Glenn Yoder

Like Neil Young and Alejandro Escovedo before him, Glenn Yoder glides between guitar-driven rock and folk-tinged acoustic balladry. Infusing the hallowed Texas songwriter tradition with modern jangly pop (think Wilco and the Jayhawks), other songs beckon to a darker place: swampy blues in the vein of James McMurtry and even Morphine.
Raised just north of Dallas, Yoder settled in Boston in 2003 and formed the award-winning folk-rock group Cassavettes with several longtime friends and fellow Texans. Over a five-year period, the band released four albums, toured the country (including bills with the Allman Brothers and Kings of Leon), and collected a wall's worth of awards and accolades.
But as Cassavettes moved increasingly toward a pop-rock sound, Yoder's prolific pen continued writing roots music, in addition to the majority of Cassavettes' catalog. In search of a home for these orphan songs, Yoder teamed up with producer Todd Thibaud and released "Okono Road" in 2009 under his own name.
Calling upon a veritable all-star cast of fellow musicians for the recording sessions, including members of the Low Anthem and Girls Guns & Glory, Yoder and Thibaud carefully crafted a record where the "song comes first." Folks took note, as one publication noted that "Yoder pays homage . to the great American song." Critics were quick to label Yoder a "young Paul Westerberg" while drawing comparisons to Gram Parsons, Townes Van Zandt, Ryan Adams, and the Lemonheads.
Cassavettes broke up in December 2010, clearing the way for Yoder’s full-time pursuit of the sound most comfortable to him. He enlisted a first-rate backing band, including Jeff Katz (Three Day Threshold, Girls Guns & Glory) and Josh Kiggans (The Drs. Fox, Abbie Barrett) and hit the road, playing shows between New York City and Los Angeles.
Now, Yoder is defining himself as a fast-rising singer and songwriter while garnering a devoted following. He is scheduled to record the follow-up to “Okono Road” in summer 2011 with Jeremy Moses Curtis (Booker T. Jones, Bow Thayer & Perfect Trainwreck) at the helm.