The Whybirds

The Whybirds
Origin Bedford, Bedfordshire, England
Genres alt.country/rock music/Americana
Years active 2006–present
Labels The Little Red Recording Company
Website www.thewhybirds.com
Members Dave Banks
Ben Haswell
Luke Tuchscherer
Past members Taff Thatcher

The Whybirds are a three-piece rock/alt.country band from Bedford, England. They have released three full-length studio albums to date as well as a live album and an EP.[1]

Biography

The Whybirds formed in 2006, composed of Dave Banks (vocals, guitar), Ben Haswell (vocals, guitar), Taff Thatcher (vocals, bass) and Luke Tuchscherer (vocals, drums). From its inception, the group has been notable for the fact that all members share lead vocal and songwriting duties, in a manner that has been compared to The Band.[2][3][4]

The group met at school, where Haswell, Tuchscherer and Thatcher had originally played together in The View. The View disbanded in 2005 and the three joined with Banks to form The Whybirds a year later.[5] However, Taff Thatcher left The Whybirds in 2012 and Haswell moved from guitar to bass.[6]

The band members cite their influences as Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Neil Young, The Replacements, Uncle Tupelo, Ryan Adams, Pearl Jam and My Morning Jacket.[7]

As for the band's name, Tuchscherer said in 2010: "It’s a reference to The Byrds. Their Sweetheart of the Rodeo is the definitive country rock album, and they obviously spelt their name with a ‘Y’. So essentially it’s a nod to them.[3] However, in a 2008 interview the band said it was also a nod to The Yardbirds.[5]

As well as The Band, The Whybirds have been compared to Bruce Springsteen, The Who,[8] Tom Petty,[9] Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers,[10] Neil Young (specifically with Crazy Horse),[11] Alex Chilton and Warren Zevon[12] among others.

Recording career

Tonight EP & The Whybirds (2007–2008)

The band's first release was the Tonight EP in August 2007, followed by their self-titled debut album in March 2008. Both were produced by Nick Mailing – who produced The Quireboys' Well Oiled and Homewreckers & Heartbreakers records – at the same sessions in March/April 2007 at Lost Boys Studio in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. The Whybirds album was launched at The Barfly in Camden Town in March 2008 but received little press attention on release.[13]

Cold Blue Sky, Live Recordings Vol. 1 and national press attention (2009–2011)

The Whybirds' sophomore album, Cold Blue Sky, was recorded with the help of Elliot Mazer,[2][14] who produced Neil Young's Harvest and worked on recordings by The Byrds, The Band, Janis Joplin and Linda Ronstadt among others. Mazer worked on early sessions, but was unable to make it back from New York City when the album was being finished.[3]

Cold Blue Sky was ultimately co-produced by the band and Tom Peters – whose credits include Matt Cardle, Cradle of Filth, Porcupine Tree and Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band[15] – at Monkey Puzzle House in Woolpit, Suffolk in the summer of 2009.[16]

The record was launched at a show at The Garage, London in Islington in November 2009,[17] ahead of its official release in March 2010.

Cold Blue Sky was met with critical acclaim from the UK and European music press upon its release in 2010, with positive reviews from publications such as Classic Rock (7/10),[18] Maverick Country (4/5)[19] and R2 (Rock'n'Reel) (4/5),[20][21] as well as other music websites such as Eurorock,[22] Northern Sky,[23] Power Metal (9/10)[24] and Americana UK (7/10).[25]

Eduardo Izquierdo, writing in Spanish magazine Ruta 66, said: "Beautiful melodies, rich instrumentation... Honesty, feeling, variety, essence... Nothing is superfluous and nothing is lacking. One of my albums of the year."[26]

During 2010/11, The Whybirds toured Spain with the Drive-By Truckers,[27] played festivals including Azkena Rock Festival,[28] Secret Garden Party,[29] Summer Sundae, Rhythms of the World, Off the Tracks and the Rhythm Festival [30] and supported artists such as Evan Dando,[31] The Quireboys,[32] The Union,[33] Jason & The Scorchers[34] and Alejandro Escovedo.[35]

In the Classic Rock Awards 2010, the magazine named "Jenny, Can We Take a Ride?" as their 33rd best song of the year, calling the track a "slice of blinding blue-collar country rock from the Bruce Springsteens of Bedford".[36]

