joseph childress

[EMP7001/TAO7001] Joseph Childress / White White Quilt - Split (Water Tower) 7"



OUT NOW ON EMPTY CELLAR RECORDS! Recorded by The American Opry on battery power while trespassing in an abandoned three story water tower, this record pairs haunted tracks from two Bay Area folk favorites - "Leaving the Barren Ground" by Joseph Childress & "Papa" by the White White Quilt. Includes a high-quality digital download of the album + a bonus track by the White White Quilt from the same sessions. Limited to 500 copies on clear vinyl.

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[Ash From Sweat 17] Joseph Childress / Strangers Die Every Day - Split 7"



Denver label Ash From Sweat records proudly serves up this great split 7" from two Denver expats, Joseph Childress & Strangers Die Everyday. Joseph plays a stunning rendition of “White Castle Creek Mother" the only track to surface from his 2007 recording sessions with Chris Adolf of Bad Weather California. Drawing on chilling imagery of the personal & collective history of the plains in Wymoning on which he worked ranch – as told to him by a young girl – “White Castle Creek Mother" features a beautifully subdued full band arrangement, a rarity for Joseph’s recordings. Strangers Die Everyday contribute a beautiful multi layered post-rock composition. In the vein of Godspeed You Black Emperor and Explosions In The Sky, their untitled track achieves a remarkable level of lush intensity despite sparse instrumentation and but one electric instrument, a bass guitar, amidst a cello, violin, and drums. 480 copies exist on grey vinyl with full color artwork by Aaron Ray. Above and beyond packaging again, by Ash From Sweat.



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"Thumps, creaks, giggles, clicks -- these are the first sounds you hear when listening to a recording by Joseph Childress. The California-born, Colorado-bred songwriter doesn't make CDs, per se, but rather lo-fi snapshots taken during his many travels across the continent. Perpetually on the move, Childress packs his lush acoustic lullabies with the wizardry of Devendra Banhart and the earthy innocence of Vashti Bunyan, as heard on his widely circulated demo, dubbed The Rebirths by his fans -- if "fans" is an accurate word. Intimate, otherworldly and hypnotically engaging, Childress makes friends, not followers, with his music" --Westword magazine



"There’s something to be said about a solo folk performer who can command more attention with his voice and acoustic guitar than a full band. Watching Joseph Childress solo folk performance the other night was the single most captivating folk performance I have witnessed since I first saw Devendra Banhart live 4 years ago. The comparison is only in emotion and sincerity, something Childress is far from short on. Joseph Childress fleshes out his music and meaning in his songs with his vocals better than any myriad of instruments or backing musicians ever could. The type of voice that rattles your bones when you’re sitting two rows back, where you can’t wipe that smile off your face as you think how long you’ve waited to hear an artist that truly inspires you to pay attention to nothing else but their performance. If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard his name yet, give it time, I had only heard whispers of his name before I moved to San Francisco. The truth is, the only likely reason you haven’t heard him is because he doesn’t officially have an album out. You can get your first listen here as Joseph kindly lent me a demo of songs he recorded in closets, on the road over the years and passed out to friends along the way. The collection of 11 songs is some of the most inspiring music I have heard in some time. To fully absorb his music I truly believe you have to see him live. On the demos I was given I feel that Childress almost slightly holds back where live he unconsciously lets his voice further soar. That’s not to say the recorded songs are anything but phenomenal, only that live it’s well- make it to a show of his and you’ll see what I can’t put into words here. If I were forced name an artist or two who he reminds me of I’d say his vocals sound a bit like Jackson C. Frank at his best with some Dylan grit mixed in here and there."-- Naturalismo



Video by The American Opry