TODD MONTGOMERY plays Irish bouzouki, sitar, mandolin, tenor banjo, violin and guitar.
GAYLE ELLETT plays Greek bouzouki, ruan, oud, guitar, dilruba, bulbul tarang, jal tarang, harmonium, dotara, gopichand, swarsangam, cumbus, gimbri, rababa, mandolin, piano and upright bass.
BUY THE NEW FERNWOOD RECORD, "SANGITA", RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!! Just click the CDBABY button to go to our store!
You can buy our first CD "Almeria" here, for only $12 from CD Baby with this button
Sounds Like
Todd plays sitar, Irish bouzouki, guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo and a wee bit o' fiddle
Besides the Fernwood project, Todd is currently collecting tune sets for a new album which will include original tunes as well as tunes from Scotland and Ireland arranged in not-strickly-traditional ways. Along with the Bouzouki, there will be mandolin, tenor banjo, and guitar among other instruments. Stay tuned for fresh tracks.
Also, Todd and Gayle are hard at work on their follow up album. Listen to the rough mixes of Kalyan and Windy Way above on the player. You can order the first Album entitled; FERNWOOD ALMERIA on CDBABY or on Itunes. On Itunes, just search for FERNWOOD ALMERIA.
NEW FERNWOOD ALBUM "SANGITA"
Following on the heels of their widely heralded debut release “Almeria”, this 12-track offering greatly expands upon their previous work. Utilizing an expanded palette of world instruments, Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet) and Todd Montgomery create music that is both familiar and exotic, lush and melodic, warm and inspirational. They create contemporary acoustic music that is beautiful and elegant, with a strong cinematic and pan-cultural feel. By playing traditional World instruments in new and interesting ways, they have created a new hybrid style that is uniquely their own.
ECHOES Radio "Number 4 ALBUM OF THE YEAR"!!!
Frail and haunting, beautiful and dreamy, the music of composer team Gayle Ellett and Todd Montgomery has a unique, yet familiar feel. Both of them have each been composing and performing music professionally for many decades. Working under the name "Fernwood" they have released two albums so far: "Almeria" and "Sangita". Their cinematic music blends the beautiful sounds of Greek & Irish bouzouki, sitar, acoustic guitar, Chinese ruan, Turkish cumbus, Moroccan oud, mandolin, harmonium, gimbri, tenor banjo, rababa, bulbul tarang, jal tarang, dilruba, dotara, swarmandal, tambura, gopichand, violin, upright bass and rhodes piano. All of these exotic tones are used like paint to create dramatic visions of beauty.
FERNWOOD's new CD "Sangita" goes on sale July 1st 2009!
FERNWOOD's debut release "Almeria" is on sale now, for only $12.oo including FREE shipping within the USA. These 12 instrumental tunes accurately reflect the group's warm and inviting sound.
GUITAR PLAYER Magazine discribed the music as "Wonderfully melodic, expertly layered, masterfully interwoven, luscious yet rootsy.”
ABOUT THE MUSIC of FERNWOOD:
Todd Montgomery and Gayle Ellett are currently exploring new areas of Contemporary Acoustic music. Blending both a familiar and exotic sounds, their music has a strong pan-cultural feel. There is a strong focus on melody and dynamics, and the arrangements and orchestrations are interesting and beautiful. By combining elements of Pastoral Acoustic music, with the sounds of Traditional American, Irish, Eastern European, Asian, and Middle Eastern music, they have created a hybrid style that is uniquely their own.
Their music has a strong autobiographical feel that accurately portrays a sense of who they are and where they live. Recorded in their Malibu studio, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, their music is a reflection of their lives in Southern California as well as the previous work they've done in the areas of Film and TV composition, Traditional World music, Rock and Jazz.
Currently, they are working on a second CD due out in early 2009, in a style similar to "Almeria".
SOME REVIEWS FOR FERNWOOD ALMERIA:
"Fernwood is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalists Todd Montgomery and Gayle Ellett. The two have scored numerous film soundtracks both together and individually, and it shows. The songs are wonderfully melodic and emotionally direct, the diverse instruments are expertly layered, and dynamics are an essential aspect of the orchestrations. Acoustic stringed instruments constructed of wood predominate, and timbre and sonority suggest place and idiom as strongly as the actual compositional structures. Middle Eastern, Asian, African, and European motifs are masterfully interwoven with Americana to form a luscious yet rootsy imaginary idiom that is intriguing, uplifting, and at once familiar and exotic."
