Singer/songwriters / Acidfolk / chamber-folk presents
Fern Knight

demo (2002), CD1 (2002), CD/LP 3 (2003/2007), CD (2008), CD (2010)
















Private  Fern Knight : 3-track demo (US,2002)****

"Primitive but charming guitar, sweet voice, good singer. Attractive and pleasant music. "If I could write a book about you" with added cello is captivating. "Boxing Day" with a beautiful Pentangle like rhythm section has a slow burning quiet intensity. Promising ; would like to hear a full album's worth of material." L.Woolfe (remarks taken from a cooperative radioshow with L.W.)

PS. Fern Knight participated as a member for The Iditarod. See Poor Minstrels of Song page
Contact : wheatwolf@110.net      first official release ->
Normal Rec.        Fern Knight : Seven Years of severed limbs (US,rec.1999-2002, issue : 2003)****

Fern Knight's voice alone, whispery sensitive, like a feather on your skin, will appeal to many. But that's only one part of the music, which fits as a music instrument within the rest of the thoroughly arranged sound. Many instruments many of them were played by leader Margie Wienk herself- give a careful interactive play like colours in a painting. This makes the music itself very poetic, without being dreamy. Guests are Mike Corcoran, and Alek K. Redfearn and Joel Thibodeau on two tracks. There are also fine vocal arrangements with second and third voice by Margie, making the music even more colourful. The production is also beautiful, with some small loop effects at the end of songs. Near the end of the CD we can also hear some more instrumentally worked out, moody, filmic like tracks.

I was very happy to have had Margie Wenk a second time in my radioshow. First time she came as cello player for The Iditarod. Second time she came as Fern Knight with The Eyeshores, participating with Alec K. Redfearn on accordion. The performance with The Eyeshores was sublime, sometimes a bit psychedelic and experimental, like alternative chambermusic. Alec's interaction with a more experimental melodic play of the accordion fitted perfectly. The Eyeshores were a perfect accompanying band for Fern Knight's music. Recommended.

Info : www.fernknight.com Contact : info@fernknight.com
Label : http://www.normal-records.com with entry : http://www.normal-records.com/main.php?..
Other review : http://www.forcedexposure.com/artists/fern.knight.html
& http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=395
Review of Fern Knight gig : http://www.performermag.com/neprofile.php?id=279      next recording->
1.demo-version           Fern Knight : Music for witches and alchemists (US,2003)****'

I received this release already before they/she found any publisher for it. I believe here The Eyeshores participated, with their full sound, and relaxed playing. Their sparse contribution enriches the songs even more evolving into a kind of urban chamber acid folk music, ('flowers still there'). The music is pleasant and positive, poetic and romantic, well balanced in every way. Each song is a world of perfection. "Summer of Throg" is a bit more worked out as chamber music. Highly recommended !! For every romantic soul around. Every second of it is essential.          

update : vhf records released this on CD on Nov 1 '06! Eclipse Records released it on LP in 2007:


2.VHF/Eclipse Rec.       Fern Knight : Music for witches and alchemists (US,rec.2003,pub.2006/2007)****'

When I read my old reviews I realize now how tired I was in those days, not being able to write or concentrate better, having loud neighbours for years amongst other disturbing things; and, as if more awake now, I feel ashamed of the poor results of some reviews, as well as for the disturbed presence I must have had, enough to lose sympathy for some people.* I am not sure if I better should not wipe out some earlier remarks and even whole pages, or change a lot for the benefit of the readings. Fern Knight’s release was one of those items that I think deserved more a detailed check-out. Only recently I have my hands on a real CD of it ; it has been years since I have heard the demo. Also, the Philadelphia crew are so active and getting more recognition, it is also the right time to give a renewed attention to the, for me, still too unknown talented Fern Knight. Besides, just recently the album also was released on LP.

Participators for Margie Weink on vocals, guitar, cello, bells & triangle, on this release were Alec K.Redfearn on accordion & jawharp (Eyesores), Otto Hauser on percussion & drums, Chris Saraulloon bowed saw (Eyesores), Orion Rigel Dommise on synth and harmonium, Jesse Sparhawk on harp (Espers), Meg Baird on vocals (Espers) and Greg Weeks for the recording in his studio, vocals and acid leads (Espers).

I am not sure to what the title refers to, perhaps to the fact that only few know or are aware of the magic of things and go for it, and have those goals (so not really referring to the modern day & even fashionable witches ; and also, alchemists nowadays are not existing any more ; also today’s chemistry looks for different direct effects and goals). The participating musicians have a history in playing together, under Espers and Eyesores, and therefore are also able to uplift and respect the songs without anyone dominating, with a complete group entity for making the music sound best. It is especially Margie’s guitar and voice with cello and accordion’s lonely moods that create beautiful harmonies, with extra textures by all other members, that has its own magic stream in music. There are many beautiful songs which don’t always come out as having a pretension to be important, as they are often very much cuddled in the chamber-warmth of the arranged feelings.

