Orkney folksinger Kris Drever has a new record out called Hill and Shore on Reveal Records. On it, Kris continues his musical journey of exploring the deep connections between the land and sea of his native Orkney Islands (Scotland) along with newer sounds that nicely keep pace with the most current of modern folk music. Traditional tunes picked on guitars, both acoustic and electric, sit well with complex, jazz-inflected arrangements of old ballads, often with nautical themes.
The son of Ivan Drever of Wolfstone fame, Kris is known nowadays for his membership in Scottish folk supergroup Lau. But I like to think of him as sitting at home on a remote northern island with his family, plucking at his guitar and working out the chords to another beautiful song of the sea. He never seems to run out of those.
LISTEN: The Viking’s Bride
Bonus Spin: Scapa Flow 1919 (released on June 21, 2019)
On the 21st of June it’ll be the centenary of the scuttling of the German High Fleet in Scapa Flow. I was commissioned to write a song about it a couple of years back and I’ve been fascinated by the story for many years. I’m releasing the song as a single 100 years to the day, it seemed right. I hope you enjoy it. –Kris
