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Fox and the Bird Profiles -- Granada Theater

Fox & The Bird — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:16:31 +0000

Thanks to Bill Ellison for taking these shots during our show at the Granada Theater with the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Kelsey Bowman

Dan Bowman

Daniel t. Hall

Petra Kelly

Travis Lawrence

Jacob Metcalf

Mimo Morreale

Fox and the Bird, 9/16, Granada Theater

Fox and the Bird with Carolina Chocolate Drops 9/16/2011

Fox & The Bird — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:58:09 +0000

Check out the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Swing by the Granada 9/16:

Here we are on Good Morning Texas (WFAA)

Fox & The Bird — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:02:10 +0000

Days 6, 7, and 8 of Tour- The Mesa Theater, Grand Junction, CO; Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT; Underground Music Showcase, Denver, CO

Fox & The Bird — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:10:11 +0000

July 19- The Mesa Theater, Grand Junction, CO– We wrap up cables. We lug and hide and stow our instruments. We aren't well-known musicians here. We're small potatoes. No, we're tots. This requires work. Lots. The mood is light. We scale a Theater. There is a commotion in the living room. We're staying with David, part owner of Mesa Theater. We just ate a shrimp cocktail, eggroll, and pesto pizza on afghan crust dinner at one in the morning. "Smother us and we'll wake up in heaven." We didn't really mean it. This is a high note for us. If the every night astonishes us more than the night before it trend continues, tomorrow we'll be crowned royalty of some foreign cabinet. The following day we'll buy a lottery ticket and give all the winnings away because we don't need them. We repeated our pursuit to drive traffic into the venue by street singing, and met some smiles and met children playing in the public fountains. While we were out and about the cloud cover stormed in and a tempest attempted to swallow us. We took shelter beneath an awning in a cove and waited the downpour's finale. Us versus the precipitation. We met a young woman named Denise who told us all about ourselves, interpreting our signs and stars. We met a man named Dan who told us about his four years of wandering around Scandinavia, hitching from stop to stop. News of his adventures must have trickled down through the years and reached our ears, and may be one of the reasons some of us wander like we do.

July 20- Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT– More driving in circles. Big ones. Towering mountains. We thought Utah was flat. We were careful not to make any playful jokes about certain religious groups. You never know who you're brushing elbows with. Kilby Court is a tiny handsome room. Dirty Mittens played and there was dancing. Boots to the Moon put on a great show, too. From start to finish we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It would be disingenuous to portray a trip of this kind as a vacation. It's true that the road has its lures. It's magnetic. In a sense we're not bound by schedules in the same way we were when we were home. But the truth is, even now, writing from a brand new cafe in a brand new place, we wish we were somewhere else. The next stop, the next tour, the next adventure. It's difficult to leave the body and brain in neutral and enjoy the present. Partial satisfaction. Always looking into the remote. A blessing and a curse both.

July 21- The UMS, Denver, CO– We steal into Wyoming. Pick up a local paper. There is a mountain man rendezvous and a hatchet throwing competition. We consider entering. Interestingly, the entire trip in the vehicle to this point has been without the accompaniment of any music. The stereo has remained off, and for good reason. We've stored enough laughter to extend our lives the next one hundred years. Three hundred bands, and a single strip called Broadway. This is going to be beautiful. We played an impromptu set at Skylark, as the Dirty Mittens broken down van insisted they stay behind. Bittersweet. We hope to see them again soon.

Day 5 of Tour– Salida Cafe, Salida, CO

Fox & The Bird — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:40:10 +0000

We rinsed our feet in the Arkansas River. We roamed singing in the streets in search of passersby in the interest of drumming up the cafe some business. By the time we kicked off our set we had a nice room in attendance. The sweetest thing we saw was a dancing pair who twirled and dipped in the shade of a maple tree at the park. And we were treated and hosted by a gentleman named Clark.

Day 1 of Tour

Day 2 of Tour

Days 3 and 4 of Tour

DAYS 3 & 4 OF TOUR - Alamo House, Santa Fe; Seco Pearl, Arroyo Seco, NM

Fox & The Bird — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:27:19 +0000

July 16— Raise your cross hairs and lift the barrel. Single pump action. Chamber loaded. Breathe in. Exhale and release the trigger. We turned loose our rounds on a firing squad of empty sodas strewn across a laundry wire in the back yard. We were in Santa Fe at Greg and Benito's house shooting off pellet guns and sipping from aluminum cans. After watching a day movie in theater we settled into the front yard of the fabled Alamo House, where a musical showcase was staged and everyone would be participating. Several notable locals performed short sets to our delight. Greg put on a delicious beef stew. Several made a climb to the roof. The night's lights were out. A falling star fell. After the sets were done, a jamboree broke out and sounds erupted from every corner of the adobe living room. The night gradually wore out and wrapped us up in a blanket of coyote sounds.

July 17— Everyone in our crew sprang to life and made a three thousand foot march down into the womb of the earth. The descent to the valley floor is directed by a pebble–covered trail hemmed in with stones, cacti, and sagebrush. The hike led us to the emerald waters of the roaring Rio Grand. Lesser-known hot springs trickled nearby. We took a dip in the river, gazing upward toward the walls of the gorge. We reclined against algae outfitted rocks in warm, pellucid waters. Minnows darted around us begging to know what we newcomers brought. Tiny crawfish nibbled at our feet. We made friends at the springs. Cara, Diana, and Megan shared a gallon of their local beer with us. We said our goodbyes, hoping to see them again for our scheduled show. Off to KTAO radio, a twenty-five year old solar-powered station. On a tip from a local we showed up at the doorstep of the station and spilled into the studio. Rick DeStefano was kind to air us. Five points on KTAO. It seemed serendipitous. Next stop: Seco Pearl. The venue is a gem, a kind of community house with a tiny charming stage curtain and hardwood floors. Kristina, the new owner was generous with us. She prepared some savory plates. Friends old and new came out. It was great.

