According to Evan St. Martin, the best music is made with friends.
At a listening party to celebrate the photographer’s musical debut— a collection of five songs published under the name “Laden Valley”— St. Martin and fellow photographer Dave Sarazen made a connection. Or, in St. Martin’s words, “That was when the bromance started.”
From that day, the pair became inseparable, writing songs and playing music together as often as they could. With time, the style of the Laden Valley project shifted towards bluegrass and folk-inspired sounds, straying away from the original vision. After recruiting their friend Jordan Wright, a vocalist and violinist, the trio began the process of creating Vol. 2. As someone who had become accustomed to playing alone, St. Martin said that adding more voices has created an expanse of opportunities.
The new EP, releasing October 30th, was designed with harmonies at the helm. Dialing back arrangements and production allows for a showcase of the group’s vocal talent, and fulfills a fantasy for St. Martin. He said, “I’ve always wanted to open an album or a show with just an acapella moment, and we were able to do that there.” After a striking start, instrumentals creep in with the second song, which includes lap steel, violin, bass, and drums. The third song introduces listeners to an instrument that has become a staple of American folk songs— the harmonica. St. Martin cites classic folk and blues musicians, particularly Bob Dylan, as inspiration for the inclusion of the harmonica on Laden Valley’s Vol. 2.
Before 2010, Rhode Island raised St. Martin’s only trips to Newport were to stroll through the many ornate mansions, or browse the shops on Bellevue Avenue. But when the opportunity arose to attend the Newport Folk Festival, the aspiring musician jumped at the chance. What he experienced that weekend changed his life. He recalled the impact of the event, saying, “I saw the festival there and got a sense of what the community was, especially the musical community, I said to myself, I need to move here. The music scene, with the folk and the jazz festivals, has always been a centerpiece for me.”
Over the years, the photographer has noticed a migration of Rhode Island’s musicians, himself included. They have taken to coastal towns like Newport and Westerly rather than cities like Providence. He believes this movement is owed entirely to the Newport Folk Festival, saying,
“The town itself could easily be seen as somewhere people take their sailboats and yachts in the summer, but for those two weekends in July, it gets reclaimed by all of these artists… At face value, Newport is just a yachting community, a place where super-wealthy people used to live. But back in the 60s, all these Beatniks came here, and played music, and camped out, and made the town totally weird for two weeks.”
For the first time since our initial introduction, Sarazen speaks.
As tough as planning concerts can be with COVID-19, he expresses interest in performing at Salve, and across the island. Sarazen encourages students to explore what Newport’s artists have to offer, saying, “It’s a really important time to support local, live music.”
When St. Martin inquires into the student’s view on the local music scene, Salve’s community of musicians comes to mind. To name a few, Henry Nickerson ‘20, who released an EP of his own last year, and Playing Wolf, a rock band made up of four current students: Joey Lark ‘21, Max Gliosco ‘22, Nolan Lindenburg-Pennoyer ‘22, and Alex Marcinkiewicz ‘23.
Just days before Vol. 2 hits the airwaves, St. Martin and Sarazen aim high with their goals for the future of Laden Valley. “Personally, I’d love to start playing more shows,” Sarazen says, “It’s tough with COVID but I’d love to tour, see some different places, play some bigger shows with bigger audiences, meet some other cool people in the music world.” While live music is on hold, the band has been keeping busy writing new music and recording videos at a retreat in South Carolina. St. Martin echoes Sarazen’s point, saying, “We’re really excited about this music coming out, and we wanna put everything behind it and really get some ears to hear it. I’ve been going to live music almost all my life, I love doing it. I feel like the truest expression of music is done live.”
Rest assured that Laden Valley will take the stage once again, playing music how it was meant to be heard… among friends.
Laden Valley’s Vol. 2 arrives on Friday, October 30th. Pre-save here: https://ffm.to/6am4xbe
Follow along on Instagram and Facebook @ladenvalley.
Featured image by Rich Ferri, @therichferri.
