Folk singer Clementine Darling to tell tales at Kivelstadt Cellars

Folk songs always have a story to tell, some with a violin|

Clementine Darling hits the boards at Kivelstadt Wine Garden and Eatery this Sunday, Dec. 13. She will bring her guitar and a satchel full of songs she has written. The songs come from deep down inside, stories that might be “lost and gone forever” if it weren’t for the songs she writes.

Clementine takes her name from the old folk song, “Oh My Darling, Clementine.” She said, “I have been writing intentionally as Clementine Darling for the past four years, but I have been writing songs for about 15 years. I get the Clementine name from the song…it is actually pretty sad. The girl drowns in a river at the end of the song…folk tales always have a story to them.”

Clementine’s folky songs are good stories, too, and also can be sad. Pain is always more readily apparent, just bubbling under the surface, than is happiness. One blatantly truthful song, available for viewing on YouTube, is called “F--k You.” It is about a violent relationship she once had, not hard to divine where the title came from.

Clementine Darling.
Clementine Darling.

“My songwriting are my stories. I believe each song is a little bit different, even in style, whatever fits the story I am trying to tell. The songs come out because I need to tell these stories. Some are triumphant tales, some are sad tales… they are just honest depictions of what I go through or deal with,” Darling said.

Darling currently draws inspiration from Brandi Carlisle, Lilly Hiatt and Jason Isbell. She spoke glowingly about Hiatt, who received a jumpstart for her career because her daddy is famed singer/songwriter John Hiatt. “She is a really phenomenal songwriter, which is not a surprise, as John Hiatt’s daughter. She tells a good story.”

She often performs as a solo artist, but this Sunday will be accompanied by a violinist named Paz del Rescate. Darling said, “We met at an open mic in Santa Rosa, and we started performing together right away. We just worked really well together.”

The pair begins their set, and Darling tells her first story, at 1 p.m. in the sunny wine garden at Kivelstadt. You may not need a handkerchief, but you might be thankful for the napkins on the table.

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