Advance Praise for Fern Knight:
All Music Guide: Fern Knight's third album will on many levels appeal to fans of the early 21st century variations of acid folk music. It has some of the same characteristics: gentle female vocals, a tentative delicacy, and an audible debt to British folk and folk-rock of the late '60s and early '70s (although singer/songwriter/cellist Margie Wienk is American). There are some differences, or at least unusual shadings, that set them off from the pack. There's a pronounced chamber music feel to much of the instrumentation, particularly with the liberal use of cello and violin drones, as well as harp accents. Often it's darker and tougher, however, than some other artists who follow similar lines. There's a sinister grit to the playing, and melodies that belie but do not undercut the sweetness of Wienk's vocals, and while the arrangements don't have anything like a classic bass-drums rock rhythm section, there are some occasional blasts of ferocious electric guitar. The overall impact treads the border between the haunting and the truly spooky, though some of the material, especially "Synge's Chair," sounds like it could almost be traditional in origin. If the influence of vintage British acid folk is audible, it must be said that it is in the strength of the songs and the clarity of the production; this is more impressive than many obscure relics of much earlier vintage in the same style that are championed by some collectors. ~ Richie Unterberger.
Baby Sue: The folks in Fern Knight return with another unique album that is wonderfully out of place in today's musical climate. This band is the project headed by Philadelphia-based guitarist/cellist/vocalist Margaret Wienk. Wienk and her associates create otherworldly progressive pop that seems to be influenced by some of the best British progressive art bands from the 1970s. Some of the compositions on this album could be compared to Curved Air and even Henry Cow at times...but that only gives a slight idea of what this music sounds like. The songs on this self-titled album are soft and thoughtful and feature some truly absorbing and unusual (and extremely subtle) arrangements. At the heart of the music are Margaret's beautiful, heartfelt vocals. This album is the perfect fusion of folk, pop, and classical music. Folks who may be becoming increasingly tired of the same old generic throwaway pop of the twenty-first century will find a lot to take in here. Cool, classy cuts include "Bemused," "Sundew," "Loch Na Fooey," and "Magpie Suite: Part II, Part III." Highly recommended... (Rating: 5+++)
Raven Sings the Blues: Another beautiful piece of dark magic from Philly's inner circle. Fern Knight is the guise of songwriter and gossamer voiced singer, Margaret Wienk. This is the most fully formed and devastatingly potent album she's done under the Fern moniker yet. Her voice hangs unobscurred and terribly assured above the harmonic scrabble of sun baked guitars and harrowing strings, played amiably by a group that includes Jesse Sparhawk, Jim Ayre and James Wolf. Recorded by PA-Folk ringleader extraordinaire, Greg Weeks and put forth by VHF, this certainly has all the right pieces to the puzzle. Despite the cast and crew that bolter this production though, it really is Wienk's voice and songwriting that shine on this eponymous album. When the tone is somber, her voice captures you in its sadness but never lets you feel pity and when the mood turns light, it pulls the sun from every corner of the room like drawing a shade. So far its been quite a fair year for folk but this is definitely the strongest folk release, and more to the point one of the strongest records I've heard all year. This is definitely one to anticipate. Fern Knight's s/t is out May 6th.
Music for Witches and Alchemists
The Ptolemaic Terrascope: Like so much contemporary US psychedelic folk, Fern Knight takes its cues from the dark underground UK folk of the late 60s and early 70s. Opening track 'Song for Ireland' could be from a lost Stone Angel recording or an outtake from Loudest Whisper's touchstone LP 'Children of Lir'. Dark magic is here, the kind that is celebrated by ritual gatherings in hidden glades. 'Awake, Angel Snake' is given an Espers-like sheen courtesy of Week's screaming acid lead guitar, but the results somehow recall doomed Transatlantic folk rock outfit Mr. Fox than anything from this millennium, which is laudable, because how often does one get to compare something to that benighted but magnificent project? -- Tony Dale
Broken Face: Philadelphia musician Margie Wienk's debut album under the Fern Knight moniker sure had its bright moments but it's not even near the sonic genius presented on the aptly titled Music for Witches and Alchemists ( VHF ). What we get here are some beautiful fusions of delicate British folk and dreamy psychedelia filtered through a prism of surprisingly rich arrangements and endlessly deep emotions. Primarily constructed from guitar, voice and cello but definitely one of those album where the sum is a whole lot more impressive than its parts.
Aquarius Records: Another gorgeous missive from the ever expanding world of modern freak folk, this time from Philly based singer, songwriter, guitarist, cellist Margaret Wienk, who with Music For Witches and Alchemists has crafted a darkly dramatic gem of moody mournful melancholia. Equal parts Pentangle, Incredible String Band, and of course some of her more modern sonic compatriots, Brightblack, Vetiver, Espers (Greg Weeks and Meg Baird both play on Music For Witches and Alchemists) and the like, Fern Knight is most definitely modern folk, but at the same time sounds so classic, the songwriting, Wienk's voice, the arrangements, a perfect combination. But the band manage to take that classic sound and infuse it with some sweet sonic mystery, due in no small part to the unlikely instrumentation, the sweet moaning cellos, dreamy swaths of harp, alien melodies on the singing saw, the twang of the Jew's harp, the wheezing harmonium, but unlike most bands, those sounds don't define Fern Knight's sound, merely add to the texture and mood of the music, which even stripped to its bare basics would still sound as sweet.
