Spokane

Spokane serves as the solo outlet for Rick Alverson of Drunk, whose songwriting draws balanced influence from Simon & Garfunkel alongside Galaxie 500. While he composed the bulk of Drunk’s output, the material he crafts under the Spokane name turns more introspective and less group-oriented. Jagjaguwar issued the project’s first full-length, Leisure and Other Songs, in 2000, drawing on fellow Drunk members and the substantial contributions of Patrick Phelan. The following year brought an Acuarela EP from Spain titled Close Quarters, which incorporated a version of Bauhaus’ “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything.” Issued mere months afterward, the next proper album, The Proud Graduates, once again welcomed assistance from several of Alverson’s acquaintances. Strings supplied by cellist Molly Kien and violinist Maggie Polk enriched 2002’s Able Bodies, whereas vocalist Courtney Bowles appeared on 2003’s Measurement. Little Hours, tracked inside a Virginia cottage, surfaced in 2007.