Sounds Local: Delmhorst’s new album features some unexpected additions

Kris Delmhorst’s new album, “Ghosts in the Garden” features a number of guest artists, something that wasn’t originally planned.

Kris Delmhorst’s new album, “Ghosts in the Garden” features a number of guest artists, something that wasn’t originally planned. PHOTO BY ANJA SHÜTZ

Roomful of Blues will bring its 55 years of performing to the Shea Theater Arts Center  on May 9.

Roomful of Blues will bring its 55 years of performing to the Shea Theater Arts Center on May 9. PHOTO BY SONJA LEMOI

Kris Delmhorst said the themes of loss, death and grief feature heavily on her 10th album, “Ghosts in the Garden.”

Kris Delmhorst said the themes of loss, death and grief feature heavily on her 10th album, “Ghosts in the Garden.” PHOTO BY SASHA PEDRO

By SHERYL HUNTER

For the Recorder

Published: 05-07-2025 3:03 PM

Kris Delmhorst never intended to create an album focused on themes like loss, death and grief, but it turns out these subjects heavily influence many of the songs on her new release, “Ghosts in the Garden.” The Shelburne Falls resident launched her 10th album on March 7 and will hold a record release show at the Iron Horse in Northampton on Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. She is currently on tour to support the album.

“I’m usually not writing for a specific project unless it’s something like the poet’s record (her 2006 album “Strange Conversations”) . I’m usually just writing songs and then start gathering them,” Delmhorst said in a recent phone interview about preparing this album.

Some songs were written during Covid at the home she shares with her husband, singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault, and their daughter. Others came about at an annual summer songwriting retreat she attends in New Hampshire.

When it came time to record “Ghosts in the Garden,” she discovered that she had written about 50 songs and started looking deeply at their connection.

“When I started to think about what to record; I noticed a musical connection between them and also noticed a lot of them that dealt with loss, death, grief, and change,” she said.

Once Delmhorst had a group of songs that gelled together, the next step was to send them off to the band, but as she was preparing to do that, one more song came to her.

“The song ‘Wolves’ came out of nowhere. I always say those songs are trying to catch the bus, and get on the album they belong on” she said.

“Wolves” is a gorgeous song that tackles the subject of death. “I see Wolves/Circling again/ Look em in the eye like some kinda friend/ Do you really love the story if you don’t love the end,” she sings in a soft, breathy voice.

“Ghosts in the Garden” was recorded at Great North Sound Society in Parsonsfield, Maine, a studio built into an 18th-century farmhouse. The album was tracked live with a core band consisting of Ray Rizzo on drums, Jeremy Moses Curtis on bass and Erik Koskinen on guitars — all of whom will back Delmhorst at the Iron Horse.

Another aspect of the album is that all the songs have guest vocalists. Anais Mitchell, Taylor Ashton, Jeffrey Foucault and Rose Cousins, who will be the opening act at the Iron Horse show, are just a few that participated.

“That was a late decision. I planned this would be a pretty small cast of characters making this record, because sometimes I get a little bit out of control with a big cast,” Delmhorst said with a laugh.

“I got the rough specs from the studio and was on a late night drive home from Boston, driving on Route 2 and I was listening to the songs for the first time and heard backing parts, which is kind of natural for me, but I heard the actual people singing – it’s like they were in the car with me,” she explained.

The singers she heard were mainly people she knew and when they were approached about singing on the album, they all said ‘yes.’

“Ghosts in the Garden” is a stunning album that features minimal musical accompaniment, which allows the emotion in Delmhorst’s lyrics to take center stage. Except for the energetic rock song “Won’t Be Long,” the record is mostly quiet and intimate, allowing these songs to resonate deeply with listeners.

Delmhorst has expressed that being in her 50s, witnessing the aging of both parents and her child, and grappling with concerns for our world all influence her songwriting in this album. The “ghosts” she refers to on the title track are not only those we have lost in death; they also encompass lost loves, past mistakes, regrets and the anxieties we share about the future.

One of the albums’ standout racks is “Not the Only One, “a song that explores the heaviness we each carry as we move through our lives. “You’re not the only one here /Not the only one here with a broken heart,” she sings.

For this track, Delmost joined forces with Jason Elon Goodman, a Maine-based filmmaker, to make a video filmed in Greenfield and Shelburne Falls featuring a host of locals. The video can be seen on YouTube.

“I didn’t know how fun it would be,” Delmhorst said of making the video. “When I’m in town, people always come up to me and say they saw it. It was a cool process. We took the song’s tagline and filmed them reading it, so it was like a social experiment. Some people I knew and some I didn’t, so those were genuine reactions to reading it the first time.”

“I was thinking about when you write a song like that, it’s an introverted song; it’s a kind of personal communication, and I like the idea of making it visible,” she added.

What does she hope listeners will take away from this album?

“Connection is the word I keep coming back to,” she said. “There is a lot of tender stuff in these songs, and it’s such an un-tender time in the world. It’s a time that makes it harder to be open-hearted. I hope this record allows people to let their guard down and reconnect with the tender parts of themselves. ”

“Ghosts in the Garden” is available on all streaming services. Tickets for the Iron Horse show are available at ironhorse.org.

Roomful of Blues at the Shea Theater

If it seems like the Rhode Island-based blues band Roomful of Blues have been playing the area for years, it’s because they have. The group, which has been together for over 55 years, have made regular stops here in the Valley throughout their lengthy career, and they’ll return when they play the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Friday, May 9, at 8 p.m.

Since forming in 1967, the group has gone through various lineups, but never lost their passion or drive for creating some of the best uptempo blues around.

Roomful of Blues is an eight-piece unit led by guitarist Chris Vachon and features longtime tenor and alto sax player Rich Lataille. In 2024, singer DD Bastos took over the vocal duties. The band’s winning combination of jump, swing, blues, R&B and soul have resulted in many albums and tours around the world. They are known for their ability to get crowds moving on the dance floor and you can be sure they will do just that when they take the stage at the Shea Theater

Doors open at 7 p.m. All ages show. Tickets available at sheatheater.org or at the door.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.