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All Music Guide:
Crooked Fingers was the solo project of singer/guitarist Eric Bachmann, best known as the longtime frontman for North Carolina indie rock institution Archers of Loaf. A onetime saxophone major at Appalachian State University, he co-founded the Archers in Chapel Hill in late 1991; quickly emerging as a major local favorite, the band's off-kilter noise pop broke through on national college radio two years later with the release of the single "Web in Front," followed by a series of acclaimed LPs including 1994's Icky Mettle and 1996's All the Nation's Airports. In 1995, Bachmann also teamed with producer Caleb Southern to form the instrumental project Barry Black, debuting with a self-titled LP on Alias; Tragic Animal Stories followed two years later. In the wake of Archers of Loaf's 1998 dissolution, Bachmann founded Crooked Fingers, debuting in early 2000 with a self-titled album issued on the WARM label. A collection of original songs, Bring on the Snakes, followed in 2001, but only one year later a cover EP featuring songs by Neil Diamond and Queen came out on Merge Records. Entitled Reservoir Songs, this was his debut for the label. The next year, Red Devil Dawn furthered his vision, allowing elements like horns and strings to creep into his melancholy indie pop. In 2005 Bachmann penned Dignity and Shame, a loosely tied conceptual piece based on the life of legendary bullfighter Manolete and his lover, Spanish actress Lope Sino. In 2006, going by his surname, Bachmann joinedSaddle Creek and released To the Races, a minimal acoustic-based record. After reverting back to the pseudonym Crooked Fingers in 2008, Forfeit/Fortune was released for Red Pig/Constant Artists, Inc. and distributed exclusively at 20 North American independent record stores, handpicked by Bachmann himself. Bachmann spent some of 2011 playing reunion shows with Archers of Loaf, but found the time to work on new material for Crooked Fingers, releasing Breaks in the Armor through Merge Records later that year.
Wikipedia:
Crooked Fingers is a North Carolina band led by former Archers of Loaf lead singer Eric Bachmann. The band was previously based in Seattle, Washington and Atlanta, Georgia before moving to Denver. The band released albums on WARM Records and Merge Records before going completely independent in 2008. They tend to have a rotating lineup.
History
Following the breakup of Archers of Loaf in 1998, Bachmann started work on a solo project that he named Crooked Fingers. The first release of this project, a self-titled release of various songs he had written, was released by WARM in 2000. It was followed shortly after by a second album on WARM, Bring on the Snakes.
Following the release of Bring on the Snakes, Crooked Fingers signed to Merge. Under that label, Crooked Fingers released Reservoir Songs EP in 2002, composed of cover songs of artists such as Neil Diamond and Queen. In 2003, they released Red Devil Dawn, their first full-length for Merge.
They released Dignity and Shame in 2005.
In October 2008, the band released a new album, Forfeit/Fortune. The band declined to sign a deal with any label, pursuing a direct-to-retail approach supported by sales at shows, the band's website, iTunes, and eMusic.
Crooked Fingers has toured the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, both as a solo act and with a full band. They were featured on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic and on National Public Radio's World Cafe in May 2005. On the 2005 U.S./Canada Tour, Matt Gentling, former member of Archers of Loaf, played the bass. The rotation of members in the band have included such musicians as Lara Meyerratken, R.L. Martin, Jo Jameson, Barton Carroll and Dov Friedman. A 2008 US tour featured the musicians on Forfeit/Fortune: Miranda Brown, Elin Palmer and Tim Husmann.
