Unwed Sailor

Last updated

Unwed Sailor
Unwed Sailor -05.jpg
Johnathon Ford of Unwed Sailor
Background information
Origin Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres Instrumental rock, ambient, post-rock
Years active1998–present
Labels Burnt Toast, Gentlemen, Spartan Records
Members
  • Johnathon Ford
  • Matthew Putman
  • David Swatzell
Website www.unwedsailor.net

Unwed Sailor is an American, mostly instrumental band, formed in 1998 by Johnathon Ford, with recordings that range from instrumental rock to ambient drones. The band's touring and recording lineups have largely been in rotation over the years, with the core member being bassist Ford. Unwed Sailor has consistently toured throughout the United States and Europe since its inception in 1998.

Contents

History

Ford was initially a band member of Roadside Monument and Pedro the Lion, prior to the formation of Unwed Sailor, which he founded in Seattle, U.S. In a band biography on their SoundCloud profile, the origin of the band is explained: "Pulling towards a bass guitar-oriented sound, the songs he had begun to craft did not fully feel right for Roadside Monument, thus the unbeknownst predestined forming of Unwed Sailor." [1]

The band's first release was the Firecracker EP, recorded in Seattle after Ford left Pedro the Lion—performing on their debut album—and before he relocated to Chicago, U.S. Ford invited friends David Bazan (Pedro the Lion), K.C. Wescott (The Vogue) and Melissa Palladino (Danielson Famile) to assist with the recording of the inaugural Unwed Sailor EP. [2] Recorded by Blake Wescott in September 1998 at Casa Recording Co., Firecracker was released on the Made In Mexico record label, and then on Burnt Toast Vinyl. [3] Mike DaRonco of AllMusic praised the EP for being "Beautifully crafted pop that doesn't utter a single word" and concluded that "Unlike fellow instrumental indie outlet Tristeza, Unwed Sailor can be appreciated as something other than background music. [4]

Ford then worked with Nic Tse, Dan Burton (Early Day Miners), Joe Brumley (Early Day Miners) and Matthew Johnson (Roadside Monument) to record Unwed Sailor's debut full-length studio album, The Faithful Anchor. [5] The album was recorded and mixed in Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. during October and December 2000, and was released in the U.S. on September 10, 2001 on the Lovesick Recordings label. [6] The Faithful Anchor featured eight instrumental pieces and one song with vocals by bassist Johnathon Ford: "The Quiet Hour". [7]

Unwed Sailor released a joint project with Early Day Miners and photographer Chris Bennett in March 2002. Entitled Stateless, the recording is a score by the two bands to accompany Bennett's Super 8 footage, filmed on trips across the U.S. and Europe. [8]

The Unwed Sailor The Marionette and the Music Box concept album was then released on Burnt Toast Vinyl in August 2003 as a companion piece to the Jamie Hunt illustrated children's book of the same name. Ford explained in 2010 that the album was their most experimental recording at the time:

We literally created our own sounds and instruments for that record. It was very much like creating a movie soundtrack—just being in a room with a couple of random objects and using them to create the sound another object would make. Like spinning quarters on a table to get the sound a clock would make if it was being wound, or rolling an old toy car across a picnic table to simulate the sound of an old windmill. I am fascinated with that kind of thing. [9]

Writing for Pitchfork, Bill Morris concluded his review of the album with the statement: "Ultimately, I see the album as a moving away from one strength in favor of developing another." [10]

Touring

Since inception, the band has toured with musical acts such as Pedro the Lion, Low, Sufjan Stevens, Minus the Bear, Battles, The Appleseed Cast and Beach House. [1]

Collaborators

The following artists have played with Unwed Sailor:

Nicholas Tse Jo-Yum (born September 18, 1977, not to be confused with singer and actor Nicholas Tse) is an indie rock guitarist and songwriter from Hong Kong, and was a key player in Unwed Sailor between 1999 and 2003.[ citation needed ]

