Refueled had the great pleasure of hosting The Civil Wars for the day recently while in Dallas. Publisher Chris Brown & Senior Photographer Gustav Schmiege hungout with the two at the historic Texas Theatre during sound check, drove them over to an in-store appearance at Good Records, shopped vintage vinyl & ended the day with a special acoustic performance of “I’ve Got this Friend” for Refueled’s {Automatic Buzz} video series.
In some ways, music doesn’t get much more modest or minimalist than it is in the hands of The Civil Wars, a duo comprised of California-to-Nashville transplant Joy Williams and her Alabaman partner, John Paul White. They travel without a backup band, and on their first full-length album, Barton Hollow, the bare-bones live arrangements that fans hear on the road are fleshed out with just the barest of acoustic accoutrements. Each song is an intimate conversation, and no third wheels or dinner-party chatter are going to interrupt that gorgeous, haunting hush.
On the other hand, there’s been something distinctly loud about the duo’s introduction to the world, even prior to the album’s release. Their signature song “Poison & Wine” was heard on Grey’s Anatomy—in the foreground, in its entirety, over a key climactic montage, prompting hundreds of thousands of viewers to Google the mystery music. And they got a wholly unsolicited endorsement when America’s biggest pop star gave The Civil Wars a seal of approval. After first tweeting her love for the duo, fellow Nashvillian Taylor Swift included “Poison & Wine” as a selection in her official iTunes playlist, saying, “I think this is my favorite duet. It’s exquisite.”
"The Civil Wars are the BEST band I have EVER seen." - Adele
Photos by Gustav Schmiege.
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