Alison Brown & Della Mae Create a Sisterhood of Song
- Kara Martinez Bachman
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Few musicians in the world of bluegrass garner as much respect and acclaim as banjo expert Alison Brown. Recently, Brown decided to produce a new record for the all-female, Grammy-nominated Americana-bluegrass-folk group, Della Mae. With both a guest turn on banjo and an acumen that happens behind the scenes, this consummate performer’s imprint on the new Della Mae record has created excitement for all involved.
Della Mae guitarist and vocalist Celia Woodsmith exuded delight when speaking of the collaboration with one of her musical heroes.
“She is such an incredible mind, and an incredible musician,” Woodsmith said. “She is one of the people who we really look up to most.”
The compliments are easily returned by Brown, who admires Woodsmith and her bandmates: Kimber Ludiker (fiddle), Avril Smith (guitar), and Vickie Vaughn (bass). She called working with them in-studio “the best.”
“I was so struck by the mutual respect they brought to the process,” Brown explained, “and that’s on top of their vocal prowess, instrumental chops, and the great songs they wrote for the album.”
“Honestly, I felt like we were recording a project that was just waiting to be made,” she added.
“Magic Accident” – Della Mae’s 7th studio album – was released in late January under the banner of Compass Records. Woodsmith said the music will feel familiar to previous work, with one exception: This record expands the influences by bringing new co-writers into the fold. She said the process brought out the best in everyone involved.
“If you’re really good at co-writing, you can kind of pull stories out of the other person,” Woodsmith said. “You have to tell your ego to take a back seat. You have to be all about listening and collaboration.” All four bandmates contributed writing, as did Caroline Spence, Melody Walker, and more. Guest musicians also showed up on various tracks.
“Alison Brown is playing on a lot of the songs, and Jen Gunderman, Cheryl Crowe’s keys player, plays on a track,” she added.
She said this much collaboration is an exciting new turn, but Della Mae is still “being true to ourselves.” For Della Mae, that truth dates back to around 2010, when the band formed.
“We were basically the only all-female touring bluegrass band on the circuit. We were a novelty at that time,” Woodsmith reminisced.. “People thought we’d be a lot more ephemeral, like a lot of the other lady bands.”
Listeners detected real quality, however, in what Della Mae was doing. The band proved it wasn’t a novelty; it was the real deal.
“In that time [since 2010], a lot has changed in bluegrass music, and the culture of bluegrass music,” she said, adding that women now see that true success – and industry respect – is possible.
“We are honored to be standing in a space that encourages young women and young people,” she added.
Each member of the quartet brings to the mix a background that expands – and enhances – the sonic content. As it is with much of the Americana genre, there’s a musical melding that takes place. A synthesis of sound. Their individual creative aesthetics and techniques blend seamlessly, creating something larger than its individual parts and pieces. Woodsmith said she started out playing rock music. Smith’s guitar work came from the worlds of jazz and folk. Ludiker specialized in “west coast, Texas-style fiddle.” Rounding out the influences, Vaughn’s bass delivered the traditional vibes of bluegrass and country.
“The combination of those things work well together,” Woodsmith said.
Della Mae has a number of dates lined up across the U.S. in support of the new record. They’ve already been playing some of the tracks from the new album for about two years now; while the studio versions will be new to fans, the live shows will feature material that’s all been stage-perfected.
“We have been road-tested…we are time-tested…we have been through a lot with one another, and that comes through on the album.” Woodsmith summarized the relationships among members of Della Mae in the simplest and clearest of terms:
“It’s a sisterhood,” she said.
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