We live in an exciting time for independent music. In New England, we are especially spoiled by the pool of talent that runs deeper than you can fathom…get it, ‘fathom’, like the measurement. Yeah, you get it.

I mean, it is amazing, the amount of incredible music you could go out to take in any night of the week and experience. Bills with multiple awe-inspiring talents lining them. And when festivals or conferences roll around, it is inevitable that something special will happen. Collaborations you may not have been able to even dream up play out and thats just what Twisted Pine, Ali McGuirk and Anh Phung steamrolled our hearts and minds with late last week.

Live from the ladies room in Montreal at this year’s Folk Alliance International, the three artists who, in theory based on what genre they may fall under on Spotify or iTunes, you would likely never see together on a stage, take to the restroom to perform this funky, soulful and riveting rendition of Nina Simone’s “Real, Real”.

While the Twisted Pine folks dig their roots firmly in the realm of bluegrass, the branches of their genre stretching sonic aesthetic spreads far and wide into all sorts of different areas. Kathleen Parks’ voice has an undeniable richness and ‘jazz meets soul meets roots’ flavor to it. Coupling it with Chris Sartori’s funkier than funk bass playing style and mandolinist Dan Bui’s tasteful, yet virtuosic, playing style is always a treat. Add in Ali McGuirk’s jaw dropping singing talent and a flute…yes, mandolin, fiddle, upright and flute…courtesy of Anh Phung and what may not seem to be a collaboration, a fitting together of sounds, a musical bathroom rendezvous that you would expect, but thats what makes it so excellent. 

Check it out. 

https://www.facebook.com/twistedpinemusic/videos/436751780417177/