Tobin Sprout
Friday, August 13, 2021
Doors 7:00pm, $15/$18
Todd-O-Phonic and The Saint Present ex GUIDED BY VOICES, TOBIN SPROUT. For the first time, painter, illustrator, author, songwriter and original Guided By Voices guitarist TOBIN SPROUT performs songs from his critically-acclaimed album "Empty Horses," solo piano, acoustic guitar, joined by his band - Tommy Schichtel, Steve Vermillion Gary Vermillion. Opening will be The Natvral (from Princeton, NJ), the solo project of Kip Berman, former singer/songwriter for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. His debut album, Tethers (Kanine Records), is a ragged and big hearted celebration of classic American folk rock, but with a wit and perspective all Berman's own.

Painter, illustrator, author, songwriter and former Guided By Voices guitarist, TOBIN SPROUT reinvents his craft with a stark and poignant solo album, Empty Horses, a dramatic and unexpected departure from his previous work. The album is a meticulously observed study of America and Americana (not the music, but the state of mind).

An alternative American Songbook, if you will, a collection of laments to simpler times and the struggle for what's right, peppered with an examination of faith and the search for a sense of justice. In Guided By Voices, (1986-1997, 2011-2014) Sprout penned classic songs including "Atom Eyes", "It's Like Soul Man", "Gleemer", "A Good Flying Bird", "14 Cheerleader Coldfront", and released solo albums on Matador, Burger and Fire Records. On tour, Sprout will be joined by his longtime band with Tommy Schichtel, Steve Vermillion and Gary Vermillion.

Empty Horses (Fire Records):

"The perfect aural encapsulation of melancholy: in turns somnambulant, romantic and all-consuming" Rolling Stone

"A great pop song writer" Uncut

"Crumpled yet precise, confronting American Ghosts" ★★★★ Mojo

"Songwriting of this quality, with powers of suggestion and intimations of doubt, deserves an audience well beyond the historically-inclined." The Line Of Best Fit

"Gorgeous" Aquarium Drunkard

Opening will be The Natvral (from Princeton, NJ)

The Natvral is the solo project of Kip Berman, former singer/songwriter for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. His debut album, Tethers (Kanine Records), is a ragged and big hearted celebration of classic American folk rock, but with a wit and perspective all Berman's own.