Biography
Formed in Los Angeles, California, this five-piece lineup features Jenny Homer handling vocals and guitar alongside Charlie Baldonado on guitar and vocals, Janine Cooper on bass, Rob Jacobs on drums and percussion, and Salvador Garze on violin. Cooper, formerly of Pet Clark, stepped in for longtime bassist Nancy McCoy ahead of Slow Sky after McCoy chose to focus on raising her family. The group first surfaced in the mid-1980s when Texas Hotel Records issued their initial EP and the two albums that followed, all of which later appeared on High Street Records. Drawing from the melodic atmosphere of 1960s California pop, Homer and Baldonado, who had absorbed the Beach Boys and the Mamas and the Papas, shaped understated yet emotionally resonant songs that frequently paired intricate arrangements with surprising lyrical turns. Writing both separately and together, the pair generated a wide range of styles across the band’s recordings, a trait underscored by Baldonado’s well-documented admiration for Burt Bacharach, evident in the cover of “Walk On By.” Broomtree already displayed these contrasting approaches, with Baldonado leaning toward folk-rock structures while Homer favored a sharper, faster pace, prompting early comparisons to 10,000 Maniacs that proved reasonably accurate. The band’s command of their instruments and independent production approach became still clearer on Mincing Steps, a tightly woven set that blended expansive, almost orchestral textures with core pop harmonies. Their first High Street release, An Oncoming Train, brought in Tchad Blake, known for his work with Mitchell Froom and prior collaborations with Los Lobos, Suzanne Vega, and Tom Waits. That partnership extended to Slow Sky, where the band further distilled its sound. The signature lush exchanges between male and female voices, set against darker lyrical undercurrents, gained added clarity from the group’s growing assurance and control.
Albums
