Posts Tagged ‘The Golden Calves’

Charles Potts Magic Windmill Band - The Golden Calves (Business Deal)

By John Michael Cassetta • Jun 20th, 2008 • Category: Sound Reviews

To say that Charles Potts Magic Windmill Band are “quirky” would be an understatement. Song titles like “I Live In My Car” and “Issued By The State” (in reference to an ID) are a hint that “serious” might not be a word this band takes to heart (of course our interview with the band last week is another big hint). Comedy is a tough concept to incorporate into art; as most amateur stand-up comics know, when the jokes don’t come across as intended the results can be, well, “no laughing matter.” But when a band is able to marry ultra-mundane concepts like ID’s, engine trouble, and cancer with humorous wit and Silver Jews-style poignancy, the results can be at once humorous, thought provoking, and above all, an enjoyable listen. The Golden Calf, of course, is the latter.


Interview: Charles Potts Magic Windmill Band

By Doug Freeman • Jun 14th, 2008 • Category: Features


This month, the Charles Potts Magic Windmill band released their sophomore LP, The Golden Calves. Like most of their work, The Golden Calves carries a biting wit that balances the narratives between irony and sincerity, emphasized by the group’s impressively tight, dead-pan harmonies. With the now-sextet adding drums and more power to their live sound, the Windmill Band expertly pushes boundaries of both genre and taste with their famously self-described “New York City style experimental country.” We spoke with Windmill Band founders Dirk Michener and Travis Catsull for an expectedly tongue-in-cheek explanation of their sound, the band’s origins, the organization of Business Deal Records, and the wonders of sleeping in ditches and cars.