Album Notes

For over a decade, Cordelia's Dad has been on ongoing series of musical experiments. Beginning with an unabashed punk rock fury, evolving into the tender, intricate acoustic songs of Comet and Spine, and returning to bouyant, noisy rock on What It Is, the common threads have been powerful harmony singing, haunting melodies, and insistent rhythm. Founders Tim Eriksen and Peter Irvine, along with long-time member Cath Oss, have traveled throughout North America and Europe, melding their passionate interpretations of early American hymns, ballads, and fiddle and banjo tunes with their own contemporary pop music sensibilities.

Road Kill is a rough document of the band's live rock shows circa 1994-95. No holds barred, this is the real deal, with plenty of distortion, feedback, athletic drumming, tight rhythm and occasional bum notes. Puts you in the cement-walled, sticky-floored punk club without having to change your clothes. Not always pretty, but consistently energetic it shows just how much sound can be produced by three people with instruments, electricity, and rehearsal time. If you ever needed convincing of the difference between Cordelia's Dad and so-called "folk-rock" bands ... this is all-out rock'n'roll, not folk music.

During this era of the band's existence, the trio was practicing about 5 hours a day to prepare for a performance at Lincoln Center called "Trio for Bands," conducted by Neely Bruce. Based on an idea from John Cage, it involved three rock bands playing simultaneously, each performing a different sequence of their own songs, specially composed songs, and improvisations. It was very loud.