Peter Irvine

With Absence and her sister, longtime collaborators Tim Eriksen and Peter Irvine return to their roots in folk minimalism and gothic Americana—new and ancient songs of their deeply multicultural, native New England, informed by the broad palette of their other collaborations. In the face of aggressive AI, the music unfolds as it actually happened- no edits, overdubs, pitch correction or dynamic compression. PS Audio review calls Absence and her sister “one of the most real sounding recordings I’ve ever heard,” and “elemental,” noting the “timeless quality that makes the music seem like it simply is.” And in the lyrical words of novelist Nicholson Baker the music is “piercing soothing grieving grooving songs and sea monkey harmonies, and whistling too. Beautiful lilting strong…amazing.” Eriksen is a highly regarded singer of American folk, rock and shapenote music, a songwriter whose work has been covered by Alison Krauss, Joan Baez and Bonny “Prince” Billy, a historical ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist with a side hustle in hardcore punk and South Indian veena. Peter Irvine is a percussionist, attorney and stalwart “Sacred Harp” bass singer with a background in sound design for theater. Together they are probably best known as founding members of the anomalous folk-noise outfit Cordelia’s Dad.