Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Pueblo Chieftain Article!
’Chiming in
Pueblo's Haunted Windchimes host CD release party
By JON POMPIA | THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
Heralded by more than one scribe as the state's most valuable musical treasure, Pueblo-based Americana-folk group The Haunted Windchimes will unveil its latest release Saturday at the Impossible Playhouse, 1201 N. Main St .
"Honey-Moonshine" — a 10-track album recorded in Colorado Springs and released on the band's own Blank Tape Records — will be played live in its entirety by the five-piece ’Chimes starting at 7 p.m.
Since forming in 2006, this talented collective — Inaiah Lujan (guitar/vocals), his sister Chela (banjo/vocals), Desirae Garcia (baritone ukulele/vocals), Sean Fanning (upright bass/ukulele) and Mike Clark (guitar/mandolin/harmonica) — has recorded and toured extensively.
Not only is every musician in the group adept at a variety of instruments, at least three — the Lujans and Garcia — are contributing songwriters. The songs are folky and rootsy, deeply anchored in the history, folklore and cultural heritage of the Southwest and Deep South.
And with tight, soaring three-part harmonies — again, the Lujans and Garcia — the ’Chimes easily conjure the legendary aural ghost of Johnny Cash and the Carter Family.
With sparse arrangements — there are no drums or percussion or intricate solos — the focus remains on the songs, the vocal intricacies and the overall atmosphere generated by the presentation.
And quite an atmosphere it is. From watching a freight train roll through the countryside from one's back porch to traversing down a lonely and dusty road onto an uncertain future, the ’Chimes' music is transportive. Made for letting your mind wander as much as it is for listening.
The track listing on "Honey-Moonshine" is as follows:
"Little Bones" (Chela Lujan)
"Find the Door" (Desirae Garcia, Mike Clark, Inaiah Lujan)
"Waitin' for a Train" (Inaiah)
"Fleeting Transient Feelings" (Chela and Inaiah)
"Honey Moonshine" (Inaiah, Chela, Desirae)
"Sea Bride" (Chela)
"Don't Take My Baby Away" (Inaiah)
"Your Song" (Desirae)
"A Ballad of Human Progress" (Inaiah)
For more information on the quintet, visit www.thehauntedwindchimes.com, find the band's page on MySpace and Facebook and be there at 7 p.m. Saturday.
IF YOU GO
WHO: The Haunted Windchimes
WHAT: CD release party for "Honey-Moonshine"
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: The Impossible Playhouse, 1201 N. Main St.
ADMISSION: $5
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Windchimes Featured in KRCC's The Big Something
The Band That Made Pueblo Cool
(Option-click/right-click on blue link to download or click the green play button to stream)
“Don’t Take My Baby Away” by The Haunted Windchimes
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Well, to those in the know, Pueblo has always been cool. But The Haunted Windchimes just reminded us all. They’re one of our favorite bands around here at KRCC. Not only has the Pueblo-based band created a Western sound with deep local roots, but they’ve also rolled it out onto the dance floor of the future so we can all stomp our feet to it. That, and they’re just great people, always willing to play a backyard party, a Meadowgrass or to give our listeners a free song (see above). In other words, they are both of and about us all. And we like that.
As such, we’d be remiss if we didn’t implore you to help them celebrate the release of their brand new CD, Honey-Moonshine at Stargazers Theatre this Saturday, March 20 at 7 p.m. You can click HERE or see the poster below for full details. And scroll down to see a video of the Haunted Windchimes recording the title track from their new album at the amazing Western Jubilee Recording Studios here in Colorado Springs.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Reverb Article in the Colorado Springs Independent!
by Adam Leech
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Have I ever mentioned that I am absolutely in love with the Haunted Windchimes — the band, the songs, the members, the artwork, everything about them? They are truly a world-class band, and I will not rest until the whole world knows it. Did you hear that, "National Music Press?" I am calling you out! This is it, "American folk music, 2010," at its finest. Now grab the damn baton, already!
But seriously, I've been listening to my autographed "Advanced Promotional Copy" of their brand-new album, Honey Moonshine, for the better part of the past three days, and with all the nerves and giddy anticipation of a schoolyard brat with his puppy stuffed in a box at show-and-tell, I am honored to be the first to report on its absolute brilliance. Superbly understated, it's every bit as enticing, radiant and sweetly intoxicating as the home-brewed spirit the album was named after.
Be careful. Do not underestimate its potency. It will creep up on you. And much like the famous Prohibitionists' creed, first you play the album, but before you know it, the album is playing you.
Not to overshadow the quality of craftsmanship, or the expert delivery of the songs themselves, but much credit should go to Mr. Butch Hause and the Western Jubilee Warehouse recording studio family, which took the young band under their unequivocally talented wings.
"Butch was amazing," says founding member and lead male vocalist Inaiah Lujan. "He would trick us all the time. We'd start getting a little nervous and over-thinking takes and he'd say, 'Let's just do a dry run and we won't record it.' And when we'd get done, he would be like, 'That sounded great, we got it! That's the one that's going on the album.'"
Inaiah, who leads the group with his guitar and vocals, gladly shares the spotlight (and songwriting duties) with his lovely girlfriend, and dare I say "soulmate," Desirae Garcia (baritone ukelele, vocals), his sister Chela Lujan (banjo, vocals) and their recent adoptees: Sean Fanning (stand-up bass, ukelele) and Mike Clark (guitar, mandolin, harmonica) of Jack Trades fame. All together, they are a musical force that hasn't been felt, least 'round these parts, I can only assume, for decades.
Honey Moonshine is set for release this Saturday, March 20, with a "gala"-style performance at Stargazers Theater, formerly (and again for just this one evening) the Colorado Opry Hall (10 S. Parkside Drive). Tickets for the show are just $10, but for an extra $10 you get a copy of the CD, too. Music starts at 8, with Joe Johnson followed by Changing Colors. For more information on the album, the show, or the band's forthcoming national tour, visit hauntedwindchimes.com.