Weston Olencki

a series of songs, mostly about loss, coal, and emigration.

'with sharp bitter lines' is at its core a set of songs, one that traces the unruly tethers between Ireland and Appalachia. Written and performed by Berlin-based artists Dylan Kerr and Weston Olencki, it draws upon their shared interest in the spaces between experimental sound, multichannel synthesis, and vernacular musics. Drawing on the work of folklorists Dolores Keane and Jean Ritchie, 'with sharp bitter lines' uses digital string synthesis, voice, an Appalachian mountain dulcimer and a talkbox to reimagine the future lineages of the ballad tradition. 

‘with sharp bitter lines’ uses and recontextualizes the following traditional tunes:

Green Grows the Laurel, Two Sisters, Sliabh Geal gCua na Féile, The Shoofly, and Shady Grove.

Video documentation coming soon!