welkin

Magical, bleak and beautiful, the music of welkin is fearless, feral, ethereal and epic in proportion. On their newest release 'Strangers & Exiles', the 12 tracks are as brilliant and austere as the aurora borealis in a cold night sky with Geoff Birch's voice taking them to the "vault of heaven" (or the "welkin") with depth and humanity.

Welkin is the brainchild of singer, songwriter, producer, and musician Geoff Birch. He occasionally performs solo but most often with his band. He is joined by drummer-brother Darren Birch and Jeff Powell on bass. Formed in Vancouver in 2001, welkin's psychedelic art rock has proven to be worthy of attention. The band's discography includes the critically acclaimed debut 'No Ordinary Elephant'. Their '3-Song 2004 EP' received excellent reviews and the much anticipated full-length sophomore record 'Strangers and Exiles' -hailed by critics as an art rock triumph- was chosen out of more than 500 bands across British Columbia to receive the MUSIC BC/Precision Disc Manufacturing prize of 1000 free pressed CDs. Welkin toured major cities across Canada in the spring of 2005 winning new fans everywhere in the wake of their passionate and spellbinding live show.

For inspiration, Birch lives in a cabin in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia where he writes the words and composes the music for all of the welkin songs. In the recording studio, he lays down all his vocal tracks in the nude. He says it gets him a little closer to the music.

'Strangers and Exiles' covers a wide musical terrain ranging from the sweeping title track, to the otherworldly 'The One Great Night', the driving 'Beautiful One', the ephemeral 'Horses Heaving Under These Silver Stars' and majestic sounds of 'Howling Wind'. For best listening results, lug your speakers into your backyard and aim them at the "welkin". Let the music do the rest.

Praise for 'No Ordinary Elephant':

"Equal parts smouldering, country-noir and prog-leaning soft rock, the 10 tracks on the group's independent debut have an expansive shimmering beauty, making them perfect for midnight stargazing, backwoods campfires, and clamping on the headphones in the wee hours."

Mike Usinger, The Georgia Straight - VANCOUVER

Praise for Strangers and Exiles:

"Pink Floyd and Radiohead would be proud. With that said, Geoff Birch keeps it real for Welkin as a band truly ready to tour Canada to sold out shows once realized. Small is anything but, it's the mood of the album, whereas Horses Heaving Under These Silver Stars is pure gold and will be what pokes Geoff Birch and the boys in the gut and lead them to continued artistic brilliance."

Lindsay Bloemink-Editor, Soulshine - TORONTO