Red House Painters
Once described by the New Musical Express as 'the most intensely sad and beautiful new band of 1992', the Red House Painters' carefully sculpted, highly impressive work has hardly been over publicised. Band leader Mark Kozelek hates to do interviews, and is even less fond of having his picture taken, despite which he has continually basked in critical adoration. Addicted to drugs at the age of 10, he was admitted to a rehab centre at 14. His way out of this misery was music, though he still remained an outsider to whatever community he lived in, spending most of his time in his bedroom. He had previously formed his first band, God Forbid, in Massilon, Ohio, USA, before moving to Atlanta. There he met drummer Anthony Koutsos and formed the Red House Painters. When they relocated to San Francisco together, the band was fleshed out with the addition of Gordon Mack (guitar) and Jerry Vessel (bass). Via the intervention of American Music Club's Mark Eitzel, a tape of demos recorded between 1989 and 1990 was passed on to 4AD Records, who promptly signed the band. Six of the demo cuts were remixed and released as DOWN COLORFUL HILL in September 1992. By November they had played their first UK gig at London's Borderline club with Earwig. Given an outlet for his work, there then came a flood of Kozelek's meandering guitar and introspective travelogue lyrics in the double album, RED HOUSE PAINTERS, which, confusingly, was followed by a single album of the same title. In the wake of these two albums, and despite his reluctance to talk to them, Kozelek became venerated by UK critics, one describing his band's style as 'desolate music that's fragile but oddly warming.' Songs such as Cabezon on OCEAN BEACH saw a reflective, earnest Jeff Buckley-like delivery allied to the familiar aching song structures, but also the departure of long-time bass player Vessel, a man of highly unusual, strangely unmusical technique. A version of Yes' Long Distance Runaround confirmed the band had not also lost its humour (previous cover versions had included material by both Wings and Kiss).