In 2011, Rolling Stone called them one of the top 10 bands to watch.[8]

The band's full length live album, Live Recordings Vol.1 – mixed by former Quireboy Chris Corney – was released in 2011 to good reviews.[37][38]

The record features numerous segues and extended periods of improvisation – in a style reminiscent of a jam band – which have long been part of the band's shows. Indeed, like many other jam bands, The Whybirds have an open taping policy, and many of their concerts have been uploaded to the Live Music Archive for free download.[39]

New lineup (2012)

Thatcher left the group in February 2012, citing "how fickle the music industry is" and him becoming "extremely disillusioned with the whole concept of trying to sell music" as contributing factors. True to that sentiment, Thatcher releases music completely free of charge under the name The Quaint & The Curious.[40]

Following the split, The Whybirds took some time to "relearn how to be a band" and during this period, the group nearly disbanded entirely. Singer/drummer Luke Tuchscherer was quoted by Songwriting Magazine as saying: "When Taff left, the initial discussion was around getting another bassist. But we didn’t even get to the point of auditioning anyone, because we just thought they’d have to be a brilliant bass player and a brilliant singer, plus Taff was a great songwriter. That’s already pretty big shoes for anyone to fill. On top of that, the rest of us have been playing together for years and are best friends, so no-one would’ve wanted to come into the band. So there appeared to be no other option other than to quit, but then Ben said, ‘Why don’t I play bass?’ That saved the band really."[2]

A Little Blood (2013)

Work on the follow up to Cold Blue Sky began in early 2013[41] and the single "The Cure" was released on 2 September 2013.[42][43][44]

The single "The Crow's Caw" was released on 21 October with an accompanying video before third studio album A Little Blood was officially released on 4 November 2013.[45] The record was partly crowdfunded via Pledge Music.[46]

A Little Blood was produced by Nick Mailing[2] at Lost Boys Studio, Cranfield and Alexander Sound Studio in Milton Keynes and mixed by Tom Peters. The record saw The Whybirds going in a "meaner, darker, grittier" direction due to both the change in lineup and the mood within the band.[47]

In a press release accompanying the album,[48] Dave Banks was quoted as saying: "Everything good we thought would happen to us leading up to and after Cold Blue Sky just didn’t. The new record is about three guys crashing into their thirties, and realising it isn’t what they thought it would be. A lot of the characters in these songs don’t necessarily have a lot going for them. But for some of them, there is still a little hope."

Tuchscherer was quoted by Spiral Earth as saying: "The last one, Cold Blue Sky, had a very optimistic feel to it. We as a band were being promised the earth, we were younger, less jaded… This record, well, I think the things that happened to us between this one and the last – including losing a member – influenced the songs greatly. The record, to me, is about hitting your 30s, with the backdrop of maybe not having the best government, people struggling to get by, having dreams go unfilled…but still being alive. The song "A Little Blood" is talking about one thing, but for me, the album’s title is summed up by the penultimate track, where it says: 'They ain’t killed us yet, there’s a little blood to bleed'."[49]

The album received positive reviews in the UK national press from publications including Uncut (7/10),[50] Powerplay (7/10),[51] Scottish Daily Express (4/5),[52] R2 (Rock'n'Reel) (4/5),[53] as well as websites such as Songwriting Magazine (5/5),[54] Americana UK (7/10),[55] Renacer Eléctrico Music Magazine,[56] Fatea [57] and Indie London (3.5/5).[47] It received an average review from Maverick Country (3/5).[9]

In a positive review in the February 2014 issue of Classic Rock, critic Philip Wilding said: "Critical acclaim can only carry a band so far. A case in point is the feverish plaudits that greeted The Whybirds' 2010 album Cold Blue Sky, with the band lauded as England's answer to the Allmans... This album is an exercise in realisation. Grittier, darker tones, downbeat lyrics. The writing’s on the wall. The band’s songwriting still shines through the fuzz, though – songs like 'Never Let You Go' and 'More Than He Could Stand' are brittle but beautiful. Their heads might be hung low, but their songs still resonate."[58]

