A long time ago, before I ever moved to Austin, there was a band called Cotton Mather. I heard them one day on public radio as I was driving around Houston. They were doing an interview and live performance on-air, and I immediately loved them. That might have been the been the beginning of my love for all things Austin and the tiny seed that started my ultimate move here. I saw them at SXSW that year, and then covered them for Texas Music when I did finally arrive. After a great run and some notable references (Oasis was a fan), they suddenly disbanded, leaving fans wondering if they’d ever hear those songs live again.
Years later, Cotton Mather’s front man, Robert Harrison, started a new band, Future Clouds and Radar, and they are really amazing. Two CDs and one on the way, they move things beyond the alterna-pop of his previous group. Psychedelic at times, rockin’ – Robert is truly a talented guy. And, we all moved on from Cotton Mather. But recently, I had heard that Robert had been adding some Cotton Mather tunes to his set, so I had to check it out. The rumors were true, and Future Clouds (with special guest Joe Reyes of Buttercup) played two CM songs and Robert announced that he was re-releasing Kon Tiki, one of Cotton Mather’s great albums. Oh joy! This is really great news and a day I thought would never come. So, please, check out Robert, Future Clouds (with amazing musicians Darin Murphy, Hollie Thomas and Rusty Gebhard) and Cotton Mather!
Openers Hilary York (with whom Joe Reyes also played) and Miranda Dodson were also great. The ND has become my new favorite venue. Quite a nice space, good sound.
Holy Janet Comes on Waves