Hiss Golden Messenger | |
---|---|
![]() Hiss Golden Messenger live in 2011 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
Genres | Indie folk, blues, alternative country, country rock |
Years active | 2007 | –present
Labels | Paradise of Bachelors, Heaven & Earth Magic, Blackmaps, Merge, Three Lobed Recordings |
Members | MC Taylor Chris Boerner Alex Bingham Sam Fribush Nick Falk |
Past members | Scott Hirsch Phil Cook William Tyler |
Hiss Golden Messenger is an American folk band originating from Durham, North Carolina, formed in 2007 and led by singer and songwriter MC Taylor. [1] [2]
The band was formed by Michael Carrington "M.C." Taylor and Scott Hirsch, following the dissolution of their previous band, the alternative country group The Court and Spark. [3] Hiss Golden Messenger's early recordings were released through Taylor's own label, "Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Company." [4]
The band's debut album, Country Hai East Cotton , was released in 2009 via Taylor's label in a limited edition of 500. [5] This was followed by their international debut album, Bad Debt, in 2010, released via Black Maps. [6] [7] The band's third album, Poor Moon, was released in 2012 via North Carolina–based "Paradise of Bachelors", and received positive reviews. [8] [9] [10] The band's fourth album, Haw, was released on April 2, 2013. [11] [12] [13]
Hiss Golden Messenger was signed to Merge in April 2014 and released their fifth album and Merge label debut, Lateness of Dancers on September 9, 2014. [14] [15] They have gone on to release four additional full-length records via Merge, as well as remastered versions of Bad Debt, Poor Moon, and Haw.
Their 2019 album Terms of Surrender received a nomination for Best Americana Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. [16]
In 2021 the band was inter alia part of the Newport Folk Festival in July. [17]
The band's music contains elements from various musical genres, such as folk, country, dub, country soul, rhythm and blues, bluegrass, jazz, funk, swamp pop, gospel, blues, and rock. [8] [5] [12] [13] The band's style was also described as "alternative country" and "country rock." [5] [13] [18] The band's main influences include the Beatles, The Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield. [6] The band has been compared to Will Oldham and Bill Callahan. [19]