The Twilight Singers are an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band. The group was formed in 1997 by

Greg Dulli Greg Dulli (born May 11, 1965) is an American musician from Hamilton, Ohio. Debuting as a member of the rock band the Afghan Whigs in 1986, Dulli has been a member of the Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, and in 2020 released his debut solo albu ...

as a side project during a hiatus from his group

The Afghan Whigs The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John Curl ...

. After the Afghan Whigs disbanded, Dulli used The Twilight Singers as his own artistic vehicle, and has now released five studio albums backed by worldwide tours.

History

Demos era

While in-between Afghan Whigs albums and amidst a dispute with their record label,

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between th ...

, Dulli recorded demos for the act with friends and collaborators

Shawn Smith Shawn Smith may refer to: *Shirley Patterson (1922 – 1995), a Canadian-born actress also known as Shawn Smith * Shawn Smith (musician) (1965 – 2019), American singer, songwriter, and musician *Shawn Smith (American football), a National Foot ...

( Brad,

Satchel A satchel is a bag with a strap, traditionally used for carrying books.Satchel
The Cambridge Dictionary. ...

Pigeonhed Pigeonhed is an American electronic band from Seattle that combines elements of funk, soul, trip hop, and lo-fi. The band is a collaboration of Shawn Smith and Steve Fisk, that released three albums during the period from 1993 to 1997. They r ...

) and Harold "Happy" Chichester ( Royal Crescent Mob, Howlin' Maggie) at Kingsway Studio with producer engineer Ryan Hadlock in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

'' was released in October 1998 to wide critical acclaim. The band toured for one year in support of the album but decided to disband in February 2001.

''Twilight'' and ''Blackberry Belle''

In 2000, Greg Dulli revived The Twilight Singers, reworking the original leaked demos with dance producers and remix auteurs

Fila Brazillia Fila Brazillia is an English electronica duo from Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, formed in 1990 by Steve Cobby and David McSherry. History Their early albums were released on Pork Recordings, also based in Hull: ''Old Codes New Chaos ...

. Columbia released the album as '' Twilight as Played by The Twilight Singers'' in September 2000. The band toured with members of Howlin' Maggie and former Afghan Whigs' drummer, Michael Horrigan, on bass. Dulli took time off following the short tour for ''Twilight'', investing in a bar in Los Angeles. In 2001, he began working on the follow-up for ''Twilight'' tentatively titled ''

Amber Headlights ''Amber Headlights'' is an album by Greg Dulli, released in 2005. Production In 2001, Dulli started to work on the follow-up to The Twilight Singers' debut album '' Twilight as Played by The Twilight Singers''. However, the death of his close ...

''. The death of Dulli's friend, director

Ted Demme Edward Kern Demme ( ; October 26, 1963 – January 13, 2002) was an American director, producer, and actor. Early life Demme was born in New York City, the son of Gail (née Kern) and Frederick Rogers Demme. He grew up in Rockville Centre, New ...

in January 2002, forced him to shelve the project, and he took a second leave from writing and recording. After reading the

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

book ''

Martin Eden ''Martin Eden'' is a 1909 novel by American author Jack London about a young proletarian autodidact struggling to become a writer. It was first serialized in ''The Pacific Monthly'' magazine from September 1908 to September 1909 and then publis ...

'', and experiencing an earthquake, Dulli set about writing the concept album that became ''

Blackberry Belle ''Blackberry Belle'' is the second full-length album released by The Twilight Singers. It was released by One Little Indian Records on October 14, 2003 and features guest appearances by Mathias Schneeberger, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Stanton Moore, ...

''. With a large cast of performers, including former

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

protégé Apollonia and former

Screaming Trees Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the ti ...

singer

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the ...

, ''Blackberry Belle'' became an examination of the dark side of love and loss, a familiar topic revisited from former Afghan Whigs albums like '' Black Love''. Critics welcomed Dulli's return and were eager to give his second album, independently financed and released through

One Little Indian Records One Little Independent Records (formerly One Little Indian Records) is an English independent record label. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarcho-punk bands, and managed by former Flux of Pink Indians bassist Derek Birkett. In th ...

in October 2003, high marks.