Classic Rock Society magazine wrote in its Jan/Feb 2014 issue that the record "...funnels Jayhawks Americana through the English power trio sound and gives us some hard, anthemic, big chorus, sing-along rock tracks. Driving rock that needs to be played loud. Remember the name, these guys are going to be huge."[59]

The record placed at number seven in Americana UK's album chart.[60]

Songwriting Magazine named "The Cure" as a runner up in its Best Rock Songs of 2013 list and the band as a whole as one of the most overlooked bands of the year, saying "we can't see why their records aren't flying off digital shelves".[61]

Spanish Tour, Tuchscherer solo album (2014-present)

In late 2013 it was announced that the band would be embarking on an eight-date tour of Spain in February 2014,[62] which was well received by critics.[63][63][64][65][66][67][68]

In March 2014, Tuchscherer announced a Pledge Music campaign for his debut solo record. The album, You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense, is named after a book by Charles Bukowski. Produced by Tom Peters, the record features Banks and Haswell from the band, as well as other guests including Max Hart (We Are Scientists, Katy Perry), Nick Mailing (The Quireboys), Chris Corney (The Quireboys) and Simon Rinaldo (Pearl Handled Revolver), with string arrangements by Bedford composer Johnny Parry.[69][70] The Pledge campaign hit 120% halfway through the 60-day period and it was later announced that the album's official release would be 6 October 2014.

When asked – in an interview with Spanish magazine Ruta 66 – why he needed to make a solo album, Tuchscherer said: "I don’t think I needed to, but basically, Tom Peters asked me at the end of 2010 whether I’d like to do some recording with him. I asked the others if they had a problem, no one said they did, so in January 2011 I went into the studio with Tom." He said that the album was recorded in a week or so, with the days spread out over two years.[71][72]

To mark the release date, a video for the song "Hold On" was unveiled.[73] Upon release, the album attracted universally positive reviews from a number of UK and European websites and magazines.[74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81]

In an 8/10 review, Americana UK said: "Tuchscherer’s ability to create such an engaging collection of sad songs and waltzes should ensure that You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense will be a contender for an appearance on any year end list."[82]

In a 4/5 review, R2 (Rock'n'Reel) said: "An impressive collection of 12 well-crafted songs… It’s an excellent debut that reminds us of Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker in its thematic and emotional impact – a great compliment indeed."[83]

Belgian website Ctrl.Alt.Country gave the album four stars out of five and called it "Americana at its finest".[84]

Tuchscherer said in an interview with Local Secrets that The Whybirds were "kicking songs around now for a new record. We’ve got about eight and plenty more to work on. The new stuff is sounding really good."[85]

In July 2015, Tuchscherer announced he was launching a crowdfunding campaign for his second solo album, to be called Always Be True.[86][87]

Discography

Official Whybirds Discography[88]
Title Release details
Tonight
  • Released: 10 August 2007
  • Release type: EP
  • Label: The Little Red Recording Company
  • Formats: CD (discontinued), digital download
The Whybirds
  • Released: 10 March 2008
  • Release type: Album
  • Label: The Little Red Recording Company
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Cold Blue Sky
  • Released: 15 March 2010
  • Release type: Album
  • Label: The Little Red Recording Company
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Live Recordings Vol. 1
  • Released: 14 March 2011
  • Release type: live album
  • Label: The Little Red Recording Company
  • Formats: CD, digital download
The Cure
  • Released: 2 September 2013
  • Release type: Single
  • Label: The Little Red Recording Company
  • Formats: digital download
The Crow's Caw (Single Edit)
  • Released: 21 October 2013
  • Release type: Single
  • Label: The Little Red Recording Company
  • Formats: digital download
A Little Blood
  • Released: 4 November 2013
  • Release type: Album
  • Label: The Little Red Recording Company
  • Formats: CD, digital download

