Young American roots duo Cahalen Morrison & Eli West produce some of the finest music I’ve ever heard – and they’ll be back in the UK soon for an extensive tour starting on Thursday 11th April. Unfortunately for those of us south of the border, the only gigs on English soil this time will be in Kendal and Newcastle, but for all you lucky  music lovers in Scotland, they will be playing a variety of venues there – as well as a handful of dates in Ireland. So if you can get to any of these concerts, grab the chance – you won’t regret it! You can find the full tour itinerary here.  

Cahalen & Eli’s classic brand of acoustic music includes elements of bluegrass, old time and old-style country blues, yet simultaneously manages to sound highly original and fresh. This is in no small part thanks to the world class songwriting of Cahalen Morrison, but it’s also due to the great and subtle instrumental skills of both lads (on mandolin, guitar, clawhammer banjo and octave mandolin) as well as the truly blessed blend of harmony singing achieved by their two voices. Check out this clip to see for yourself:

Put it this way, after seeing some of this footage I was wowed enough to travel from Yorkshire to Glasgow to see them play live in 2011. We also had a great trip to Germany to see them feature in the Bluegrass Jamboree tour that December. Fortunately their 2012 tour came closer to home for me and I was lucky enough to spend some time chatting to the guys and to see another wonderful performance at The Live Room in Saltaire last July. Check out my interview with Cahalen and Eli and some clips from that concert in my previous blog here.

You can also listen to (and purchase) their music at their Bandcamp site here. Their second album Our Lady of the Tall Trees features a number of Cahalen originals which deserve the stamp “instant classic” – including All for the Sake of Day featured below. They also deliver a couple of accomplished covers, including a gorgeous version of Townes van Zandt’s Loretta. These guys are the real deal, and their music makes the soul soar. Get yourself a bit of it, support real music, and feel good.