The Old Ceremony

Blending intricate sonic layers and a wide array of instruments with the raw power and visceral punch of an unabashed rock ensemble, the Old Ceremony revolve around vocalist and tunesmith Django Haskins, a Florida native raised in a household steeped in music. During his teenage years Haskins cycled through several garage outfits, then departed the state to pursue literary studies before spending time in China instructing English. Upon his return stateside he established himself in New York City and launched Django & the Regulars, issuing three albums from 1998 through 2003. As the final Regulars release, Overeasysmokemachine, appeared, Haskins had already relocated to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he joined forces with several prominent area players in the short-lived International Orange; the project yielded an EP, logged extensive Southern dates, and entered prolonged inactivity in 2005. That year Haskins began exploring a fresh configuration designed to incorporate a broader spectrum of musical perspectives, assembling the initial roster of the Old Ceremony, whose name derives from Leonard Cohen’s 1974 album New Skin for the Old Ceremony.

The group’s self-titled debut emerged on Haskins’ independent Alyosha Records imprint, and the combination of the record with steady East Coast gigs generated sufficient critical notice to draw the attention of the sonaBlast! label, which put out the band’s sophomore effort, Our One Mistake, in 2006. Following several membership changes the Old Ceremony coalesced around a stable lineup—Django Haskins on lead vocals and guitar, Matt Brandau on bass, Dan Hall on drums, Gabriele Pelli handling violin and keyboards, and Mark Simonsen on organ and vibraphone—in time to track their third long-player, Walk on Thin Air, issued in 2009. The following year saw the arrival of Tender Age. In 2012 the ensemble unveiled its fifth studio album, Fairytales & Other Forms of Suicide, through Yep Roc. Live appearances continued sporadically over the ensuing seasons, concentrated primarily along the eastern seaboard, while in 2014 Haskins joined the all-star Big Star tribute Big Star’s Third alongside Chris Stamey of the dB’s, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Jon Auer of the Posies, Big Star’s Jody Stephens, and additional contributors. Boasting guest appearances from Mills on two cuts, arrangements by Stamey, and production from jangle-pop luminary Mitch Easter—himself a participant in Big Star’s Third—the cinematic Sprinter reached listeners in July 2015.