Carriers

Carriers are Curt Kiser from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is Brassland's first signing from that great Midwestern city since The National in the label's (and the band's) earliest days.

Curt's voice and music exist comfortably in the liminal space that Cincinnati, OH occupies. Separated from Kentucky by the snaking bends of the Ohio River and owning a rich history of nascent musical trends that flowed out from here after being metabolized by the larger public. See: James Brown, Hank Williams "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," Bootsy Collins, L.A. Reid, Hi-Tek, the second non-Pacific Northwest band to be signed to Sub Pop (The Afghan Whigs!), the inventor of circuit bending and, yes, Brassland's co-founders (Aaron and Bryce Dessner from The National).

For some the origin story of Carriers is canon. After the demise of Curt's successful indie rock band Pomegranates, Curt meets Bryan Devendorf (The National's drummer) while working at an ultra-regional pizza chain at the zoo, meets John Curley (co-founder of The Afghan Whigs) working a similar service industry job. They play together and end up making the powerful double LP Now Is The Time For Loving Me, Yourself & Everyone Else together. Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile and The War on Drugs sing it's praise. Shows with Big Thief, Sam Evian, Choir Boy, Damien Jurado, Simon Joyner follow. And here we are, the Blue EP serving as an autumn introduction or re-introduction before a forthcoming release on NYC's Brassland. Curt Kiser's music career up to this point has been nothing but not patient.