Band of Heathens

The Band of Heathens are an American rock and roll band from Austin, Texas. The band was originally formed by Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist in 2005.

The Band of Heathens
The Band of Heathens on a promotional photo for their 2013 album Sunday Morning Record.
The Band of Heathens on a promotional photo for their 2013 album Sunday Morning Record.
Background information
OriginAustin, Texas
Genres
Years active2005–present
LabelsBOH Records, Blue Rose Records
MembersEd Jurdi
Gordy Quist
Trevor Nealon
Richard Millsap
Jesse Wilson
Past membersColin Brooks
Seth Whitney
John Chipman
Ryan Bowman
Brian Keane
Eldridge Goins
Scott Davis
Websitewww.bandofheathens.com

History

The three original principal songwriters - Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist - shared the bill at Momo's, an Austin club.[1] Originally, each singer/songwriter performed his own set. However, they eventually started sharing the stage, and collaborating with bassist Seth Whitney. The Wednesday night series was billed as "The Good Time Supper Club". A misprint in a local paper billed the act as "The Heathens." Drummer John Chipman joined the band in 2007, and Keyboardist Trevor Nealon, who played in the studio during the recording of both "One Foot in the Ether" and "Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster's Son", joined the touring unit in 2011.

Their first recording, "Live from Momo's", recorded at the now closed club on West 6th Street in Austin brought the band national attention and they were voted "Best New Band" at the 2007 Austin Music Awards. Following the Momo's release, the band released a second live recording, the CD/DVD "Live at Antone's" which was recorded at the venerable Austin club.

May 20, 2008 the band released their first, self-titled, studio album. Produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard, and featuring notable guests Patty Griffin, Stephen Bruton, and Gurf Morlix, the record went to #1 on the Americana Music Association's radio charts. In November 2008 the album was ranked 8th place on the Americana Music Association's Top 100 Albums of the Americana Charts for 2008.[2]

In July 2009 BOH taped an Austin City Limits show that aired in the Fall of 2009. The year was especially significant for ACL in that Austin City Limits was celebrating its 35th anniversary year. The band's unique genesis and creativity were highlighted during the Austin City Limits interview conducted after their performance.[3] The TV performance showcased a set by both the Band Of Heathens and Elvis Costello.[4]

Following the Austin City Limits PBS show, the band also played on the German television live concert series Rockpalast on October 9, 2009, performing 14 songs, many from the albums "Band Of Heathens" and "One Foot In The Ether.".[5] "One Foot In The Ether", BOH's second studio release once again charted to the #1 slot on the Americana Radio Charts.

In 2009, the band was nominated for a "New Emerging Artist" award at the Americana Music Honors & Awards. In 2010, the band was again honored by the Americana Music Association as nominees for the "Best Duo/Group of the Year".[6]

In 2011, the band released their fifth album overall (third studio album) Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster's Son. The album was listed in the top 10 most played Americana Albums of 2011, marking the third album in a row to make the year end top 10 list. This album is also the last studio project featuring founding member Colin Brooks, who announced in November of that year that he was leaving the band to pursue other interests after six years.

2013 provided the critically acclaimed album titled "Sunday Morning Record". The "Bakersfield Californian Review" aptly stated "Sunday Morning Record is a love letter to the past and, at the same time, a postcard to the future."[7] The album charted to the number 2 spot on the Americana Charts Americana Music Association and was selected as the Number one album in 2013 by "The Alternative Root". In addition, "The Alternative Root" in referring to its "Top Fifty" Americana Bands stated the following: "The number one spot was the easiest to place. Band of Heathens epitomize Indie, building their band business from the ground up and keeping everything in-house".[8]

Highway Prayer: A Tribute to Adam Carroll, released in late 2016 on Austin-based Eight 30 Records, featured The Band of Heathens' version of Carroll's "Oklahoma Gypsy Shuffler."[9] Additionally, The Band of Heathens' version of "The Dirty South" was included on the satirical album Floater: A Tribute to the Tributes to Gary Floater, released early in 2018 on the Austin-based Eight 30 Records.[10]

Members

Live recordings

The band started recording all of their live performances in February 2012 and making them available at the conclusion of each show on a USB drive. Each drive contains that night's audio recording, photos from the day of touring, and a video (when possible). Later, the band launched live.bandofheathens.com where the audio recordings are available either by subscription or a la carte download. Ed Jurdi said the band embraced the idea of sharing as much of their music as possible, "We play different set lists night to night and we’ll play songs differently over time and they will evolve. And that’s another outlet for fans to follow the band and explore what we are doing. So our attitude is to share it as much as we can."[11]

Discography

The first two recordings were live - a live album at Momo's was recorded in 2006, and in 2007, "Live at Antone's" with a DVD/CD set was completed. In May 2008, the band released its first studio production simply titled "The Band of Heathens". Produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard, the album reached #1 on the Americana Charts and the EuroAmericana charts. What is significant however is that it was only the second independently released album to ever reach #1 on the Chart.[12][13]

In September 2009 the band released the album "One Foot in the Ether" which again made it to number one on the Americana as well as the Euroamericana charts.

A cover of Leon Everette's "Hurricane" charted at number 18 on Hot Rock Songs in 2018.[14]

Colin Brooks (solo)
  • 2002: Chippin’ Away at the Promised Land
  • 2005: Blood & Water
Gordy Quist (solo)
  • 2005: Songs Play Me
  • 2007: Here Comes the Flood
Ed Jurdi (solo)
  • 1999: Ed Jurdi
  • 2003: Longshores Drive
The Band of Heathens
  • 2006: Live from Momo’s
  • 2007: Live at Antone’s (CD+DVD)
  • 2008: The Band of Heathens (first studio production)
  • 2009: Live @ Blue Rose Christmas Party Germany 2008 (limited edition)
  • 2009: One Foot In the Ether, (second studio production)
  • 2011: Top Hat Crown & The Clapmaster's Son (third studio production)
  • 2012: The Double Down - Live From Denver (CD+DVD)
  • 2013: Sunday Morning Record (fourth studio production)
  • 2016: Duende (fifth studio production)
  • 2018: A Message from the People Revisited (sixth studio production)
  • 2020: Stranger (seventh studio production)
  • 2022: Remote Transmissions, Volume 1
  • 2023: Simple Things (eighth studio production)

References
  1. "The Band of Heathens - Artist Profile". eventseeker.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  2. Americana Airplay Charts 2008 Archived December 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "The Band of Heathens Interview". Austin City Limits. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  4. "Austin City Limits". Video.pbs.org. Archived from the original on 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  5. "The Band Of Heathens -". Wdr.de. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  6. "Americana Music Association". Americanamusic.org. Archived from the original on 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  7. Californian, The Bakersfield. "Search". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  8. "The Alternate Root". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  9. "Highway Prayer: A Tribute to Adam Carroll | Country Music News Blog | CMNB". Archived from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  10. "Eight 30 Records". Eight 30 Records. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  11. from an interview on episode 166 of the Americana Music Show, published November 18, 2013
  12. "Americana Top 25: Albums". Nashville FM, Postbus 3520, 3003AM Rotterdam, Nederland. 8 September 2008. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  13. "Euro Americana Chart". September 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  14. "Chart position for "Hurricane"". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
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