Rounder Records recording artists I’m With Her are truly an example of the sum being greater than the individual parts. The trio essentially came together in 2014 when former Crooked Still members Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan aligned with Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins for a somewhat impromptu jam at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. “We were invited to sing at one of their singer-songwriter workshops,” explains Watkins. “We’d known each other over the years to varying degrees. We put together some quick arrangements and it felt very natural and fun. It’s been a pleasure ever since then to work with these girls and admire their musicianship up close.”
When schedules allowed, the trio began to pool their considerable assets and focus on creating a group sound and recording a debut. “We made this album without label affiliation,” says Watkins. “We were lucky enough to be able to walk our way through the record making process without worrying about what it would sound like in terms of trying to sell it to somebody. We were able to discover the album we wanted to make before we found a label.”
Along with their management, the group considered several options. Ultimately, Rounder became the obvious choice for their progressive artistic stance. “Rounder is a label we are very familiar with,” says Watkins. “Over the years they’ve moved along from a hugely traditional indie label into this world that’s a little bit more comprehensive of what’s going on in the musical environment today. I think they’re a good fit for us.”
The group’s sound is certainly vocal harmony-based, but within that framework, there are interesting ambient and multi-layered influences at play. “We’re definitely gonna be reaching beyond that traditional place that the three of us have grown up into over the years,” shares Watkins. “We wanna be a part of the future of Rounder, where songwriting doesn’t have to just be acoustic guitar and singing. It can involve electronic music and more exploratory rhythms too.”
Their debut album is called See You Around and will arrive on Rounder Records globally in February.
Date Signed: Aug. 3, 2017
Label: Rounder Records
Band Members: Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins
Type of Music: Progressive Americana
Management: Ben Levin - Nettwerk Mgmt; Aaron Sawyer - Red Light Mgmt; Emily Lichter - Public Emily Artist Mgmt
Booking: Bobby Cudd - Billions; Lynn Cingari - Paradigm
Legal: Robert Meitus - Meitus Gelbert Rose LLP
Publicity: Heidi Ann-Noel, [email protected]
Web: imwithherband.com
A&R: John Virant - Rounder Records
