Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Magnolia Summer released their Levers and Pulleys record to critical acclaim in late 2003 through Undertow Records. Led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Grabau, what was once a recording project has evolved into a band whose members also do double time in rock bands Ring Cicada (54º40' or Fight!), Waterloo (Undertow), and the Bottle Rockets (Sanctuary).
With a strummy Americana sound somewhere between Son Volt and the Pernice Brothers, these songs slowly grow on you. Grabau's vulnerable, barely whispered vocals perfectly convey the music's delicate and intimate strokes (Hal Horowitz, ALLMUSIC).
No Depression - Review of From Driveways' Lost View
With the exception of the Bottle Rockets, Magnolia Summer is the finest band in St. Louis sill blending roots sensibilities with pure guitar rock. What their second album lacks in the expansive warmth of their debut Levers and Pulleys, it makes up for in tangled emotions and group coalescence. The taut, charging opener "Along For The Ride" and the rumbling "The Passing Days" have the electric stab and fedback blur (minus the eccentricity) of Satellite Heart era Flaming Lips, while "Words For The War" fuses the pain of oblique personal and political conflict over acoustic guitar and piano. Songwriter Chris Grabau sings with an urgent but sweet quiver; his images and melodies rise effortlessly through the stormiest arrangements, resulting in sometimes furious, sometimes plaintive, often exhilarating rock 'n' roll (Roy Kasten).
Harp Magazine - Review of From Driveways' Lost View
On Magnolia Summe's debut, 2003's Levers and Pulleys, the atmosphere was muted and personal, like a friend quietly sharing a secret. Since the, the quintet has evolved - a veritable who's who of St. Louis musicians, including Waterloo's Chris Grabau and Mark Ray, the Linemen's Greg Lamb, Ring, Cicada's Aaron Zeveski, and the bottle Rockets' John Horton - and discovered its inner rock band through relentless live work. The raucous results are all over the band's sophomore effort. There are still moments of relative calm, like the sedate "Casting Satellites," the mournful "Palindrome," and the Wilco-tinges "Words for the War." For the bulk of the album, however, Magnolia Summer combines the shimmery folk expanse of the first album with a rollicking Americana vibe that suggests Joe Pernice fronting Crazy Horse. And that's a good thing (Brian Baker).
Between 2004 to 2006, Magnolia Summer shared the stage with The Minus 5, The Court and Spark, Robyn Hitchcock, Ken Stringfellow, Marah, Richmond Fontaine, Grant Lee Phillips, Calexico, Bottle Rockets, Glossary, Shearwater, and Milton Mapes. The band was nominated to receive three awards for Best Americana Band, Album of the Year, and Artist of the Year in the 2004 St. Louis Riverfront Times Music Awards. They were also nominated for Best Americana Band, in the 2005 St. Louis Riverfront Times Music Awards. They recently joined the Bottle Rockets, Jay Farrar, and Fontella Bass to contribute new tracks for the Chuck Berry tribute, Brown Eyed Handsome Man: St. Louis Salutes the Father of Rock N Roll.
Magnolia Summer's latest release, From Driveways' Lost View, was released on on May 16, 2006 via Undertow. To support the release, the band will tour throughout the midwest.
** Please join the magnolia summer mailing list to get news, tour updates, and info about new music:
From Driveways' Lost View now available via the Undertow Store
View Magnolia Summer's EPK
