Quiet Corral
Gig Seeker Pro

Quiet Corral

Lawrence, Kansas, United States | SELF

Lawrence, Kansas, United States | SELF
Band Rock Folk

Calendar

Music

Press


"Quiet Corral is rounding up local fans with its dusty Americana"

The biggest stage that Quiet Corral has played to date was also its first. Last winter, the Lawrence band unleashed its Americana chamber folk in an admittedly strange spot: a sorority parking lot at the University of Kansas.

Delta Gamma's fifth annual battle-of-the-bands fundraiser, titled (of course) Delta Jamma, took place on a fold-out stage better suited for festivals than for local benefit shows. Lacking enough material to fill a 20-minute set, the band members tuned their guitars with shaky hands, trying to ignore first-gig jitters. Isaac Flynn recalls it fondly.

"We told ourselves we'd never get to play a stage that big again," he says. "The girls even hand-made this awesome banner that said Quiet Corral with a boot and a cowboy hat, like we were a country band." Quiet Corral didn't win the battle but, looking back on the group's first year, it may have won the war.

One year later, Quiet Corral is mounting a smaller stage for a bigger audience as the opener for Southern-blues outfit the Delta Saints at Lawrence's Jackpot Music Hall. The venue is packed to shoulder to shoulder — spilled drinks and sweat abound — as band members lug drums, mandolins, guitars and bells onstage.

"Thanks for waiting, everyone," singer Jesse Braswell Roberts says, before the band rips into "Thieves," a campfire gypsy romp that sounds like Vampire Weekend abandoned in the Wild West. Quick, rolling drums flow under aching chords. An opening chant declares: Sunset is when we wake ourselves up/Fill our hands with our rusty knives and set out/Take nothing else along with us/Our pockets will be full by the time the morning comes.

The payoff is worth the wait: Women dance on bar benches, and the crowd stomps in unison. For once, the Jackpot's ruckus lives up to its Western décor. Like the band of vandals that Roberts and company howl about, Quiet Corral has stolen away with an unusual amount of good fortune in the past 12 months.

Drummer and producer Jim Barnes moved up from Mississippi to work at the Art House, a Lawrence studio that recorded the band's slick-sounding EP, Quiet Corral, pro bono. The studio is co-owned by Flynn's father, who also runs Mass Street Music in Lawrence, where Flynn grew up with musical mentors and no shortage of gear. Flynn dates guitarist Eric Davis' sister, who's a graphic-design student at KU and handles the band's artwork for free. Davis' uncle collects buses, one of which he's lending the band for its summer tour (which includes a choice date at the Wakarusa festival).

"It's progressed just about as quickly as it can for a local band," Flynn says. "We're so thankful."

Despite talk about thieves and rusty knives, Quiet Corral met through the usual mundane suburban channels: churches, Little League and the like. Despite the casual formation, there's nothing easygoing about the band's process. "With six people, we can't just throw songs together," Davis says. "There's a very fine line between being a big sound and being a big mess."

In the Jackpot's small, cluttered space, each member shuffles fluidly among guitars, mandolins, bells and, in Roberts' case, a shoulder-slung drum that makes him look like a Civil War musician. The expectation is for a loud, bombastic climax to every number, but it's restraint that most strikingly shows Quiet Corral's skill. "Compromise is a big part of this band," Flynn says, "because there are so many different musical opinions."

Childhood friends Garrett Childers and Flynn always talked about starting a band. Both thought it would happen when Childers moved from Kansas City to Lawrence in 2007 to study at KU, but the pieces never fell into place. The catalyst came in the form of Roberts' MySpace profile. He had posted a humble but impressive collection of dusty folk tunes under the name Braswell Roberts.

"I called Eric at three in the morning and said, 'Hey, we need to start a band with this guy,'" Flynn says.

"The songs were incredible, so of course, I was like, 'Yes, please,'" Davis says.

The band began rehearsals at the Art House in January 2010. Everyone contributed to the nuanced compositions, hemmed by Roberts' storyteller lyrics that now had a sound to match. In June, they began work on the self-titled EP that dropped last November. The recordings have a professional polish usually reserved for mainstream pop music — something Barnes and the band don't shy away from.

"We can appreciate what makes mainstream music popular. We're not like, 'Ugh, we hate those melodies,'" he says. "We can appreciate whatever it is that sells out Wrigley Field."

"Oh, we'd totally go mainstream," Flynn says. "But there's six of us, so we still wouldn't make a dollar."

Quiet Corral looks forward to touring during the summer and, it hopes, beyond. Flynn, Davis and Green, all sophomores at KU, are willing to put school on hold for Quiet Corral's future.

"My parents are more excited about the band than I am," Davis says.

