Kate MacLeod - Perennial (Live) (2025)

Tracklist

01. Storm on the Desert (Live)
02. Beneath the Night Sky (Live)
03. Plans Are Written in the Sand (Live)
04. Early Fields (Live)
05. Fair Winds and Following Seas (Live)
06. I Have a Dream (Live)
07. The Longest Night (Live)
08. The Train Across the Great Salt Lake / The Oregon Trail (Live)

Kate MacLeod is releasing a new album of what are aptly described as Neo-traditional acoustic based folk songs that were recorded live in concert on January 3, 2025 at the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association’s Local Concert Series in Cottonwood Heights, Utah: Perennial.

“Storm on the Desert” explores the way a fight between those who love one another is more of a release than a deep misfortune: “our love is when we disagree a storm on the desert / it may look like we are fighting but it’s more like lightning.” It’s quite an innovative angle on human relationships and the musicianship is fluid and pleasant. “Beneath the Night Sky” showcases Kate’s fluid vocal range as her voice rises and falls.

On “Plans Are Written in the Sand,” Kate sings of the way life can shift suddenly: “the plans are written in the sand but the wind is blowin’.” The mandolin playing here is nimble and spritely.

Then Kate and the band offer us a pretty live version of Jean Ritchie’s “Early Fields,” which Kate opens by saying “this song is about going to sleep beneath the stars.” Kate’s vocals slide into higher registers to a soothing effect in this quieting song. “Fair Winds and Following Seas” is an instant traditional style hit in a thoughtful vocal duet with Mark Hazel as both vocals sound timeless and ethereal.

Album closer is an original fiddle song, “The Oregon Trail’ that’s introspective and calming. This song was the 1st Place/Blue Ribbon winner in the New Tune Category at the 2025 Appalachian Stringband Festival in Clifton WV last month. Enjoyable and captivating.

Kate MacLeod employs landscape and natural metaphors in her original folk songs about how those breezes, coyotes, the sky, the desert and the whole world around us reflect our inner human experiences. Check out the music and find more information here on her website: https://www.katemacleod.com/

Musicians on the album are Kate MacLeod on vocals, acoustic guitar, and fiddle; Mark Hazel on vocals, acoustic guitar, and telecaster guitar; Mandy Danzig on vocals, mandolin, and violin; and Dylan Schorer on acoustic guitar and dobro.

Perennial was produced by Kate MacLeod, with concert sound engineering by Daniel Malin and mixing by Michael James Greene. It was mastered by James S. Anderson (The Bit farm) and David Baker (Westmoon Records). Cover art was courtesy of Jeanette Bonnell with graphics layout by Gin Cunningham.

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