Edie Brickell & New Bohemians found the name of their fifth studio album, Hunter and the Dog Star (Feb. 19), in an unexpected place: the sprawling night sky. Though she knew Orion’s Belt and Sirius, the furiously burning “Dog Star,” Brickell recently learned of the movement that connects the constellation in a single phrase. She immediately recognized herself, her bandmates, and their musical journey together in the stars.

“Sirius follows Orion, the hunter, through the night sky, and then Sirius is the brightest star just before dawn,” she explains. “That just got me. [This album] is a new day for the band.”

Since their earliest gigs in Dallas in 1985, Brickell and Kenny Withrow (guitar), Brad Houser (bass), Brandon Aly (drums) and John Bush (percussion) have always found their way back to one another, even when their respective pursuits pulled them in different directions. After “What I Am,” the smash single off 1988’s debut album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, vaulted the band onto the national stage, New Bohemians recorded their sophomore album, 1990’s Ghost of a Dog, before Brickell launched a solo career and started a family. They would continue to sporadically write and record together throughout the ‘90s and 2000s, but it would be another 16 years before they would release 2006’s Stranger Things, and 12 more until 2018’s Rocket, which brought them back to Texas and each other.

Recorded in Austin at Arlyn Studios, Rocket is a joyful reunion that brims with the varied influences each New Bohemian encountered on their own, from Brickell’s folk storytelling to Withrow’s exploratory riffs and Houser, Aly and Bush’s percussion that form a slow-and-steady heartbeat to explosive rhythms throughout. Keyboardist/ background vocalist Matt Hubbard rounded out the band and made it complete, and Brickell considers his addition one that “greatly enhanced” their new direction. New Bohemians were eager to keep writing and indulging these impulses, and so they did: they returned to Arlyn to work with producer Kyle Crusham, who encouraged their experimental urges on Hunter and the Dog Star, which blends anthemic pop-rock (“My Power”), languid lounge (“Miracles”), funk (“Don’t Get In the Bed Dirty”), folk (“Rough Beginnings”) and more while bringing new creative breakthroughs to the table. . The album is also greatly enhanced by the addition of Matt Hubbard’s talent and expression on keys and vocals.

“This is the quickest turnaround we’ve ever done in between records,” says Withrow. “That’s mainly because we were feeling the momentum and wanted to strike while the iron was hot… we have a lot of catch-up work, and we still feel there’s a ton of that to do for all this time apart.”

“Most people like more structure, but our band doesn’t,” says Brickell. “We’re entirely flexible and full of ideas—we might have a country bridge with funk verses, it can go in any direction, there’s a much wider range of expression. I grew up with a little more R&B and country, but they know a lot more about jazz and the Grateful Dead.”

Hunter and the Dog Star is both a new beginning and a homecoming in many ways: it’s a tribute to their three decades and counting of collaboration and camaraderie, and an eclectic blend of the sounds, textures and experiments that shaped each member on their musical journeys along the way.

“Playing with old friends is unique. It’s precious. It’s welcoming to a greater sense of authenticity in spontaneous expression. We can flow together and be ourselves together, having a sense of security about the love that we feel for each other, so that we can get mad, get aggravated, be honest about what we like and what we don’t like, and compromise, [or] not compromise, and know that we’re going to make something that is better than all of the individuals would make outside of the band.” says Brickell

“I feel like I don’t have anything to prove at this point, which is a good feeling — with one exception, which is to show how great this band is. I’ve never known a band who can do what they do.”

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians found the name of their fifth studio album, Hunter and the Dog Star (Feb. 19), in an unexpected place: the sprawling night sky. Though she knew Orion’s Belt and Sirius, the furiously burning “Dog Star,” Brickell recently learned of the movement that connects the constellation in a single phrase. She immediately recognized herself, her bandmates, and their musical journey together in the stars.

“Sirius follows Orion, the hunter, through the night sky, and then Sirius is the brightest star just before dawn,” she explains. “That just got me. [This album] is a new day for the band.”

Since their earliest gigs in Dallas in 1985, Brickell and Kenny Withrow (guitar), Brad Houser (bass), Brandon Aly (drums) and John Bush (percussion) have always found their way back to one another, even when their respective pursuits pulled them in different directions. After “What I Am,” the smash single off 1988’s debut album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, vaulted the band onto the national stage, New Bohemians recorded their sophomore album, 1990’s Ghost of a Dog, before Brickell launched a solo career and started a family. They would continue to sporadically write and record together throughout the ‘90s and 2000s, but it would be another 16 years before they would release 2006’s Stranger Things, and 12 more until 2018’s Rocket, which brought them back to Texas and each other.

