ACL Artist Profiles: Robyn Hitchcock, Mimicking Birds
As a member of the Soft Boys, as a solo artist or with his band the Egyptians or Venus 3, Robyn Hitchcock has kept an alternately high and low profile - high, because he's a cult favorite, a critical darling, and a busy collaborator with other influential musicians - and low, because mainstream fame has more or less alluded him. Which is fine. Hitchcock continues to make great records, and his set at ACL should charm old fans and bring in some new ones. From his landmark 1984 record I Often Dream of Trains to the more recent Soft Boys reunion record Nextdoorland, Hitchcock has been all over the psych/rock/pop map.
Signed to Isaac Brock's Glacial Pace records, the Mimicking Birds are a Portland act fronted by one Nate Lacy and fleshed out for live performances with Tim Skellenger on guitar and Aaron Hanson on drums. As of yet the band has not released their first record, which pretty much puts them squarely in undiscovered territory for most ACL attendees. Fans of subtle acoustic arrangements and slightly unconventional vocals will enjoy the folksy songs now streaming on the band's MySpace page, like the sweet "Cabin Fever" and loopier "A Perfunctory Clockwork Yawn."
Mimicking Birds: [myspace]
