September Gurl - Clients - The Winter Blanket

THE WINTER BLANKET http://www.blanketmusic.com/ [BIOGRAPHY] [PHOTOS] [PRESS] [TOUR DATES] [AUDIO]

BIOGRAPHY The Winter Blanket began as a songwriting outlet for a drummer. What that says about our long term potential with stringed instruments, I am not sure. I had been playing with the Illinois-based band Darling for six years before I picked up a guitar and started seriously thinking about writing songs. As a child I always dreamed of playing guitar and in second grade Santa brought me a miniature KISS guitar. I used my dad's belt for a strap and a nickel for a pick while Double Platinum blasted on my Fisher-Price record player. 20 years later I decided to make good on my childhood dream. I had a handful of compositions that sounded nothing like KISS, but quite a bit like Nick Drake. I quietly stole fellow Darling band mate Kim Murray to help with the project. Kim had a great knowledge of the technical side of music, whereas I had virtually none. Next I picked hometown buddy Paul Blomquist to drum. So we now had two drummers in a trio trying to play Nick Drake songs, we were missing something. Kim and I envisioned a band capable of dual male-female vocal perspectives ala Low, Ida and Yo La Tengo. So the search began for a female vocal accomplice – preferably one that wasn't a drummer. Stephanie Davila's all-girl punk band had just broken up. She played guitar, piano, and had a newfound fondness for Elliot Smith. On top of that, her sultry voice was a nice compliment to my own rough-around-the-edges vocal approach. Together, we became The Winter Blanket in December 1999. Following a summer of shows in an around Moline, IL, the band was ready to record. We wanted to work with someone who understood the aesthetic we were gunning for and who would be easy to work with as I was still trying to figure out how to work the electric guitar. I had become friends with Alan Sparhawk during the Darling days and he was willing to help. So the band headed to Duluth, Minnesota where Sparhawk's home studio provided the perfect low-key atmosphere that allowed us to ease into the recording process. The result was 2000's Hopeless Lullaby, a collection of quiet, simple songs with minimal instrumentation. The time in Duluth was magical. We would investigate the countryside by day, playing Frisbee, swimming in a waterfall, jamming to Steely Dan on the radio. One morning Alan's wife and fellow Low-mate Mimi made us blueberry pancakes. Later that day she was washing dishes and Alan called her downstairs to sing on one of our songs, we were in disbelief. It was an inspired dream. In 2002 we couldn't resist going back to Duluth to record a new batch of more complicated and ambitious songs. This time around Stephanie's voice was placed more prominently in the mix and the band recorded two of her compositions for the first time. Keyboards and inventive studio sounds were paired with vocal and guitar contributions by Sparhawk to create a more attention demanding record than our debut. Impressed by our live show, Sparhawk offered to release the record on his own Chairkickers Music label and we obliged delivering Actors and Actresses in spring of 2002. To support the new release, we quickly jumped on our first national tour with alt-country legend Richard Buckner. Actors and Actresses received excellent reviews and we were playing to good crowds. With things going so well for the band, Stephanie and I decided to move to Minneapolis in late 2002 to bring the band into a thriving music scene and artistically supportive city. Kim and Paul remained in Illinois, thus beginning a long-distance relationship. Upon a year's time in Minneapolis, Stephanie came into her own as a songwriter and I was interested in moving away from the long, alternate tuned songs I wrote for Actors and Actresses. We wanted something a little simpler and a little more acoustic based. This idea was influenced by Springsteen's Nebraska and the work of the late Townes Van Zandt. The 361 miles between band-mates did have a bearing on the next record, as some of the tunes were borderline solo works. Prescription Perils was released in 2004 on North Carolina based Fractured Discs. Despite the challenging circumstances, the record was a triumph. It was the first record we were thoroughly proud of. In spite of the distance, we were touring more than ever, highlighted by a winter outing with Magnolia Electric Company, a band we had become big fans of. Somewhere on that tour, we had a band meeting in our minivan and decided the next record had to embrace a full-band sound again. In 2005 we booked studio time in Chicago with producer Brian Deck. His work with Modest Mouse and Iron and Wine proved his abilities to work with both a loose rock band and an intensely delicate band, two features of The Winter Blanket sound. We recorded an album worth of material, but the lack of time to develop some of the compositions was apparent. The ability to rehearse weekly and spend time together was holding us back. The Magnolia Electric tour had inspired us to play better as a band, but we couldn't improve without regular practice. How could we develop? After six years together, we reluctantly felt compelled to part ways with the original lineup. Six songs were chosen from the Deck sessions to comprise our new mini-album Golden Sun, due out October 31st. The new recordings represent our most mature and sonically vibrant work to date. These six new songs give an exciting indication of what lies ahead for The Winter Blanket. Golden Sun marks the end of one era and the beginning of another. Stephanie and I have recruited two new members from the Twin Cities. Todd Hansen joined first to fill the drum vacancy. Next, Todd brought in friend Dave Campbell to play bass and keyboards. We have now been blessed with new blood, new energy, and perhaps most importantly, proximity. And believe it or not, Dave is originally a drummer too, so that makes three. Some late night Allman Brothers jams are in order, but they only had two drummers… The Winter Blanket is: Dave Campbell--bass and keys Stephanie Davila--vocals, guitar, lap steel, piano Todd Hansen--drums and percussion Doug Miller--vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano

