In 2017, my mother lay in the hospital recuperating from what would become an unsuccessful heart surgery. On the endless drives to and from the hospital, the folk song Lonesome Valley kept playing in my head on endless loop. It wasn’t until my mother died and I started writing my memoir, Folksong: A Ballad of Death, Discovery, and DNA, that I realized I had morphed this up-tempo, old-time tune into an elegy commemorating the grief, fear, and helplessness that accompany the walk beside a loved one on their final journey. But of course, you cannot go with them into the Valley of Death. They have to take that last step by themselves.m

I immediately asked Ethan Deppe and The Quiet Regret to produce this album. I knew Ethan’s artistry and synth rock edge were the perfect contrast to my folk style, and together, we created the electrofolk sound you hear. The album is meant to be played through as a twelve-song meditation, depicting the long journey through grief, discovery, and resolution. There are no shortcuts. You have to take the Long Way Around.

This album was conceived, produced, and recorded during the lockdown of 2020/21. The isolation echoed and informed our work and was, oddly enough, a buoy that rescued us both during a very difficult time period. I will be eternally grateful for this collaborative project.