Music
Press
"Austin, TX-based Nick Kraus and His Austin Torpedoes recently released The Tragic Tale of Kim and Polly Jean, a remarkably strong batch of songs merging the best elements of Southern boogie with chorus-soaked roadhouse blues." Andrew Riley, Madeloud.com
- Madeloud.com
"Combining old-school country and Americana rock with suggestive metaphors, Nick Kraus and his Austin Torpedoes will perform in Flag at the Monte V, 100 N. San Francisco, to promote their album The Tragic Tale of Kim & Polly Jean." July 23-29 edition - Flagstaff Live
Over the past couple of weeks Under Control have
stumbled upon a number of bands from Texas, USA.
So we found another, in Nick Kraus while he seems
to have been filling the bars and honky-tonks of
Central Texas with his unique blend of alt-country
rock for the past four years, and i have to say
that he stands apart from the pack because of the genuine beauty and eccentricity of his tunes.
Kraus plays minimalist folk rock in its purest form while still keeping his songs lush and impossibly mature. His personality and deft songwriting hoist him to the top of the mass of bedsit mumblers of the current singer songwriting genre.
These tracks are for all those who prefer more electronic than alt-country. Kraus finds his voice in these tracks he is one of the best modern lyricists Under Control have featured showing he can write beautifuly, subtly uplifting and crushingly depressing at the same time.
- Undercontrol.org.uk
Discography
"...the tragic tale of Kim & Polly Jean" -full length debut, 2008.
Recorded at Matchbox Studios, Austin TX.
Produced and Engineered by Ted Roberson (Brandi Carlile, Bob Schneider). Guest keyboards by Casey McPherson (Alpha Rev), drums by Dwight Baker(Heart), and lap steel by Mike Harmeier (Mike and the Moonpies).
-11 of the 12 songs have had radio play on Texas stations like KOOP in Austin and KPFT in Houston, and as distant as WIDR in Kalamazoo, MI and Boot Liquor Internet Radio on Soma FM.
The 3 most frequently played singles are "27", "Medical Student", and "S.L.".
Photos
Bio
Nick Kraus is a gifted singer-songwriter who has been filling the bars and honky-tonks of Central Texas with his unique blend of alt-country rock for the past four years. He is backed on vocals and bass by his wife Kayt. The duo originally met while Nick was playing guitar in an instrumental trash-rock band for the now defunct Kalamazoo Precinct of Women Wrestlers (KPOWW). Together they moved to Boston. where they founded the still strong Boston League of Women Wrestlers (BLOWW) while Nick attended Berklee College of Music. In 2005, they decided to leave cold weather and their punk rock roots behind and head to Texas, where Nick Kraus and his Austin Torpedoes was born.
Dixie Yoder joined the band in 2007, adding her exceptional violin skills to emulate Nick's poignant lyrics.
...the tragic tale of kim & polly jean, the bands first full length album engineered and produced by Ted Roberson (Brandi Carlile, Bob Schneider), was released in 2008, with a handful of special guest musicians.
After the completion of the album, Bobby Bang (Mike & the Moonpies, the Dirty Sound) completed the band as a permanent drummer. Since then they have toured the south-west United States while still finding time to lay down their second full-length album, Long-Winding Stretches, due out soon.
They love to play anywhere and everywhere.
Links
