FiRES WERE SHOT is Clay Walton and John Wilkins, who moved to Austin after graduating from Texas Tech with no experience playing the guitar and formed a group in 1998 that has been redefining the sonic possibilities of the instrument ever since. With influences ranging from Flying Saucer Attack to Austinites Stars of the Lid and armed with little more than their acoustic guitars and a few effects pedals, Walton and Wilkins are dedicated mappers of post-rock ambient soundscapes: part Terry Riley, part Mogwai, and with little rhythmic propulsion to speak of. The band’s first recording, the self-produced, self-released Form the Hearth, was a collection of four-track recordings the duo laid down while learning the basics of their instruments. After extended writing sessions at Walton’s country home in Creedmoor (population 200), the duo sent the results to labels around the country, including San Francisco experimentalists Asphodel (DJ Spooky, John Cage), which released the group’s LP Solace in 2004. In October of 2010, the band announced that Austin-based Quiet Design Records will release their third LP, awakened by a lonely feud.
This compilation is a good cross-section of indie and lo-fi tunes from the community of the UK-based independent label. Bandcamp New & Notable May 17, 2019
Otherworldly vocals stretch out over hypnotic, driving guitar tracks that swing from noisy to sparkling shoegazers. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 24, 2015
Terry Venemous is releasing new music every 3 weeks this year. His latest EP is sumptuous art pop with a wry sense of detachment.
Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 27, 2024