Filled With Guilt and Diamonds by semi-Philadelphia-based group Br'er is a revival release of the same-named EP by the group. The first, was released in cassette format with only 100 made in 2008, and the most recent version of the album EP comes pressed on vinyl hand-numbered and in limited edition also. As an Edible Onion release, each album is hand-sewn, and the art-house collage style of the printing is worth the buy alone. It's a beautiful and interesting album to look at and listen to.
Br'er's music is the product of lead songwriter Benjamin Schurr and includes musicians Christian Mirande, Darian Scatton, Luis Angel Cancel, Roger Martinez, Nat Baldwin (Dirty Projectors), Ross Lipton, Jan Blacksburg, Jim Krull, Sean Ali, and Charles Cohen (of Espers). The sound is something out of a storybook and paints a drastic dreamscape taking elements from psychedelic all the way to dream-pop and dark, neo-folk.
Girl About Town: What can you tell us about the newest release of the Br'er release and where its inspiration comes from?
Yourself and Benjamin created the artwork, how much work went into it, and how many copies were made--and is there any special meaning behind the design (both 'ball-buster' and 'nutcracker' come to mind here) or were you just looking for a stand-out image? I might even say it was a bit like a Hipgnosis design....
What can people expect from a live Br'er show with so many people in one band, are there particular songs that people usually request to be played?
What is your favorite thing about playing to a hometown crowd for a live show?
Is this album the tip of the iceberg for Br'er--how often do you write new material, and do you think you've evolved from the original style and ideas of the music that you began with [when Br'er began]?
Yes, I would say this is the tip of the iceberg. We released an album called "Of Shemales & Kissaboos" before this, on a label in Austria that was a means of figuring out what Br'er was musically. "Filled with Guilt & Diamonds" was a more solid idea within the confines that the first album set. In the same respect, it was also a very specific document of a certain time of my life. Many of the musicians involved are no longer working with Br'er, and since completing it, we've released two singles, a tape, and a new EP. I am currently working on our next album, two more singles, and a Magnetic Fields cover. Br'er is pretty much my life and I'm always working on it, trying to explore new sounds and timbres, and trying to make sure it stays exciting to me and the people who I'm working on it with.
Br'er - band site / edible onion / myspace