GUITAR PLAYER Magazine
"This month’s Spotlight is a beautiful acoustic based track featuring a combination of instruments that we rarely hear. While the writing, arranging and performances are of the highest order, it is the blend of the various instruments in the mix that really makes this release something special to our ears. Gayle and Todd have skillfully managed to combine numerous stringed instruments, many with competing frequency ranges, into an open, airy mix that leaves space for each individual sound source, while maintaining a full cohesive feel, free of artifact and digital “nasties.” Relax and enjoy! Well done!
Highly Recomended"
RECORDING Magazine
Belgium's famous PSYCHEDELICFOLK.com said "Fernwood is a musical entity of two musicians who feel each other's essence for such cooperation well. This acoustic cooperation is rather descriptive in a very moody way, with pickings and notes in different rhythmical speeds, spinning around, with some lovely tunes. The listing in my 'acidfolk' section does not completely do justice to the release. Especially young people often tend to look for something with a hype factor, with "weird" or strange or modern associations, while the mature composer also recognises better things that last longer, or that reflect harmonic balances. For record companies, harmonic results are also harder to sell or categorise, when the music does not follow any of the mainstream tendencies. Fernwood's music reflects harmonic pulses and melodies, arranged by the inspirations of a duo playing together with interactions and melted ideas of compositions, and a whole diversity of instruments.
Recommended!"
"Fernwood is a new project by the composer team of Todd Montgomery and Gayle Ellett and Almeria is their debut album. Gayle has appeared on more than 50 CDs and is one of the mainstays of Djam Karet. Todd is a specialist in Irish and American music, having played on the soundtrack of the movie "The Veronica Guerin Story".
The concept behind this album should be enough to tempt any lover of acoustic music to click straight across to CDBaby and grab a copy of this album for a mere $12. The idea is beautiful in its simplicity: All the music is played by hand, on instruments made out of wood. The exhaustive mix of instruments is what separates this album from any acoustic instrumental record I’ve ever heard. The instruments are used in different combinations across the 12 songs. As a result there is a such a wide range of sounds, textures and energies that each stands as a wholly individual listening experience. As a listener I was kept enthralled, as each track opened new possibilities. An enchanting, beautiful and captivating aural pleasure."
Conclusion: 9 out of 10
Dutch Progressive Rock Pages at www.DPRP.net
"Beautiful, picturesque acoustic instrumental music with loads of natural space and some gorgeous chord changes. Just like you're seeing the sea for the first time in 3 years on your road trip."
KIAC Radio
"Absolutely enchanting, a brilliant mix of interesting textures and layers of exotic acoustic timbers. A tantalizing taste of otherworldly aural delight."
www.JazzMando.com
"Just received your CD this week. I'm listening to it right now; it is wonderful. Love the acoustic sounds; and the acoustic guitar sounds superb."
Bert Lams of the California Guitar Trio
"Top 25 CD Of The Month" for the past seven months (March, April, May, June, July, August, September) on ECHOES Radio
www.ECHOES.org
The second part of the trilogy "The
Empty
Circle" by The Joy of Nature, entitled «Rastos de Sangue e fragmentos da
Tradição», has been now released by Ahnstern and it is available at The Joy of Nature's store.
In this second part a lot more instruments were used and more
musicians collaborated, like R. Coutinho, B. Ardo (Sangre Cavallum), Rui
Almeida (Massa Última), Triarca, Mara Neves and M.J.
Not only a reaction against the modern world, but
an alternative to this post-modern world.
Dear friends, Έχω uploaod τρία νέα κομμάτια του επόμενου CD μου I've uploaod three new pieces of my next CD J'ai téléchargé trois pièces de mon nouveau CD à paraître bientôt... Cordialement, Frédéric
Hi tj montgomery ! Thx 4 the add,it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance ! In a world full of music that irritating to the ears,your music is a breath of fresh air,utterly beautiful !! Best regards from Germany ! Assraell
Everyone at indiecater records would like to wish you a happy summer and let you know that there is an indiepop song from the Very Most available to download FREE from our site!
Seamus
