The Daredevil Christopher Wright is a band featuring brothers Jon and Jason Sunde, along with the percussion and voice of Jesse Edgington. The band began in 2004 in Eau Claire, Wis., and put out a second full-length album, The Nature of Things, earlier this year. Now we've got a new song, "A Man of the Arts," which will appear on a split 7" single the group is sharing with the Brooklyn band Cuddle Magic. It may be too simple to say that what attracted me to this song was its vibe, but it's the truth. There's a period when Pink Floyd had a bit of this feel, around the time of Meddle and Obscured by Clouds, particularly in the lazy vocals.
We asked the band to tell us about the song. Jon Sunde wrote in to tell us how the song came to him.
"I can't remember where I was when the initial idea for 'A Man of the Arts' struck me. Maybe in a coffee shop or at a show, but the opening image, 'He crossed his legs short,' set my mind on the terrain the song navigates. One can cross one's legs in a few different ways, but I remember noticing years ago that certain men I viewed as bohemian and artistic seemed to cross their legs in a way that did not look typically masculine. It embarrasses me a bit to say, but I remember deciding then and there that I would cross my legs likewise. Not only did I want to make art like they did; I also wanted to look and carry myself like they did.
"It's not particularly unique, but my admiration extends especially to those artists who have crafted a career of exciting and honest music that may or may not lead them to much notoriety, those who are 'dismissed by the multitudes and revered by the few.' The song looks at the strange and sometimes silly pride one can have in being in-the-know about some great and under-appreciated artist. It acknowledges my continued admiration of that population of artists, even as it nods at how we can get wrapped up in the style of being creative, at times above and against that which is created.
"We first met Cuddle Magic when we played a show together in Minneapolis. They were touring with our friend Anais Mitchell and I hadn't heard any of their music prior to their set that night. Their performance was amazing. The entire room was drawn in. I was impressed by their compositional aesthetic and their musical intelligence. It's nights like the one we shared with Cuddle Magic that re-awaken my excitement about what can be created. We were flattered to find that the Cuddle Magic folks dug our stuff, as well, and very soon after our show together we started talking about doing a tour. They then proposed doing a split 7". It will be our first split, and it is really exciting to share a release with these folks."
For more on The Daredevil Christopher Wright, visit the band's website.
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