Eric Bachmann
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Eric Bachmann is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. He rose to prominence as the frontman of
Archers of Loaf Archers of Loaf is an American indie rock band originally formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1991. The group toured extensively and released four studio albums, one compilation, numerous singles and EPs, and a live album which was release ...
and
Crooked Fingers Crooked Fingers was an American indie rock band, led by the former Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann. A vehicle for Bachmann's songwriting, the band's lineup changed between each record. Crooked Fingers released albums on WARM Records and Me ...
. Originally a saxophone major at
Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...
, Bachmann’s music is distinctive for its creative and innovative arrangements. In addition to the guitar, he plays the piano and banjo regularly on tour. He was born in
Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...
, and grew up throughout the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
. He currently lives in
Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
.


Musical career


Archers of Loaf (1991–1998)

In 1991, Bachmann joined forces with guitarist Eric Johnson, bassist Matt Gentling, and drummer Mark Price to form
Archers of Loaf Archers of Loaf is an American indie rock band originally formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1991. The group toured extensively and released four studio albums, one compilation, numerous singles and EPs, and a live album which was release ...
. All originally from
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
, the band is associated with the influential 1990s Chapel Hill independent rock scene alongside
Superchunk Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the ...
and
Polvo Polvo is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band formed in 1990 and is fronted by guitarists/vocalists Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski, with Steve Popson playing bass guitar and Brian Quast playing drums. Eddie Watkin ...
. The band signed with
Alias Records Alias Records is a small American indie-rock record label based in Lexington, Kentucky. Alias has released albums by American Music Club, Archers of Loaf, Yo La Tengo, The Magnolias, The Loud Family, Too Much Joy and Knapsack, among others. ...
and released their debut full-length album, ''
Icky Mettle ''Icky Mettle'' is the first studio album recorded by the indie rock band Archers of Loaf. It was produced and engineered by Caleb Southern at Kraptone Studios in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and released by Alias Records on September 7, 1993. A ...
'' (1993), the EP '' Vs the Greatest of All Time'' (1994), and the full-length '' Vee Vee'' (1995). Their third studio album, '' All the Nations Airports'' (1996), distributed by a major label,
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
, was viewed as more accessible than their previous releases. Their final LP, ''
White Trash Heroes White Trash Heroes is the fourth studio album from the indie rock band Archers of Loaf, released in 1998 by Alias Records. In 2012 the album was reissued by Merge Records on two CDs with new, re-imagined art by Casey Burns. Track listing All ...
'' (1998), brought an intentionally different sound than the first three records to mixed reception. The years of extensive touring had taken their toll on the band, though, and in late 1998, the Archers disbanded.


Crooked Fingers (2000–2016)

Following the breakup of Archers of Loaf, Bachmann formed
Crooked Fingers Crooked Fingers was an American indie rock band, led by the former Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann. A vehicle for Bachmann's songwriting, the band's lineup changed between each record. Crooked Fingers released albums on WARM Records and Me ...
. Taking the name from his grandfather’s CB radio handle, the band’s sound varied between records as he further pushed his musical exploration. The lineup frequently rotated, with Bachmann the only consistent. Crooked Fingers’ self-titled release, also referred to as the “swan record” based on the cover art, was released by
WARM Records Warm Electronic Recordings (sometimes abbreviated to Warm Records) is an independent record label based in Athens, Georgia run by Brian Causey. Azure Ray, Japancakes, and Crooked Fingers are some of the artists on their roster. Artists *Azure Ray * ...
in 2000. A second album on WARM, '' Bring on the Snakes'', came out in 2001. Crooked Fingers signed to
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
and released an EP of covers, '' Reservoir Songs'' (2002), and the full-length albums '' Red Devil Dawn'' (2003) and '' Dignity and Shame'' (2005). ''
Forfeit/Fortune ''Forfeit/Fortune'' (2008) is the fifth studio album recorded by the indie rock band Crooked Fingers. Eric Bachmann provides lead vocals, with Miranda Brown singing backing vocals, Elin Palmer providing backing vocals and violin, and Tim Husmann o ...
'' (2008) was self-released. '' Breaks in the Armor'' (2011) returned the band to Merge. Merge re-released the first two Crooked Fingers records in January 2016, including numerous demos alongside the albums. This re-release, however, coincided with Bachmann's retiring of the moniker and was marked by two shows in NYC and Durham, NC, where he played the two albums in their entirety with string musicians.


