Folk By Association is the duo of Karen Krajacic and Jill Unger, two singer/songwriters who began collaborating in the summer of 2000 while each were playing solo on the local acoustic circuit in NJ. The tones of the women’s voices blended so well that what started as a lark quickly blossomed into lasting partnership, and created the kind of artistic environment that both had been looking for.
Over the last six years, Folk By Association has steadily grown from playing in local bars and coffeehouses to performing regionally and nationally, traveling to festivals, venues, and private events in an ever-increasing radius. Their sound is reminiscent of some other harmony-driven acts (Simon and Garfunkel, The Indigo Girls), but combined with the poetic lyrics akin to confessional songwriting (Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple). Add to this an eclectic mix of influences (folk, rock, jazz, bluegrass, world), and the result is an engaging and energetic expansion of contemporary acoustic music.
While previous studio efforts were comprised of their respective guitar tracks and vocals, the duo decided that they wanted their 2006 release, “As We Travel”, to be more intricately instrumented. There was the addition of the mandolin as a key element into many songs (both women had taken it up), and the talented percussionists Dave Merritt
and Kim Leary had approached the band with an interest in collaborating. Their contributions, along with those from Jim Cowen (bass) and Jon Thompson (saxophone, flute), helped Folk By Association to fully realize each of their songs, and brought about an album both thoughtfully developed and intrinsically organic. “As We Travel” and their self-titled first release are both available at the band’s online store www.perplexed.net .
