Cathartic, experiential alt-folk written by boots-in-the-dirt, partner-in-crime country girls and delivered across drummer Tobias Bank's vast percussive landscape. For Whippoorwill, there's little separation between the soul and the scenery-- heartbreak is a ripped floodplain and longing, an unbroken expanse of sky. It's Cormac McCarthy meets Neil Young via non-traditional banjo, long harmonica riffs, distorted guitar, and three-part harmonies that can scorch, soar, or haunt accordingly.
“Masterful at containing the true dynamic nature of emotions. At once, sad and joyful, yearning and fulfilled. Which element stands out strongest depends on your mood. This is beautiful, masterfully crafted, skillfully performed music..” HEY REVERB
Fort Collins folk-rock trio Whippoorwill – Alysia Kraft (guitar, vocals), Staci Foster (guitar, banjo, harmonica, vocals), and Tobias Bank (drums, vocals) begin work this fall on a much-anticipated sophomore album- their first as a trio and the product of two years touring the American west honing a sound as expansive and raw, tough and stoically beautiful as the landscapes and stories that source their songs. There’s a classic familiarity to the song structures (think Harvest era Neil Young and Fleetwood, Mac Rumors), but arrangements sparse and gritty enough to keep them on fringes of country, rock and folk. In 2018 they’ve shared sold out stages with comparable acts Big Thief, Shovels and Rope, Lydia Loveless, and Horsefeathers. With chemistry palpable and charisma undeniable, Whippoorwill’s become a Colorado darling and one of the region’s most-hyped bands on the brink.
Alysia Kraft was raised on a family-owned Wyoming cattle ranch, Staci Foster alongside the rivers of the Texas Hill Country. Foster and Kraft met by chance at a porch picking party at SXSW 2013. The two exchanged songs throughout the night before parting for separate tours, later naming themselves “Whippoorwill” for the bird cooing through the pauses in song on the night of their meeting.
In 2016, Foster and Kraft put other musical projects (Staci Foster, The Patti Fiasco) on the back-burner and worked as ranch hands while pre-producing debut EP, "Good to Be Around." Recorded at GPM Studio in Fort Collins and co-produced by Tallgrass, their debut album contains six- stick-to-heart tracks that earned them regional nominations for Wyoming Public Radio and the Colorado Playlist's Best Albums of the Year. Culture Trip named them to the female edition of 50 Musicians You Need to Know from Each State and MYCounty 95.5 called them a Top Ten Act to Watch in 2017. Tobias Bank (Von Stomper) joined the band in November 2016 on drums, brining depth and musicality to the rhythm section and adding third part harmonies to a rich set of singing. In 2018, Whippoorwill was named Vocal Group of the Year at the Wyoming Country Music Awards. Whippoorwill is on the 2018 IM Tour Roster.