outside of film, I drum for the Oakland-based band foxtails brigade.

Foxtails brigade

The Hollywood Hills-born daughter of a horror filmmaker and sister of a cult comedian, Foxtails front-girl Laura Weinbach grew up in a household that embraced eccentricity. Her next-door neighbors were circus contortionists with emus and fang-toothed monkeys as pets and her childhood activities included snail hunting and spying on celebrity neighbors like Slash, Ice-T, and Larry from Perfect Strangers. Laura’s upbringing is present everywhere in Foxtails Brigade, from the lyrical imagery to the hand-drawn artwork and sophomoric Instagram cartoons.

The band’s live show is a clockwork of junkyard beats, warped orchestral sonics, and Laura’s trademark voice and classical guitar intricacies with an A-List ensemble featuring performing members of Bright Eyes, Van Dyke Parks, and John Kale.  The songs tackle subjects of substitute teaching in the Oakland and LA public school scenes, steak appreciation, and general unfairness awareness with a warped pop sensibility akin to influences like St. Vincent, Joanna Newsom, The Smiths, and Spoon.

Following their 2011 debut album The Bread and the Bait (Antenna Farm Records), the band released their second LP Time Is Passed (DIY) during Christmas of 2012 and their third self-titled album in April 2016 on OIM Records.  

Produced in the Bay Area by celebrated Jeff Saltzman (Blondie, The Killers), this record marks the Oakland-based band’s third full-length LP, but serves as a cohesive statement of who they are and the direction they’re headed.