Household Ink Roster

the roster:

Headless Household: now in its 26th year, the new music combo slices across genres and pursues better living through eclecticism. their new double-disc album, celebrating the band's 25th anniversary (a year late), is Basemento (one disc leans "inside," the other "outside). Guests include Julie Christensen, Glen Phillips, Nate Birkey, David Binney, Tom Buckner, harmonica wizard Tom Ball, and more... Previous alums in this millennium were the expectedly eclectic Blur Joan (2005), and the slightly less eclectic post-Polka (2003), on which the departure point is the polka genre, with elements of rock, punk, funk, zappa, nino rota, charlie parker, and other flavors. another one (or two) is/are in the works presently.

Also check out Household keyboardist Richard Dunlap's wonderful solo recording, Ode to the Sistrum.

Nate Birkey: this tasteful jazz trumpeter/vocalist, formerly a Santa Barbra and now doing well in New York City, now has five albums out on Household Ink: the eagerly-awaited new album, Almost Home--Birkey's first recording with his NYC-based band, along with a timely new holiday album, called simply Christmas--the live set, shortest day, Ballads, The Mennonite, and Indelibly You. check out his site: www.natebirkey.com

...Julie Christensen, the dynamic and versatile singer who has gamely performed and recorded with Headless Household for years, has joined the Household Ink ranks, we're happy to report. Julie

has released her long-awaited "art-pop" oriented Where the Fireworks Are, a timely, poetic and generally moody, rocking and lovely thing.

Late in 2006, Julie put out her "standards" album Something Familiar--her first release on Household Ink. The album includes Jeff Ballard and Kenny Wolleson on drums, Greg Liesz on pedal steel and Jeff Elliott on trumpet, as well as her soul sister Karen Hammack on piano... On the big screen, she's also a featured singer in the acclaimed new fllm Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man (having sung with Cohen for years, and been involved in Hal Willner-produced Cohen tributes, including recent shows in Dublin, singing duets with Lou Reed...

The newest addition to the Household Ink family of fine artists is bassist-composer David Piltch, whose fascinating new album, Minister of the Interior, is now available on Household Ink. Piltch, the Toronto-born musician, has been an internationally-known and traveled figure, working with k.d. lang for years, as well as Holly Cole, Bill Frisell, Madeleine Peyroux, Joe Henry, Loudon Wainwright, Liz Wright, and many others. A tasteful blend of instrumental and vocal fancies, Minister of the Interior features guest appearances from k.d. lang, Bill Frisell, Petra Haden, Holly Cole and Perla Batalla, among others, and heralds the beginning of Piltch's life as a leader...

Also joining the Household Ink fold is Zen Horse Repair (being primarily singer-songwriter-artist-poet-mystic-nut Neal Crosbie, with ally Tom Lackner, and rotational guests): their long-labored over new project is called Ghost Brain, a two-disc set of artful sound, poetry and desert delirium. see message... press release

Dudley: dreamy and dynamically engaging art-folk, via singer-songwriter Ellen Turner, as heard on the third song set, doin' jack, as well as the wonderful earlier albums Are Our Oars Out? and the classic-in-the-making, Public Nudism. Dare we say ahead of its time?

flapping, Flapping: extra-pop, shameless Beatle-esqueries, with two albums out: TEX (1995) and the popular Montgomery Street (1996), on which friend and neighbor Glen Phillips joined the band for a wunnerful several months. A new album is being threatened for completion in 2006, commemorating ten years since Montgomery Street's release (we work slowly out here in the boonies of Santa Barbara).

Shelly Rudolph: the newest member of the Household Ink Records family, Shelly is a distinctive and soulful musical being, Her new album, Water in My Hand, boasts a diversity of tracks and styles, and rhythmic landscapes from different global corners, making for a diverse creative journey. But its also one with a clear and coherent musical identity. Call her a world soul artist. check out her site: www.shellyrudolph.com

Jeff Elliott: the great jazz trumpeter finally releases a solo project of his own, Different Jungles, and it's a diverse, ambitious musical joyride, not quite like any other jazz album you've heard.

Joe Woodard: the songwriter-guitarist adds -singer to the hyphenate with between, his first solo album. www.joewoodard.com

Turnip Family Secrets: the original "play with songs" by Michael Smith, with music by Joe Woodard, released a cast album concurrently with its premiere production, April 12-21, 2002, at Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara. Musicians in the elevated "pit band:" Dick Dunlap, keys, Tom Lackner, percussion, Jim Connolly, bass, and Woodard, guitar, and the cast is Fred Lehto and Paula Re (as Cal and Bess), Geren Piltz (as David) and Geoffrey Jones (as the fairy/giant).

Cara Tower: Tower is a unique singer-songwriter, traversing folk and rock worlds, with an intuitive sense of texture and organic electronics. The result: richly textured, lyrically pointed art-folk.

Brad Dutz: Household Ink is proud to host the inventive, and prolific, Los Angeles-based percussionist and composer, with his latest addition to the Dutzography, Heat the Grill Cook Loin, a new music concoction of chamber-jazz properties, and Dutz-ian wit and wisdom.

Lean-To; neo-fusion and plenteous etcetera, working assorted angles on their 1998 album, Malarchitecture... the band is joined by guests Airto Moreira, Glen Phillips, Ellen Turner, Trey Henry, and Bruce Winter.

Brad Rabuchin: the smart jazz-and-more guitarist, who played in Ray Charles' last bandand is part of Lean-To, goes slightly askew, with melodic instincts intact: check out his debut album, When Smart Dogs Go Bad...

Jennifer Terran; left-of-center, heartful pop. She has also released fine albums on her own label (www.jenniferterran.com)

Fringe Deities: unaligned inventions, neo-aural-dramatics

OUTPOST: showcasing non-HI artists we know and love, whose products we endorse, i.e. Creme de la Femme, Petracovich, Rob Taylor, the enigmatic rock unit Wasted Tape, reggae band The Cannons, and jazz vocalist Jerome Smith...

(more to come...)

Send e-mail: info@householdink.com

last updated: january 17, 2010