Archers of Loaf reunion (2011–present)

In January 2011, Archers of Loaf reunited for an unannounced set at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina, opening for local act the Love Language. They played numerous shows throughout the rest of 2011 and 2012, coinciding with Merge's rerelease of their back catalog. The band toured again in 2015. In February 2020, the band digitally released "Raleigh Days," their first new music since 1998. A 2020 tour was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. The band's first full record in nearly 25 years, ''Reason in Decline'', was released in October 2022. East Coast tour dates in support of the new record are scheduled for November and December 2022, with Midwest and West Coast tours happening in 2023.


Solo (1995–present)

In between Archers records, Bachmann pursued expansive instrumental experiments that defied the indie rock genre. He made two albums under the moniker Barry Black, 1995’s self-titled and 1997’s ''Tragic Animal Stories''. Featuring collaborators such as
Caleb Southern Caleb Southern (born December 26, 1969) is an American professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, musician and record producer. He has worked with Ben Folds Five, Fear of Pop and Archers of Loaf. As of 2002, he was a member of Partners Ag ...
and
Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...
, the Barry Black releases challenged any notion of pigeonholing him as solely a rock musician. His first solo effort under his own name, the instrumental and atmospheric ''Short Careers'', was recorded as a score for the film ''Ball of Wax'' and released in 2002.
Saddle Creek Records Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...
released his second, '' To the Races'' (2006). Self-recorded over five days while at the Outer Banks, the record is primarily Bachmann completely solo but features contributions from Miranda Brown (backing vocals) and DeVotchKa's Tom Hagerman (violin). On March 25, 2016, shortly after retiring the band Crooked Fingers, Bachmann released his third solo album, the eponymous Eric Bachmann. On September 7, 2018, he released No Recover and embarked on a tour of both clubs and full-band living room shows produced by
Undertow Music Undertow began in 1996 in St. Louis, Missouri, as a collective of independent artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers and creative managers sharing resources, ideas, and a love of music. Undertow Music is currently located in Champaign, Illinoi ...
. Merge continues to be the musical home for Bachmann’s work.


Other musical projects

Bachmann produced several
Azure Ray Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 2001, they later moved to Omaha, Nebraska and became part of the Saddle Creek Records music scene, which also included ...
records—their eponymous debut (WARM, 2001), '' Burn and Shiver'' (Saddle Creek, 2002), and '' Drawing Down the Moon'' (Saddle Creek, 2010). He also produced Liz Durrett's ''Beyond Our Gates'' (WARM, 2008). From 2013-2016, he was a member of
Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...
's touring band, playing guitar and piano. Case featured the Crooked Fingers song "Sleep All Summer" on the album ''
Hell-On ''Hell-On'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Neko Case, released by record label ''Anti-'' on June 1, 2018. It was largely recorded in Stockholm, and Case co-produced six of the album's twelve tracks with Björn Yttling of ...
'' (
ANTI- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel (Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The Cou ...
, 2018) as a duet with Bachmann. He also collaborated with fellow Case bandmate, pedal steel virtuoso Jon Rauhouse, to create the instrumental record ''Eric Bachmann and Jon Rauhouse'' (Telephant, 2016).


Personal life

Bachmann is married to retired musician Liz Durrett, who is the niece of singer/songwriter
Vic Chestnutt James Victor Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, ''Little'', was released in 1990. His commercial breakthrough came in 1996 with the release of '' Sweet ...
.


Discography


Albums

*''Icky Mettle'' (1993) Archers of Loaf *''Vs the Greatest of All Time'' (1994) Archers of Loaf *''Vee Vee'' (1995) Archers of Loaf *''Barry Black'' (1995),
Alias Records Alias Records is a small American indie-rock record label based in Lexington, Kentucky. Alias has released albums by American Music Club, Archers of Loaf, Yo La Tengo, The Magnolias, The Loud Family, Too Much Joy and Knapsack, among others. ...
 – Under the pseudonym Barry Black, featuring appearances from
Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...
. Produced by
Caleb Southern Caleb Southern (born December 26, 1969) is an American professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, musician and record producer. He has worked with Ben Folds Five, Fear of Pop and Archers of Loaf. As of 2002, he was a member of Partners Ag ...
. *''Speed of Cattle'' (1996) Archers of Loaf *''All the Nations Airports'' (1996) Archers of Loaf *''Tragic Animal Stories'' (1997),
Alias Records Alias Records is a small American indie-rock record label based in Lexington, Kentucky. Alias has released albums by American Music Club, Archers of Loaf, Yo La Tengo, The Magnolias, The Loud Family, Too Much Joy and Knapsack, among others. ...
 – As Barry Black. *''White Trash Heroes'' (1997) Archers of Loaf *''Crooked Fingers'' (1999) Crooked Fingers Warm Electronic Recordings *''Bring on the Snakes'' (2001) Crooked Fingers Warm Electronic Recordings *''Short Careers'' (2002),
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
*''Reservoir Songs Vol. 1'' (2002) Crooked Fingers
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
*''Red Devil Dawn'' (2003) Crooked Fingers
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
*''Dignity and Shame'' (2005) Crooked Fingers
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
* ''To the Races'' (2006),
Saddle Creek Records Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...
*''Forfeit/Fortune'' (2008) Red Pig/Constant Artists Records *''Reservoir Songs Vol. 2'' (2010) Crooked Fingers Foreign Leisure Records *''Breaks in the Armor'' (2011) Crooked Fingers,
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
*''Eric Bachmann'' (2016),
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
*''Eric Bachmann and Jon Rauhouse'' (2016), Telephant Records *''No Recover'' (2018),
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...


