Hiss Golden Messenger | |
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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 |
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]
Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world, with records reaching the top of the Billboard music charts.
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Darren Michael Jessee is an American musician best known as the drummer of the alternative rock trio Ben Folds Five. He has also worked as an instrumentalist for Sharon Van Etten and Hiss Golden Messenger and released three solo albums and four albums as singer and songwriter for indie band Hotel Lights. His first solo album, The Jane, Room 217, was released on August 24, 2018, to near-universal acclaim from critics.
Deerhoof is an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through their self-produced albums.
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Matthew E. White is an American singer, songwriter, producer and arranger. He has worked as a collaborator, producer, and arranger for acts including Bedouine, Natalie Prass, Cocoon, Foxygen, Justin Vernon, Hiss Golden Messenger, Sharon Van Etten, Ken Vandermark, Steven Bernstein, The Mountain Goats, Dan Croll and Slow Club. As a solo artist he has released two studio albums, Big Inner and Fresh Blood, and two collaboration albums, Gentlewoman, Ruby Man with Flo Morrissey and Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection with Lonnie Holley. White is also the founder and a co-owner of Spacebomb, originally conceived as a record label with a house band, and now a multi-disciplinary music company with a studio and offices in Richmond, Virginia.
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Bad Debt is a studio album by American musician Hiss Golden Messenger. It was released in November 2010 under Black Maps Records, then reissued in January 2014 under Paradise of Bachelors with three new tracks. It was later reissued in 2018 by Merge Records.
Purling Hiss is the rock music project of American multi-instrumentalist Mike Polizze. Based in Philadelphia, the project was named so because of its heavy use of distortion and white noise. Originally conceived for his own personal amusement and desire to experiment, Polizze eventually self-released Purling Hiss (2009) and began touring with a live band.
Hallelujah Anyhow is the eighth studio album by American band Hiss Golden Messenger. It was released on September 22, 2017 under Merge Records.
Heart Like a Levee is the seventh studio album by American band Hiss Golden Messenger. It was released on October 7, 2016, under Merge Records.
Terms of Surrender is a studio album by American band Hiss Golden Messenger. It was released on September 20, 2019 under Merge Records. The album was produced by MC Taylor and Brad Cook.
Lateness of Dancers is the fifth studio album by American band Hiss Golden Messenger. It was released on September 9, 2014, under Merge Records.