The President Lincoln
London, England, United Kingdom | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | INDIE
Music
Press
"A national anthem for the stateless – complete with horn fanfares and soaring strings." - It's All Indie
"A national anthem for the stateless – complete with horn fanfares and soaring strings." - It's All Indie
"An album as deep, interesting and musically fascinating as the oceans the ship originally sailed across... An international masterpiece." - Merge Music
"An album as deep, interesting and musically fascinating as the oceans the ship originally sailed across... An international masterpiece." - Merge Music
"An ambitious and highly entertaining indie rock record. Built around a vast array of ideas and instruments, the album swoops from surging uplifting choruses to sweet and sombre ballads... ‘The Sinking Of The President Lincoln’ is an inventive and brilliant record." - Americana UK
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
When Britain's taste-maker Steve Lamacq championed The President Lincolns A Year in Photographs on BBC 6Music, it may have been one of the most unlikely songs in recent memory to gain national airplay.
The President Lincoln began as a lo-fi and lo-budget recording project of singer-songwriter Alex Maws who recorded "The Sinking of the President Lincoln" on his laptop in the spare room of his London home. For the better part of a year, Maws mostly recorded alone, but aided by a cast of 24 contributors who have never all been in the same country at the same time, let alone in the same studio. Collaborations took place over email between musicians in London, England; Austin, TX; Los Angeles, CA and Asheville, NC.
The curious transatlantic story behind his debut album inspired Maws to take on the name of the early 20th century ocean liner which once transported his Polish-Jewish ancestors from the old world to the new: The President Lincoln. Transatlantic passage is an important theme in Maws' own life -- he is a native of Boston, MA who has spent the past decade in London. Musically speaking, by working with collaborators in both of his home countries, he sought to create a record which taps into the traditions of both places.
An improbable chain of events began to take place once the recording was completed. The Austin, TX indie label Nine Mile Records offered to release this odd home recording; reviews cropped up using words like "brilliant" and "masterpiece"; and a handful of radio stations took a chance on it.
Meanwhile, Maws realised it was time to turn The President Lincoln from a recording project into a proper band. He recruited a lineup of musicians (some British, some American, of course) to figure out how to play the songs live, on the UK's toilet circuit. The core lineup of The President Lincoln now consists of guitarist Pete Fussey (who also played on the recording), keyboardist Lee Norton, bassist Cliff Annicelli, drummer Pete Moody and backing vocalist Mo Doshi.
Like the journeys of the great ship itself, the music of The President Lincoln is all over the map. Sometimes jangly, sometimes synthy. Both earthy and spacey. Equal parts earnest and snarky. Big and small.
All aboard...
Band Members
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