Old Pup is a psych folk outfit from Milwaukee, WI with surrealistic leanings and a lyrical nod to the poets who can portray it all more potently. The name was inspired by a Walt Whitman line, "I am old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise." The project is led by multi-instrumentalist Will Hansen, who plays pedal steel with several artists in the Midwest and beyond (Sleepy Gaucho, Johanna Rose). Old Pup's latest record, Incognito Lounge, came out via Hear Here Records.
"What I like most about Incognito Lounge is how true it stays to the folk-country roots and psych roots without over-flavoring the whole dish with either ingredient. The sequence is perfect and the Lo-Fi, recorded-live on-the-floor, nature of it all lends an honest quality that is refreshing and alluring, like when a friend surprises you with a free lunch." - Chris Ames, Americana Highways (full review)
Styrofoam Winos are comprised of songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, and longtime friends Joe Kenkel, Trevor Nikrant, and Lou Turner. Since forming in 2016, the trio has performed incessantly in the DIY and experimental music scenes in their native Nashville, TN and regionally—sharing bills with a diverse range of artists like Josephine Foster, Bill Direen, and Simon Joyner. Their live show exemplifies the band’s radically communal approach, rotating vocal and instrumental duties throughout the set (which never repeats).
The group's self-titled debut studio album (out Feb. 12, 2021 from Sophomore Lounge) is both spacious and intimate, with moments raucously hard and feathery soft — a range that is as unpredictable as it is rare. Born of improvisation and written together, Styrofoam Winos emanates the warmth of collaboration. With no single ego at the helm, the Winos create a shared musical world through self-aware lyrics, which are occupied by stories, characters, and strange encounters with a styrofoam-and-wine society. The tales are narrated by Turner, Kenkel and Nikrant, as they effortlessly trade vocals from track to track, or within songs, To La Tengo-style.