Brazos

Singer/songwriter Martin Crane first shaped Brazos into a bedroom recording endeavor and issued the EPs Feeding Frenzy and A City Just as Tall prior to assembling a three-piece band for live performances throughout Austin. Guitarist Nathan Stein, bassist Paul Price, and drummer Andy Beaudoin joined him, earning positive local notice for the group’s gritty rock approach to folk material and leading to multiple Austin performances throughout 2008. Momentum increased after the self-released 2009 album Phosphorescent Blues prompted steady touring that included support slots alongside Grizzly Bear, Vampire Weekend, the National, and Iron & Wine. Once those dates concluded, Crane relocated to Brooklyn and joined the Dead Oceans roster. Over the subsequent two years he remained largely sequestered in his apartment, generating enough songs for several albums before recruiting bassist Spencer Zahn and drummer Ian Chang to record 2013’s Saltwater.