Ol Whitetail is the recording project of Alexis Marie Thompson, a poet and singer-songwriter based in Pittsburgh with an interesting and salient history. Learning to play on a borrowed guitar as a teenager in her home of rural Appalachia, she moved close to Nashville to study a mix of art and music related subjects. Time as part of country duo Good Luck Ola followed, as well as a period on the board of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society in Nova Scotia, where she picked up a classic guitar and began to play folk and jazz.
The journey informs Ol Whitetail, the self-titled debut album which draws upon the various experiences and influences to craft a nuanced and heartfelt style of folk. Combining the more formal side of Thompson’s training with self-taught invention and a poet’s eye for detail, the record utilises references both musical and literary to explore social and philosophical issues. Traditional folk repurposed for the contemporary moment.
Lead single ‘Low In The Laurels’ is the perfect example of the Ol Whitetail style. Contrasting Thompson’s childhood in conservative Appalachia with the experience of returning as an adult, the track is a considered and often poignant meditation on what has changed and what has not. Both in terms of the town and Thompson herself.