Ex-choirboys The Unfaithful Ways' three short years as a band has seen them appear at the 2011 Big Day Out and the 2010 APRA Silver Scrolls Awards where they caused a mighty stir with their rendition of Julia Deans' A New Dialogue. They have also supported Band of Horses and Justin Townes Earle.
The Christchurch band's well-received 2009 EP 4 First Songs was followed by their 2010 contribution to a Townes Van Zandt tribute album More Townes Van Zandt By The Great Unknown alongside North American alt-country darlings such as Phosphorescent, The Deep Dark Woods, The Sumner Brothers, and Neil Casal (The Cardinals).
Their 2011 full-length debut album Free Rein featured on many critics' best-albums-of-the-year list across the country and has received extensive airplay on B-Net stations.
The critically-acclaimed Harbour Union earthquake fundraiser album includes two Unfaithful Ways tracks, “Ghost Of This Town” and “Little Mountain Town”.
The band was nominated as finalists for the 2011 Vodafone Music Critics Choice Award in October 2011 where they won over many industry tastemakers and heavyweights with their charming and deft live performance.
Free Rein came out in October 2011 after previous attempts had been thwarted by the series of earthquakes that hit Christchurch in late 2010 and early 2011. Access to the original recordings was blocked due to the recording studio being red-stickered and tagged for demolition but perseverance and the help of two brave structural engineers saved the day.
“There have been a few Kiwi alt-country/folk ensembles in recent years; many of them seem to lack authenticity…But The Unfaithful Ways have found a way in; there's something utterly believable about this music; that it should come from New Zealand and channel a version of Americana.”
Simon Sweetman, Dominion Post (Blog On The Tracks Best Kiwi Albums of 2011)
“Their music often sounds like it was written by men much older than their fresh faced years. They're old souls in youthful disguise, which gives their songs an appeal that is hard to define.”
Lydia Jenkin, NZ Herald
*****************************************************
EB AND SPARROW
A wonderful combination of country, Appalachian, and Spanish influence in a completely original form, not to be missed. Original Americana from soulful songwriter and singer Ebony Lamb (guitar, vocals), supported by musicians Bryn Heveldt (guitar, harmonica, percussion), Jason Johnson (bass, vocals). and Nick Brown (drums, percussion, vocals).
“Topping off the evening was the largest group: the four piece “Eb & Sparrow” led by gifted singer/songwriter Ebony Lamb. Lamb’s smoky, expressive and powerful voice was the focus, and rightly so. But this band showed us what a group of accomplished musicians can do, in terms of instrumentation and arrangements, to really bring out the power, beauty and emotional range of the vocals. The sensitive and melodic guitar flat-picking of Bryn Heveldt along with the expert and restrained bass, drums and backup vocals of Jason Johnson and Nick Brown were a real pleasure. Ebony kicked it off with her own arrangement of “The Crawdad Song”, giving much-needed new life to an old standard. Among the highlights were two originals, and I hope I haven’t got the titles wrong: “I Can Hear You Calling, Calling” and “Two wolves”--a dark and haunting song in a minor key. ”
— Acoustic Routes, The Balladeer
