Cass McCombs

Cass McCombs is an American singer-songwriter and performer from Concord, California, born in 1977. His work sits in folk, indie, alternative and rock, and he is known for songs about fringe characters, love, nature and American folklore, often delivered with a dry, laconic sense of humour. His vocals are described as ranging from an anxious drone to a hollow croon and a lilting melody, with lyrics that move between vividness, weariness, yearning and whimsy.

Early releases and move to Baltimore

McCombs begins releasing music with the EP Not the Way in San Francisco in 2001. He then relocates to Baltimore, where he releases Not the Way in 2002 and records his first full-length album, A, in 2003 on Monitor Records.

Albums and label history

After touring for several years, including appearances at All Tomorrow's Parties and support slots for Modest Mouse, The Decemberists and Belle and Sebastian, McCombs records PREfection, which is released on 4AD in 2005. Later releases come out on Domino Recording Co., a British independent label.

His 2007 album Dropping the Writ is named one of Amazon's best albums of that year. Catacombs is voted one of Pitchfork Media's 50 greatest albums of 2009 and includes Dreams-Come-True-Girl, which features Academy Award-nominated actress and singer Karen Black.

Touring and collaborators

During the period around Catacombs, McCombs tours with Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, Band of Horses, José González, Beach House and The Walkmen. He also develops a working relationship with producer and engineer Ariel Rechtshaid, who has worked with The Hippos, Foreign Born, Usher, Plain White T's, Vampire Weekend, Sky Ferreira, Snoop Lion and Haim.

2010s releases

In 2010 McCombs appears at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Culture Collide in Los Angeles and the Invisible Children Benefit. In 2011 he undertakes an extensive headlining tour and appears at SXSW. That year he releases two albums produced by Rechtshaid: Wit's End in April and Humor Risk in November. They are made at the same time, but McCombs describes them as different in mood and approach.

Big Wheel and Others, his seventh full-length album and first double album, is released in 2013. It draws on Americana and Wild West imagery, from San Francisco drug culture to nineteenth-century gunslingers and the gold rush. The album includes another recording by Karen Black on Brighter!, which is her final recording before her death, and the album is dedicated to her memory.