The Band of Heathens
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Genre: Rock & Blues Roots
Website: www.bandofheathens.com

The formation of The Band of Heathens is as natural and organic as the music they create. In early spring 2006, the three principle songwriters, Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist, were sharing the bill every Wednesday night at the venerable Austin club Momo’s. Originally, it started as each songwriter performing his own set. But in a short time they started sharing the stage equally and collaborating on each other’s songs, with bassist Seth Whitney as the anchor of the rhythm section. The Wednesday night series was billed as “The Good Time Supper Club.” Largely improvised and unrehearsed, the shows quickly gained in popularity and word spread throughout Austin that if you wanted live music on Wednesday night, Momo’s was the place to be.

A misprint in a local paper billed the act as “The Heathens.” The moniker stuck and soon The Band of Heathens began to cultivate a loyal and growing legion of fans that immediately took to the expert musicianship, the finely-crafted songs and the band’s distinct quality of having three front men, each one of whom sings, writes and plays lead guitar. In March 2007, drummer John Chipman joined the band and helped fortify their country-soul-rock-and-roll sound.

THE BEST NEW BAND
In May 2006, The Band of Heathens teamed up with the Austin label Fat Caddy Records to record two Wednesday nights as a snapshot of the scene at Momo’s. In October 2006, the critically acclaimed Live from Momo’s was released to the public. Live records normally don’t get the attention and airplay that
studio efforts do, but with Live from Momo’s, program directors, club owners and media around the country started to take notice of this upstart Austin band. Word was spreading about their legendary live shows, and the crowds continued to grow at both their Wednesday night residency and on tour.

During 2007’s South By Southwest Conference, the band members were invited to attend the Austin Music Awards ceremony at the Austin Convention Center. That night The Band of Heathens accepted the award for “Best New Band” as well as runners-up awards for “Band of the Year,” “Album of the Year,”
“Song of the Year,” “Best Record Producer” and others. Individually, members of the band were also recognized by the Austin music community as nominees for “Musician of the Year,” “Best Male Vocalist,” “Best Bass Guitar” and “Best Acoustic Guitar.”

Band member Gordy Quist explains that the Austin Music Awards verified what others had seen, but the
band’s members hadn’t caught on to. “We thought of it as a side project for a long time,” he relates. “Eventually, it got to a point where the chemistry was undeniable, and we were having such a good time with it, that evolved into a band.” Colin Brooks adds, “To be embraced like that by Austin was astounding. I certainly feel more at home in this band now, and that includes my own band, than I have in any other band.” While appreciative of the award, Ed Jurdi may be the voice of reason among them. “I’m
not sure winning the award made much of a difference,” he asserts. “What we’re experiencing just may be a natural progression, in terms of songwriting and arranging for the band.”