Hana Zara and the Old-Time Pharmaceuticals

Mind-Altering Folk Music

Hana Zara and the Old-Time Pharmaceuticals is a project between songwriter Hana Zara (https://hanazaramusic.bandcamp.com/) and pan-Celtic band Old-Time Pharmaceuticals (www.oldtimepharmaceuticals.com). Our first EP, Crossing Faire, is scheduled for release in fall 2026.

Together, we make music for sharing experiences, ideally transportive experiences that bring people together and change us for the better. We like to think of traditional music as a type of ancient virtual reality machine, and by using the principles of traditional music to write contemporary songs, we hope to share the empathy-ballooning experience of finding ourselves in other places and times and perspectives, while feeling the transcendent immersion in a larger whole that community singing brings.

MUSIC

Belvelly Keep
Around 1209, shipwrecked Spanish minstrel Luccero Moreno and Irish bard Dion the Thrush engaged in a “Duel with Song,” contending for the patronage of Lord and Lady Hodnett of Belvelly Castle. The duel itself ended in tragedy, but across centuries of storytelling, a sweeter tradition grew from bitter origins. “Belvelly Keep” is our retelling, not so much of the Duel with Song, but of its long and surprisingly tender afterlife: https://hanazaramusic.bandcamp.com/track/belvelly-keep.

Praise for the Life Returning
The little details of a spring morning can come together in a joyous chorus. To our mirroring delight, this open-ended hymn to rebirth has been added to the new hymnal of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Gratitude

Howlin’ Dog Music Group made 11 generous grants this year to help artists record original music, and we’re deeply grateful to be one of those artists! Thanks to Howlin’ Dog, you’ll get to hear many more recordings from us this year. Relatedly, if you love independent music, check out what Howlin’ Dog Music Group is doing and consider a donation–they’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, which means donations can even be tax deductible, and your support will help other great artists make more great music.