Last summer, Canadian troubadour Cat Clyde’s tour in support of her 2023 album Down Rounder landed her on the picturesque Rare Bird Farm, which is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains between the North Carolina arts enclave of Asheville and the NC-Tennessee border. I.e. the western edge of the state. On the album’s Bandcamp page, she recalls, “Pulling into the property, I was welcomed and held by the big hills and cool creek. Farrah and Mitchell, owners and caretakers of the land, had arranged for me to perform looking out into the big hills tucked into the open barn whilst the audience sat on blankets with tea, and dogs roamed and played.” She also writes, “My time in Western North Carolina, driving through the winding roads and witnessing the beautiful forests, swimming in the rivers, and walking the trails, held great beauty and magic for me.”
In late September, unfortunately, Hurricane Helene razed much of the region; Clyde witnessed the destruction for herself during a return visit not long thereafter, heartbroken by what she saw but also inspired by the resilience of everyone she met. She decided to release a recording of that summer gig—and contribute all proceeds to Bounty & Soul, a local food, farms and health organization that shifted to relief work within days of the storm’s exit. In partnership with World Central Kitchen, for instance, it doled out some 2000 hot meals a day, plus provided pet food, diapers, heaters, bedding, clothing and other essentials to those in need. While the storm itself only lasted a few days, the recovery will take years—people lost their homes, their jobs, their everything. It’s why some folks, even now, are living in tents.
Clyde is the real deal, by the way, a talented tunesmith with a distinct vision and a caring heart. I first came across her in 2021 by way of the album she released with fellow folksinger Jeremie Albino, Blue Blue Blue. I heard, and still hear, echoes of Sara Carter’s voice in hers, though most of all I hear her pulsating supernova of a soul.
Live at Rare Bird Farm is just Clyde, her electric and tenor guitars, and her remarkable songs, which navigate the country-folk corridor with a rock ’n’ blues flair. She possesses an emotive voice that turns the bare-bones arrangements into fully formed experiences. The a capella “Been Drinking,” originally sung by blueswoman Vera Hall (1902-64), packs the punch of a full band, while Down Rounder’s “I Feel It”—about the pull of nature—loses nothing in the switch from piano to guitar; if anything, the starker delivery adds to its heft. The aching “Where Is My Love,” for its part, is a new song seemingly lifted from the collective unconscious, with Clyde’s voice rising and falling as if tied to the magnetism of the moon. The riveting “Papa Took My Totems,” on the other hand, raves like John Donne against those who would disrespect us: “Papa took my words and threw em on the ground/Papa took my words he didn’t wanna hear the sound/Of my voice speaking choice, peeling back the paper/I’m just an idea of one side that is the other.”
Anyway, it doesn’t appear that Live at Rare Bird Farm is available on the streaming sites as of yet, but it can be purchased via Bandcamp. Due to unforeseen delays, the vinyl version isn’t slated to hit mailboxes until early April but, between then and now, the music can be enjoyed via high-quality downloads. (In keeping with the NC-theme, the LP is being pressed at Citizen Vinyl, which is located inside the historic Citizen-Times newspaper building in Asheville.)
The Old Grey Cat 
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