NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: The Band of Heathens
Robert L. Doerschuk
September 08, 2008
The Band of Heathens came together more or less by happenstance at Momo's, in the heart of Austin's Sixth Street entertainment district. As regulars at the venue's weekly songwriter night, Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist moved eventually from doing individual sets to getting together onstage as a group - unrehearsed, unpredictable, but a group nonetheless.
With Seth Whitney onboard as their bassist, they adopted a name and recorded a couple of these shows for a regional live album. The following year, 2007, they added drummer John Chipman, won "Best New Band" honors at the Austin Music Awards, appeared on a locally-produced DVDand took their show on the road. They also began work on their studio debut album, which fully captures the polish of their writing and the infectious energy of their performance.
Produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard, released on their BOHimprint and distributed nationally by Burnside, The Band of Heathens features 11 original tracks as well as guest contributions from Hubbard, Stephen Bruton, Patty Griffin and Gurf Morlix. Over the rocky ramble of their rhythm, vocals range from conversational to ecstatic, with an appealing roughness that suggests being worn by gospel shouts or whiskey shots, depending on the lyric. The instrumentation is unpretentious and evocative. Their spirit draws from The Band, early Neil Young and the mystique of Austin, brought to a peak of expression by this somewhat accidental yet enormously promising quintet.
2008 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
With Seth Whitney onboard as their bassist, they adopted a name and recorded a couple of these shows for a regional live album. The following year, 2007, they added drummer John Chipman, won "Best New Band" honors at the Austin Music Awards, appeared on a locally-produced DVDand took their show on the road. They also began work on their studio debut album, which fully captures the polish of their writing and the infectious energy of their performance.
Produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard, released on their BOHimprint and distributed nationally by Burnside, The Band of Heathens features 11 original tracks as well as guest contributions from Hubbard, Stephen Bruton, Patty Griffin and Gurf Morlix. Over the rocky ramble of their rhythm, vocals range from conversational to ecstatic, with an appealing roughness that suggests being worn by gospel shouts or whiskey shots, depending on the lyric. The instrumentation is unpretentious and evocative. Their spirit draws from The Band, early Neil Young and the mystique of Austin, brought to a peak of expression by this somewhat accidental yet enormously promising quintet.
2008 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
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