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Richard Buckner
Richard Buckner with special guest The Daredevil Christopher Wright.
Richard Buckner is an American singer-songwriter born in California; after living in Edmonton, Alberta for a number of years, he currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. A critically-acclaimed artist most often associated with the alternative country movement, Buckner has in recent albums eschewed his initial acoustic approach and displayed an increasing interest in more abstract music styles.
Buckner's career began with Bloomed (1994), a lyrically-dense suite of songs recorded in Lubbock, Texas (produced by Lloyd Maines) and heavily influenced by that state's tradition of whisky-soaked poet/troubadors, probably best embodied by Townes Van Zandt. (Since 1999, the album has been kept in print (with additional bonus tracks) by Rykodisc offshoot Slow River Records; at Buckner's request, the artwork on the back cover was edited to remove his then-girlfriend from the picture.) In January 1996, while living in San Francisco, he recorded an album's worth of acoustic songs, all of which would reappear in more fully-realized forms on his second and third albums. This CD was self-produced and self-released, and was sold exclusively at his early shows.
Later that year, he signed with MCA Records, for whom he recorded two albums, both produced by J.D. Foster. Devotion + Doubt was released in 1997, displaying a more adventurous, almost avant-garde approach to songwriting and arranging, and featuring backing from members of the band Giant Sand, as well as Maines and Marc Ribot, among others. Its follow-up, 1998's Since, continues in this style, with an even greater emphasis on detailed production, this time featuring contributions from John McEntire, Dave Schramm, David Grubbs, Syd Straw, and others. Although these albums garnered considerable critical approval for Buckner, they did not perform well enough for his label, and he was released from his contract with MCA (whom he then nick-named 'Musical Career Assassins') shortly thereafter.
Since then, he has returned to recording for smaller labels, to continued critical acclaim and cult status. His 2000 album The Hill - his first for Chicago-based indie label Overcoat Recordings - features poems from Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology (1915), which Buckner set to music. The album plays as a single track, nearly thirty-five minutes long. He returned in 2002, first with the "teaser" EP Impasse-ette, then a full-length entitled Impasse one month later. In early 2003, his self-released, self-titled album was reissued by Overcoat, and was his final release for the label. In 2004, an edited version of Richard Buckner's song "Ariel Ramirez", from the album Since (1998) was featured in one of the television ads for Volkswagen's Touareg.
He is currently aligned with North Carolina-based indie label Merge Records, who have released two of his albums so far: 2004's Dents and Shells and 2006's Meadow. Between the two, he released an album with Jon Langford (most notably of The Mekons) called Sir Dark Invader vs. The Fanglord (2005, originally recorded in Sally Timms's house in 2002) on Buried Treasure Records.
Daredevil Christopher Wright
Jon Sunde (vocals, guitar)
Jason Sunde (vocals, bass)
Jesse Edgington (vocals, percussion)
The phrase, "the agony of the leaves," derives from hot water pouring over tea leaves. As the tea steeps and the leaves unfurl, they release various flavors to the water, evolving the taste. While The Daredevil Christopher Wright's debut album, In Deference to a Broken Back, doesn't dramatize the agonies given them, they do face the weighty issues of cancer, death, and loss with a realistic and offbeat tone. Their joyful music is layered with the profundity of small moments that flavor life.
The first notes begin with Jon Sunde of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, who studied classical voice, plays tennis, and dislikes fruit in his desserts. Mutual friends introduced him to Jesse Edgington, frequently clothed in grandpa sweaters with a knack for making some mean pesto, and finally, Jon's older brother Jason Sunde came on board after some hesitancy and a stint to Finland. And the music continued to evolve.
Two years ago, Jason's struggle with a back injury inspired the recording of In Deference to a Broken Back, the band's debut full-length. Mixed by fellow Eau Claire friend, Justin Vernon of the acclaimed Bon Iver, each song offers a story, whether centered on the true events of a brother's move to New England ("The East Coast"), or fictionalized as in the couple who have plans to be a playwright and stewardess ("Stewardess"). It is the depth in the mundane they prefer, the grouping together of "faith and rocks and slings and things" ("A Conversation About Cancer"). The Daredevil Christopher Wright are the park bench overlooking a mighty river, the subtitles to a foreign film, and the back screen door left to slam shut in the excitement of a ten-year-old on a summer day.
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LocationHigh noon Saloon
701 E. Washington Ave
Madison, WI 53703
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 18 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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