*(there’s an animal law that prefers to kill those animals with weakness or sickness especially by those who survive with the same things better).

Audio : "Song for Ireland"(or here or here), "Awake, Angel Snake" (or here), "W. Memphis", "Murder of Crows",
"Lintworme, Pt. I", "Marble Grey", "Shingle River", "The Dirty South", "Summer of Throg", "What the Crows Left Behind", "Lullaby" & on http://www.myspace.com/fernknight

Label info : http://www.vhfrecords.com/catalog/101.htm
Review with audio : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=24807
Other reviews : http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p04207.htm
& http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/10250/fern-knight-music-for-witches-and-alchemists/
& http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=9936
& http://www.neufutur.com/Reviews/fernknight.html
& http://www.erasingclouds.com/wk3006reviews.html
& http://amplifiermagazine.com/reviews/cds/fern_knight_cd.php
& http://www.dotshop.se/ds/release.php?code=VHF101CD
Articles : http://www.pastemagazine.com/...
& http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=13935
Interview : http://music.ign.com/articles/753/753515p1.html
VHF Rec.          Fern Knight (US,2008)****

This new album of Fern Knight sounds much more like a chamber-acoustic-rock album than ever before (on earlier albums, the songs laid a bit more on the surface) with clear recognisable appearances of harp textures from Jesse Sparhawk, and electric bass, and beautiful and ever in close-harmony ultra-subtle electric guitar improvisations by what I thought was done by Greg Weeks, but seems to be done by Jim Ayre (Fern Knight/Valerie Project) on a Gibson Flying V with also drums/percussion. Also participating is Sun Ra scholar James Wolf on violin. The album is produced and arranged with perfect ears intensely opening up and enfolding space of sounds for the compositions, improvisation and songs, with its own participating inspired level of spatial orchestrated music which has a sonic richness and intuitive clarity. Some of the songs were inspired from beautiful places where we still have nature left, like in Ireland. The last song is inspired from Liller’s “Paradise Lost”. The songs have most often clear moments, then dissolve with its vocals a bit into the full music form ; there also are beautiful chamber-like instrumental improvisations. Another masterpiece of the new American chamber-folk scene based in Philadelphia.

Audio : "Sundew" ; audio and info : http://www.myspace.com/fernknight
Homepage : http://fernknight.com/
Review with audio : http://www.midheaven.com/artists/fern.knight.html
Info : http://howlinwuelf.com/html/knight.html
Label info with audio : http://www.vhfrecords.com/catalog/110.htm
VHF / Revolver distr.         Fern Knight : Castings (US,2010)****'

Fern Knight is Margaret Ayre on cello, acoustic guitar and vocals, Jesse Sparhawk on harp, bass, drums and electric guitar and backing vocals, Jim Ayre on electric guitar, drums, percussion and backing vocals and James Wolf on violin. This is the bands fourth album, a bit different from the previous ones. This very much recalls the earliest Philadelphia bands recorded in Greg Weeks studios. There's a dark broody dramatic tension underneath. The context is filled with magick and associations with the tarot card symbols, and the dramatic contexts of change of circumstances. Partly the arrangements are chamber-like, like before where Margaret of course arranged the cello parts, her voice is overdubbed so that the sweetness and innocence become trapped as story tellers in the story-lines. Especially the electric guitar adds a dark dramatic emotional context to it. Adapted in the story is King Crimson's classic, “Epitaph”, one of the most incredible songs in rock history, like the somewhat more common known “Stairway to heaven”. I am not sure if Margaret's voice is the best one for it, but the progressive chamber-like arrangements and song make it work, the electric guitar replaces strongly the original mellotron. With the harp arrangements a medieval story-like imagination becomes stronger. The song taken out for the video is a very convincing one, and I checked out twice if it was really hers, but it was; This could have been some lost classic tale song, but this is new and composed for this context. Another winner from the American new progressive folk scene.

Video : "The Poisoner"
Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/fernknight
Label info (with audio) : http://www.vhfrecords.com/catalog/122.htm
Distribution info : http://www.midheaven.com/item/castings-by-fern-knight-cd
Article on http://frantikmag.com/blog/2010/09/24/vhf-releasing-4th-record-from-psych-folkers-fern-knight-nov-9th/
& http://beta.blurt-online.com/news/view/4192/
Favourite records on http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/817
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