Program

Hamburg: Harmonium Gloom. Lo-Fi. Darkfolk

Del Judas is composer Charlie Schmid's blackened Americana project. Shimmering reverb and thundering rhythms roil, shake and seduce the dust off your boots. Melancholy melodies meet 80s hard pop that delves into darkness on the edge of town. Described as 'music that transcends familiar boundaries and appeals to the dark romantic in us all' by PopMatters, Del Judas conjures elements of Chris Isaak, Echo and the Bunnymen, Waylon Jennings and the sounds of the desert to shape their sonic grimoire.

“A slow, nocturnal drive down the dark side of memory lane.” – Invisible Oranges

“Haunting and sensual country-inspired sounds.” – Joy of Violent Movement

'…music that transcends familiar boundaries and appeals to the dark romantic in us all.' - Pop Matters

“The soundtrack to a lonely drive out west, as the sun is pulled down by the fingertips of ghosts hitchhiking their way across the sprawling interstate.” – Post-Punk.com

The artist behind such infamous, progressive, cult, chamber-oriented projects as maudlin of the Well and Kayo Dot injected new life into his long-dormant solo project early last year with his first album in a decade.

Driver returns with They Are the Shield, the prolific composer's first album in over twelve years that harks back to songwriting structures developed and perfected in his maudlin of the Well days.

Notes of singer-songwriter sensibilities simmer beneath a fog of synthesizers, expansive soundscapes, lush chamber orchestrations, and sullen atmospheres, punctuated and driven with a soft percussive heartbeat.

Imagine Bob Dylan deconstructed. Imagine motW without the metal or Kayo Dot without the chaos.

Toby Driver returns with one of the strongest entries in his abundant and celebrated career, signifying a complete evolution into artistic maturity. They Are the Shield delivers experimental chamber songs for the darkest of autumn days, recounting the rare and ethereal essence of such eminent luminaries as Ulver, Kauan, and Olafur Arnalds.