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.

A Different Thread Releases New Album:‘Over Again’

Transatlantic folk duo, A Different Thread release their third studio album, Over Again on May 1st - a pivotal project shaped by rebirth, resilience, and hope. The record marks a major milestone for the band, the result of years spent navigating visas and shedding old cycles before finally putting down roots in North Carolina.

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. Since forming A Different Thread, they’ve spent a decade touring across a dozen countries simply to stay together, though most of the songs on Over Again were written during the years when visas and closed borders kept them apart. The band explains:

“We had to learn to make our own hope and these songs became a way of holding onto that. When we finally got the paperwork to move to North Carolina, we went through a period of immense personal growth and change - we had a home at last, but we were both still struggling to let go of the past, and then Alicia’s grandmother died right before the solar eclipse. We drove into the path of totality and wrote the title track “Over Again”. It felt like being reborn. We knew straight away that it was the missing piece of the puzzle and a roadmap for what lay ahead. What we didn’t know was how hard it would be to walk this new path and shed the habits and cycles that have held us back.”

The eleven-track LP is both an intimate celebration and a call to action, blending autobiographical storytelling with social commentary. Over Again confronts the struggles of addiction, loneliness, intergenerational trauma, and systemic abuse of power, all while illuminating mythology, self-love, and community healing.

Crowd-funded by their international fanbase, the album is a true transatlantic collaboration. Recording began at Betty’s in Chapel Hill (Watchhouse, The Mountain Goats), continued in the band’s tiny-home studio in North Carolina (amid a giant cicada bloom), and was completed and mixed at Alma Vale in Bristol, UK (Yola, Elles Bailey).

It features the previously released singles “Always Leaving,” “Amaranth,” and “Sweet and the Burn,” proving the duo’s ability to to hold space for difficult subjects and tenderness to ride side-by-side. With the addition of new tracks like “The Prophet” and “Goodbye Muddy Waters,” Over Again cements A Different Thread as a vital, authentic voice in modern folk music.

The album arrives with the new single “The Prophet” and its official music video. Drawing on Alicia Best’s upbringing in the American South, the track draws a firm line in the sand regarding the intersection of religion, profit, and power. It is a critique of late-stage capitalism and a plea for environmental stewardship. “Loving your neighbor is also about loving the soil they walk on and the environment their children play in” says Alicia, “we have to stop pretending things are okay and take action to preserve the world we live on.”

The release follows a breakout year for the duo that included a performance at MerleFest, winning in the International Acoustic Music Awards, and song placements on Apple Music’s “New in Americana” and “Southern Craft” editorial playlists. Alicia and Robert will support the album with a tour across North America, the UK, and Europe.

A Different Thread continues to bridge Old World folk traditions and modern Americana with songs that belong firmly in the present day. With their third album Over Again on the horizon, a renewed sense of community, and an expansive tour, A Different Thread’s next chapter is only just beginning.

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