"...CAN ONLY RUN FOR SO LONG"

 

Kari Macleod is steadily carving out her own place in the UK Folk, Roots and Americana music scene as a captivating and original singer-songwriter, as well as a highly skilled fiddle and violin player across multiple genres. After an extended hiatus following the release and touring of her debut self-penned album "The Fugitive" in 2015 to focus on collaborating and writing with other artists, she is ready to venture back into the scene on her own again.

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Born and raised in the rural Highland town of Tain, nestled between the hills, forests and rugged shore lines of the north sea, Kari found a deep well of inspiration in the wild landscapes in which she grew up. This can be heard no more so than in her songs "Arms of the Brave" - an evocative, uplifting tale full of hope, with themes echoing those of the Highland clearances and the long journey towards liberation through high Glens and rough terrains - and "The Fugitive"  - a melancholy ballad in which the erosion of the cliffs and shore lines, holds metaphorical significance in the retreating and defeatist nature of the "Fugitive", and calls them home when the wind blows North. In the uptempo, jazz inspired "For All The Boys", Kari reflects on the sacrifices that many of the people from her community and the wider North coast make, as they disappear for weeks and sometimes months, to work on the oil rigs in the North Sea. Her father, also a musician, and who was one of these people for a time during her teenage years, would reminisce about the long weeks spent in the middle of the cold, dark ocean with just his guitar to pass the time in the off-duty nights, looking forward to returning home to family and the warmth of a local single malt.

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During Kari's hiatus from releasing music with her own band, she recorded and toured with Durham born folk singer-songwriter Jez Lowe and became a member of the band "The Mile Roses". Upon becoming a member, one reviewer wrote -

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"What elevated The Mile Roses above more traditional folk groups was the vibrant, almost Carly Simon-esque vocals of Kari Macleod" - W. Brown LincsOnline

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It is in part because of her broad range of influences that Kari has managed to distinguish and navigate her way through developing her own style in both her singing and writing. She names American singer-songwriter Patty Griffin as one of her biggest influences - along with Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Brandy Clark and bluegrass band The Steel Drivers - but her upbringing playing and singing traditional Scottish music, is heard undeniably throughout all of her music.

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With an ever-growing catalogue of new songs under her belt, she has returned with the backing of her band 'The Fugitives' to work on releasing some of these songs and begin the recording of a new E.P. The first single of this E.P called "You Don't Know Me" was released in March and is available for download via her Bandcamp page and Itunes, or stream on all major platforms. The second single "Wherever your heart roams" is due to be released in April 2025 and will be available on her Bandcamp before being released on all streaming platforms.

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