Album Notes

Toe Knee is Tony Hundtoft, a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, CA. Originally from Nebraska, Hundtoft graduated with a percussion degree from the UMKC Conservatory of Music in Kansas City. The eclectic music scene there helped to introduce him to the vast array of musical genres evident in his compositions today, including folk, jazz, Afro-Cuban, and experimental music.

“Songs, Stories, Skies” is an eclectic record of songs written after Toe Knee arrived in California in 2003. Glimpses of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and John Lennon are evident amidst threads of Americana and jazz. Although the texture and mood vary noticeably from song to song, rich layers of organ, guitar, piano, and synths are heard frequently in support of Hundtoft’s vocals.

The slow, country-tinged “Cold Weather Girl” sets an honest, reflective tone for the album, aptly leading listeners through the bluesy “My Neighborhood,” and the haunting soundscape of “the Empty Space.” “If you Were Here” sounds as if it were written by a hopeless romantic in Havana, while the soaring guitars of the Wilco-esque rocker, “I Just Want To…,” leave an exclamation point on the album’s final moments.