Review of Who We Are by Nick Noble, WICN

WHO WE ARE – Dan & Faith  The sixth CD from New Hampshire-based husband-and-wife folk duo Dan and Faith Senie is a triumph!  Although as yet released for just barely a month at this writing, it has already climbed into the Top 40 on the nationwide folk chart. The album contains sixteen original songs and was produced by renowned troubadour Joe Jencks.

The song with the most airplay so far is the joyous “I Want to Sing About Love”, co-written by Faith and Jencks, and is one of my favorites on the CD. I am waiting, however, for the simple duet “My Name is George” to get the recognition it deserves. A beautiful song written by Faith, it relates a powerful message of being true to oneself and the challenge of unconditional parental love. Faith wrote seven tracks on the release, including the wistfully evocative “Twilight Time in the Meadow and the lovely lullaby “Gently Sleep.”

Nine songs are Dan’s creations, touching on a wide range of subjects. I particularly like “Ghosts”, his reflection on 9/11 some two decades later; “Dig a Hole”, about striking coal miners; “Se Llama Juanita”, a co-write with Joe Jencks about immigrants seeking asylum in the United States; and “Thanks for the Memories”, recalling his friendship with Pete and Toshi Seeger. All of the songs are excellent, with lovely harmonies and wonderful instrumental work.

In addition to Faith (ukulele, acoustic bass, mountain dulcimer, lead vocals) and Dan (guitar, banjo, lead vocals), there are significant contributions from a talented team, including Tracy Grammer (fiddle), Raianne Richards (clarinet), Joe Jencks (bouzouki, backup and  harmony vocals), Christine Stay (backup and  harmony vocals), Aidan Quinn (backup and  harmony vocals), Catherine Miles (backup and  harmony vocals), Mark Dann (bass), John Kirk (fiddle), Michael G. Ronstadt (cello), and Brad Yoder (soprano saxophone,  glockenspiel). The result is something musically quite special, and it is presented in an impressively magnificent 70-page booklet that delivers lyrics and extensive background for each track, all wrapped up in Leslie Lee’s gorgeously designed package. I highly recommend the entire experience of Dan & Faith’s Who We Are.

The Dream Journal – February 2025

Hello!

We would like to apologize to the entire east coast of the US for bringing New Hampshire weather south with us! We left home a few days earlier than planned because there was an arctic blast headed that way, and it sure seemed like we surfed the edge of the cold weather the whole way south. Even Jacksonville, FL had overnight lows below freezing when we were there, though they avoided the snow a few days later. Our long sleeved flannel shirts even made an appearance for our show in Miami! Thankfully, temperatures up and down the coast appear to be moderating, so our weather influence is finally waning and we’ve finally found warmth.

The warmth is definitely appreciated now, because the South Florida Folk & Acoustic Music Festival is only a few days away! The festival runs Friday, January 31st through Sunday, February 2nd at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds in Davie, FL. The performer lineup at the festival this year is spectacular! Plus there are jams, workshops, and this year’s songwriting contest finalists (which is how we got there last year). We’ll be hosting a jam session, “Telling Stories That Matter: Songs for our Times” at 3pm on Saturday, February 1st in the jam tent, and will be playing a set on the Gator Stage (the main stage!) at 2:30pm on Sunday, February 2nd. There’s camping on site (with late night song circles) for tents and RVs, too. Festival tickets are available here.

Once we’ve basked in the newly-returned Florida warmth and the glow of the festival, we head north again! The Folk Alliance International (FAI) annual conference will be held in Montreal, Quebec this year from Wednesday, February 19th through Sunday, February 23rd. This will be our first FAI main conference; we have attended several of the regionals (NERFA, SERFA, FARM) over the years, but never the big one. We have a number of late night showcases scheduled. If you’ll be attending the FAI conference, let us know! We would love to meet up.

With all the things going on in the country and the world right now, sometimes we feel an obligation to write some heavy songs when all we really want to do is sing about love and peace. Faith’s song I Want To Sing About Love captures this frustration.

Our albums Who We Are, Then and Now, Seeking, and Simple Grace are available from us at shows and on our website, through Bandcamp, or you can find them at iTunes and most other online music stores. Our music is also available streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

As always, you can find additional schedule information on our website. For additional content, follow us on Patreon. For more frequent news updates and information, check out our Facebook fan page.

In this month of love, treat your loved ones to live local music wherever you may find it!

Dan & Faith

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