With their debut full-length album set for February 2023, classical folk trio Sprig of That is on the precipice of a full bloom.
Composed of Krissy Bergmark (tabla), Isabel Dammann (violin), and Ilan Blanck (guitar), the band found its footing in 2018 in Minneapolis, and have since established an elevated take on traditional folk instrumental music that is nothing short of pure bliss to the ears.
Their latest single, “Riversong”, dropped November 11th, and most recently paired the song with an accompanying music video. With no lyrics, it takes a special kind of instrumentalist to tell a story with music, and the band certainly delivers. Each artist has time to shine, and the three instruments weave together in a stellar harmony full of rich, dynamic layers.
Shot by AJ Williams, the music video features the trio basking alongside the picturesque Mississippi River, a nod to the song’s title and the album’s overall theme. Simple in its artistic vision, the video reflects the feelings of joy and connection with nature that music can bring. Listeners and viewers can easily imagine themselves perched beside the water alongside the band, soaking up the enchanting melodies and wonders of nature.
Their upcoming album, Bloom, continues to build anticipation, as it showcases the band’s growth and chemistry over the past five years. The album’s title is inspired by the trio’s feelings of optimism and growth that will come with the release.
Sprig of That has created a series of compositionally thrilling, complex – and humanistic – tracks that benefit from the production expertise of Wes Corbett, himself a banjo virtuoso who has toured with greats like David Grisman, Tony Trischka and Sam Bush. It was engineered by Dave Sinko, who is noted as a master in the presentation and recording of acoustic instruments.
Talking about the origins of “Riversong,” Dammann says, “One of the tunes that means a lot to me and speaks of our collective process is ‘Riversong,’ which we wrote for a commissioned performance series by The Warming House in Minneapolis to write pieces inspired by the Mississippi River. It was getting down to crunch time, so Ilan wrote out a form and chord progression and sent it to me. I wrote a melody that pulled from the Celtic fiddle traditions I’ve been exploring. It ended up being much more surprising melodically than what I probably would have come up with on my own without the framework that Ilan provided.”
She went on to say, “When we brought it to the group, Krissy decided that it might work best to actually switch tabla to outline the chord changes – something that is not done traditionally in tabla playing. It was fun to write something together to create a tune that really sounds like us.”
February 2023 can’t come soon enough for the band, who are eager to see their star rise in the classical folk music world, and their debut album, Bloom, will help propel that.
Sprig of That will be closing out the year performing the following dates and locations:
December 17 – House Concert: Abbie Weisenbloom Presents – Portland, Oregon
December 19 – Tractor Tavern with The Pine Hearts and Alex Dunn – Seattle, Washington
December 21 – Winter Solstice House Concert with Livestream – Friday Harbor, Washington
