WEDNESDAY AUG 02, 2017
Brad Armstong (of The Dexateens)
Brad Armstrong was a principal songwriter and producer of the band 13ghosts from 2000 – 2012, when he disbanded the project. After a key departure in 2008, Armstrong became the only writer in the band releasing two more full albums of material before leaving the South in 2014. In addition to 13ghosts, Armstrong has been offering blistering guitar work, vocals, and keys with the Dexateens, becoming a full time member of the band after replacing John Smith in 2008. He’s become an integral part of the band both inside and out of the studio, a welcome creative and musical counterpart to the vitality of the band. After moving his family to the Hudson Valley, in Upstate New York, he finished mixing the record he had
written and tracked in Birmingham, Alabama. Jason Lucia (13ghosts, Deadstring Brothers) plays drums and Maria Taylor(Azure Ray, solo artist) sings harmonies and one lead vocal track. The rest of the album was performed by Armstrong, with the exception of Jason Taylor on
double bass and Sue Nuckols on fiddle. The new record Empire is a diverse and experimental effort in maintaining the vein of 13ghosts. 13ghosts released 6 full length albums over the life of the band, working with Birmingham-basedSkybucket Records and Atlanta-based This Is American Music. In 2005, Armstrong worked on Maria Taylor’s 11:11 (2005, Saddle Creek), which led to a long and continuing creative relationship. He worked on two of her subsequent records and has been a member of her touring band. Taylor covers one of Armstrong’s songs, “Broken Objects” on her newest album, Something About Knowing (2013, Saddle Creek), a song that also appeared on the Dexateens’ Sunsphere EP, also out on the Cornelius Chapel stamp. Taylor has contributed to many 13ghosts recordings, and her vocals are featured prominently on Armstrong’s latest record, Empire. After moving to the Hudson Valley, Armstrong met Lorkin O’Reilly at the local Club Helsinki. They hit it off, and O’Reilly’s EP, After the Thaw, has recently been tracked at Old Soul in Hudson, NY. Armstrong finished the recording and did the mixing at his home studio in Red Hook, NY. Since then, O’Reilly and Armstrong have shared a number of bills around the region, both playing solo. Two songs from Empire have already been placed on the Audience Network’s show “Kingdom” as well as ABC’s hit show “Nashville”. Additionally, a new Dexateens album was tracked with Mark Nevers at the legendary Beech House Recording in Nashville, TN to follow up yet another Dex full length, Teenage Hallelujah, slated for release on Cornelius Chapel in spring 2016. 2015 laid the foundation for what promises to be an explosive 2016 for not only Brad Armstrong and the Dexateens, but also Cornelius Chapel Records as a label.
Brad Armstrong was a principal songwriter and producer of the band 13ghosts from 2000 – 2012, when he disbanded the project. After a key departure in 2008, Armstrong became the only writer in the band releasing two more full albums of material before leaving the South in 2014. In addition to 13ghosts, Armstrong has been offering blistering guitar work, vocals, and keys with the Dexateens, becoming a full time member of the band after replacing John Smith in 2008. He’s become an integral part of the band both inside and out of the studio, a welcome creative and musical counterpart to the vitality of the band. After moving his family to the Hudson Valley, in Upstate New York, he finished mixing the record he had
written and tracked in Birmingham, Alabama. Jason Lucia (13ghosts, Deadstring Brothers) plays drums and Maria Taylor(Azure Ray, solo artist) sings harmonies and one lead vocal track. The rest of the album was performed by Armstrong, with the exception of Jason Taylor on
double bass and Sue Nuckols on fiddle. The new record Empire is a diverse and experimental effort in maintaining the vein of 13ghosts. 13ghosts released 6 full length albums over the life of the band, working with Birmingham-basedSkybucket Records and Atlanta-based This Is American Music. In 2005, Armstrong worked on Maria Taylor’s 11:11 (2005, Saddle Creek), which led to a long and continuing creative relationship. He worked on two of her subsequent records and has been a member of her touring band. Taylor covers one of Armstrong’s songs, “Broken Objects” on her newest album, Something About Knowing (2013, Saddle Creek), a song that also appeared on the Dexateens’ Sunsphere EP, also out on the Cornelius Chapel stamp. Taylor has contributed to many 13ghosts recordings, and her vocals are featured prominently on Armstrong’s latest record, Empire. After moving to the Hudson Valley, Armstrong met Lorkin O’Reilly at the local Club Helsinki. They hit it off, and O’Reilly’s EP, After the Thaw, has recently been tracked at Old Soul in Hudson, NY. Armstrong finished the recording and did the mixing at his home studio in Red Hook, NY. Since then, O’Reilly and Armstrong have shared a number of bills around the region, both playing solo. Two songs from Empire have already been placed on the Audience Network’s show “Kingdom” as well as ABC’s hit show “Nashville”. Additionally, a new Dexateens album was tracked with Mark Nevers at the legendary Beech House Recording in Nashville, TN to follow up yet another Dex full length, Teenage Hallelujah, slated for release on Cornelius Chapel in spring 2016. 2015 laid the foundation for what promises to be an explosive 2016 for not only Brad Armstrong and the Dexateens, but also Cornelius Chapel Records as a label.