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Salveter, best known for his work in Low Skies, leads the ensemble through folk-driven musings that are both wistful and whimsical. The frontman’s lyrics touch on a variety of subjects, from his great grandmother Vida to a ditty about a Japanese cannibal. ~Time Out Chicago Listen to interview.
One of the Chicago bands taking part in The Big Shoulders Ball is Judson Claiborne. Their new album, Before Midnight Scholar was named after a story. The band and their songs are inspired by fables and true stories alike. ~Chicago Public Radio Listen to interview
Where Low Skies was sharp and exacting, Judson Claiborne drifts afloat affably, seemingly unwilled. On his debut, Before Midnight Scholar, released in August, Salveter sounds delicate and sublime. Accompanied by bassist Ryan Boyles (of the late High Hawk) and percussionist Jamie Topper, he leads a charming country waltz, “Vassar Girl.” The album’s serene closer, “Song for Dreaming,” is similarly powerful—a meditative folk lullaby colored with ethereal vibraphone. ~Time Out Chicago Read more.
Before Midnight Scholar has a similar dreamy quality, though underneath the sophisticated textures of country mysticism is a steely edge that suggests a bottom dropping out at any moment. ~No Depression Read more.