Night Train Arrives
The night Savannah Buist was born, Dar William’s song, Beauty of the Rain was playing on a portable speaker beside the hospital bed. And so the imprint began. Eighteen years later when Sav and schoolmate Katie Larson first began touring as The Accidentals they had the chance to open for Dar Williams. After hearing the talented young violinist and cellist, Dar requested that they sit-in at the end of her set. As magical and surreal as that evening was for Sav and Katie, the cosmic connection had only come half-circle.
As the pandemic settled them into the studio and the project that would become, Time Out EP, began to take shape, thoughts of Dar Williams’ talent and influence surfaced. The band decided to reach out to her. Would she be open to co-writing a song? To their undue surprise, she was.
In the course of several zoom calls they were enthralled by Dar’s stories of a train trip she took just before the world shut down. “There are not many storytellers like her”, says Buist. “Dar wove a tale about the towns she passed through, the people she met, the landscape and the possibilities. It was so healing to listen to another musician talk about traveling and the power of community. We know the kind of magic you experience in meeting strangers, finding common ground, becoming friends in one conversation and coming to the realization that we are more alike than not - and that there is more goodness in the world than we might believe”.
Scene’s from Dar’s train trip, stirred-in with shared sentiment for the ribbons of road and track that bind us became, Night Train, an anthem for small towns, communities, our country, for the work we have to do. For the hope and light that exists within the humanity we share.
The song is introduced with Sav’s rhythmic P5DC-WB and endeared by Katie’s silky vocals and signature soulful cello. By the time our favorite “less is more” drummer Michael Dause joins in, we are fully engaged, gazing out the window on the cross-country train ride we’ve been aching to take.
Night Train is one of five songs on the Accidentals forthcoming’ Time Out EP, written and recorded during the pandemic and scheduled for a May 7th release. In addition to Dar Williams, other collaborators include, Kim Richey, Mary Gauthier, Maia Sharp, Jaimee Harris and the legendary Tom Paxton.
For a live sample of the project and an exquisite capture of what Sav, Katie and Michael do best, set aside 17 minutes and enjoy this recent Accidental’s installment of 'Finally Friday' by WMOT Roots Radio in Nashville. In this live version of Night Train, Katie assumes rhythm guitar duties (w/ her P6NC) while Sav moves to mandolin.
For more information visit https://www.theaccidentalsmusic.com.
