Dowsers Sign to Gar Hole Records and Release New Single Dogwood / Three Forks of Cheat
Dowsers, a new sextet featuring members from North Carolina and Illinois experimental folk-rock bands including Magic Tuber Stringband, Weirs, and Fust, signed to Gar Hole Records and released a double single featuring “Dogwood” and “Three Forks Of Cheat.” The band’s personnel spans multiple underground projects. The group, which features Austin Cash—who is also a solo artist—and members of Sluice, Fust, and Beak Trio, has cultivated its musical presence through a series of live performances.
Band Members Contribute Vocals and Instruments to New Recordings
The band brings together Courtney Werner and Evan Morgan on vocals, with Morgan also playing electric and acoustic guitar and handling artwork. Oliver Child-Lanning contributes vocals, bass, synthesizer, and pump organ, while Austin Cash plays electric and acoustic guitars. James Gibian handles drums and miscellaneous percussion, and Alli Rogers completes the lineup by engineering, mixing, and mastering the tracks. The official release date for the double single is October 20, 2026. Werner also contributes fiddle to the recordings.
Origins of Dogwood and Seasonal Shifts
Evan Morgan wrote “Dogwood” during the spring of 2020 at a friend’s grandparents’ house in Hayesville, North Carolina. Morgan stated that the song reflects on human aging set against the backdrop of shifting local ecosystems and climate change, using a dogwood tree outside the Hayesville house as a central point of reflection on recurring natural cycles. Regarding the track, Morgan explained: ‘Dogwood’ is a song that I wrote in the spring of 2020 at my friend Hunter’s grandparents’ house in Hayesville, NC so it’s release has been a long-time coming.
Adapting Edden Hammons Through Post-Rock
The second track, “Three Forks Of Cheat,” reinterprets a traditional fiddle tune sourced from Edden Hammons of Webster County, West Virginia. Morgan noted that he learned the tune from Will Csorba and structured the B part around three unequal, crooked lines representing the three forks of the Cheat River. The arrangement incorporates an atmospheric quality that culminates in a cacophonous sludge section inspired by the Athens band Harvey Milk.
Festival Organization and Future Album Plans
Beyond the newly released double single, the members of Dowsers organize a music festival called FEAST. The band is preparing to release a full-length debut album next year, following live shows that helped build their musical presence prior to signing with Gar Hole Records.
