The Orchards are the songwriting project of Pennsylvania native Eric Schwan, now based in Portland, Maine. Featuring a revolving cast of musicians from the Portland music scene, they have released four full-length albums of lyric and melody-based folk.
For “Sing Birds, In Your Shrinking Woods” Eric collaborated with Jerusha Neely (South China, Plains, Mehetable) and Jeremy Robinson (South China, Plains, Drab Pony), forming a trio of nylon string guitar, cello, accordion or electric guitar, and voices to arrange and record the songs. After weeks of cooking dinners and rehearsing together in Portland they gathered with recording legend Caleb Mulkerin (Cerberus Shoal, Fire on Fire, Big Blood) at the Rustic Overtones space for three cold and sunny days in January of 2017 to record the songs live to tape, with friends stopping by to play organ, trombone, bells, fiddle, saxophone, and drums to form an orchestral or ambient soundscape for the narrative-driven folk songs Eric had written.
The album is being released by Apohadion/Burst & Bloom Records, and is dedicated in loving memory to Dave Noyes, who played and sang on it, as well as offering his friendship and counsel throughout. Proceeds from the sale of the vinyl will go to his family.
EDT is the solo cello and voice project of Emily Dix Thomas. She loves taking baths, and her music sounds like a warm, sad bath. Her album It Was A Wave will be coming out in 2020.