SXSW Picks 2 Click 2007
Birthing the Band – of Heathens
By Jim Caligiuri, Fri., March 2, 2007
Band of Heathens
A band can come together in myriad different ways. How the Band of Heathens did it is unusual, to say the least. In fact, a lot of what the local quartet does is out of the ordinary, but let's not get ahead of the story.
Singer-songwriters Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi, Brian Keane, and Gordy Quist were all showcasing regularly at Momo's, occasionally backing one another or sharing the stage. Spring 2006, they decided to play a show where they shared the stage equally, collaborating on one another's songs.
"I was surprised at our first show together," admits Brooks. "I wasn't too in to the idea. I was like, 'Songwriter in the round with a rhythm section? Yeah, whatever.'"
"But it was pretty immediate," chimes in Quist, 2006 Kerrville New Folk award winner. "I came offstage the first night saying to myself, 'Yeah!'"
"No one had any expectations going into it," claims Jurdi. "We all thought that we could go back to our solo gigs if it didn't work out. But it had a totally different energy from one of our individual shows."
That energy translates offstage as well, as evidenced by their 2006 debut, Live From Momo's (Fat Caddy). A combination of superb harmonies and subtly polished interplay, the Heathens' brand of Americana blends country, soul, and folk similar to that originally cultivated by Little Feat and the Subdudes.
Seth Whitney, the band's hippie bass player who had previously backed them individually, refers to their sound, with a crooked grin, as "weird cosmic stuff. It's a different thing every night." Meanwhile, the group prides itself in being able to take the stage without a set list.
"We follow a circle, mostly," explains Brooks, another Kerrville New Folk award winner, 2003. "You can just try to fit the vibe, or change it, and sometimes you don't even choose a song that you wrote."
Jurdi allows that "the chemistry is really great between us and really natural," adding with a hint of surprise, "it's nothing we thought about or even talked about. It just happened."
What happens next is open to discussion. Keane left late last year to pursue his solo career and tour as a member of Patrice Pike's band. There's the residency Wednesday nights at Momo's and talk of a studio LP. Collaborative songwriting is being born within the quartet for the first time. They plan on additional touring outside of Texas, having recently trekked to New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, where they were warmly welcomed.
"It's been overwhelming in a lot of instances," asserts Jurdi. "People have liked what we do right out of the gate."
SXSW showcase: Wednesday, March 14, 10pm @ Momo's
