Bat Country

Bat Country

Bat Country is a group associated with folk, alternative, ska and rock. The name is used by more than one act, including bands from Brighton and Amsterdam, and it is also used by a United States group formed in Seattle in 2006 by vocalist Melissa Cerise-Bullock and guitarist Mikey Sellars. That Seattle line-up becomes known for its self-described Doom-Americana sound, combining noir-country and neo-cabaret with influences from Tom Waits, Neko Case, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen.

Seattle line-up

The Seattle group starts as a five-piece and later loses its bass player, Joe Albanese, who is named in the material as “Meshugunah Joe” Albanese. After his death in the May 2012 shootings at Seattle’s Café Racer, the band stops live performance and focuses on completing an album built around recordings made with him. The resulting release is titled Love’s The Only Engine Of Survival.

Other acts using the name

The name Bat Country is also used by a five-piece band from Brighton, England, and a four-piece band from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. A further Bat Country is described as a folk punk band from Reno, Nevada.