Hush Arbors

Hush Arbors began in 2001 as a solo vehicle for Virginia-born singer/songwriter and guitarist Keith Wood. Wood had worked prolifically as a touring auxiliary musician in freak folk and experimental acts like <a href="spotify:artist:29Mbw8R1q12GBgUd3ouzJi">Sunburned Hand of the Man</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5jX8L7D6vWHYlNj9k361vI">Six Organs of Admittance</a>, and his acid country/drifter folk solo work fell in stylistically with those peers. Early Hush Arbors recordings came in the form of limited CD-R releases on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Digitalis%22">Digitalis</a> label, and it wasn't until 2006 that early CD-R album Since We Have Fallen saw proper re-release on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Foxglove+Recordings%22">Foxglove Recordings</a> label. The same year also saw the release of newer material on the Landscape of Bone album, and some live dates to support the release. Still a rotating member of many bands himself, Wood adopted this cast-of-many approach for the lineup of Hush Arbors, enlisting players from the experimental scene like drummer <a href="spotify:artist:6Hawprezl5SMdIX7IfnbBm">Ryan Sawyer</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:64ssUqrBf3p4UCFwxJfYpv">Wooden Wand</a> main man James Toth, and various other musicians to back him up in a live setting.

In 2008, Hush Arbors began releasing records on <a href="spotify:artist:5UqTO8smerMvxHYA5xsXb6">Sonic Youth</a> guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:1J4ACYB6yMqd79q3rjskqs">Thurston Moore</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ecstatic+Peace%21%22">Ecstatic Peace!</a> imprint, beginning with a self-titled long-player. This album was followed by 2009's Yankee Reality, produced by <a href="spotify:artist:267VY6GX5LyU5c9M85ECZQ">Dinosaur Jr.</a> leader <a href="spotify:artist:1PokjXeIq2zVosXbTEaNlx">J Mascis</a>. During this time, Wood stayed equally busy collaborating with others and prolifically recording and releasing his own work. Apart from issuing scads of tour-only CDs, live recordings, and split releases with bands like <a href="spotify:artist:6k7kFWziDnrAeTYFKAQuCX">Jerusalem and the Star Baskets</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6yOEvEcWU3ZopnfZN5WvYP">the North Sea</a>, Wood continued work as a touring musician with <a href="spotify:artist:7vF3DcPluq6lZI36VniagW">Current 93</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0K6DXvfMXmF7L4h0P7Ivva">Jack Rose</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1J4ACYB6yMqd79q3rjskqs">Thurston Moore</a>, and others. In 2011, a stripped-down Hush Arbors consisting of Wood and N.Y.C. improviser/composer <a href="spotify:artist:1ff1D3HZR7G3aQIqjxYE5S">Jason Ajemian</a> embarked on a massive two-month tour of the U.S. and later overseas. The project's collaborative streak continued in 2012 with the release of Aureola on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Thrill+Jockey%22">Thrill Jockey</a>, a split LP with like-minded psychedelic contemporaries <a href="spotify:artist:74o9NlWEiftu6kvoDpIpAA">Arbouretum</a>. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi