Actual Wolf | |
|---|---|
 Actual Wolf on drums as a member of Sun Kil Moon in Paris in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eric Pollard |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer/songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Labels | |
Eric Pollard, (born March 21, 1980) known professionally as Actual Wolf, is an American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist best known for his instrumental work in Retribution Gospel Choir, Sun Kil Moon, Low [1] and as the leader and songwriter for his eponymous band Actual Wolf. [2]
Eric Michael Pollard was born on March 21, 1980, and raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in the Iron Range region of the state. His father worked for Itasca County, Minnesota, and his mother was a nurse and flight attendant. He has one sister. All three of his immediate family members are musical, though he is the only one who has pursued music as a profession. [3] Pollard went to high school and participated in early bands with future Trampled By Turtles bass player Tim Saxhaug. [4] After high school he attended the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, where he met Justin Vernon.
Pollard was the drummer and a vocalist for Retribution Gospel Choir. RGC, which had begun as a collaboration between Low guitarist and songwriter Alan Sparhawk and Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon founder Mark Kozelek (who left early in the band's history) was signed to Sub Pop. [5] He also toured as a keyboardist with Low. [6] Shortly thereafter he became a touring member of Sun Kil Moon. [7] He also contributed vocals to the Sun Kil Moon album April.
In 2012, under his new pseudonym, Actual Wolf self released the EP Lightning and the Wolf, which featured vocals by Haley Bonar. This led to a residency at the Turf Club and a show on the main stage at First Avenue in Minneapolis. He placed sixth on the annual "Picked to Click" list by the Twin Cities alternative weekly City Pages. [6]
In 2013 Actual Wolf released an eponymous full-length debut on the Chaperone record label. [8] Once his probationary restrictions were lifted he moved to Nashville to continue his music career. [9] While in Nashville Pollard returned to his roots as an instrumental sideman, touring and recording with the likes of Nikki Lane [10] and JP Harris. [11]
2015 saw the release of the cassette-only collection of Actual Wolf songs Itasca, the title of which refers to Itasca County. [1] Shortly afterward, Actual Wolf relocated to Oakland, California, to pursue work in the burgeoning legal medical marijuana industry while still continuing his songwriting/musical career.
In 2016 Actual Wolf began work on his second full-length, self-produced LP, Faded Days, with Minnesota-based musicians Jeremy Hanson of Tapes 'n Tapes, Jacob Hanson, Steve Garrington (bass player of low), vocalist Al Church and Nashville pedal steel player Ditch Kurtz. The album was released in 2017 on the Red House Records label. [2] [3] During this period Pollard was still living in Oakland. It was there that he began to assemble a regular full-time touring band, eventually recruiting Bay Area lead guitarist Misisipi Mike Wolf, pedal steel player Ian Taylor Sutton, [12] keyboardist Kirby Hammel (formerly a touring member of Sun Kil Moon), drummer Andrew Griffin (Cake, Camper Van Beethoven) [13] [14] and bassist Ted O'Connell.
Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist Mark Kozelek. The project is named after the Korean super flyweight boxer Sung-Kil Moon.
Ghosts of the Great Highway is the debut studio album by San Francisco quartet Sun Kil Moon, led by Red House Painters' founder Mark Kozelek, who composed all of the lyrics and music on this album. The other members are Anthony Koutsos, Geoff Stanfield, and Tim Mooney.
Mark Edward Kozelek is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and occasional actor. He is known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of the indie rock band Red House Painters, with whom he recorded six studio albums from 1989 until 2001.
Jesu are a British experimental metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of his band Godflesh. It shares its name with the last song on Hymns, the final album of Godflesh's initial run. Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, incorporating a diverse mix of influences. Broadrick himself has stated that "...it's very loosely speaking pop/rock/metal/electronica ... I'm intentionally writing what I consider to be coherent 'pop' songs".
Tiny Cities is the second studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released November 1, 2005 on Caldo Verde Records. The album features the same lineup as the band's debut, Ghosts of the Great Highway (2003). This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.
