Exebelle & The Rusted Cavalcade

Taking inspiration from Virginia's folk tradition as well as the rural country-rock of Ryan Adams, the Band, and Neil Young, songwriters Philip Heesen and C.E. Wright formed Exebelle & the Rusted Cavalcade in September 2007. Kerry Hutcherson joined the duo soon after, having previously cut his teeth with the local group Copper Sails, while bassist Ryan Owenby enlisted after the disintegration of his own Richmond-based band, Motion Picture Demise. The lineup remained intact for the local release of The Skeletor Sessions in 2008; shortly thereafter, however, Wright returned to his native Utah. With their original frontman gone, the remaining members began incorporating thick harmonies and varied instrumentation into their previously stripped-down music. The Antipoison Creek Sessions displayed the new sound in 2009, with each member contributing lead vocals to at least one of the EP's four tracks. Recently, the band has been developing a fuller sound by incorporating multiple harmony vocals, pedal steel guitar, drums, and percussion at its live shows in the Richmond area and throughout Virginia. Exebelle released "C.A.F." in July of '09 and are currently composing and arranging a crop of songs electrified by the energy of their live show and balanced by the warm, earthy tones of their acoustic roots.