Side projects

In 2001 Ford collaborated on the Circle of Birds project with Ester Drang and members of Oklahoma country band Lasso. [5]

Personal life

Ford was born in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and in 2014 is a resident of the state's second-largest city Tulsa. [1]

Discography

Albums

  1. "Last Goodbyes" – 3:36
  2. "The House of Hopes...Dreams...and Wishes" – 3:36
  3. "The Faithful Anchor" – 3:29
  4. "Our Nights" – 6:17
  5. "Golden Cities" – 4:23
  6. "Ruby's Wishes" – 3:19
  7. "In the Presence of Thrones" – 2:35
  8. "Riddle of Stars" – 3:05
  9. "The Quiet Hour" – 6:17
  1. "The Ninth Ward" – 8:00
  2. "Scandinavian Comfort" – 7:36
  3. "Treeline" – 4:17
  4. "Mosaic" – 2:55
  5. "Chandelier" – 7:52
  1. "Morning in the Forest" – 0:51
  2. "The Marionette's Cottage" – 1:09
  3. "Cuckoo Clocks. The Call of the Windmill" – 2:39
  4. "The Windmill's Tale of the Music Box Floats Through the Air. Riding the Windmill" – 5:32
  5. "The Music Box" – 1:22
  6. "In Search of the Music Box" – 1:37
  7. "The Meeting of the Marionette and the Music Box" – 0:55
  8. "The Floating Waltz" – 1:14
  9. "At Peace in the Forest" – 1:12
  10. "Asleep in the Forest" - 2:28
  11. "Behold the Unicorn!" – 0:26
  12. "The Distraction. A Conflict of Interest. Enchanted by the Unicorn" – 3:37
  13. "The Separation. A Hopeless Pursuit" – 2:27
  14. "Lost and Alone" – 5:37
  15. "The Return to Open Arms" – 0:52
  16. "The Embrace" – 1:10
  17. "Jubilee" – 4:38
  1. "Shadows"
  2. "Gila"
  3. "Numbers"
  4. "Night Diamond"
  5. "Pelican"
  6. "The End"
  1. "Copper Islands"
  2. "Little Wars"
  3. "The Garden"
  4. "Aurora"
  5. "Campanile"
  6. "Echo Roads"
  7. "Nauvoo"
  8. "Lonely Bulls"
  9. "Numeral"
  1. "Indian Paintbrush"
  2. "Moon Coin"
  3. "ACAXAO"
  4. "Heavy Age"
  5. "Jealous Heart"
  6. "Disintegrate"
  7. "Nova"
  8. "Ovid"
  9. "Thunderbird"
  10. "Indian Ocean"
  11. "When You Want Me There"
  1. "Glaring"
  2. "Look Alive"
  3. "Camino Reel"
  4. "Gone Jungle (GJ Mix)"
  5. "Retrograde"
  6. "Spring Theory"
  7. "Haze"
  1. "Blitz"
  2. "Palladora"
  3. "Lilith"
  4. "Ajo"
  5. "Voodoo Roux"
  6. "Truth or Consequences"
  7. "Fellsway"
  8. "Dark of the Morning"
  1. "Windy City Dreams”
  2. "Mais Oui”
  3. "Let Me Away”
  4. "London Fog”
  5. "Sugar Sand”
  6. "Bitte’ End”
  7. "Cold Gold”
  8. "Western Dime”
  9. ”Mute the Charm”

EPs

  1. "Firecracker" – 2:36
  2. "Ruby's Wishes" – 3:03
  3. "Snowcaps" – 3:12
  4. "Once in a Blue Moon" – 4:12
  1. "Old Ironside" - 3:24
  2. "Circle of Birds" - 7:01
  3. "Good Fortune at Harbor Freight" - 7:09
  1. "Circles 1: Mist" – 11:09
  2. "Circles 2: Mesa" – 5:16
  1. "Once in a Blue Moon (2011)" - 3:55
  2. "Copper Islands (2011)" - 5:39
  3. "Firecracker (2011)" - 4:00
  4. "Oaxaca" - 4:14
  5. "Bohemia" - 7:24
  1. "Take a Minute"
  2. "Internal Reality"
  3. "The Headlands"
  4. "Night Nest"
  5. "The Other Way"

