The Umlauts have seemingly appeared on the scene from out of nowhere. The trios of Norma Urban, David Ireland and Robert Bendt have created a sound that remains simple and direct and then again thunders with complex harmonies. The sound of their guitars, drums and keyboards come alive with spontaneity and thoughtful orchestration.
All three of the Umlauts started playing music at an early age. They grew up far from each other; Urban in Boston, Bendt in Port Washington, WI and Ireland in Rome, NY. They all became visual artists and it is as artists they first came together. It did not take long before they discovered they shared an interest in music. Just for fun they worked up an arrangement of Les Reed and Geoff Stevens', 'There's a Kind of Hush', (yikes!) which lead to a series of songs they wrote based on a trip they took to southwest Florida to plant trees at a palm plantation (but that's another story). After several years of aranging and writing songs they set aside their paint brushes and computers long enough to make a serious effort at recording an album.
Based in the Boston area the trio used the Pinxsterville Home Recording Studio in South Easton, MA to work out all the songs and edit and mix them into what has become 'Premonition'. The album is the result of nearly four years of song writing and cover arrangements. Each song went through various incarnations before evolving into what they felt was a finished piece. Each step of the way was a labor of love which was no hardship since the entire process was undertaken for the love of music and the fun of making music.
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