgefield - Portland, OR +
August 20 - Frost Amphitheater - Palo Alto, CA +
August 21 - Greek Theatre - Berkeley, CA +
August 22 - The Shell - San Diego, CA +
September 24 - Fuller Hall - St. Johnsbury, VT %
September 25 - Freshgrass, MASS MoCA - North Adams, MA
September 30 - Clemens Fine Arts Center - Paducah, KY#
October 1 - Freshgrass The Momentary - Bentonville, AR#
Oct 7 - Swasey Chapel - Granville, OH (performing with Bull Frogs Croon string quartet)
Oct 9 - Stoughton Opera House - Stoughton, WI (performing with Bull Frogs Croon string quartet)
Oct 19 - Cincinnati Symphony Music Hall - Cincinnati, OH
October 20 - Buskirk-Chumley Theater - Bloomington, IN
October 21 - Old Town School of Folk - Chicago, IL
Oct 23 - St. Louis Symphony Orchestra - St. Louis, MO
~ w/ Yasmin Williams
# performing a duo set with Noam Pikelny
& performing on the Not Our First Goat Rodeo tour
* w/ The Knights
! w/ Jesse Harper
^ w/ Carsie Blanton
% w/Hawktail
2022 EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
January 28 - Out To Lunch Festival at Rosemary Street Church - Belfast, UK
January 29 - Liberty Hall - Dublin, IE
January 30 - Live at St. Luke’s - Cork, IE
February 1 - St. Paul’s Church -- Birmingham, UK
February 2 -- Barbican, Milton Court Concert Hall - London, UK
February 3 - Hallé St. Peter’s - Manchester, UK
February 4 - Sage 2 - Gateshead, UK
February 5 - Junction 2 - Cambridge, UK
February 8 - Tivoli Vredenburg - Utrecht, NL
February 9 - Alice - Copenhagen, DK
February 11 - Haus der Musik 2 - Vienna, AT
February 12 - Orpheum - Graz, AT
Donovan Woods supporting all European shows
SPRING 2022 DATES
February 25 - Kennedy Center Terrace Theater - Washington DC
March 18-25 - Cayamo
April 7 - Freight & Salvage - Berkeley, CA
April 10 - Sunset Center - Carmel, CA
May 13 - Bitterroot Performing Art Center - Hamilton, MT
