Bio

** festival length bio below

Pharis and Jason Romero are pure craftspeople and top-notch musicians. They've won four Juno awards and seven Canadian Folk Music Awards, connecting with audiences through their music, lifestyle, and the sense of joy and ease that comes from this small-town renaissance couple. They live in the wilderness town of Horsefly, British Columbia where they write songs, learn old music, and work as renowned banjo builders J. Romero Banjos.

Their newest record Tell ‘Em You Were Gold was released on venerable folk label Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in June 2022. Made in an old barn Pharis & Jason spent years slowly restoring, and recorded in six days by a wood stove under northern lights, it’s a testament to the musical value and significance of their work. It’s built around the beauty of their banjos and the pair’s deep psychic and artistic connection, with conviction and delicacy - and stunning singing. They play their own songs with the traditional music they have always sung, weaving guests John Reischman, Grace Forrest, Trent Freeman, Patrick Metzger and Marc Jenkins on mandolin, fiddle, bass and pedal steel between the duo and solo pieces. Their songs seem to come from easy and forthright places about traveling and rural life, but in their openness the songs are deeply moving and give the listener space for a unique and personal experience. There's time to become absorbed in Jason's solo banjo meditations, to move with the deep pulse of their guitar playing, to reflect on life’s beauty and knottiness, and to let the songs lift you into a state of well-being. They frequently bring out a desire to play banjo, to sing with another person, and to dig up the oldest, scratchiest record you can find and write a song just like it.

Discography
Tell ‘Em You Were Gold (2022 - Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)
Bet On Love (2020)
Sweet Old Religion (2018)
A Wanderer I’ll Stay (2015)
Long Gone Out West Blues (2013)
A Passing Glimpse (2011)
Back Up & Push - Jason & Pharis Romero and Friends (2010)
Shout Monah - The Haints Old Time Stringband (2009)

Festival Length Bio
Pharis and Jason Romero have been steadily building a loyal following in the folk world in recent years, thanks to a thoughtful, refreshing approach to traditional songs alongside Pharis’s intelligent, articulate, emotionally poignant songwriting. Their last two albums—"Bet on Love" (2020) and "Sweet Old Religion" (2018)—were heavy on new compositions that the pair sought to add to the folk canon. On their newest album, "Tell ‘Em You Were Gold" (released on Smithsonian Folkways), the husband and wife duo from Horsefly, BC, deliver songs that are equal parts traditional and original. The record was made in their barn and the warmth of its wood, the sense of community, and the strong sense of family stretch across it.

There is always a feeling of welcome in their music, and this most recent album somehow feels even more like home. To boot, it is remarkable how seamlessly the duo shifts from old trad tune to something they made up themselves. But then, this is a couple who met at an old-time fiddle jam and honed their collaboration in a tight-knit old-time community. The traditional songs are so deep in their bones at this point, they have become central to the musical language they speak.

They are Four-time Juno award winners and seven-time Canadian Folk Music Award recipients. They sing how they live, and these two people live 24-7 together: raising kids, building banjos, with music a constant lifelong thread.

For Tell ‘Em You Were Gold

2023 Juno Award Winner: Traditional Roots Album of the Year

2022 Radio Charts:
* #1 on the NACC 2022 Year-End Folk Charts
* #1 Folk-DJ 2022 Year-End Album & Song Charts
* 18 weeks in TOP 10 !earshot Folk/Roots/Blues radio charts

Best of 2022 - Folk Alley

The Best Country of 2022 - Bandcamp

Favorite Moments of 2022 - Bluegrass Situation

Kim Ruehl’s Favorite Albums of 2022 - Folk Alley

“sublime folk songs… whose gentle and nuanced approach to playing and singing imbues the whole project with a dimly lit feel and a tenderness that’s missing from so many recordings these days.” Bandcamp, Best Country of 2022

“It’s as if I’m sitting right next to them soaking in every swell of emotion they infuse into their music. The record eloquently demonstrates how old-time stringband music is very much a living, breathing art form.” Folk Alley, Best of 2022

“located in an exclusive space of my heart and soul, one where only several handfuls of other musicians live.” The Real Easy Ed: Americana and Roots Music Daily, Favorite Albums of 2022

”masters of their arena at work and play… further reinforcing their position within the upper echelons of the global folk community.” Folk Radio UK

“hypnotic and bewitching music… solid gold Americana with a capital A.” Lonesome Highway

★★★★★ Spiral Earth

“two musicians at the very height of their expertise” Americana UK

Big 10 Albums of Summer 2022 - Globe and Mail

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For Bet On Love

2021 Juno Award Winner Traditional Roots Album of the Year

Penguin Eggs 2020 Album of the Year

2021 CFMA three-time winner (ensemble, vocal group, and trad singer)

NACC FOLK Radio Charts Top of 2020 - #7
FOLK-DJ Radio Charts Top of 2020 - #4
!earShot Folk/Roots/Blues Radio Charts Top of 2020 - #5

“to call “Bet on Love” anything other than masterful would be a disservice.” - American Songwriter

”Few people can really steep themselves so much in their art, and it makes Pharis and Jason Romero’s accomplishments on this album all the more impressive.” - No Depression

”the beauty with which this album is infused is delivered with considerable power." - The Vinyl District

“In an album packed with highlights, it’s difficult to choose a favourite.” - Lonesome Highway

“When people talk about Americana, this is probably the ideal that they have in mind.” - Blues Matters Magazine

”Beautifully sung and simply but consummately played, it's another wonderful addition
to a catalogue of music that simply keeps getting better and better.” - FATEA

”Another quiet masterpiece.” - CD Hotlist

”I adore it.” - Eve Blair, BBC Radio •

”Pharis and Jason Romero shine on this lilting and life-affirming fifth album.” - Americana Highways