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foxhole (band)</span>

Foxhole is a post-rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Founded in November 2000 on the campus of Western Kentucky University, the group was heavily influenced by other Kentucky-linked bands such as Slint and June of 44. Foxhole has released three albums on Philadelphia's Burnt Toast Vinyl label and in December of 2018 their latest LP, Well Kept Thing, was Grammy-nominated for "Best Recording Package."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polvo</span> American indie rock band

Polvo is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band formed in 1990 and is fronted by guitarists/vocalists Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski, with Steve Popson playing bass guitar and Brian Quast playing drums. Eddie Watkins was the band's original drummer, but did not rejoin the band upon its reunion in 2008, after breaking up in 1998.

Yume Bitsu was an American post-rock band from Portland, Oregon, active from 1995 and 2002.

<i>Emergency & I</i> 1999 studio album by The Dismemberment Plan

Emergency & I is the third studio album by American indie rock band The Dismemberment Plan, released in 1999 by DeSoto Records. It was produced by J. Robbins and Chad Clark. At its release, the album was met with critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starflyer 59</span> American rock band

Starflyer 59 is an American alternative rock band from Riverside, California that was founded in 1993 by Jason Martin, brother of Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric. While Jason Martin has written nearly all of Starflyer 59's songs, the band has included a number of different musicians over the years, including Jeff Cloud, Frank Lenz, and Richard Swift. The band's sound was initially identified as an outgrowth of the shoegaze movement of the early 1990s, but the band's music has gradually evolved to the point of little resemblance to that of its early days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dungen</span> Swedish rock band

Dungen is a Swedish rock band based in Stockholm. Often classified as psychedelic rock, Dungen is also influenced by Swedish folk music, classic rock, progressive rock, garage rock and alternative rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bazan</span> American singer-songwriter

David Bazan is an American indie rock singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona who now resides in Seattle, Washington. Bazan is the lead singer and creative force behind the band Pedro the Lion and was the lead singer of Headphones. In early 2006, he began performing and recording under his own name. In late 2017 he returned to playing under the Pedro the Lion name.

Early Day Miners are a band from southern Indiana, United States who released records on the Bloomington, Indiana based label Secretly Canadian. The band has released seven full-length records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Melberg</span> American drummer

Rose Melberg is a musician and songwriter from Sacramento, California, currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She has performed both as a solo artist and as a member of Tiger Trap, The Softies, Go Sailor, Gaze, Gigi, Imaginary Pants, Brave Irene, Knife Pleats and Olivia's World.

Ester Drang is an experimental, post rock musical group from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The band was formed in 1995, with guitarist Bryce Chambers recruiting drummer James McAlister and bass player Kyle Winner.

<i>The Marionette and the Music Box</i> 2003 studio album by Unwed Sailor

The Marionette and the Music Box is a 2003 concept album by the instrumental rock group Unwed Sailor. The album consists of 17 instrumental tracks, each of which coincide with a painting by graphic artist Jamie Hunt in the included booklet. The paintings and song titles tell the story of a marionette who journeys out of his cottage and discovers a music box. The pages following their initial meeting go on to detail the entrance of a mysterious unicorn, the marionette's subsequent "enchantment," his "hopeless pursuit" of the unicorn, and eventually his return to the open arms of the music box.

