mumbledust: folk noir from Savannah

I’d listened to mumbledust several times online in recent weeks and was anxious to see them live for the first time. So I stopped at Graveface Records & Curiosities on Friday evening for an in-store performance that also included Alex Killeen and The Moon and You from Asheville.

mumbledust is a duo of Rachael Perisho and Ryan McCardle. Perisho has a clear, almost languid voice that’s especially interesting when she’s playing the saw. On banjo and guitar, McCardle’s voice is firm, beautiful, and oddly quiet — at least in Friday’s unplugged performance in the store.

mumbledust’s understated folk noir commands attention.

From Shawndra Russell in one of her Music Matters columns in the Savannah Morning News:

Of their name, Ryan says: “I think it’s very telling of the sounds we make and the words we speak — very gentle and minimal with some concern for the happenings of the past.”

They credit the first song Ryan wrote for the band, titled “Elvis, TN,” as the inspiration for their name. The song’s first line is:

In the dust we start to mumble

about things we should have had

things we should have had

Here’s a taste of the music:

And a few pics from the really quite wonderful and wacky Graceface Records & Curiosities:

mumbledust is about to go out on a short tour, beginning at Slims Downtown in Raleigh on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

Update, 11/19:
Here’s mumbledust’s new video for “Places”, which uses found vacation footage from 1958. It’s well worth a look and listen:

mumbledust – Places from Furious Hooves on Vimeo.

Click here for mumbledust on Bandcamp.

Click here for mumbledust on Facebook.

Click here for mumbledust on tumblr.