References

  1. ↑ "The Whybirds". thewhybirds.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Interview: The Whybirds". Songwriting Magazine. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  3. 1 2 3 Wilding, Phil. "High Hopes", Classic Rock, August 2010.
  4. ↑ "Displaying items by tag: The Whybirds". americanaUK. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  5. 1 2 Freeman, Richie (2008-02-24). "Today's Feature – February 23–24: The Whybirds | PensEyeView.com". Penseyeview.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  6. ↑ "The Whybirds' 'A Little Blood' is out on November 4 – Press releases – Music PR UK, Music Promotion and Band Promotion". Prescriptionmusicpruk.com. 2013-09-06. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  7. ↑ "Interview: The Whybirds". Songwriting Magazine.
  8. 1 2 "Diez buenas bandas de rock que quizá no conozcas en RollingStone". Rollingstone.es. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  9. 1 2 "Maverick – The UK's Leading Independent Country Music Magazine". Maverick-country.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  10. ↑ "The Whybirds". americanaUK. 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  11. ↑ "CD Review: Rychard Carrington reviews Cold Blue Sky – The Whybirds". Moving Tone. 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  12. ↑ "Review: The Whybirds. A Little Blood – Rock Shot UKRock Shot UK". Rockshot.co.uk. 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  13. ↑ "The Whybirds". thewhybirds.com.
  14. ↑ "Elliot Mazer: A Master Producer Combines the Best of Analog and Digital — Including the New UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop – Blog – Universal Audio". Uaudio.com. 2009-06-24. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  15. ↑ "Tom Peters, Producer". 52.24223;0.70733: Musicnetworkpro.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  16. ↑ "Monkey Puzzle House – Residential Recording Studio. CLIENTS". monkeypuzzlehouse.com.
  17. ↑ "The Whybirds 2009 @ Garage Rosalita". YouTube. 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  18. ↑ Fielder, Hugh. "Pure Prairie League", Classic Rock, August 2010.
  19. ↑ CB, Maverick Country Magazine, June 2010
  20. ↑ Carrington, Rychard. R2 (Rock'n'Reel), May/June 2010
  21. ↑ "CD Review: Rychard Carrington reviews Cold Blue Sky – The Whybirds – Moving Tone". movingtone.com.
  22. ↑ Perkins, Jeff (2010-05-30). "Music Review: The Whybirds – Cold Blue Sky". Blogcritics. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  23. ↑ Wilkinson, Allan (2010-05-30). "Album Review: The Whybirds – Cold Blue Sky (Little Red Recording) | Northern Sky". Allanwilkinson.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  24. ↑ "Review | WHYBIRDS, THE – Cold Blue Sky". Powermetal.De. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  25. ↑ "Americana UK :: The UK Home for Alt-Country, Americana and Alternative". Workingtitle.co. 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  26. ↑ "Press Item". Reverbnation.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  27. ↑ "En noviembre, gira de Drive-By Truckers y The Whybirds". Efe Eme. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  28. ↑ "The Whybirds". Azkenarockfestival.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  29. ↑ "The Secret Garden Party 2011". efestivals.co.uk.
  30. ↑ "The Whybirds at Festivals". Virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  31. ↑ "Evan Dando (Lemonheads) + Liam Dullaghan + The Whybirds ***SOLD OUT***, Bedford, GB". The DJ List. 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  32. ↑ "The Quireboys, The Whybirds". The List. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  33. ↑ "The Union: Tour Supports Named | News | Classic Rock". Classicrockmagazine.com. 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  34. ↑ "Jason And The Scorchers, The Whybirds | Leicester Mercury". Thisisleicestershire.co.uk. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  35. ↑ "The Whybirds To Open For Alejandro Escovedo". Jcplmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  36. ↑ "Critics' Choice Songs of 2010", Classic Rock, January 2011.
  37. ↑ "CD Review: Rychard Carrington reviews Live Recordings Vol. 1 – The Whybirds". Moving Tone. 2011-10-29. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  38. ↑ "The Whybirds – Live CD |". Djhimaging.com. 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  39. ↑ "The Whybirds". archive.org.
  40. ↑ "Interviews | The Quaint & the Curious". Thequaintandthecurious.net. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  41. ↑ "NEWS: Whybirds recording third album". Moving Tone. 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  42. ↑ "The Whybirds stream new single: 'The Cure'". Seenitheardit.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  43. ↑ "The Whybirds: new album & single stream". SpiralEarth. 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  44. ↑ "The Whybirds stream new single, 'The Cure'". RAMzine. 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  45. ↑ "The Whybirds premiere: The Crow's Caw | Video | Classic Rock". Classicrockmagazine.com. 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  46. ↑ "The Whybirds: The third studio album on PledgeMusic". Pledgemusic.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  47. 1 2 "The Whybirds – A Little Blood (Review) – Your London Reviews". IndieLondon. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  48. ↑ "The Whybirds' 'A Little Blood' is out on November 4 – Press releases – Music PR UK, Music Promotion and Band Promotion". Prescriptionmusicpruk.com. 2013-09-06. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  49. ↑ "Dave Kushar – Interviews and features from folk to blues". Spiralearth.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  50. ↑ Staunton, Terry "Lively and varied guitar rock grooves", Uncut, November 2010
