It’s been a long road for Redd & the Paper Flowers’ album “Appalachian Bell Jar.” The recently released album will be celebrated with a vinyl-release party/performance at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 13, at Barley’s. Band songwriter/lead singer Christina “Redd” Daugherty says recording began in January 2023, and the album was expected to be finished later that year. However, in February 2023, just as the band was to embark on the group’s second national tour, Daugherty’s best friend Jason Cooper, owner of Rush’s Music, was killed.
Aside from dealing with the grief and a (still upcoming) murder trial, Cooper had left Rush’s Music to Daugherty in his will. Suddenly, all the band’s plans went on hiatus while Daugherty learned how to run a business. Paper Flowers’ mandolinist and bassist, Gavin Gregg and Katie Adams, respectively, quit other jobs to work at Rush’s. Cellist Colleen d’Alelio focused on her solo act, Stranger May.
“We had to put the album on the backburner for a year,” says Daugherty. “It was a long, arduous process.”
Daugherty is a longtime veteran of Knoxville’s singer-songwriter open mic nights, and she formed a group with Knoxville bassist Will Ross, now of the band Blind House. A former Knox County high school English teacher, it was Daugherty’s students who convinced her to try out for “American Idol.” While she didn’t win (and that’s probably not a bad thing for her artistic independence), the experience gained her a national following.
As with her first album, “Monsters & Mothers” (released before the Paper Flowers were formed), Daugherty recorded at Famous London Recording Studios with producers/engineers Jonathan and Fred Kelly.
The resulting album is a mellow combination of folk and easygoing jazzy pop.
“All the songs were written with Knoxville in mind,” says Daugherty. “I wanted to highlight the greater Appalachian region. … With these songs, I hope to bring awareness to the area.”
That’s apparent throughout the album. It’s filled with references to East Tennessee locations, flora and fauna.
“Blackbear” imagines a bear taking the singer off of the path – maybe emotionally, spiritually and literally – that she’s currently on.
Daugherty says that while the song “Ijams” deals with depression and loneliness, it’s her personal favorite because Gregg’s mandolin work so perfectly matches the lyrics. It also features some of Daugherty’s most expressive vocals.
The moody and tragic “Opal Apple (Rise Up Appalachia)” addresses the hardships of people in the area who do not always have a voice.
“I don’t know of a single family here who has not been touched by alcoholism or drugs,” says Daugherty. “And government support is not where it needs to be.”
She says that opening track “Cinnamon” remains special to her because it is the first song that the entire band composed together. Now most of the group’s songs are written collaboratively, and each element seems completely essential.
Getting the album to listeners feels like a real achievement, considering the emotional tolls and challenges the group has endured in the past year. Each recording is tied up in memories of a difficult time.
“It feels like a weight lifted off our shoulders,” Daugherty says. “There was so much excitement beforehand, but then each song became more personal. … That doesn’t mean that we don’t love these songs. It’s just that they’re tied to some [sad] experiences.”
It seems like the band is finally back on track: The group is set to tour 22 weeks this year, and the next album, “Dead Little Thing,” is scheduled for release in January 2026 with another to follow in late summer 2026.
“We’re head-over-heels excited about the next project,” says Daugherty.
Part of the goal, she says, is to draw more attention to her fellow musicians in the area.
“I want more meaningful eyes on Knoxville. … I love everybody in the scene, and they deserve it.”
