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Official Artist Website: thetwilightsingers.com (http://www.thetwilightsingers.com)
Fan Site: Summer's Kiss (http://www.summerskiss.com)
The Twilight Singers Biography
The Twilight Singers were formed as a vanity project by The Afghan Whigs leader Greg Dulli in 1997. While in-between Whigs albums, and amidst a dispute with their record label, Elektra, Dulli recorded demos for the act with friends and collaborators Shawn Smith (Brad, Satchel, Pigeonhead) and Harold Chichester (Howlin' Maggie) in New Orleans. The demos have an exceptionally dark, tense, and Orleans flavored groove and swagger. As a result of the Whigs' label troubles, it is debated that Elektra leaked the tapes and they were widely circulated in the trader circuit.
The Afghan Whigs settled their dispute with Elektra and signed with Sony/Columbia. Columbia optioned the Twilight recordings; but preferred to release a new Afghan Whigs album instead. The Whigs' swan song 1965 was released in 1998 to wide critical acclaim. The band toured for one year in support of the album but decided to disband in 2001.
2000 saw Greg Dulli revive The Twilight Singers, reworking the original demos with dance producers and remix auteurs Fila Brazila. The final product was a mix of southern trumpet, midwest idealism, and UK big beat, all masking a solemn dirge of life's transformation to death. Columbia released the album as Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers The band toured with members of Howlin' Maggie and former Afghan Whigs drummer Michael Horrigan on bass.
Dulli took time off following the short tour for Twilight, investing in a bar in Los Angeles. In 2001, he began working on the follow up for Twilight.. tentatively called Amber Headlights. The death of Dulli's friend, director Ted Demme in January 2002, forced him to shelve the project, and he took a second leave from writing and recording. After reading the Jack London book Martin Eden, and experiencing an earthquake, Dulli set about writing the concept album that became Blackberry Belle.
Working with a large cast of performers, including former Prince protégé Apollonia and former Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan, Blackberry Belle became a rolling expose of the dark side of love and loss, a familiar topic revisited from former Afghan Whigs albums like Black Love The critics welcomed Dulli's return, and were eager to give the record, independently financed and released through One Little Indian in late 2003, high marks.
A touring version of the Twilight Singers made two legs through the United States and Europe in 2003 and 2004.
In September of 2004, the band is poised to released She Loves You a collection of cover songs from artists as varied as Fleetwood Mac, Mary J Blige, and George Gershwin.
Discography
2000
- Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers (Columbia)
2003
- Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair (Birdman)
- Blackberry Belle (One Little Indian)
2004
- She Loves You (One Little Indian)
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