  51. ↑ Powerplay Magazine, November 2013
  52. ↑ "Weekend Music Album Reviews", Scottish Daily Express, 26 October 2013
  53. ↑ Carter, Chris, "Rock Reviews", R2 (Rock'n'Reel), November/December 2013. Vol2 No42
  54. ↑ "A Little Blood by The Whybirds (Album)". Songwriting Magazine. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  55. ↑ "The Whybirds; " A Little Blood" (The Little Red Recording Company 2013)". americanaUK. 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  56. ↑ "Renacer Eléctrico – Reviews". http://www.renacerelectricomusicmag.com. Retrieved 2014-02-05. External link in |publisher= (help)
  57. ↑ "FATEA – Reviews". Fatea-records.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  58. ↑ Wilding, Philip, "Darker, meaner, stripped back", Classic Rock, February 2014
  59. ↑ JRT, "Synopsis", Classic Rock Society, p51, Issue 199, Jan/Feb 2014
  60. ↑ "The UK Home of Americana". americanaUK. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  61. ↑ "Best Of 2013". Songwriting Magazine. 2013-12-31. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  62. ↑ Rodriguez, Alfredo. "The Whybirds estarán actuando en directo en nuestro país durante el próximo mes de febrero". Musicazul. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  63. 1 2 "La Chatarrería Magazine – THE WHYBIRDS (19-02-2014) – Boite Live – Madrid". lachatarreria.com.
  64. ↑ "Crónica de The Whybirds, 20/01/14 – Sala Boite". todomusicarock.org.
  65. ↑ Jorba, Joan. "WHYBIRDS, 22 de febrero [Barcelona, Sala Rocksound]". nurocks.com.
  66. ↑ "Ruta 66 – The Whybirds. Sala Rocksound, Barcelona". Ruta 66.
  67. ↑ "The Whybirds Spanish Tour 2014 (GravelRoad76)". GRAVELROAD76.
  68. ↑ "Crónica concierto Santiago Delgado, Hendrik Röver y The Whybirds en el WOP Special Nights – ROCKLIVE.ES". rocklive.es.
  69. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer – You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense – Pledge Campaign". Beat Surrender.
  70. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer". PledgeMusic.
  71. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer, sueños que se hacen realidad". Ruta 66. 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  72. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer". tumblr.com.
  73. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer – Hold On". Right Chord Music.
  74. ↑ "album review // Luke Tuchscherer 'You Get So Alone At Times It Makes Sense'". Slate The Disco. 2014-06-22. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  75. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer – You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense". PhillyCheeze’s Rock and Blues Reviews. 2014-06-07. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  76. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer – You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense". The Alternate Root. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  77. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer – You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense". Fatea. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  78. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer – You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense". Three Chords & The Truth. 2014-09-18. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  79. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer – You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense". American Roots UK. 2014-08-22. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  80. ↑ "Artist of the Week: Luke Tuchscherer". Right Chord Music. 2014-08-18. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  81. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer – You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense". Blabber 'n' Smoke. 2014-09-22. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  82. ↑ "Whybird man soars on solo flight". Americana UK. 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  83. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer". tumblr.com.
  84. ↑ "CD-recensies maart 2016". ctrlaltcountry.be.
  85. ↑ "The Whybirds: Country Rock". Local Secrets. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  86. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer launches Crowdfunding Campaign". Nashville Over Here. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  87. ↑ "Luke Tuchscherer". PledgeMusic.
  88. ↑ "The Whybirds". iTunes.
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