Dayton singer Amber Hargett joined Kaleidoscope host Juliet Fromholt for a live interview and studio session ahead of the release of her new album, Coal Mine Canary, which came out on July 29 on Magnaphone Records. She and bandmate Brian Greaney performed two songs from the new album, including the title track, on acoustic guitar.
In the interview, Amber talks about writing and recording Coal Mine Canary, a concept album set in a Kentucky coal mining town.
“I had different sources for these songs, but, ultimately, they began to feel as if they belonged together in some way, as if the characters within them could be speaking to one another. Even though some of these came out of personal experiences or other people’s stories, I started creating a full backstory for how the characters intertwined. And they felt like they came out of a coal mining town in Kentucky.”
Coal Mine Canary was produced by Patrick Himes, who used the Appalachian setting of the album to guide the instrumentation and arrangement of the songs. The album features Ben Cooper on fiddle and Rich Reuter on Mandolin.
Amber also talks about working with Dayton music authority Sharon Lane to record the song “The Oracle.” The track is built upon a spoken word piece written and performed by Lane, which eventually blossoms into ambient instrumentation. She ends the interview by performing an unreleased song, “California.”
Amber Hargett celebrated the release of Coal Mine Canary with an album release party at Yellow Cab Tavern on Saturday, July 29, where her band performed alongside Sharon Lane and The Repeating Arms. Coal Mine Canary is available now in music stores, or online on Bandcamp and streaming services. More information about Amber’s releases and live performances can be found on her Facebook page.
