Autumn Grieve, “Revenants,” Stray Birds (Corbel Stone Press, Fall 2009)
Autumn Grieve’s voice can evoke such deep connotations. The way she subtly shifts the pace and tone of the title word in this song is mesmerizing. Equally so is how that word is used as a pedal, a punctuation that evolves throughout. Richard Skelton’s accompaniment shows a different side of his work, and it beautifully integrates with Grieve’s guitar and voice.
Grieve and Skelton largely self-release their material, in small editions that are beautifully packaged and presented. Each one provides a unique and special experience. Their recently-formed Corbel Stone Press publishes poetry in similarly small, fine editions. In this way the act of acquiring something new from them is a bit ritualistic, in the best possible way. And in an age of mass packaging and production, that is meaningful.
I had the good fortune to receive one of the final limited Samhain edition of Stray Birds, accompanied by a gorgeous volume of poetry. Let’s just say my house has a very special, separate place for everything Grieve and Skelton send to me.
Autumn Grieve’s website
Autumn Grieve on MySpace
Corbel Stone Press website
Richard Skelton’s website
Sustain-Release website
