“Are you prepared to take this burden?/Are you fit to stay the course, if you can find it?”
Multi-instrumentalist Chad Molter disappeared for a while, but he wasn’t gone. He was simply in Boulder, CO for the last 13 years, employed as a social worker and running a homeless shelter, which, of course, is as good as painting yourself invisible, isn’t it? So we forgive you if you didn’t see him. But we assure you, he continued to exist after he left Washington, DC in 2010 following the dissolution of Faraquet and then Medications, his two highly influential bands on the venerable Dischord label. He continued to be a musician, even if he no longer publicly performed. And as a result of all this continuing and existing and being, he recently found inspiration to return to songwriting, albeit with a different perspective. With Whisper States, Molter’s solo debut, we witness the emergence of a new voice from an old head, the distillation of a life spent in service, public and otherwise.
Informed by the melancholy chamber pop of Donovan, The Left Banke and Emitt Rhodes, Whisper States offers ten tracks of earnestly-delivered, progressive folk rock. All instrumentation was performed by Molter, with additional contributions from Devin Ocampo (Faraquet, Medications), Mark Cisneros (Hammered Hulls, The Make-Up), and Mary Timony (Helium, Ex Hex). Longtime friend Joe Wong (Nite Creatures, Parts & Labor, Russian Doll) produced, mixed (in mono) by John McEntire (Tortoise).
