[PRIVATE] UPCOMING MUSIC VIDEOS

dropbox Folder of all press assets

info@adifferentthread.com
Alicia (919)225-1493
Robert (919)430-2726

BIO

Some things are just meant to be. Alicia Best (US) and Robert Jackson (UK) met while busking on the cobbled streets of Ireland and discovered both a musical and personal harmony that was serendipitous. In the decade since forming A Different Thread, Best and Jackson have taken their act on the road, touring over a dozen countries, supporting artists such as The Milk Carton Kids and Jody Stephens (Big Star), winning the International Acoustic Music Awards, and garnering critical praise from the likes of KLOF Mag, which hailed the duo as: “Warm, deep songwriters that have drank from the well of 20th century tradition.”

Their new album, Over Again (out May 26’), was written during a period of transition, marked by their arrival stateside and a solar eclipse. Recording began in their tiny home studio, continued in Sylvan Esso's Betty's (The Mountain Goats, Tyler Childers, Watchhouse), and finished at Alma Vale Studio (Phantom Limb/Yola, Elles Bailey) in the UK.

Their sound is transcontinental, blending Jackson's British folk rock background with Best's North Carolina-bred alt-country melodies. Informed by their life experiences (navigating visas, van-life, love across oceans) and liberal commentary on both environmental and social justice topics, the album mixes electric guitars with Appalachian dulcimer, gospel-tinged vocals with honky-tonk fiddle. While inspired by artists like Gillian Welch, The Band, and John Prine, A Different Thread maintain a distinct sound that is all their own. 

Alicia and Robert see the creation of Over Again as a testament to the power that music has to heal and transform: “For us, this album marks a new beginning, like a rebirth, as we shed negative cycles to work towards a brighter future.”

Festival bio

Transatlantic duo, A Different Thread weaves British folk rock and North Carolina alt-country into a soul-soothing mix of harmony-rich americana.

PRESS RELEASE

From Ireland to North Carolina, Transatlantic Duo, A Different Thread, Start Over Again With New Album

Driving into the path of a solar eclipse, Alicia Best and Robert Jackson wrote a song called “Over Again.” It would become the title track of their third album, a record shaped by distance, resilience, and finally starting a new life together in the U.S. 

Best, from Durham, North Carolina, and Jackson, from the UK, met while busking on the cobbled streets of Ireland and discovered both a musical and personal harmony that was serendipitous. They formed as A Different Thread and over the next decade, toured across continents simply to stay together. Many of the songs on Over Again were written during the years when visas and closed borders kept them apart.

After receiving the paperwork to settle together in North Carolina, the duo faced a period of intense transition. “We had been in limbo for so long,” Robert recalls. “I had just quit drinking, packed my life into a suitcase, and moved across the ocean. We had all these songs we had been carrying and we knew we had to lay them down.” Then in the middle of recording, Alicia’s grandmother died, adding grief to the mix. "The songs became our way of holding onto hope through all that. When the eclipse came, we saw it as a symbol of our own transformation. Over Again is us letting go of the past, finally putting down roots and choosing a brighter future together,” the duo reflects.

The title track recently won the Folk/Americana category at the International Acoustic Music Awards, signaling the duo’s rising recognition. Over Again follows a breakout year that included a performance at MerleFest, placements on Apple Music editorial playlists, and growing attention on the international circuit.

Crowdfunded by an international fanbase, the album was recorded in the duo’s tiny-home studio and at Betty’s in Chapel Hill, NC, (known for hosting artists such as Watchhouse, The Mountain Goats, and Tyler Childers). It was later completed at Alma Vale Studio in Bristol, UK.

Across it’s eleven tracks, Over Again evokes bittersweet nostalgia, balancing intimate storytelling and social commentary, with charming harmonies, memorable hooks, and an underlying feeling of hope. Pivotal track, "The Prophet," examines the intersection of religion, profit, and political power while calling for environmental responsibility. “Loving your neighbor is also about loving the soil they walk on and the environment their children play in,” Best says. “We have to stop pretending things are okay and take action to protect the world we live in.”

A Different Thread will support the album with an extensive international tour across North America, Spain, France, and England. For more information, visit adifferentthread.com or follow @adifferentthread.

live showreel

Official Music Video “Come On Home Molly”

Official Music Video “Didn’t Wanna Go”

press & Radio

 

Tech Spec

For trio shows add double bass DI

Channel list W/ Condenser Mic

(More suited for bigger/deeper stages, natural amphitheatres, open spaces, or quiet listening rooms)

CHANNEL 1 - Kick Mic

CHANNEL 2 - Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic (We have an Ear Trumpet Lab’s Louise Phantom req, usually ok in monitor)

CHANNEL 3 - Guitar DI (active)

 

Channel list alternative

(More suited for noisier venues, enclosed spaces, close proximity, dancing etc)

CHANNEL 1 - Kick Mic

CHANNEL 2 - Snare/cymbal OH

CHANNEL 3 - Acoustic Guitar DI (active)

CHANNEL 4 - Vocals ALICIA

CHANNEL 5 - Vocals + harmonica ROBERT

CHANNEL 6 - Fiddle XLR (mini clip-on condenser mic, Phantom req)

CHANNEL 7 - Baritone ukulele DI (active)

 

LOGO

 

Contact

info@adifferentthread.com

Phone Alicia (919)225-1493
Phone Robert (919)430-2726

TOUR DATES