Snow Caps, the brainchild of Philadelphia-based multi-instrumentalist Andrew Keller (Hermit Thrushes, Jonagold), is a band constantly in transition: the rest of the members of the band are often in rotation, with Keller the driving force behind each album. As This & That Tapes prepares to release Snow Caps’ seventh album, Unreality, I sat down with Andrew to ask him about the new album, and about his music in general: “I started writing this album in late 2016, early 2017,” he said, “and I was obsessed with making this album. I have to make music, this is what I have to do, we’re all gonna die. The album’s very abstract, but once I started writing it, it got easier to do. I learned to enjoy the quiet time I was given by the pandemic. I made a lot of music during the first lockdown, I wrote a lot of this album. It was different from other albums, because I usually write parts for other people to play, but it was like, ‘Learn it, cause you gotta play it yourself, buddy.’” Unreality is out March 25th on This & That Tapes.
Rose Thomas Bannister:
Rose Thomas Bannister is a singer Songwriter that lives in Brooklyn.
Raised in Nebraska, where she founded the Clawfoot House venue, Bannister settled in Brooklyn a few years ago after completing a 63-date DIY tour of the whole United States. Her 2012 album The Sewing Room was an underground psych folk simmer-hit. She toured in fall 2018 with her band, Rose Thomas Bannister & The Filthy Unbelievers, in support of her EP Ambition, a song cycle based on Macbeth.
Bannister has continued her habit of curating experimental and folk music concerts with three seasons of her Mayflower music series in Brooklyn. Besides leading her band, she has also collaborated regularly with Susan Alcorn, played organ at R.I.O with Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores, produced a Concetta Abbate record, booked tours for Bunnybrains and Dino Felipe, harmonized with Debby Schwartz and Franklin Bruno, and improvised as a member of Heavy Laundry.
(Formerly known as Ember Schrag, Bannister legally changed her name in 2016).
“A nimble guitarist, a gripping storyteller, clever lyricist and a strong, dynamic singer with a direct, clear, matter-of-fact voice…one of the most individualistic and interesting songwriters in any style of music.” – New York Music Daily
Strawberry Hands:
Strawberry Hands began in 2006 as a glacially paced, ruthlessly repetitive duo of Jim Strong and Jacob Brunner. Eventually, it became the moniker for Jacob’s solo project, which had existed since 2003 under the name Rice. Early solo Strawberry Hands explored sampling as a compositional tool, with some ambient music and song sketches thrown in. In 2009, Jacob’s focus shifted toward songwriting, and his poetry practice—a mix of free verse, cut-up, and ‘pataphysics—morphed into song lyrics. Since then, Strawberry Hands has been an umbrella for songs and other concerns: classical composition, ambient, plunderphonics, and sound design. While working on Strawberry Hands records, Jacob has played with other artists, including Weyes Blood, Thanksgiving, Shadow Band, and Bad Braids. He also enjoys collaborating in other media, having composed for art installations, films, plays, and video games. He releases his and others’ music through his imprint Peace Isn’t Luck.
ABOUT COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES:
Our mission is to fight poverty, challenge systems that perpetuate injustice, and change lives through cutting-edge advocacy and exceptional legal representation.
Founded in 1966 by the Philadelphia Bar Association, Community Legal Services (CLS) has provided free civil legal assistance to more than one million low-income Philadelphians. Approximately 10,000 clients were represented by CLS in the past year. CLS assists clients when they face the threat of losing their homes, incomes, health care, and even their families. CLS attorneys and other staff provide a full range of legal services, from individual representation to administrative advocacy to class action litigation, as well as community education and social work. CLS is nationally recognized as a model legal services program.