Photos by Sara Kerens.

See Day 1 of Tour

See Day 2 of Tour

DAY 2 OF TOUR - The Mine Shaft Tavern, Madrid, NM

Fox & The Bird — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:06:06 +0000

Climate change. Mountain time. The road fools with your mind. The way is winding and eves of cliffs are on the wings and waiting. Twists and turns. The sun burns. New Mexicans don't know it yet, but we are going to be pleased to meet them. Green chili. Altitude. Out of breath climbing down from the bus. This is like touching down in a brand new country, or perhaps in a different era. Our Albuquerque plans fell through last minute and left us an opening in our evening schedule. On a tip from our friend Aaron we made the jog north well after dark to a rocky lot and the tiny town of Madrid. Some have made a living drilling and extracting minerals from the ground here. These people are sun-touched and many know what the soil feels like in their open palms. We met the country's last living cattleman, John Wayne Haynes. Two years ago this soft spoken gentleman left his Michigan ranch on horseback, driving south and sleeping under a different sky each night for six months. He settled into a nearby teepee and he has no access to electricity. He seemed like a long lost uncle of ours. Exchanging words with him you get the impression that he is living in the future, in a time when things his imagination thought impossible exist. Continents are crossed in a matter of hours these days. Satellites orbit. Radios make waves his soul refuses to brave. He does not wear a wrist watch. The brim of his hat hides his hair and his snow white beard stretches down like a scarf. John Wayne strummed and sang and thrilled the crowd. We might have been among the most impressed.

John Wayne Haynes, by Sara Kerens

Day 1 of Tour - The 806, Amarillo, TX

Fox & The Bird — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:50:40 +0000

We were up till five am the day of departure. Seated around a circular wooden table several of us put the final touches on our hand-cut, hand-stiched debut CD's. Most of us were delirious, but relieved at the culmination of numerous weeks of scrambling and hustling in preparation. After an abbreviated break for a few hours' sleep the clock struck noon, we gave our goodbye hugs and set sail, taking interstate 40 west to the top of Texas. In route we were stopped by an armed officer of the law, excited to send us off properly and with a ticket for driving in haste. No thanks. Continuing on, road-side stops beckoned to us. Our stomachs were broadcasting. Snacks: we had to have them. Half a waking day behind the wheel and slumped in every inch of the bus's interior we pulled up into the dusty town of Amarillo with satisfied bellies. Parking a fifteen passenger bus is like moving a mobile home. After a few laps around the block we fell into the empty room that would serve as our venue. We dropped off the twenty-instrument court in a corner and, with an hour to spare, took a stroll to a neighboring venue, The Golden Cantina. After chatting inside with some of the regulars, we were playing a short set for the happily drinking and clapping customers. Success. Management said they'd be glad to have us on our next time through. On a high note we returned to our scheduled gig and played just over an hour to an enthusiastic crowd that seemed to shuffle in as the sun was disappearing. Or, it could be that Daniel had drawn them all inside, casting a spell on them by bowing the theme song to the Harry Potter franchise on a hand saw. Mysterious. The night took a beautiful turn when one of the locals offered all six of us her home, and we slept like royalty under a borrowed roof. Loaded up and leaving this morning, Merri, our new friend, presented Kelsey with a small ornate box. Inside: a clarinet. Another new friend Liz generously donated the gift based on conversation at the bar. It's nice to make friends in an unfamiliar place. We are already making plans for a return.

Sara Kerens is accompanying us, documenting the trip. Here is a short clip she shot last night. "Saints We Are". More photos and video to come.

Fox and the Bird CD Release - July 29th

Fox & The Bird — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:51:32 +0000

Fox and the Bird album is finished. July 29th Release...

Son of Hermann Hall
3414 Elm Street
Dallas, TX 75226

Years in the making, this is our debut full length titled Floating Feather.

----> Get Tickets Here

----> Check Out Facebook Event

It wouldn't be fitting if we didn't release the album at one of Dallas' oldest venues with our friends in the Beaten Sea and the Whiskey Folk Ramblers. Really glad to have these folks on the bill.

We've had a bunch of songwriters and musicians rotate in and out of Fox and the Bird over the years... some of which still play and others just make appearences from time to time. For the release we're bringing back everyone:

Travis Lawrence
Dan Bowman
Daniel Hall
Kelsey Bowman
Petra Kelly
Wheeler Sparks
Ray Weyandt
Mimo Morreale
Jacob Metcalf
McCullough Ferguson

We'll rotate songwriters and play all the original tunes.

Whiskey Folk Ramblers
http://www.whiskeyfolkramblers.com/

Beaten Sea
http://thebeatensea.com/

June 17 We're in Austin, TX @ The Parish

Fox & The Bird — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:21:14 +0000

The Parish.

Sunny Austin, TX.

June 17th.

Songs of David Ramirez.

Fox and the Bird.

Good Combination.

9pm – Shakey Graves
10pm – The Fox & The Bird
11pm – David Ramirez (Headliner)
12pm – Black Books

TICKETS AND MORE INFO HERE