Today. New York-based dark carnival-inspired indie-rock band Dust Bowl Faeries release the pop remix of “Ibex” from their new sophomore album, The Plague Garden. “‘Ibex’ is a song about the extinct Pyrenean Ibex, which scientists ‘resurrected’ in a laboratory for seven minutes through DNA cloning,” says band leader Ryder Cooley. An animal advocate, Ryder emphasizes the importance of the track, representing an aspect of her work that is “deeply ecological.” Longtime band collaborator Floyd Fisher put modern, electronic beats and haunting synth touches on his pop remix, which Ryder says, “gives the song a gothic hip hop vibe.” She adds, “I love working with Floyd, you never know what he will come up with and I really enjoy that element of surprise.” In addition, Dust Bowl Faeries will be doing a full band virtual show on Monday, February 1st in support of WAMC’s “Open for Take-Out” series.
Floyd Fisher has produced two EP’s with Dust Bowl Faeries – the Dark Ride Mixes in 2018 – and Beloved Monster in 2019. On the topic of the “Ibex” remix, Fisher says, “Doing a remix for the Dust Bowl Faeries is a singular event because Ryder’s music is unlike anything else. It’s magical (a word I never otherwise use). Plus, fitting a 3/4 song into a 4/4 beat is a good challenge. It’s all well worth it and one of my fave remixes ever.”
Feeling that the “Ibex” remix is especially relevant today, Ryder sees the ellipticism in the world being in the midst of a global pandemic that is in part caused by animal exploitation with a paradoxical cure that is also infused with animal testing. She says, “The remix brings the subject of species decline to a new audience while offering playful beats and a feeling of hope.” Whether people will listen to the lyrics and question what the song is about is yet to be seen, but the possibility of reaching new listeners, beyond the Dust Bowl Faeries’ dark carnival niche, is exciting for them. Adding, “As much as I enjoy enchanting people and casting musical spells, I also like my songs to carry a message and if I can inspire just one person to join the ecological/animal rights movement, or live more sustainably, or deepen their awareness of inter-species diversity, that will help me feel fulfilled as an artist.”
Dust Bowl Faeries “Ibex” Floyd Fisher remix: https://songwhip.com/dust-bowl-faeries/ibex-fk-remix
On Monday, February 1st, Dust Bowl Faeries will be performing a full band virtual concert Albany, NY’s legendary The Linda, WAMC’s “Open for Take-Out” series. The show starts at 8pm ET and tickets are $10 to support the musicians and venue. Tickets can be purchased here.
Alongside the full band show, Dust Bowl Faeries are also in the midst of the Winter Series of their virtual vaudeville show Wish You Were Hear. The series is produced by experiential design artist Corey Aldrich at acclaimed live music venue Club Helsinki in Hudson NY, and it features the wistful verses and morbid amusements of house band Dust Bowl Faeries, paired with a curated program of monthly musical special guests. Each thematic show is ticketed and will stream from a private YouTube link. The shows begin at 8:00pm ET and tickets are available on a donation basis to support the musicians in these difficult times of ongoing closure.
Tickets for Wish You Were Hear can be found here. The next two shows will take place on Feb 13 (Bloody Valentines Show w/ Tommy Stinson of The Replacements) and on March 20 (Beware the Ides of March w/Lorkin O’Reilly).
Released in November 2020,The Plague Garden pulls influence from a deep and extensive well of multiple genres, from traditional folk music introduced to Ryder by her family to the riot grrrl punk movement of the 90s. “I got swept up in the riot grrrl movement for a number of years and played guitar and bass in a couple of bands before I met my true love, the accordion,” says Ryder. “I found accordionist Jeanette Lewicki busking in a subway station, and she became my mentor during the accordion renaissance in San Francisco. Jeanette introduced me to klezmer and Balkan music and she supported me in learning accordion my way, which was inside out and backwards, of course! Soon I discovered gypsy punk bands like Devotchka and Gogol Bordello as well as more contemporary folk-based musicians like DakhaBrakha and Alina Orlova.”
The Plague Garden, Song List:
- Overture
- Dust Bowl Caravan –written at the beginning of the Covid 19 Plague, to cheer ourselves up!
- Vampire Tango – written after Ryder attended a Voodoo ritual in New Orleans, this song is about La Sirene, the Voodoo priestess of the sea and of music. (dedicated to Cameron Melville)
- Sirens – a #metoo song about misogyny in the music industry
- Serpentine Samba – a song about a mythical sea serpent, The Kraken, who the band has re-gendered as a belly dancing queen of the underwater world
- Cyanide Hotel – a dark cabaret song about a haunted house where Ryder once lived. Written by Ryder & Sara Zar
- Ibex – about the extinct Pyrenean Ibex who was resurrected for 7 minutes in a laboratory
- Polyester – a new arrangement of a song by Ryder, originally written for her band Corner Tour many moons ago
- Forest of Breath – written while lost in an enchanted forest in the Czech Republic
- Pandemic Tango – this is the second song written during the pandemic, as the plague continued. Ryder tuned the piano herself with a primitive tuning kit
- Candy Store – a traditional (Yiddish) folk song that Ryder’s grandmother taught her, modified with additional lyrics by Dust Bowl Faeries
Dust Bowl Faeries Short Bio:
Starting in 2015 as an all-woman trio, Dust Bowl Faeries is committed to working with as many women musicians and artists as possible, including their collaborative filmmaker Lisa M. Thomas (Thin Edge Films) who documents and adds visual flair to the band’s unique and arresting visuals. Now a multi-gendered band, they have released two EPs (2018’s The Dark Ride Mixes and 2019’s Beloved Monster) and a self-titled debut (produced by music critic Seth Rogovoy and featuring Tommy Stinson of The Replacements and Melora Creager of Rasputina).
Dust Bowl Faeries is Ryder Cooley (Faerie Queen; accordion, singing saw, ukulele, lead vocals), Jon B. Woodin (Rocket Faerie; guitar, castanets, vocals), Rubi LaRue (Feisty Faerie; lapsteel, vocals), Liz LoGiudice (River Faerie; bass, vocals) and Andrew Stein (Time Faerie; percussion). The Plague Garden was recorded, mixed and mastered by Michael Schoonmaker and is now on all streaming services.