"Yeah, except my dad only has one question," Green says. "Does it make any money?" - The Pitch


"The seven bands to see on each four days of Wakarusa"

This Lawrence, Kan.-based band features a very affable pop-influenced folk sound. The well-produced music is a bit cleaner cut than some of the other roots based Americana outfits, but the vocals are effecting and earnest. Quiet Corral is certainly a harmoniously pleasant way to spend an hour of your last Waka afternoon.
- The City Wire


"EP Review: Quiet Corral"

As I stood in front of a giant wall of flyers, I looked around at the extreme diversity of the bands that come through Lawrence. There are just so many touring bands that find a way to survive on the road. So many people think that becoming a touring band is way out of reach. It just takes a group who will stop at nothing in order to make sure they can continue to play music. Granted, most touring musicians don’t profit financially, what they earn in experience is irreplaceable. Someone once told me that what you love doesn’t have to pay the bills; you just have to find a way to pay the bills and still do what you love. Smack dab in the middle of that wall was a flyer for a Quiet Corral show.

Quiet Corral is quickly becoming one of those local bands that is grabbing their destiny by the horns and wrestling it to the ground. Their debut EP is a high-fi roller coaster hitting all sorts of emotional highs and lows.

The wonderfully selected songs on this EP perfectly demonstrate the versatile nature of the band. From sorrowful folk songs to perfect radio singles, Quiet Corral seems to know no bounds. The fact that these dudes do all of their recording themselves is incredible. Both Isaac Flynn (guitar) and Jim Barnes (percussion) engineered the EP at their place of employment, the Art House. Isaac and Jim have achieved an extremely polished sound without compromising the charm and aesthetics that come with an artist recording their own record.

Quiet Corral opens the EP with a instrumental guitar only track. This twenty four second snipit gives a little preview to the sing-along that is about to follow. The first full track on the EP, “Thieves,” is the perfect definition of a radio single. If you were to throw this track into a game of “which one of these things doesn’t belong” with a bunch of current radio singles, the game would be nearly impossible. Throughout the EP, Quiet Corral continues to introduce unexpected elements, such as delay guitars. The fourth track on the Ep, “Carmen’s Bizet” begins with a delay guitar riff, reminiscent of U2. Brilliantly, the dance beat kicks in. Altrenating between dancey and driving, this song builds to a dramatic conclusion that feels like a high speed chase on horseback through the Sahara. Each song carries a different dynamic; hopeful, frightened and joyous are just a few of the emotions that Quiet Corral reaches throughout duration of the EP. At times, Jesse’s vocals sound as if to be haunted by the ghost of Don Mclean. Quiet Corral concludes the EP with a time signature change into a slow, quiet waltz, demonstrating their mastery of both texture and song structure.

Each member of Quiet Corral seems to know exactly what their role in the band entails. Never once during the EP did I think the extremely layered texture was unwarranted or excessive. The rythm section is never overpowering yet still very intriguing. Beautiful harmonies, dramatic builds and catchy choruses are definitive staples of the group. However, by no means do these elements tether them to the ground. I can only assume that Quiet Corral’s next release will continue progress, incorporating unpredictable elements to keep listeners on their toes. Until then, have a listen to their self titled debut. Experience the control of Quiet Corral.

-Nicholas Stahl - I Heart Local Music


"Quiet Corral's debut grabs you from the start"

Lawrence sextet Quiet Corral’s debut should earn attention. The band grabs the listener from the 24-second intro and does an admirable job of not letting go.

That moody intro turns into the energetic “Thieves,” on which Quiet Corral deftly mixes acoustic and electric, clean and distorted, pretty and tense sounds into a difficult-to-pigeonhole aesthetic. While none of the elements is unusual, the band impressively layers sounds, plays parts against one another and alternates straightforward vocals against four-part harmonies.

It’s hard to explain Quiet Corral’s sound. Latter-day Modest Mouse springs to mind, but with less air and more forward momentum. And fans of Death Cab for Cutie might find a lot to like. It’s easy to imagine Quiet Corral on alt-rock radio, and the band compare favorably to most popular modern rock.

That said, a couple places on the self-titled EP could benefit from less-is-more reasoning and more individuality. The third track, “Carmen’s Bizet,” is not a bad song, but the frenetic, echoing guitar evokes U2’s the Edge and, to a lesser extent, any number of popular modern rock radio staples. That song feels out of place surrounded by folk-tinged songs. “Reverie,” an earnest look at an underwhelming upbringing, is pleasant enough but could be more engaging. While the song makes it easy to empathize, it isn’t moving enough to be memorable.

Overall, though, a couple minor missteps are forgivable. This EP is the band’s debut, after all, and it’s pretty damned enjoyable. Band members get bonus points for engineering and producing the record themselves and doing a remarkably good job of it. Local fans would be hard-pressed to name a more professional-sounding recent release.

Keep an eye on Quiet Corral — these guys could be huge.



- INK Magazine


Discography

"Quiet Corral" released December 11, 2010.

Photos

Bio

Quiet Corral is a six-piece band from Lawrence, Kansas. The band incorporates folk and pop elements into their music to create a distinct sound. With four-part harmonies, electric guitars mixed with acoustic instruments and intricate rhythms, Quiet Corral creates something new and interesting for music listeners. Singer Braswell Roberts weaves melody with narrative adding depth to an already captivating sound.