iSound

Abigail Washburn never set out to be a songwriter or a recording artist. So when she found herself on stage in a smoke filled Beijing club playing her banjo and singing old time Appalachian mountain music in Chinese to a packed house, she was as surprised as anyone. “During my Freshman year at Colorado College, I joined a summer program trip to China,” Washburn recalled. “It had a profound effect on me. I discovered a Chinese culture that was so deep and ancient; it changed my perspective on America.” On her return to the States, Washburn began to explore American culture, a journey that led her back to her native country’s traditional roots. When she heard Doc Watson playing “Shady Grove” on the banjo, something clicked and the connection that eventually led to Song of the Traveling Daughter was made. On Song of the Traveling Daughter, Washburn sings simple haunting songs and plays the banjo. Musically, the album is one of the most bare bones debuts in recent memory. Washburn and...