”Sparse is not thin when it is perfectly sufficient, when it has everything
it needs which is exactly how this feels.” - Americana UK

”Pharis and Jason Romero offer a musical balm for our world circa today.” - Alternate Root

”a distinctive sound on an album I’ve listened to many times over – driving without being urgent,
forcing without being brash, the whole feel as melodic as Pharis’ lead vocal.” - Folking

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For Earlier Releases

2019 Juno Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year

Penguin Eggs 2018 Album of the Year

CFMA Winners for Traditional Singer and Vocal Group of 2018

#1 Album on !earshot National Folk/Roots Charts

#1 Most Played Album - 2018 Stingray Folk-Roots

Best of 2018 Lists: No Depression, Folk Alley, CKUA, Radio Heartland, Folk Roots Radio, Front Porch Bluegrass, KPFA, KHUM, KBCS

Months in the Top 10 NACC Folk Charts

10 Best Roots Records of 2018 (so far) - NO DEPRESSION

“★★★★★. Pharis & Jason’s luscious harmonies will get followers of any faith singing their praises.” - RNR MAGAZINE

”There’s something ancient and aching about the Romeros, a sound that feels like a reverberation from the past, even as the songs are a perfect antidote to this sped-up, modern world. Sweet Old Religion is particularly good medicine” - NO DEPRESSION

”Their collaboration is fueled by an intangible magic, the rare quality that makes a critic want to leave it at, “Just turn this album on; you’ll love it.” - FOLK ALLEY

“songs worthy of being reincarnated by future generations” - SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC

“the warmth and love of the music pours from your speakers.” - TWANGVILLE

”one of those albums where it feels you’re having a private concert just for you” - CKUA (#12 Favorite Record of 2018)

”We think you’ll love it.” - FRETBOARD JOURNAL

”★★★★. all the swing and sway, soaring harmony lines and musical subtlety they're known for. It’s beautiful.” - EXCLAIM!

“★★★★★. An impressive batch of warm-hearted, roots-bound originals” - ROOTS MUSIC REPORT

”beautifully crafted musicianship and singing” - FOLK RADIO UK

Sung with sublime vocal harmonies that blend and intertwine effortlessly.
- NPR MUSIC - SONGS WE LOVE

For old time country all roads lead to Romero.
- SONGLINES

... Magnificent and inviting.
- BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED

2016 International Folk Music Awards Nomination Song of the Year A Wanderer I'll Stay
2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards Nominations - Traditional Album, Traditional Singer, Vocal Ensemble and Producer (with David Travers-Smith)

BEST OF 2015
FOLK-DJ CHARTS - #1 Song, #2 Album, #4 Artist of 2015
STINGRAY FOLK-ROOTS CANADA - #1 Most played in 2015
THE TELEGRAPH (UK) - #8 Best Country Album 2015
PENGUIN EGGS - #3 Album of 2015
BC PROVINCE - Top 10 Releases in 2015
FOLK ALLEY LISTENERS POLL - #13 Favorite Album of 2015

NPR Music's Best Songs of 2015 (So Far)
NPR Heavy Rotation - 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

5 stars. A very fine album.
- THE TELEGRAPH UK - BEST COUNTRY ALBUMS OF 2015

Their third duo record is perhaps their strongest yet. Their warm sepia tone has no artifice; it all rings true.
- FROOTS

4.5/5 stars. This is a stunning acoustic folk recording.
- LONESOME ROAD REVIEW

A knack for writing simple songs with beautiful lyrics and addictive melodies.
- THE BLUEGRASS SITUATION

... highly recommended.
- MAVERICK MAGAZINE

Sign. Me. Up... The duo brings new life and passion to a classic folk and Americana... The Romeros welcome you into a timeless world and make you want to stay.
- POSTMEDIA NEWS - BIG RELEASES

4/4 stars. There are inevitable comparisons with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, but this couple deserve to make their own headlines.
- THE DAILY EXPRESS (UK)

The only downside to the major triumph that is A Wanderer I'll Stay is that the record is going to create the kind of festival-circuit demand that will make downtime in Horsefly nothing but a fond memory.
- THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT

9/10. Spine tingling beauty of the human voice and a simple set of strings.
- AMERICANA UK

Brilliant - I could listen to this all night long.
- FRANK HENNESSEY, BBC RADIO WALES

Their chemistry is undeniable, and the song feels like it's been rolling along a dusty plain out west for decades, just waiting to be picked up and sung.
- NPR MUSIC - FAVORITE SESSIONS

Anchored by Pharis' rock-solid rhythm guitar and propelled by Jason's inventive picking on a variety of banjos and guitars, their plaintive voices and soulful blend capture the ear and the imagination.
- ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE

With effortless harmonies, intricate finger-picking, and a refreshing veteran spirit, Pharis & Jason's second album displays a startling prowess.
- UTNE READER

Powerful close-harmony singing, bright solo vocals by Pharis, precision picking, and a lonesome, laid-back vibe, make this perfect for close listening, but also for playing in the background of your daily life.
- THE HUFFINGTON POST

… Effortless evolves tradition with innovation. Meanwhile, high watermarks like "Lost Lula" simply defy categorization.
- CMT EDGE

This is music made on a timeless continuum...
- FOLK ALLEY

... Wonderful, achingly beautiful harmonies. It's all perfectly judged, precise but never flashy picking, tangible chemistry and warmth between them and Grade A songs.
- MAVERICK MAGAZINE

Songs of rare beauty and tenderness.
- PENGUIN EGGS

Pharis and Jason could well be the future of a bygone sound.
- HERALD SCOTLAND

I can't keep it out of my player.
– CBC MUSIC