Judson Claiborne is the reclamation of a name given to me by my father. It’s also the name I chose for this band. We formed in 2007 following the end of my previous project, Low Skies. We made our first record, Before Midnight Scholar (self-released 2008) to document rebirth into a greater awareness and consciousness with new collaborative partners and to celebrate the return of dormant creative energies. Time and Temperature (La Societe Expeditionnaire 2010) was written and recorded with a similar spirit but with emphasis on the transformation of the human psyche by way of life’s companions and mysterious pathways. We are currently at work on a new album that we hope to release in the spring of 2013. Performing is of course essential communication for us to convey our ideas, emotions, and to transmit the full expression of this music. Since founding of this band, we’ve had the honor of sharing a stage with Andrew Bird, Cass McCombs, Shannon Wright, The Cave Singers, Grant Lee Phillips, Haley Bonar, Freakwater, and Jana Hunter.
Just before moving to Chicago from Saint Louis in 2000, I tried songwriting as an experiment in a new art form. My previous work had mostly been in Painting and Printmaking. I found great inspiration placing words within sonic landscapes and ended up starting a band called Low Skies. Over the course of seven years, Low Skies released four records, (three with the Flameshovel label) and toured like crazy, sometimes with acts like Neko Case, Giant Sand, The Handsome Family, Band of Horses, Okkervill River, Explosions in the Sky, and Mucca Pazza.
My songs are mostly narratives about strange and beautiful travels, encounters, adventures, family, lovers, and dreams. To write a song is to collaborate with the entire universe in all of its darkness and light. I am grateful to share my work in this way. Thank you for listening.
- Jud 11/11/11