Founding members Charlie McClain and Brian Pickney crafted the core sound of what became The Slow and Steady Winner, and soon began performing a few shows around Nashville, TN simply as a guitar/bass duo. Their sound came from an appreciation of post-rock contemporaries, and yet included the influence of more conventional melodies. The intricate interplay of melodies shared between guitar and bass with the eventual addition of shifting percussive dynamics brought the music to a plateau of creati...
Read more
Founding members Charlie McClain and Brian Pickney crafted the core sound of what became The Slow and Steady Winner, and soon began performing a few shows around Nashville, TN simply as a guitar/bass duo. Their sound came from an appreciation of post-rock contemporaries, and yet included the influence of more conventional melodies. The intricate interplay of melodies shared between guitar and bass with the eventual addition of shifting percussive dynamics brought the music to a plateau of creative and emotional synergy. They eventually began to incorporate a rotating cast of Nashville musicians (including Jason McClain originally on Rhodes) for their live shows. Shortly before recording their first release, 2005's "A Peripatetic EP" their lineup was finalized with Jason taking over on drums. He also recorded and mixed the record with the band designing and packaging the EP themselves. Several shows in Nashville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee helped the band gain some recognition and connections with fans, venues and fellow bands alike. Building on the momentum from the release of the EP, The Slow and Steady Winner set out in 2006 with heightened expectations for their first full-length album. Starting early this year, with Jason again doing double duty as percussionist and audio engineer, the band began laying down tracks for the album that would become "Narrative Euphony in Nine Parts". Without the confines and expense of a studio, the band had ample time to experiment with different ambient environments to get just the right sound. Basements, bathrooms, churches and classrooms all lent their unique acoustic qualities to the timbre of the tracks. Rather than a documentary approach indicative of their first venture, "Narrative Euphony in Nine Parts" seeks to more fully utilize the recording process as a creative end in itself. In addition to the primary instruments that each member plays live, unexpected elements such as accordian, acoustic guitar, Rhodes, keys, bells, and metalophone round out the layers of melodies and dynamics portrayed on the album. With the experience of making two records behind them, The Slow and Steady Winner now shifts focus to touring regionally in support of these releases.
