Blockhouse Valley fully embraces the dark side on “In the Pines.”

The Metro Detroit quartet of Ashleigh Glass (vocals), Cody Cooper (mandolin, guitar), Jon Howard (guitar), and Danny Steinkopf (upright bass) explores a wicked tale about a sinister woman and her late husband on its bewitching rendition of the traditional folk song.

“This song contains a lot of imagery in the lyrics that’s unapologetic in its darkness,” Glass said. “You don’t always see that in traditional tunes that have survived through generations of public sensibilities.”

Surrounded by vigilant acoustic guitar, mandolin, and bass, Glass sings, “Her husband was a hardworking man / Just about a mile from here / His head was found in a driving wheel / But his body was never found.”

“We wanted to highlight that darkness in this recording and the sense that the woman in this song is not a person that should be taken lightly,” she said.

To learn more, I spoke with Glass about the Americana group’s latest single ahead of a September 21 live set at Adrian’s Artalicious Fine Arts Fair.

Q: How are things? What are you most excited about this fall?

A: Summer has been fantastic! The band has had the opportunity to perform quite a bit through Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio, including at several festivals. We just had a great time playing Monroe’s Labor Day Fest and Arts, Beats & Eats.

Fall is our favorite time of year! We love watching the leaves changing color and enjoying the cool evenings. Something about this time of year is very inspirational for us, and we find ourselves writing more and working on new arrangements for the band.

Q: How did you initially discover “In the Pines?” How does it serve as a fitting anthem for spooky season?

A: Like many, our introduction to this song was through Nirvana. They played this song at the close of their recorded MTV Unplugged in New York performance shortly before the death of Kurt Cobain. The song is commonly found under several names, including “In the Pines,” “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” and “My Girl.” It also has many famous renditions, including early recordings by Lead Belly and Bill Monroe in the 1940s.

While the tune itself is over 150 years old, these two recordings—produced individually at about the same time by a blues legend and a bluegrass legend—show the common history and influence that connects many of the genres we consider under the umbrella term “Americana” today. This idea reflects our backgrounds as musicians who have pulled from experiences in many genres for the music of Blockhouse Valley.

Q: What was the recording process like for “In the Pines?” How did Eric Sills help you shape the track’s overall sound at Stone Soup Recording Studios?

A: We recorded this arrangement of “In the Pines” during our first session at Stone Soup Recording Studios in Maumee, Ohio. The studio is the creation of the extremely talented audio engineer and owner Eric Sills and the setup in the studio is perfect for our group.

Eric has divided his space into four to five isolation booths allowing us to track the entire band simultaneously while keeping each track clean to the instrument. Being able to see and hear each other in real-time enables us to bring the interaction and improvisation from our live performances into the studio while allowing Eric to engineer a great audio mix. Interacting this way also allows us to share the dynamic contrast that builds through this arrangement and is a highlight of this recording.

Q: You have several live shows this month in Metro Detroit, including September 14 at Amaya’s Fresh Mexican Grill, September 21 and September 22 at Artalicious, September 22 at Chateau Aeronautique Winery, and September 27 at Farver’s at the Croswell. What do you have planned for these shows?

A: This has certainly been a positive year of performances as we have been able to introduce more venues and people to Blockhouse Valley. One thing we love about our group is that we can perform as a duo to bring our sound to venues where that may be a better fit. This is the case for many of the performances in September.

Fortunately, the full band will be at Artalicious on September 21 at 4 pm for a one-hour set. We guarantee that the show will include performances of currently unreleased songs that we are recording at Stone Soup Recording Studios.

Q: What plans do you have for new material? How will it serve as a follow-up to “In the Pines?”

A: We are happy to share that our next release is planned as a full-length original [album]. As for timing, we’re allowing ourselves as much time as needed to have all the songs ready for this next release. We can work very quickly at Stone Soup, so we’re hoping the tracks will be released in the first half of 2025—after we’ve had the opportunity to be our hardest critics, of course!

Q: How will the new songs on your upcoming album compare thematically and sonically to your self-titled debut EP?

A: We have already had our first studio date and have another on the books [this month]. The project is certainly underway! We’re still exploring the sonic core of the band with the interplay between the mandolin, guitar, and upright bass as the rhythmic engine of the songs. We strive for our listeners to feel the energy and groove in our arrangements—even without a drummer in the group.

As these songs come together in the studio, we’re leaving the door open to feature some folk instruments that aren’t currently being played in the band. Thematically, we have so much more to say about living the Rust Belt and the stories we’ve accumulated over the years, whether firsthand or through family and friends. We’re excited to continue to tell these stories and connect with people who have had similar experiences.

Blockhouse Valley performs September 21 at 4 p.m. during the Artalicious Fine Arts Fair in Adrian, Michigan. For details, visit Artalicious’ website.