San Francisco, CA (Top40 Charts/ Green Light Go Publicity) -
Daniel James has enough cool for two amazing bands. James, front man of Leopold and His Fiction and member of the newly formed Cowboy & Indian appears in the latter's playful first music video, "Hurt My Pride". Cowboy & Indian, consisting of Jazz Mills (T-Bird and the Breaks) and actor
Jesse Plemons and
Daniel James (guitar and vocals), has only been around a year, but they've got a lot to show for it.
Their day show at SXSW created lots of buzz, they're working on a full-length album which James produced, they toured the country from San Francisco to New York and along the way they filmed their first music video with Will Cabral. Says James, "While we were touring through Chicago, the director of the video, Will Cabral, was really in his element and got exactly what he needed for a perfect video to put our music out there for folks to sample". The video was filmed over two days in Chicago and on the sand dunes of northwest Indiana on the coast of Lake Michigan. The "Hurt My Pride" is available now at: https://www.vimeo.com/14458242
The recording process for Cowboy and Indian has been interesting. Since James was in San Francisco and Jazz and Jesse were in Austin, they wrote "Hurt My Pride" over the phone. But as soon as the two arrived in San Francisco, says James, "We tracked the song from the ground up in living rooms, bedrooms and closets." Talk about not wasting a moment. Look for the rest of the band's songs on their upcoming full-length due out in Spring 2011.
When Daniel James is not working on Cowboy and Indian material, he is fronting Leopold and His Fiction, a freak folk band who's live shows are raucous, high-energy affairs. Leopold and his Fiction's latest EP, "Golden Friends" has been described as "haunting and scratchy, and sounds as if it was conjured up in the backrooms of old Western saloons over whiskey and cigarettes," by Tympanogram. They've been in John Baccigaluppi's The Hangar with Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Little Joy, Vetiver) and this recording ventures out appropriately from the blues structure of the first two records, while engaging start to finish the theatrics and entertainment of voyage fans have become accustomed to hearing. The band climbed to No 30 on the CMJ charts with their second album, Ain't No Surprise and made it into the top 20 with their self-titled debut, while earning praise from NPR, Relix and Big Takeover, among others.
Cowboy and Indian Tour Dates
12/11/10 Pick N Spur, West Athens, TX
12/12/10 Willie Nelson's Bus, New Braunfels, TX
12/13/10 Thirsty Hippo, Hattiesburg, MS
12/14/10 Shreveport Bears, Shreveport, LA
12/15/10 Anderson Fair Houston, Houston, TX
12/16/10 Opening Bell, Dallas, TX
12/17/10 Trading House Bar and Grill, Waco, TX
12/18/10 Antone's, Austin, TX
Praise for Leopold and His Fiction
For "Golden Friends"
"'With Thom Monahan (Pernice Brothers) producing, the lighter swamp blues soul of "Golden" is something I could hear Tom Waits howling in a graveyard-although Daniel James' molasses voice is plenty sexy." - Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover
"The band, who is working on their third album with the help of producer Thom Monahan (Vetiver, Devandra Banhart, Beachwood Sparks, Little Joy), gave us a sneak preview of their first single 'Golden Friends'. And boy, do I like what I hear. The song oozes that 70s era blues-rock vibe I love so much. And if the rest of the album is as good as this track, we're in for a treat." -The OCMD
"This is a sassy, sexy little number that gave me something to think about. It's not only the vocals, delivered in such a manner as to make your mind wander south, but it's the whole construction of the thing, with its gentle lead up and then driving, off-kilter beat. Rawr!" -Love Shack, Baby
"haunting and scratchy, and sounds as if it was conjured up in the backrooms of old Western saloons over whiskey and cigarettes." -Tympanogram
"recent track "Golden Friends" muddies leftover '60s mysticism with the usual Motor City muck." -A.V. Club, Austin
"But nostalgia aside, the talent that's been concentrated in Leopold and His Fiction really makes me think, 'holy shit, it's true-the essence of rock n roll music will never die if it keeps passing along and aging like this'". -Domingo Antonio Robledo Lost at E Minor
"With a knack for vintage sound and vintage gear, San Francisco's Leopold and His Fiction provide expansive lo-fi rock and roll with varying shades of country and blues." -spOOOnful.com
"Songs like "Miss Manipulation" serve-up slide guitar and a distinct folk country feel, while the album's title track stands out as a soulful blend of sultry vocals and driving rhythms. With this latest release, Leopold and His Fiction have really upped the ante and set out to reinvent all the best things about rock n' roll." -JFelton, Record Dept.
"Singer/songwriter Daniel James maintains a modern sensibility and ironic delivery of his storyteller lyrics. Overall, the studio sound is polished and controlled, as seen with Jon Sortland's tight, rolling drums on "Be Still." But the live performances are energetic and exciting in a way that borders on completely off the hook, yet manages to hold it together. Take, for instance, Macayla Grace's bouncing/dancing bassplaying at SXSW 2010, which begins with full-on headbanging and ends in a beautiful solo/duet James on lead guitar." -BAMM.TV
The blues-rock outfit has been a favorite of mine since their debut EP five years ago, and it has become a great "music experience" to watch them grow and become the wrecking ball that they are today...Without a doubt, "Golden Friends" is the strongest tune I've heard from Leopold. The dark, brooding track screams and echos like a mashup of The Doors and Wolfmother." -Front Porch Musings
"Judging by this listen of 'Golden Friends' things are going just as well as my first sentence implies. The freak-folk sound of the seventies is alive and well, complete with some awesome organ and bluesy electric guitar. Lava-lamp worthy for sure." - Stranger Dance
"'Golden Friends' has a slower, haunting feel, like a creeping car ride through darkly winding city streets, or perhaps a trip explored on foot while sneaking sideways glances at whiskey-breathed strangers." - Foundwaves Blog
"Who needs a good throw back to psychedelic 60's rock? i thought so. This is a track from this San Francisco garage trio's forthcoming third album and it's so sexy I've got a strong urge to dust off some bell-bottoms and do some unmentionable recreational naughties with some hopefully good-looking strangers." -HumFink Song of the Day from hundreds of sources, including iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon and most recently...Pandora.
