Oxford is abuzz at the moment; the bells of the dreaming spires are ringing with the sounds of everything that’s fresh and new in the UK music scene. The old guard like Radiohead and Supergrass have sculpted the new face of the record industry while the new guard like Foals and Young Knives are changing the modern sound of British music with their inventive and original styles.
But step out of the city and leave the honey-coloured stone of the colleges vibrating with change. Walk out a little way into the sleepy village of Binsey nestled amongst farmland and the gently flowing Thames. There you’ll find that same creative force evolving music of a very different kind. You’ll be in the embrace of Oxfordshire’s alt-country heartland and this is the world of The Epstein.
The band was born out of experiences on the plains of Wyoming where frontman Olly Wills once farmed. He and the rest of the band have fused an intrinsically American sound with an endless English folk history that seeps out of the fabric of rural Oxfordshire. The result is a band that are doing as much to update their genre as any of their contemporaries in the city.
Like the spirit of the county’s independent festival Truck, the band are seemingly instilled with an ethos of making music that’s the sound of participation, of inclusiveness and pure unadulterated joy. When the alt-country scene starts getting the attention it so richly deserves it will be The Epstein that shine as its brightest lights.
Tim Bearder, BBC Oxford March 2008
2007-2008
The Epstein were delighted to perform at Glastonbury 2007, having won their slot through the festival’s Emerging Talent Competition - as one of five winners from 3,000 entries. They made three appearances at the festival, including a slot on the dirty great Acoustic Stage on the Sunday.
In late 2007 The Epstein completed their self-produced debut album, Last of the Charanguistas. The album was recorded at the band’s farmhouse HQ, and at bass player Rowland Prytherch’s second home - Truck Studios, where he also recently recorded the new Danny George Wilson (Grand Drive) album, Danny and the Champions of the World.
Last of the Charanguistas was launched on November 3rd by a fantastic evening and headline performance at the new Carling Academy Oxford, and is now available through Rough Trade, from other online retailers and iTunes.
In January 2008 Last of the Charanguistas was named as "Album of the Week" on Huw Stephens' Radio 1 Introducing show. Check the reviews page for the other press attention it has had!
The album is also going down very well in Germany after Heiko at Dandyland records in Bremen picked it up. It has garnered some glowing reviews and has featured on national radio stations. The band are planning a tour in Summer 2008...
Truck Records also released a limited edition 7" single in spring 2007 as part of the 10th Anniversary of Truck Festival.
The Epstein are currently making early plans to get started on album number 2, as well as coming to a town near you soon!