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Geography works in funny ways. John Lindenbaum and
Andre Perry went to the same college, and by all accounts,
frequented similar scenes: late-night listening sessions of
Liquid Swords and writing classes with novelist,
Edmund White. Yet they never hung out. The post-college years
found them in San Francisco playing in bands, John in the
experimental alt-country band, Rust Belt Music, and Andre
in the space-rock outfit, the Kuffs. They became friends through
the music scene and their bands played a number of shows together.
In 2002, Andre put together a solo side-project called the
Lonelyhearts, releasing a song on a DIY or Else Records
compilation CD. A year later, when the Kuffs broke up and
Rust Belt Music began winding down, John and Andre re-envisioned
the Lonelyhearts as a two-man group.
Often dubbed as progressive indie-folk,
the Lonelyhearts place heavy emphasis on blending spacey keyboard
textures and acoustic guitars with strong and challenging
lyrics. On record, their songs build upon waves of synths,
guitars, and harmony vocals. In live performances, the Lonelyhearts
keep it simple: one keyboard, one guitar, two voices. Critics
have compared the band to the acoustic songcraft of Neutral
Milk Hotel and the Mountain Goats as well as the synth-rock
of Grandaddy and Earlimart.
In 2004, the Lonelyhearts released the
Make Yourself At Home EP on DIY or Else Records.
They followed up with a full-length, Dispatch, in
2005, also on DIY or Else. They have toured
the country several times, playing with bands such as American
Analog Set, Dungen, Bishop Allen, Lou Barlow, and Kelley Stoltz.
John currently studies cultural geography
at UC Berkeley and follows the Indiana Pacers while Andre
lives in Iowa City, where he studies creative writing at the
University of Iowa and rolls with Hawkeye football & basketball.
Despite living apart, the band is working as hard as ever,
writing and recording music. A new full-length record will
be released on Three Ring Records in July
2007. A US tour will follow shortly thereafter. In the meantime,
they will patiently wait for the release of Only Built
4 Cuban Linx II.
Releases by The Lonelyhearts: |