Caldo Verde Records is a San Francisco–based indie rock and folk record label founded by Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek in 2005. The label primarily features releases by Kozelek and Sun Kil Moon, but has also released albums by Jesu, Corrina Repp, Retribution Gospel Choir, and Kath Bloom. Photographer Nyree Watts is the commissioned artist for Caldo Verde, as almost all of the releases on the label feature her photography.
April is the third studio album by American folk rock band Sun Kil Moon, released in the US on April 1, 2008 through Caldo Verde Records, and on April 18, 2008 in Japan via P-Vine Records. The album was recorded at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco and Well Recording in Seattle during a seven-month stretch from spring to late summer in 2007. The album was produced and written by Mark Kozelek. Will Oldham, Ben Gibbard and Eric Pollard lend their backing vocals throughout the album. The album also comes with a bonus disc of four alternate recordings.
Retribution Gospel Choir is an indie rock band based in Duluth, Minnesota. Current members of the band include Alan Sparhawk and Steve Garrington (bass), both of whom are also in the band Low, and Eric Pollard. Despite sharing the majority of their members, RGC's high-energy performance differs greatly from Low's subdued, minimalist feel.
Red House Painters were an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1988, before relocating to San Francisco, California. They were one of the most prominent acts associated with the slowcore/sadcore subgenre. The band was formed by primary songwriter Mark Kozelek and drummer Anthony Koutsos. Together, the pair moved to San Francisco, California, where they were joined by bassist Jerry Vessel. Guitarists Gorden Mack and Phil Carney both performed with the band during separate six-year tenures.
Retribution Gospel Choir is the eponymous debut album from the American musical group band Retribution Gospel Choir, led by Alan Sparhawk of the band Low. The album was released in the US on March 18, 2008, through Mark Kozelek's Caldo Verde Records. Kozelek also produced the album.
Admiral Fell Promises is the fourth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on July 13, 2010 on Caldo Verde Records. Despite being released under the Sun Kil Moon moniker, the album features Mark Kozelek performing solo on acoustic nylon-string guitar. Along with the standard CD release, the album was also released on vinyl in October 2010, which includes liner notes, lyrics, and two bonus tracks recorded live in Saint-Malo, France.
Among the Leaves is the fifth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on May 29, 2012 on Caldo Verde Records. Similar to Sun Kil Moon's previous studio album, Admiral Fell Promises (2010), the album is predominantly performed by founding member Mark Kozelek on a nylon-string guitar.
Tim Mooney was an American drummer, producer, and sound engineer. He drummed in the Sleepers, Toiling Midgets, Negative Trend, Sun Kil Moon and American Music Club.
Perils from the Sea is a collaborative studio album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek and multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle, released on April 30, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records.
Benji is the sixth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on 11 February 2014 on Caldo Verde Records. Self-produced by primary recording artist Mark Kozelek, the album takes its name from the 1974 film Benji, and was recorded between March and August 2013 at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco.
Universal Themes is the seventh studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on June 2, 2015 on Caldo Verde Records.
Jesu / Sun Kil Moon is a collaborative studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and British experimental act Jesu, released on January 21, 2016 on Caldo Verde Records and Rough Trade. The album also features guest musicians Will Oldham, members of Low, Rachel Goswell of Slowdive, and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. Jesu and Sun Kil Moon including drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth played six shows in February and March 2016 to support the album.
Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood is the eighth studio album by the American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, self-produced by primary recording artist Mark Kozelek. The album was released on 17 February 2017 on Caldo Verde Records. It is a double album and comprises 16 tracks in total, being Sun Kil Moon's longest album to date.
Yellow Kitchen is a collaboration album between American musician and singer Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Sean Yeaton, bassist of Parquet Courts, released on June 30, 2017 by Caldo Verde Records, though available for streaming shortly prior to that. Kozelek and Yeaton met at a Dutch festival in summer 2016, and recorded and self-produced Yellow Kitchen from December 2016 to May 2017 in the United States. Guest appearances on the album include Steve Shelley and Jim White on drums and Holly Throsby and Will Oldham on vocals.
I Also Want to Die in New Orleans is the tenth studio album by American band Sun Kil Moon. It was released in March 2019 under Caldo Verde Records.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
