House of Hamill is led by Brian Buchanan and Rose Baldino, two married musicians with a background in Celtic fiddle playing. They are a contradiction in many ways. Lyrically, they are steeped in tragedy and even gore. Yet more often than not, they seem to be having fun with the material or find a way to convey a beautiful message. Even in their most pessimistic song, they encourage listeners to focus on the beauty of the world while they can. Meanwhile, their sound is an otherworldly blend of ancient folk and modern progressive sensibility.
“When two musicians start a relationship, obviously, they’re eventually going to start writing together and see what comes out,” Buchanan explained. “I think the first couple of [House of Hamill] albums were just us grabbing every influence and thing we’d never gotten to do with our other bands and trying to impress each other”
Caroline Browning joining the trio marked a turning point. Harmonies and acoustic instruments were in, “wacky and wild” rock songs were out. The result is progressive folk like Americans have rarely heard because the backbone is so old world. With fewer modern influences, their take on “Silver Dagger” might be more welcome at a renaissance festival than a bluegrass festival.
“Banks of the Brandywine,” their lead single, draws inspiration from tracks with percussive vocals like “Hayloft” from Nickel Creek and several by the band Metric. A mandolin and tightened strings provide a rhythm that feels fierce and urgent while the lyrics dive into horrors and urban legends.
“We really love old folk stories and we’re also big true crime fans,” Baldino said. “We often find these spooky stories and listen to a lot of podcasts because we drive a lot. Some of it is made up for sure, probably by teenagers, but there’s definitely folk lore that’s actually true. We like the creepy stuff.”
“Usually truth is actually stranger and creepier than fiction,” Buchanan added.
A great example is the story of Michael Malloy, also known as the Rasputin of the Bronx. In 1932 the patrons of a bar took out life insurance on the heavy-drinking immigrant, thinking he’d quickly succumb to alcohol poisoning when being allowed to drink for free. He survived weeks of untold damage to his liver along with poisoning attempts, being doused with water while sleeping one off outside in the freezing cold, and being run over by a taxi. Other versions of the tale allege he was fled tacks, glass, and a machine gun shooting before finally being taken out by poison gas more than a month into the project.
The song describes the frustration of his killers while giving off a sort of fun vibe. If taunting the failures of long since executed murderers can be mined for some joy, I’m all for it. The folk tradition, especially older songs, takes far too much joy in the actual murdering of lovers for anything on this album to be offensive. The suffering here is fodder for campfire tales far less lurid than a typical true crime podcast.
Wildfire features not just morbid enjoyment of dark tales, but inspiration in overcoming the darkness. If death can be played for spooky fun on this album, it can also be the source of tremendous tenderness and beauty.
“Into the Golden,” a traditional folk song by the standards of this band, is based on a William Butler Yeats poem called “Dream of a Blessed Spirit.” Sure, the poem is about someone dying. But the lines “When the stars but dimly shine/don’t go into the golden/light of the morning/with a troubled mind” are well, gorgeous whether it’s about ascending to the thereafter or simply starting a new day.
Twice on the album, House of Hamill departs from the world of lore and high art to tackle in-the-now type subjects. Twice, they show a knack for addressing painful issues with thoughtfulness.
It’s clear that “Shine” is a comeback story by the end of a refrain, though a difficult. The circumstances are not made explicit, but the main character is moving away after experiencing some kind of rejection by her church. The band revealed that it was about her seeking reproductive health, though it wouldn’t have shocked me if they said she was queer.
Buchanan based it on stories “of people who thought they belonged in a community but then because of their life circumstances were forced to leave that community to find somewhere where they’d be respected or their rights would be respected,” he said.“I was inspired by the courage that it takes to make a break with your comfort zone and striking out on your own to find a place where you can truly shine and be yourself. We’re both lucky because we both have great families who are very supportive. But we’re also both proponents of the idea that your family can be the family that you choose. When you find the people who really are your tribe, they can be the ones who support you even when the other people in your life don’t anymore.”
There’s a great faith in the lyrics of “Shine” that our main character will find her way, if only by starlight. There’s nothing close to that kind of relief in the title track, which somehow ends the album on a more dour note than if it had concluded with a song called “Unquiet Grave.”
“It’s the realest [on the album], for sure,” Buchanan said of the track.“We were inspired because we had to go out and buy an air purifier because we couldn’t breathe in our own house. So very literally, by wildfires in Canada.”
The plume of smoke was memorable for many in New York, though House of Hamill saw it as a warning of a dark future to come. In their view, environmental degradation is coming and our best move would be to enjoy the beauty while it lasts.
“It’s not a super hopeful song, unless you consider the image of a phoenix rising from the ashes to be a symbol of hope,” he added. “We did think the idea of a wildfire captured the imagery in a lot of the songs: the cycle of death leading to a new rebirth. So hopefully that comes through a little bit and it’s not just depressing.”
For their part, House of Hamill is enjoying nature often. They speak highly of time spent in national parks, around mountains, and even decompressed on election night by sleeping in a cabin with a glass wall facing a wolf enclosure.
“There’s no television in the cabin,” Buchanan said. There’s spotty internet and cellphone reception. So you’re sort of forced to just sit there by a window looking at nothing and waiting. Every few hours an incredible creature will come wandering by, and that’s just how it is.”
Wildfire may be a dark song and album, but House of Hamill is taking their own words to heart and soaking in every source unique, glimmering light they can find.
Above is the full episode as aired on WUSB’s Country Pocket, including both my interview with Buchanan and Baldino and the songs we discussed, starting with Banks of the Brandywine, which began without a specific river in mind. The interview begins with the second video in the playlist. You can hear the show live every Tuesday at 12pm on WUSB 90.1 FM or check the blog to watch it as a YouTube playlist. Visit http://www.WUSB.fm and https://www.houseofhamill.com/home for more.
Country Pocket 