Tin Bird Choir
Pottstown, Pennsylvania, United States
Music
Press
Tin Bird Choir is set to release a new album on July 2nd titled, Homesteady. This video is for “Sea Change”, the opening track on Homesteady. What I love about this song is the balance found between that gentle voice and that erupting chorus. Wow, Tin Bird Choir has created some impressive folk inspired music that will make your ears smile.
Upcoming Shows:
June 29 – Choppin’ Wood Fest, Fleetwood, PA
July 6 – Wyebrook Farm, Honeybrook, PA
July 14 – XPN Welcomes, Concert Under the Stars, King of Prussia, PA
August 4 – Union Jacks, Oley, PA
August 24 – Brandywine Folk Festival, Kennett Square, PA
September 21 – Maysie’s FarmFest, Glennmoore, PA - One Fan at a Time
The Chester County-based folk group Tin Bird Choir performed in a stripped down two-piece configuration for this weeks’ installment of the WXPN lunchtime buskers’ series at The Porch at 30th Street Station. The band mixes poppy harmonies with the acoustic troubadour tradition, and is releasing its Kickstarter-funded second record next month. The band’s CD release party will be June 15th at Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville. Watch a video of them performing below, and be on the lookout for next week’s installment of the series featuring The Districts. - The Key
Tin Bird Choir
Homesteady
(www.tinbirdchoir.com)
Tin Bird Choir has been described as an “alt-folk, barn-rock” band whose homebase is right up the road at routes 100 and 23 in Coventryville, Pa. Eric and Heather Hurlock, the husband and wife team that fronts this band, have been writing and performing this type of American roots music since 2007, often recording what they come up with — along with bandmates Josh Sceurman and Ellen Houle — inside the barn on their property in northern Chester County.
As proof of their growing fanbase, the band raised the $5,000 needed to record Homesteady with a very successful Kickstarter program that took less than a month to complete. The CD is the band’s second release and continues along the same lines as their critically acclaimed Barn Rock release from 2009.
Kevin Killen did an incredible job of incorporating all of the elements that go into their sound: drums, bass, guitar, vocals, hand claps, banjos, piano, violin, bells, organ, and more.
Eric and Heather share vocal duties, singing together on some songs, solo on others. Both have great voices, but you will be totally blown away by Heather. She has a dusty, smoky vocal style that is highly compelling and captivating. The band sounds great together as well. They play tight and the original songwriting is solid (the majority of the songs on the CD were written by Eric, with the exception of “Sea Change,” “Straight Face,” and “Take Me With You When You Go” which were co-written with Heather). It’s kinda country, kinda rock and definitely good, wholesome music that you can’t help but enjoy hearing. - The Daily Local
The 12 Days of XPN Local Music – Day 9 – Tin Bird Choir “Trees”
Tin Bird Choir has earned growing acclaim in the Philadelphia region for their distinctive “alt-folk barn rock” sound. Rooted in the rural hills of Pennsylvania, their original songs are built with literate lyrics, organic harmonies, and melodies that range from lilting to urgent. Since their conception in 2007 they’ve had the pleasure of playing the Philadelphia Folk Festival and Canadian Music Week, as well as many other premier venues including the Tin Angel, World Cafe Live and the Kimmel Center in Philly, and The Bitter End in New York City. Their recently released debut CD, Barn Rock, has been described as intelligent and original, “a throwback to old times when music was simple, often quirky, and even a little spooky,” and is available on iTunes.
icon. For more information on upcoming concerts and other band info be sure to check out both their website and their MySpace listed below.
Website: www.tinbirdchoir.com
MySpace: myspace.com/tinbirdchoir
Download: “Trees” by Tin Bird Choir
http://xpn.org/allaboutthemusic/the-12-days-of-xpn-local-music-day-9-tin-bird-choir-trees-5340 - xpn.org
"Tin Bird Choir. It's slightly country, slightly rock and definitely good, wholesome music that you can't help but enjoy listening to. Check them out, let them grow on you, and join one of the coolest families around." - Laurie Perini, The Phoenix - The Phoenix
One local group that should appeal to both sides of the fray is the Tin Bird Choir, all acoustic and all contemporary. -Mary Armstrong, Philadelphia City Paper - Philadelphia City Paper
I am completely enthralled with this band. Eric & Heather share vocal duties, singing duet on some songs, or solo on others. Both have great voices, but I am totally blown away by Heather's vocals! She has a great dusky, smoky vocal style that, at the same time is highly compelling and captivating. - Tom Tracy, LucindaWilliams.com - Lucindawilliams.com
Tin Bird Choir calls its music "Barn Rock", but this self-titled debut CD is not a bland Eagles-like mixture of country and rock. Beneath the patched-in electric guitar and occasional organ is real down-home folk music, a throwback to old times when it was simple, often quirky, and even a little spooky.
"Barn Rock" starts off with "(I Want my) Truck Back," a funereal plea for a beloved old vehicle never returned by a friend. "Treat You Right" is an innocent yearning for tolerance in a small town. "Where Did I Go Wrong" is a heartfelt cabaret number, and "Artie Shaw" is a short piece about the retirement of the big band leader featuring an old-timey horn section.
It will take a few listens to fully understand songs like "Big Ship" and the homemade track "New York Times," but you can be sure they are not like anything on contemporary country or rock radio. - The Morning Call
Discography
Barn Rock (2009)
Homesteady (2013)
Photos
Bio
Tin Bird Choir’s new album, Homesteady, is a bold evolution of their signature “barn rock” sound. It was recently licensed by Starbucks to be played in all 18,000 stores worldwide beginning in September 2013.
Drawing from a diverse list of influences, from Paul Simon and Feist to Taj Mahal and John Prine, this collection of songs radiates energy and life. The opening track, “Sea Change,” with its twangy banjo, smooth vocals, and thunderous chorus, makes clear that these songs are channeling the musical zeitgeist but still deeply rooted in American folk and blues. The second track, “It Takes Me Forever,” is a rollicking Americana love song with piercing harmonies and driving rhythms. Track three, “Straight Face,” is a percussion-driven pop song that showcases the band’s effortless ability to balance a keen lyrical sensibility with fun, lively hooks.
Homesteady, which was fully funded by fans through a Kickstarter campaign, was recorded in Eric and Heather’s barn in Coventryville, Pennsylvania, by Kevin Killen, who also performed on and produced the album. He lived in their barn for a week in the fall of 2012, and, with Eric’s lo-fi demos as a reference, they worked together to pick the songs and lay down the basic tracks that became Homesteady. The album was mastered by Glenn Barratt, of MorningStar Studios.
Tin Bird Choir is fronted by husband and wife Eric and Heather Hurlock, backed by bass player Josh Sceurman and drummer Ellen Houle. Their soulful folk sound earned their first record, Barn Rock, a debut spot at #9 on the Roots Music chart. With literate lyrics, organic harmonies, urgent melodies, Tin Bird Choir is intelligent and original, simple, fun, often quirky, and sometimes even a little haunting.
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