Posted on May 27, 2026
I discovered Tim Eriksen’s music via a somewhat circuitous musical journey. Some years ago, perhaps while exploring the work of Jerry Douglas (does anyone else own the dobro?), I came upon the Transatlantic Sessions, a series of performances by various folk, bluegrass, and country musicians from both sides of the Atlantic, playing music from Scotland, Ireland, England, and North America. Here I came to first hear Tim O’Brien, and in delving into his music, purchased an album he did with Dirk Powell and John Herrmann called Songs from the Mountain.
The liner notes for Songs from the Mountain mentioned the connection between the music I was enjoying and Charles Frazier’s novel, Cold Mountain. I read the book and subsequently saw the movie where, it turns out, Tim Eriksen was brought in as the music consultant. In addition, Tim sang on the soundtrack and taught the performers Sacred Harp singing (another first musical encounter for yours truly). I quickly became a fan of the book, the movie, and especially the music.
I got the Cold Mountain DVD and found a musical gem among the bonus materials. The Words and Music of Cold Mountain is a full-length concert featuring many performers from the film and its soundtrack. Here is where I first saw Tim Eriksen singing. And here is where I became captivated by his voice and his music.
The next step was to contact him and propose a Soundkeeper project. We ended up speaking on the phone and talking about the Soundkeeper approach to making records. I told Tim about a perfect venue in which to make the recording — the converted early 19th century barn at a local farm where I’d recorded the previous Soundkeeper release.
Tim came to visit the space, and in short order we were making plans for the recording session. Tim has a long-time musical collaborator in Peter Irvine, with whom he was a founding member of the band Cordelia’s Dad, "the only band to have performed with both Doc Watson and Nirvana."
In June of 2025 Tim and Peter arrived at the barn with a wide assortment of instruments: guitars, both acoustic and electric, bajo sexto (a Mexican instrument somewhat like a 12-string guitar), banjo, dulcimer, frame drum, full drum set, and glockenspiel. We recorded a number of songs, including one that Tim sang a cappella. The warm acoustic of the barn provided nice "air" around the players while maintaining the intimacy of the quieter songs.
Tim and Peter returned to the barn for a second recording session in November and then selected the takes from the two sessions that would comprise the album, entitled Absence and her sister.
The blend of songs ranges from the jaunty traditional song "The Jolly Tinker" to the brooding original "Every Sound Below" (where Peter elicits eerie sounds from his glockenspiel by playing it with violin bows). There is the solemn "Two Sisters," a murder ballad (a not uncommon genre from the period, but nonetheless a term I'd never heard before) and more, ending with a deeply emotional performance of the Macedonian folks song "Aber Dojde Donke."
For those interested in the recording setup, the equipment for this session was as follows:
Microphones: Earthworks QTC-1 (aka QTC-40, matched pair)
Mic cables: Nordost Tyr 2
Interface: Metric Halo ULN-8 (serving as microphone preamps and analog-to-digital converters)
Computer: Apple MacBook Pro
Software: Metric Halo MIOConsole3d (Session)
Power cables: Nordost Heimdall 2 (for ULN-8) and Nordost Purple Flare (for computer)
Power conditioner: Monster Cable HTS-400
Vibration isolation: Custom made bases to support computer and interface
Absence and her sister was recorded at 24/192 (24-bit resolution and a sample rate of 192 kHz).
The Absence and her sister page on the Soundkeeper Recordings website contains more information about the album, including samples from all the tracks, lyrics, photos and videos from the recording sessions, and more.
Thank you Tim and Peter for allowing me the great honor of recording your music and sharing it with fans, old and new, everywhere.
| Previous entry | |
| Remember the Sound? |