Dusted: Music for Witches is a much more orchestrated affair, quietly dense and mesmerizing with the interplay of strings, electric guitar, accordion and multiple voices. Redfearn is on nearly every track, mostly playing accordion but occasionally shifting to the weird percussive twang of the jaw harp (in "W. Memphis" particularly). Esper's Otto Hauser plays drums and Greg Weeks (who recorded the album) sings, as does Meg Baird. (Weeks must also be the guitarist behind the electric guitar implosion at "Awake, Angel Snake"'s mid-section, since it sounds a lot like the best part of "Flaming Telepaths.") Timebold's Jesse Sparhawk laces a few songs with delicate harp. All this is to say that there's a fair amount going on, but things never seem cluttered. Wienk's singing remains the centerpiece but sits jewel-like in a more elaborate setting, its soft melancholy made luminous against velvety cello or stately guitar figures.
Lost at Sea: Fern Knight apparently hail from Philadelphia, but their sound is strictly one of the British Isles; the lushness of the Scottish highlands, the minstrel-y pluckings of ye olde English, and a wee bit of Irish spunk. If Leprechauns were to rock out, it would most certainly be to Fern Knight. Having fantasized that the music was the work of a singular woman, whom I could woo with limericks and promises of lustful embraces on the forest floor of Myspace, I was a bit disappointed to find out that there is a working collective of musicians behind the sweeping arrangements of Music For Witches and Alchemists . But where my libido weeps my ears rejoice, as the contributions from other musicians are what lead to Fern Knight's sprightly wall of sound. Think Mono with accordions, mandolins, harps, saws, triangles and various bowed instruments, then add the most soothing, plaintive female vocals ala Vashti Bunyan and you'll be on track. Do not, however, get the idea that Fern Knight are homely and content to rest on tradition - guitar squalls and noise are interspersed with the softly woven village sounds, but only when utterly appropriate. Shakespeare would no doubt be equally enthralled and appalled. Reviewed by Eric J. Herboth
Paste Magazine: Fern Knight’s upcoming release, Music for Witches and Alchemists emerges from the dusky twilight of its predecessor with a clear and brisk attitude, aided by a competent stable of guests like accordionist Alec Redfearn and Greg Weeks and Meg Baird of Espers. "We’ve all been connected for years," Wienk says. "Having so many talented people lending a hand definitely shaped the overall sound of the album." "W. Memphis" is an apt example of the ensemble’s contributions, brimming with guitars, strings, cascades of harp and accordion all flowing over one another as Wienk’s airy vocals tie it all together with the focus of a darning needle.
Music for Witches and Alchemists inspires fervent and breathless devotion, succeeding with memorable songs that wrap around the listener with the tenacious determination of creeping ivy. There’s no substitute for such authentically beautiful music, and Fern Knight is willing to provide as much as any listener can handle. - Michael Patrick Brady
Seven Years of Severed Limbs
Brainwashed
On Seven Years of Seven Limbs, Fern Knight has given us a collection of their own folktales that play with darker shades of storytelling imbued with a fairy tale like sense of wonder. From the outset of "She Who Was So Precious to You," we find a sparse arrangement of acoustic guitar and strings that are lit up by Wienk´s gorgeous vocals, like a shaft of sunlight peeking through a dark thicket of dead trees. Fern Knight draws a slow story, one that makes for an excellent tale that explores those winding forest paths and the things that lie hidden between the lines. - Michael Patrick Brady
Aquarius
Fern Knight is not a person's name as we initially thought, it is the moniker for this duo from Rhode Island whose hushed folk pop songs take a number of haunting instrumental twists, turns and detours into atmospheric soundscapes. Heavily reverbed and tremoloed guitars are interwoven with strummed and plucked acoustic guitar as deep somber strings and an occasional accordion wind their way around the unmistakable warm sound of a Fender Rhodes keyboard. So heart-baringly bittersweet and intimate, much like a cross between Julie Doiron and Mirah. Absolutely lovely!
Logo magazine
The secret is the way they lash the accessibility of The Bangles to a Brechtian vision of Peter And The Wolf; imagine Sparklehorse working his magic on Joni Mitchell, and Mitchell returning the favour. The results inhabit the same space as Kristin Hersh's Appalachian murder-ballads, only filtered through the ruminative perspective of a doomed Nick Drake and the veiled beauty of Nina Nastasia. It's 99% inspiration, the sound of shackles being loosed and imaginations allowed to roam; one day all music will be made this way.
George Parsons - Dream Magazine #4
Fern Knight make a distinctive personal sort of warm melancholic folk pop. Haunted and haunting, with a wonderfully crafted organic acoustic sound. Comparable to: Kristen Hersh, Greg Weeks, Barbara Manning, Pentangle, and Northern Picture Library.