Dave Bixby

Strange enchanting dreamy acoustic custom of slow melodic tunes sleepily adrift in a hazy stereo-echoed blur of ethereal guitar work and sedated vocals, heavy on the lost loner “real people” vibes. Bixby’s story is detailed on the back cover – how he destroyed his life with substance abuse (recounted in ‘Drug Song’), cried out to God for his sanity, and eventually received a testimony of Jesus Christ. Ode To Quetzalcoatl contains twelve of his post-conversion songs, featuring titles like ‘Free Indeed’, ‘I Have Seen Him’, ‘Morning Sun’, ‘Open Doors’, ‘666’ and ‘Waiting For The Rains’. Occasional cosmic weirdity in the lyrics, as on ‘Prayer’ (“pick out a cloud, and speak very loud, and that cloud will be yours forever”). Sometimes joined by a second guitar, plus onetime appearances of harmonica (‘Secret Forest’) and spacey flute (‘Peace’). The mysterious album title reference to the ancient Mexican serpent god isn’t explained anywhere, nor is it mentioned in any of the songs. Some highly unusual yet very captivating stuff here, guaranteed to make yourself ask “where is this guy coming from?”. -- Ken Scott, Archivist ]I've been on a mild "'70s Jesus hippies" kick lately; there's the same post-apocalyptic comedown quality that's on all the folk records of the time, but some of the Jesus music is especially morose, not like today's "haha you blue-state pussies, WE WON (burrrrrrp)" cheerleaders for Team Goodbook. No, actually, with Bixby being a loner and all, it's not surprising that Quetzalcoatl is pretty solipsistic and self-absorbed -- if he were coming of age in the '80s instead, surely he'd be cutting his musical teeth doing covers of "Sanitarium" and "How Soon is Now?" at open mic nights.