THE BAND
Cottonhead has become somewhat of an underground institution now in their home of New York City, despite the unrelenting reclusiveness of songwriter Greg Talenfeld. Gracing the stages of such finer venues as The Bottom Line, The Living Room, Fez, The Mercury Lounge and other equally reputable establishments for nigh on twelve years now, Talenfeld's reluctance to perform publicly is offset only by singer Mary Birdsong's heartfelt enthusiasm, deep-rooted optimism and faith. The angelic soaring beauty of her voice in juxtaposition with the strangled despair of Talenfeld's guitar playing combine to create the push and pull "comfort-food" satisfaction that New Yorkers have grown to know and love as Cottonhead.
Stemming from the country-western duets of the 1980's Talenfeld-Birdsong collaboration "The O.K. Canaries", Cottonhead is the plugged in and tuned up version of this now classic sound, backed by the solid as shit accompaniment of Kirsten Jansen on drums, Jeremy Chatzky on bass, and Joe Mendelson on piano and organ. Despite the unrelenting reports in the media of their unpleasant yet inevitable break-up, the band invariably re-appears with a new CD and a new bass amp.
THE ALBUM
The hour-long, 18 song 'They were Better before they got Signed' album is a rare look into the heartbreakingly beautiful and difficult history of this important band. Culled from hard to find recordings of studio out-takes, live shows and song demo reels, these 18 songs reflect the ever changing musical sensibilities of these talented musicians as they careen their way through the uncharted waters of Americana, Modernity and international Media Related Industries Consolidation. Originally intended for the full length releases 'Pretty Flower Cover' and 'Happy Tree', some of these songs were rejected as "too raw" for the okrecords imprint, while others were seemingly not quite raw enough. These musical gems, spat out by the okrecords executive selection committee like so much cereal filler and by-product, remain a testament to the unyielding tenacity of this collaboration.
THE BAND MEMBERS
Greg Talenfeld, the reluctant songwriter of Cottonhead, is also a reluctant studio owner, reluctant record producer and full time father living in the New York City area. His work has appeared in film and television, and his musical accompaniment has helped sell products which have made your life much better. His years of toil in the studio have led to semi-successful projects with such rock luminaries as the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Beck, Pavement, Pussy Galore, the Walkmen and, of course, the French Kicks.
Mary Birdsong is a singer, actress and comedienne. You can catch her every Sunday night as Deputy Kimball on Comedy Central's RENO 911, or you can catch her on the BIG screen in the Paramount/Fox feature film version of Reno 911, called "Reno 911: Miami! Or... you can catch her justabouteverysinglefreakin' day on Broadway in "Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me." Want more? Need more? Go to www.marybirdsong.com!
Kirsten Jansen is a drummer and law student. In addition to Cottonhead she has worked with Dorothy Scott, Folkstone, Princess Superstar, the Gamma Rays and Alton Maddux.
Jeremy Chatzky, when not busy playing bass guitar with the Cottonhead all-star band, has worked with a variety of artists including Bruce Springsteen, Ronnie Spector,The Gotham Playboys, Julia Greenberg, They Might Be Giants and Laura Cantrell. He has also performed in the rock musicals "Hedwig and the Angry Inch", and "People are Wrong" in New York.
Multi-instrumentalist Joe Mendelson is the glue without which there would be no Cottonhead. His commitment to level-headedness has seen the band through many a difficult decade. In addition to the piano and organ, Joe has at various times pummeled the band together with bass, drums, kalimba and accordian. He was the singer in Rise Robots Rise, the pianist with Joe Henry and the guitarist in Acts Magdelena.
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