Heron King Blues
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Heron King Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2004 | |||
| Genre | Country rock, experimental rock | |||
| Label | Thrill Jockey | |||
| Califone chronology | ||||
| ||||
Heron King Blues is an album by the American band Califone, released in 2004.[1][2] It is in part a concept album about singer Tim Rutili's recurring bird dreams and ornithophobia.[3][4] The band supported the album with UK and North American tours.[5][6]
Rutili was backed on most of the tracks by percussionists Ben Massarella and Joe Adamik and multi-instrumentalist Jim Becker.[7][8] Califone recorded the album in an improvisational manner, choosing to not start the sessions with existing songs or rehearsed structures.[4] The band was inspired by Captain Beefheart's Mirror Man, which was allegedly recorded in a single night.[9] Their initial plan was to record an EP that would give them a reason to tour.[10] The foundations of the tracks were completed in three days in a studio on the south side of Chicago, with the band then adding lyrics and overdubs.[11][12] They employed samples and looped beats on some of the tracks, and used steel guitar, bottles, and hand drums, among other instruments.[13][14] The 15-minute title track, which was inspired by a Druid mythical character appropriated by the Romans, is mostly instrumental.[15][10] "Trick Bird" was cowritten with members of the band Orso.[16] The making of the album was somewhat tense; after the band also had equipment stolen during their tour, they decided to take a break.[17]