Burnt Hair Records was a record label involved with Michigan's space rock alternative music scene in the 1990s. The label is said to have been most responsible for cultivating the Detroit sound of this period. Burnt Hair recorded artists in various experimental genres also known by appellations such as indie pop, indie rock, ambient music, drone music, dream pop and electronica. The label was founded by Larry Hofmann in Dearborn. Burnt Hair released recordings by artists and bands including Windy & Carl, Hopewell, Mahogany, Ten Second Dynasty, Miss Bliss, Tomorrowland, DELTA WAVES, Starphase 23, Füxa, Auburn Lull, Monaural (Band), Gravity Wax, Asha Vida, Flowchart and Alison's Halo.

Burnt Toast Vinyl is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<i>Enjoy Eternal Bliss</i> 2007 EP by Yndi Halda

Enjoy Eternal Bliss is the debut EP by English post-rock band Yndi Halda released on the Big Scary Monsters Recording Company in the UK; Burnt Toast Vinyl in the USA and XTAL Records in Japan. It was first made available online on 13 November 2006 before being released in shops in February 2007. The EP was previously self-released as a 3-track demo through the band's website and live performances. This version of the EP did not include the track "A Song For Starlit Beaches".

<i>Little Wars</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Unwed Sailor

Little Wars is an album by Unwed Sailor. It was recorded between December 27, 2002 and November 7, 2007. The album was released on April 1, 2008, by Burnt Toast Vinyl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleet Foxes</span> American indie folk band

Fleet Foxes is an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band consists of Robin Pecknold, Skyler Skjelset, Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo, and Morgan Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Off!</span> American band

Off! is an American hardcore punk supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in late 2009 by Circle Jerks/Black Flag singer Keith Morris, Burning Brides frontman Dimitri Coats, Redd Kross bassist Steven Shane McDonald, and Rocket From The Crypt/Hot Snakes drummer Mario Rubalcaba. In 2021, it was announced that the line-up changed, with McDonald and Rubalcaba replaced by Autry Fulbright II and Justin Brown, respectively. The band are known for playing short, intense punk songs, with Pitchfork describing the band as "a vital blast of classic hardcore."

The Trouble with Sweeney was a band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that existed from 1999 to 2004.

<i>Rave Tapes</i> 2014 studio album by Mogwai

Rave Tapes is the eighth studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, released on 20 January 2014 on Rock Action Records in the UK, and the following day in the USA on Sub Pop. The album was released on vinyl, MC, CD, high resolution digital download and as part of a limited edition box set. In the first week of release the album charted at number 10 in the UK Album Charts and number 2 in the Scottish Album Charts. An EP of unreleased tracks from the Rave Tapes sessions along with remixes of three tracks was released on 1 December 2014 on Rock Action titled Music Industry 3. Fitness Industry 1..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Putman (musician)</span> American drummer

Matthew Putman is an American drummer, percussionist, and multi-instrumentalist based in Arkansas. He is best known for being a member of the bands Norma Jean, Unwed Sailor, Living Sacrifice, and Lovedrug, as well as his work as a producer and engineer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Unwed Sailor". Unwed Sailor on SoundCloud. SoundCloud. April 4, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Firecracker EP - Unwed Sailor | Credits". AllMusic.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "btv042 Unwed Sailor : Firecracker". Burnt Toast Vinyl. Burnt Toast Vinyl. 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Firecracker EP - Unwed Sailor | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  5. 1 2 3 "Unwed Sailor". Unwed Sailor on Myspace. Myspace LLC. 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Unwed Sailor – The Faithful Anchor". Unwed Sailor on Disocgs. Discogs. 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ The Faithful Anchor at AllMusic
  8. ↑ Jason Nickey (March 19, 2002). "Early Day Miners / Unwed Sailor". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  9. ↑ Matthew Baker (December 1, 2010). "Copper Islands". Nashville Review. Nashville Review. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  10. ↑ Bill Morris (August 27, 2003). "Unwed Sailor The Marionette and the Music Box". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Stephen Cramer. "The Marionette and the Music Box - Unwed Sailor | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Unwed Sailor - Look Alive". The Vinyl District. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.