EYELIDS (from Portland, Oregon) bring their lop-sided rock to D.C. with a show at the legendary Black Cat!!! Their recent record, produced by PETER BUCK of R.E.M., was given 4 stars by MOJO Magazine and was called “one of the most kick ass bands on the planet” by Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers (who took them on tour to UK this year). “Inspired ringing guitar pop in the ballpark of XTC, Straitjacket Fits, Teenage Fanclub, and Shoes. With the pair’s beatific voices, consummate melodies, and high-hooky tones, it’s first-play ‘sold.'” (Jack Rabid, Big Takeover).
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JAY GONZALEZ: Best known as keyboardist and guitarist for Drive-By Truckers, Jay Gonzalez’s effortless ability and simpatico with that outstanding ensemble belies his pop heritage. Long-time fans also know his catchy, melodic work with bands like Nutria and the sorely underrated Possibilities. Solo, the multi-instrumentalist Gonzalez’s innate pop sensibility is distilled into a bevy of flavors, from soft AM gold to insanely memorable power pop.
Gonzalez released his first solo album, Mess of Happiness, in 2012. Recorded at his home in Athens, Georgia, it exemplifies pop sensibility and craftsmanship of songwriters like Emitt Rhodes, Paul McCartney and Todd Rundgren.
HUMBLE FIRE: Humble Fire’s album Builder explores physical and emotional experiences around loss and reconstruction, from family deaths and failed romances to the shocks and stresses they have navigated as a band. Through those experiences, they’ve come to appreciate that reconstruction isn’t something you can tackle on your own: it requires an entire crew. Builder, then, is as much about that process of putting yourself back together, as it is about the relationships that can help or hinder that process. Since Humble Fire’s members have known each other over the past five or so years, they’ve all shown up for each other in different ways as part of that reconstruction crew. They’re lucky to have found family in each other in that way.
In its current form, the band celebrates the diverse musical influences that each member draws from–from bluegrass and classical, to punk and hip hop–weaving addictive rhythms and vulnerable vocals through tightly wound guitar and bass melodies.
