Visit “Water Valley” with Up Around the Sun
Water Valley, Mississippi, is a quiet town located a few miles from Oxford (home of Ole Miss). It’s filled with authors, musicians, grad students, and plenty of other interesting folks. In a way, the residents of Water Valley have found a southern hideout. A place with few distractions.
Up Around The Sun—an Austin-based instrumental duo featuring Tim Kerr and Jerry Hagins—named their new album after the town, presumably for a couple reasons. First, they recorded at Matt Patton’s excellent Dial Back Sound studio (which is located in a house next to a small church in Water Valley); second, and, again, this is just a presumption, it seems that “Water Valley” aims to tell the stories of some of the people and places in the town (both real and fictional).
Cover art by Tim Kerr
It’s difficult to capture the spirit of the place, but Up Around The Sun pulls it off decidedly. Throughout all 12 tracks, Kerr lays a pressing rhythmic foundation that allows Hagins to wander melodically with his banjo, painting auditory pictures along the way.
Bright, harmonious moments evoke residents and community snapshots you might find in Water Valley—a kid running through her neighbor’s front yard, a communal cookout, a widower ordering a pitcher of beer at Hometown Pizza…
The occasional fiddle—courtesy of Beth Chrisman—adds another melodic dimension to many of the songs, especially “Devoted to Lonesome.” Harmonica flutters throughout too (“Ducks on The Mill Pond” illustrates the emotional depth the instrument can bring to a tune).
If you’re looking for Kerr’s punk roots (he’s well-known for his past band Big Boys), you’ll have to search a little. But, if you listen closely, you’ll find hints in his playing.
Rather than describe each individual track, it seems more fitting to recommend listening to the record as a whole. Just let it tell the stories it wants to tell you. And maybe do so outdoors with minimal distractions.
Listen to the album below and grab a copy via the good folks at Dial Back Sound.
