The Lost Octobers - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Laura Joseph and Troy Guinn have played music together for 10 years now, most of that time with The Secret Commonwealth, a Celtic/eclectic band that enjoyed a small but devoted following in middle Tennessee. With Secret Commonwealth on hiatus, Laura wanted to form a band wherein she could perform her growing catalog of original tunes. No kidding, folks...she has notebooks just bursting with this stuff, we've barely even scratched the surface! Pretty much from the first, it was obvious that Cello would be the ideal instrument to compliment Laura's unique compostitions. An attempt was made to entice Wendi Silberman, but she was deep into working with her other band, Psomni. Along came another fine cellist, Josie Phelan, and so The Lost Octobers were able to play a handful of very well-received shows over summer and fall of 2004. In November of '04, Josie dropped out of the L.O.'s, to pursue other musical avenues. After a merry game of phone tag, it was discovered that Wendi was on break from Psomni and was looking for a new project. Laura and Troy are damned glad the Lost Octobers was Wendi's next stop.The L.O.'s plan to play/tour/record/merchandise and all that ritualistic band stuff. Keep up with us, we'll have some songs on our site soon, and gig updates also!Here is the latest update on the band as of June 5, 2007. Wendi left the band several months ago to travel across the country and to visit Thailand. We have been laying low for a while, but have recently started playing again. Christopher Robins(yes that is his real name) is our newest member. He plays clarinet and drums including congas and a full drum set. Laura met Chris back in college in a world music class they shared, and was reintroduced to him by a friend in Nashville. Chris has added a lot to the sound. The Drums and Clarinet have allowed us a new freedom, and we like the direction it is going. Chris has a background in music and has been involved in several local bands. He is also an Archaeologist and has an interest in Ethnomusicology.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 10/12/2005
Band Members: TROY GUINN (bass, guitar, mandolin, vocals)also plays in: THE EXOTIC ONES & THE SECRET COMMONWEALTH .
LAURA JOSEPH (guitar, vocals,percussion) has also played in: THE SECRET COMMONWEALTH
Chris Robins (clarinet, percussion)
Influences: First Influences: Bel Canto, Heidi Berry, Marta Sebestyn with Muzsikas, The Shakers, Pentangle, His Name is Alive, Dead Can Dance-Lisa Gerrard, Cocteau Twins-Elizabeth Fraser, Altan, Old Blind Dog, Solas, Roy Harper, Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, Tarnation, This Mortal Coil, Sara Vaughn, Billie Holiday, PJ Harvey, Patty Smith, Baby Stout, Altan, Judgement of Paris, Ella Fitzgerald, Eastern European Music, Gipsy Music, Classical, Celtic, Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Jazz, Blues, and Appalachian Folk Music. Jack Hunter Daves, Bjork, The Doors, Kate Bush, Joy Division, Tom Waits, Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, The Red House Painters, Belle and Sebatian, The Legendary Pink Dots, and Loreena McKennitt.Recent Influences: Keren Ann-France, Nataliya Romanskaya & Kirmash-Belarus, Joanna Newsom, Gordon Downie, The Dears, and Hendersonville Song Company
Sounds Like: Don't you hate having to describe your band? Because of course The Lost Octobers are unique and unclassifiable...just like your band, right? Yeah you know what I'm saying. But, if we must do this, we're going to go all allmusic.com on your ass and throw out these terms: moody, folky, dark, atmospheric, intense, ambient, definitely NOT chamber music, low-key, alternative, eclectic... Wasn't that informative? Okay, then try this: it's Laura's soaring, gripping vocals and unconventional chordings and arrangements, accompanied by Wendi's subtle, hypnotic cello work and Troy's snaky, rumbling bass lines, with songs about creatures lurking underground, the crushing deaths of civilizations, ghosts, and really screwed up people in even screwier relationships. Plus a few c'mon-get-your-shit-together tunes for good measure. And if that still doesn't do it for ya, someone once described us as "A dark folk Kate Bush". I don't know if that's accurate but Kate is da bomb so we'll take it! Well, shoot, I guess you'll just have to come see and hear us for yourself. See you soon!
Type of Label: None