Josh Rouse
Like a baseball player who quietly hits 30 home runs every year or a golfer who regularly finishes in the Top Ten, Josh Rouse's continued streak of excellence is easy to ignore and maybe even downplay a little” -- Tim Sendra, Allmusic.com. Josh Rouse was born in Nebraska, and eventually landed in Nashville where he recorded his debut Dressed Like Nebraska (1998). His breakthrough album, 1972 (2003) Rouse expanded his palette to the warmer sound of albums back then, as well as the more communal feel of the soul music of the eponymous year. After relocating to Valencia, Spain, Rouse has released a steady stream of high quality songs and albums. Subtitulo (2006) contained the international hit "Quiet Town". On El Turista (2010) he experimented with writing and singing some songs in Spanish. In 2014, he won a Goya Award (the Spanish equivalent of an Oscar) for best song for "Do You Really Want To Be In Love," from the film 'La Gran Familia Española.
Vetiver
Based around the rootsy and searching songwriting of bandleader Andy Cabic, Vetiver was included in the earliest waves of the freak folk movement due to their strong ties to fellow Bay Area artists like Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom. The group slowly established a solid lineup as Cabic's songwriting continually evolved, moving from more traditional folky beginnings to include more electronic and rock elements by the time of 2015's Complete Strangers.
Cabic got his start in the D.I.Y. indie rock scene forming his band Raymond Brake in his native Greensboro, North Carolina, in the early '90s. The Raymond Brake's noisy, Sonic Youth-influenced take on indie rock was a natural fit with both the Chapel Hill art-punk scene and the influential Washington, D.C.-based indie label Simple Machines, which released the band's debut album, Piles of Dirty Winters, in 1995. After a handful of EPs and one more album, 1996's Never Work Ever, the Raymond Brake broke up and Cabic migrated westward, eventually settling in San Francisco.
While studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, Cabic met fellow student Banhart and instantly established a close working relationship with him. Playing shows with Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Six Organs of Admittance, and others, Cabic started writing songs for his new project, Vetiver, named for a relative of lemongrass that's used in perfume making. He added Banhart on guitar and backing vocals, Jim Gaylord on violin, and Alissa Anderson on cello, and the band -- with Cabic's vocals, banjo, and acoustic guitar -- released its self-titled debut on the DiCristina label in 2004. (The album, produced by Thom Monahan of the Pernice Brothers, also included guest spots by Newsom, Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, and former My Bloody Valentine drummer Colm O'Ciosoig.) As the freak folk movement gained steam and Banhart's worldwide acclaim grew, Vetiver's association with him would bring them new fans as well. In addition to Banhart's musical contributions to Vetiver's albums, Cabic co-wrote Banhart's breakout song "At the Hop," and Banhart paid tribute to his friend's band in the song "When the Sun Shone on Vetiver."
Cabic got his start in the D.I.Y. indie rock scene forming his band Raymond Brake in his native Greensboro, North Carolina, in the early '90s. The Raymond Brake's noisy, Sonic Youth-influenced take on indie rock was a natural fit with both the Chapel Hill art-punk scene and the influential Washington, D.C.-based indie label Simple Machines, which released the band's debut album, Piles of Dirty Winters, in 1995. After a handful of EPs and one more album, 1996's Never Work Ever, the Raymond Brake broke up and Cabic migrated westward, eventually settling in San Francisco.
While studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, Cabic met fellow student Banhart and instantly established a close working relationship with him. Playing shows with Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Six Organs of Admittance, and others, Cabic started writing songs for his new project, Vetiver, named for a relative of lemongrass that's used in perfume making. He added Banhart on guitar and backing vocals, Jim Gaylord on violin, and Alissa Anderson on cello, and the band -- with Cabic's vocals, banjo, and acoustic guitar -- released its self-titled debut on the DiCristina label in 2004. (The album, produced by Thom Monahan of the Pernice Brothers, also included guest spots by Newsom, Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, and former My Bloody Valentine drummer Colm O'Ciosoig.) As the freak folk movement gained steam and Banhart's worldwide acclaim grew, Vetiver's association with him would bring them new fans as well. In addition to Banhart's musical contributions to Vetiver's albums, Cabic co-wrote Banhart's breakout song "At the Hop," and Banhart paid tribute to his friend's band in the song "When the Sun Shone on Vetiver."
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