Album appearances

* Azure Ray – ''
Azure Ray Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 2001, they later moved to Omaha, Nebraska and became part of the Saddle Creek Records music scene, which also included ...
'' (2000), Warm Electronic Recordings * Azure Ray – '' Burn and Shiver'' (2002), Warm Electronic Recordings *
Azure Ray Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 2001, they later moved to Omaha, Nebraska and became part of the Saddle Creek Records music scene, which also included ...
 – '' Hold On Love'' (2003),
Saddle Creek Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...
* Laura Minor – '' Let Evening Come'' (2004) *
Spoon A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for ...
 – ''
Gimme Fiction ''Gimme Fiction'' is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Spoon. It was released on May 10, 2005, through Merge Records in the US and Matador Records in Europe. It debuted at number 44 on the ''Billboard'' 200. " I Turn My Camera O ...
'' (2005),
Merge Merge, merging, or merger may refer to: Concepts * Merge (traffic), the reduction of the number of lanes on a road * Merge (linguistics), a basic syntactic operation in generative syntax in the Minimalist Program * Merger (politics), the comb ...
*
David Dondero David Dondero (born 24 June 1969 in Duluth, Minnesota, United States) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. In 2006, NPR's All Songs Considered named David one of the "best living songwriters" alongside Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and T ...
 – '' South of the South'' (2005),
Team Love Team Love is an independent record label based in New Paltz, New York, founded by Conor Oberst and Nate Krenkel in 2003. It has released albums by several other recording artists. Team Love also released the documentary film by Roy Germano, Th ...
*
Damien Jurado Damien Jurado is an American singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington, United States. Over the years, he has released albums on Sub Pop, Secretly Canadian, Loose, and is currently on his own label Maraqopa Records. Music career Jurado's solo ...
 – ''
On My Way to Absence ''On My Way to Absence'' is Damien Jurado's sixth full-length album. It was released in 2005 and was Jurado's second release on Secretly Canadian records. The album was produced by his frequent collaborator Eric Fisher. Jurado has referred to the a ...
'' (2005),
Secretly Canadian Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Secretly Canadian is a label included in Secretly Group, which ...
*
Micah P. Hinson Micah Paul Hinson (born February 3, 1981)Micah P. Hins ...
 – ''
Micah P. Hinson and the Opera Circuit ''Micah P. Hinson and the Opera Circuit'' is an album by Micah P. Hinson, released in 2006. Track listing # "Seems Almost Impossible" (Hinson) – 3:40 # "Diggin a Grave" (Hinson) – 2:07 # "Jackeyed" (Hinson) – 3:45 # "It's Been So Long" (Hi ...
'' (2007), Jade Tree * Liz Durrett – ''Outside Our Gates'' (2008), Warm Electronic Recordings *
Azure Ray Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 2001, they later moved to Omaha, Nebraska and became part of the Saddle Creek Records music scene, which also included ...
 - '' Drawing Down The Moon'' (2010),
Saddle Creek Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...
*
Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...
 – ''
Hell-On ''Hell-On'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Neko Case, released by record label ''Anti-'' on June 1, 2018. It was largely recorded in Stockholm, and Case co-produced six of the album's twelve tracks with Björn Yttling of ...
'' (2018),
Anti- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel (Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The Cou ...


References


External links


Eric Bachmann's official website

Archers of Loaf's official website

Merge Records

Saddle Creek Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachmann, Eric Living people Saddle Creek Records artists Musicians from Asheville, North Carolina American rock singers American male singers Appalachian State University alumni Indie folk musicians 1970 births Merge Records artists Warm Electronic Recordings artists