''She Loves You'' and ''Powder Burns''

A second touring version of The Twilight Singers including Jon Skibic (guitars), Scott Ford (bass), John Nooney (keys) and Bobby Macintyre (drums), made two legs through the United States and Europe in 2003 and 2004. Scott Ford(by Scott Dudelson)

In August 2004, the band released their third album, ''

She Loves You "She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and recorded by English rock band the Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several sales records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record i ...

'', a collection of cover songs from artists as varied as

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the li ...

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

, and

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

. In September 2005, Dulli finally released his formerly shelved ''

'' album as his first solo album. He continued working on his fourth Twilight Singers album which was partly recorded by generator power in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina. By 2005, The Twilight Singers' three albums had sold a combined total of 58,000 copies, according to

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

. The Twilight Singers released ''

Powder Burns ''Powder Burns'' is the fourth album by Greg Dulli's The Twilight Singers (not counting Dulli's solo album ''Amber Headlights''). It was released on May 15, 2006 via One Little Indian Records on CD and double 12" vinyl. ''Powder Burns'' was partl ...

'' on May 16, 2006, supported by tours in the United States, Europe, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. The third touring version of The Twilight Singers include
Dave Rosser
(guitars), Scott Ford (bass), singer/songwriter

Jeff Klein Jeffrey Lawrence Klein is an American singer-songwriter of the band My Jerusalem from Newburgh, New York, who plays keyboards and guitar. He has released three solo albums and another three albums with My Jerusalem. Jeff Klein has risen to acc ...

(keys) and Bobby Macintyre (drums).

also toured with the group. On January 3, 2007, The Twilight Singers made their television debut on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's l ...

'', performing their songs "Forty Dollars" from ''Powder Burns'' and "Sublime" from '' A Stitch in Time''. The band was joined by friend and musician

Joseph Arthur Joseph Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. He is best known for his solo material, and as a member of Fistful of Mercy and RNDM. Arthur has built his reputation over the years through ...

on guitar and vocals. In mid-2009, The Twilight Singers' cover of "

When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...

" was issued on ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine's download album ''Purpleish Rain''.

''Dynamite Steps''

Greg Dulli completed work on the fifth Twilight Singers album, entitled '' Dynamite Steps'', in late 2010. The album was released to warm critical acclaim on February 15, 2011 via

Sub Pop Records Sub is a common abbreviation of words beginning with the prefix "sub-". Sub or SUB may also refer to Places * Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB Computing and technology * , an HTML tag for subscript * SUB designate ...

. Prior to the new album's release in September 2010, the band issued the album track "Blackbird and the Fox", featuring guest vocals from Ani DiFranco, as a free download on their website. The band supported the album's release with live in-store performances at

Amoeba Music Amoeba Music is an American independent music store chain with locations in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1990 in Berkeley, California, and remains in operation, having survived the decli ...

in Los Angeles and San Francisco, then appeared again on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' on February 23, 2011, performing the songs "On the Corner" and "Gunshots", both featuring guest guitarist and vocalist

. The Twilight Singers performed "On The Corner" on the

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production c ...

on April 26th, 2011.

''Live In New York''

The Twilight Singers released their first live album on November 15th, 2011.

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

*'' Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair (EP)'' (October 7, 2003; Birdman Recordings) *"Teenage Wristband" single (November 10, 2003; One Little Indian) *"Feathers"/"Number Nine" single (January 26, 2004; One Little Indian) *"Too Tough to Die"/"Hard Time Killing Floor" single (November 15, 2004; One Little Indian) *"There's Been an Accident"

digital single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separa ...

(May 15, 2006; One Little Indian) *"I'm Ready" single (July 10, 2006; One Little Indian) *'' A Stitch in Time (EP)'' (December 4, 2006; One Little Indian) *"On The Corner" (2011)

Music Videos

*"On The Corner" (2011)

References

External links

*
Summer's Kiss fan site

Twilight Singers comprehensive discography at The Shawn Smith Collective

Caught in the Carousel - Dynamite Steps

Dynamite Steps Review on MTTM (Tess Askew)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Twilight Singers, The Indie rock musical groups from Louisiana Musical groups from New Orleans Columbia Records artists One Little Independent Records artists Sub Pop artists