SON OF THE VELVET RAT (Austria)

SON OF THE VELVET RAT is the project of Austrian Songwriter Georg Altziebler together with his wife Heike Binder on organ and accordion. The couple recently relocated to the California desert, leaving behind an impressive band history with 5 albums to their credit. Their catalogue includes collaborations with luminaries such as Lucinda Williams and former Wilco-drummer Ken Coomer. Peter Jesperson, former producer & manager of The Replacements, put it aptly: „… beautiful and somber music, their lyrics are pure poetry.” The new endeavor finds them commuting between the anonymous wasteland of Los Angeles and the high desert, reinventing their creative sphere in a totally different artistic environment. The sparse instrumentation underlines the insecurity and the doubts but also the adventurousness and the sheer euphoria that goes along with such an effort. It‘s stranger music since it‘s origins lie deep in the cultural heritage of the European folk-noir and chanson tradition. But it certainly strikes a chord in all of us who know about gravity and still like to dance on the tightrope.