PHOTOS Click on a thumbnail to download that hi-res JPEG (suitable for publication):

TOUR DATES 12/1/2007 * Redstone Room - 8th Annual X-Mas Show * Davenport, Iowa

PRESS The Winter Blanket Golden Sun Paste Magazine By Austin L. Ray There's a reason this Illinois band has collaborated with members of Low in the past. The Winter Blanket creates music that plays like a rootsy, somber dream, highlighted by [Stephanie Davila's] sultry, eminently listenable vocals. Recommended for fans of Jenny Lewis and Neil Young. The Winter Blanket Golden Sun Hybrid Magazine By Dan Warren The record is a stunning reminder that sometimes the most unassuming music is also the most beautiful. full review The Winter Blanket Golden Sun Dan Warren, Top albums of 2006, Hybrid Magazine This six-song EP is a quiet, unassuming group of songs highlighted by the stunning vocals of lead singers Stephanie Davila and Doug Miller. It's a moving piece of work, and should keep listeners satisfied until the band's next full-length album. "There are records that will get far more attention than this, but have nowhere near the same shining content." — Comes With a Smile "This is lovely downbeat stuff, delicate but forceful." — Americana UK "Glows with a hushed slow burn." — Minneapolis City Pages "Stands as one more remarkable example of artists giving voice to the questions and feelings that lurk inside all of us. They don't have the answers, of course, but these songs ask the questions in thoughtful, often breathtakingly beautiful ways." — Erasing Clouds "This is a gorgeous record, one with the intent and ability to speak directly to the heart." — Lost at Sea "Some upbeat rock, some folk and alt country leanings, and still plenty of that quiet and contemplative indie pop. Fans of these genres will find on Prescription Perils a band comfortably on the top of its' game." — Delusions of Adequacy "There's plenty else on the gem of an album, from the Yo La Tengo like fuzz-rock of the opener "Four Tornados" to the cello-laden folk of "On My Own." A raw cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" steals the show." — Star Tribune "A perfect name, and a truly moving album, The Winter Blanket rolls cold over you, and soft, white, sparse, it warms you and comforts. Reminiscent of bands like Low and The Red House Painters, with sometimes a little Galaxie 500-dreaminess seeping in." — The Big Takeover "Actors and Actresses is a huge step forward for The Winter Blanket and a decisive move to a more confident sound." — Devil in the Woods

AUDIO Click on an audio track below to download a mp3: The Winter Blanket - Golden Sun [2006] Sleepy Eyes [mp3] - 5.48 mb Neil Young Blues [mp3] - 5.23 mb