Cobirds Unite
Seattle, Washington, United States | INDIE
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Panoramic, melancholic dreamscapes from under-the-radar Seattle songster.
Long-respected luminary of the Pacific Northwest scene in his '80s/90's powerpop outfits Pure Joy and Flop remain critically undiscovered - singer/songwriter Rusty Willoughby teams with Visqueen singer Rachel Flotard on a sumptuous country/folk set. Textured with judicious use of cello, organ, vibraphone, dobro, and gentle acoustic and silky pedal steel guitars, Willoughby's songs catty their existential burdens with plangent grace. From black-as-night hooks to devistating character sketches to rocking highlight "Find A Way Home", Cobirds Unite is a subtle triumph. - Uncut
Recorded live, in one room, one mic. Seattle WA, 2010. - Crackle and Pop studios.
Rusty's current project is one of my favorite bands on the Seattle scene these days. I saw them live for the first time on Friday and they blew me away. It was one of the most beautiful performances I've seen in a long time.
All the members of the band are artists of note.
Rusty Willoughby was in Pure Joy and Flop, a great power pop band from the early to mid 90's which released records on Frontier and Sony 500.
Female vocalist, Rachel Flotard, is in the band Visqeen and has toured extensively doing back up vocals for Neko Case. You can read the in depth article Michael Bialas posted on No Depression about Visqueen when their critically acclaimed album Message to Garcia was released.
Barrett Martin, the bass player, was the Screaming Trees drummer and has played with many artists of note. You can read his impressive biography here.
Also in the band are Johnny Sangster (Tripwires, Steve Turner), Barbara Hunter/Antonio (Afghan Whigs, Gutter Twins, Mark Pickerel, Visqueen) and Margrethe Bjorklund (Denmark's Sneaky Pete). - No Depression
Discography
Solo albums
* Rusty Willoughby (Scott Brookins, 1999)
* Filament Dust (self-released, 2009)
Solo singles
* "Here Come the Weakened" / "And the World Moves On" (Sub Pop, 1999, 7-inch vinyl)
Flop albums
* Flop and the Fall of the Mopsqueezer!
(Frontier Records - 1992)
* Whenever You're Ready (Sony 550 - 1993)
* World of Today (Frontier Records - 1995)
Flop EPs and Singles
* The Losing End (Lucky Records - 1990)
* Drugs (Dashboard Hula Girl Records - 1990)
* Anne (1993)
* We Are You (Munster Records - 1993)
* Regrets (Sony 550 - 1993)
* The Great Valediction (Sony 550 - 1993)
* Act 1 Scene 1 (Super Electro - 1995)
* Place I Love (1995)
Pure Joy albums and EPs
* Pure Joy (Dwindle Music, 1986, EP)
* Carnivore (Popllama, 1989)
* Sore Throte, Ded Goat (No Threes, 1989 or 1990, EP)
* Unsung (Flydaddy, recorded 1987, released 1994)
* Purify (CD, Naïve, 1999)
Cobirds Unite
* Cobirds Unite (CD, Local 638 Records, November 16, 2010)
Photos
Bio
Rusty Willoughby released his newest album, Cobirds Unite, on Local 638 Records. Itelligent, Americana-loneliness with vibraphone, cello, and pedal steel in all the right places.
In 2010 the band has supported Bob Mould, Chrissie Hynde, and Black Francis. They appear at SXSW 2011 on the No Depression showcase.
The lyrics on Cobirds Unite (album name, and band name) are sung as nearly line-for-line duets with Visqueen's front woman, Rachel Flotard. Like Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons, their two distinct voices knit together. Heavenly covers of “Do Right Woman” and “Streets of Baltimore” hint at the dustier inspirations at work on this record.
Having crafted records for Sub Pop, Sony, and Frontier since 1982, the shy, reclusive Pacific Northwesterner Rusty Willoughby is well loved and cult-followed for his trio of rock/pop bands Pure Joy, Flop and Llama. For this new album of stunning, lo-electricity recordings, Willoughby channelled folk noir influences. Notables from Seattle to Denmark answered the call to participate in the creative studio sessions. Willoughby and Flotard rounded out with a brilliant cast of folks including Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees), Barb Hunter (Afghan Whigs), Maggie Bjorklund (Mark Lanegan) and Johnny Sangster (Mudhoney).
2011 is built for touring.
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