The Bread and the Bait

Sometimes the sweetest flowers have the sharpest thorns. Such is the case with Foxtails Brigade's debut The Bread and the Bait: everything about the album is delicate, from the neo-Victorian storybook illustration on the cover to the intricate lyrics and pristine musical arrangements. Yet underneath the lace and finery lies a cunning darker edge. Killer bees, hungry flies, and porcelain dolls that come to life populate a lyrical landscape rife with hints of rot, aging, and death. Live audiences are similarly jolted when tiny, doll-like front-woman Laura Weinbach switches from her pitch-perfect vocals to turbulent rants and complex classical guitar riffs on chaotic songs like "Steak and Cookies." Sharp thorns indeed. Laura started Foxtails Brigade in 2006 with her friend, violinist Sivan Sadeh. She quit her day job as a substitute teacher in 2009 and has been a full-time performer ever since, sharing stages with Faun Fables, Chris Garneau, and Bart Davenport, among others. She has collaborated with a number of talented musicians in Foxtails Brigade, including cellists Jen Grady (Emily Jane White, Adam Stevens), Robin Reynolds and Lewis Patzner (Mates of State, Tim Kasher); and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Pollock (Citay, Bob Saggeth). Her most recent musical partner is violinist and arranger Anton Patzner of Bright Eyes and Judgement Day.