WILL ORCHARD and JESS KERBER are two songwriters from different corners of the United States. The partnership formed in Boston, MA upon meeting in Berklee College of Music’s Joni Mitchell Ensemble. Sharing influences from such artists as Adrianne Lenker, Courtney Marie Andrews, Neil Young, and more, the pair quickly developed a chemistry and became close collaborators throughout the corona crisis. Will Orchard’s sophomore record, I Reached My Hand Out, was released in May 2021 through USA-based label, Better Company Records. The record heavily featured Jess Kerber’s subtle and intricate guitar playing, which colored the sonic backdrop of Will Orchard’s songs, varying from gentle, dream-like folk confessionals to upbeat indie-rock soundscapes. Similarly, Orchard produced Kerber’s sophomore record, released in May of 2022.To expand upon Kerber’s idiosyncratic and deeply personal folk songwriting, the pair facilitated the introduction of a full band into her sound, including instrumentation which stretches from Americana to electronica. Though they have already performed in cities ranging from Montreal, to Los Angeles, to New Orleans, Will Orchard and Jess Kerber will be embarking on their second European tour this coming summer, performing at small venues in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
LILA TRISTRAM is a musician, fiction writer, artist and teacher based in East London.
Sister EPs Our Friends pt. I & II were released over the course of 2020 via WIAIWYA (UK) and Lirico RecordsInc(Japan). Characterised by melancholic fingerpicking, warm and intimate vocal harmonies and a weaving of bucolic British landscapes, Our Friends received acclaim from the likes of Pete Paphides (The Guardian), Stephen Street (producer of The Smiths), Dan Carey (producer, founder of Speedy Wunderground). “Comparable perhaps only to that of Aldous Harding’s debut … striking and bewitching.” (No More Workhorse), the songs which defined Tristram’s emergence are a journey to the depths of human longing and belonging.
Black and White Memories Ignited by the Scent of Springtime Explode in Colour, was released on cassette via Modern Aviation on 9th December 2022, with a forthcoming digital release in the new year. A collaborative project with The Last Dinosaur’s Jamie Cameron, the five-song EP combines sparse piano, rich strings and elusive vocals in a mysterious, ghostly soundscape. Described as “exquisite… a must-buy” by Concrete Islands.
Over the course of 2022 she has been working closely with producer Gus White at his remote studio in Wiltshire.