Recorded in Austin at Arlyn Studios, Rocket is a joyful reunion that brims with the varied influences each New Bohemian encountered on their own, from Brickell’s folk storytelling to Withrow’s exploratory riffs and Houser, Aly and Bush’s percussion that form a slow-and-steady heartbeat to explosive rhythms throughout. Keyboardist/ background vocalist Matt Hubbard rounded out the band and made it complete, and Brickell considers his addition one that “greatly enhanced” their new direction. New Bohemians were eager to keep writing and indulging these impulses, and so they did: they returned to Arlyn to work with producer Kyle Crusham, who encouraged their experimental urges on Hunter and the Dog Star, which blends anthemic pop-rock (“My Power”), languid lounge (“Miracles”), funk (“Don’t Get In the Bed Dirty”), folk (“Rough Beginnings”) and more while bringing new creative breakthroughs to the table. . The album is also greatly enhanced by the addition of Matt Hubbard’s talent and expression on keys and vocals.

“This is the quickest turnaround we’ve ever done in between records,” says Withrow. “That’s mainly because we were feeling the momentum and wanted to strike while the iron was hot… we have a lot of catch-up work, and we still feel there’s a ton of that to do for all this time apart.”

“Most people like more structure, but our band doesn’t,” says Brickell. “We’re entirely flexible and full of ideas—we might have a country bridge with funk verses, it can go in any direction, there’s a much wider range of expression. I grew up with a little more R&B and country, but they know a lot more about jazz and the Grateful Dead.”

Hunter and the Dog Star is both a new beginning and a homecoming in many ways: it’s a tribute to their three decades and counting of collaboration and camaraderie, and an eclectic blend of the sounds, textures and experiments that shaped each member on their musical journeys along the way.

“Playing with old friends is unique. It’s precious. It’s welcoming to a greater sense of authenticity in spontaneous expression. We can flow together and be ourselves together, having a sense of security about the love that we feel for each other, so that we can get mad, get aggravated, be honest about what we like and what we don’t like, and compromise, [or] not compromise, and know that we’re going to make something that is better than all of the individuals would make outside of the band.” says Brickell

“I feel like I don’t have anything to prove at this point, which is a good feeling — with one exception, which is to show how great this band is. I’ve never known a band who can do what they do.”

This THIRD SHOW will start a little earlier –

The New Bohemians were one of the first of many Dallas-area artists who attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts (then referred to as Arts Magnet High School) as music students, and then went on to sign a major label recording deal shortly thereafter and ultimately perform all over the world. 

Lead vocalist Edie Brickell was born right here in Oak Cliff, so this show represents a sort of homecoming for her. Lead guitarist Kenny Withrow is currently a guitar instructor at La Rondalla Oak Cliff, the local music academy directed by legendary Dallas jazz artist Dennis Gonzalez. Bassist Brad Houser, percussionist John Bush and original drummer Brandon Aly all currently live in the Austin area, and they too will be on board.

Edie Brickell was born in 1966 in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. She attended Southern Methodist University for a year and a half before mustering the courage in a bar one night in 1985 to get up on-stage with a local band, the New Bohemians. She joined the band and wrote songs over the next year as the band changed and evolved. They finally settled on the personnel of Brad Houser (bass), Kenny Withrow (guitar), and Matt Chamberlain (drums) before taking off for Rockfield Studios in Wales to record their debut album. That album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, released by Geffen Records, revealed Brickell to be a songwriter with a unique perspective and a singer with an intimate, conversational style. The album was hailed by critics and became a massive hit, selling over a million copies and producing the Top Ten hit “What I Am.” After the disappointing performance of their follow-up album, Ghost of a Dog, the New Bohemians disbanded. After several years of remaining artistically quiet, she released her first solo album in late summer 1994. While Picture Perfect Morning was pleasantly received, it wasn’t a return to the million-selling heights of the New Bohemian zenith. Geffen naturally thought otherwise, but Brickell was resolute. She wouldn’t return to recording until almost ten years later. In the interim, two greatest-hits packages appeared: Best Of on MCA International and Hip-O’s Ultimate Collection from 2002. Of these, the latter was most comprehensive, drawing on material both with and without the Bohemians and featuring seven previously unreleased tracks. In 2006, she reunited with some of the original members of the New Bohemians for Stranger Things, the first studio album from the group in almost 16 years. ~ William Ruhlmann

Photo by Lon BIxby

The New Bohemians were one of the first of many Dallas-area artists who attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts (then referred to as Arts Magnet High School) as music students, and then went on to sign a major label recording deal shortly thereafter and ultimately perform all over the world. 

Lead vocalist Edie Brickell was born right here in Oak Cliff, so this show represents a sort of homecoming for her. Lead guitarist Kenny Withrow is currently a guitar instructor at La Rondalla Oak Cliff, the local music academy directed by legendary Dallas jazz artist Dennis Gonzalez. Bassist Brad Houser, percussionist John Bush and original drummer Brandon Aly all currently live in the Austin area, and they too will be on board.

Edie Brickell was born in 1966 in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. She attended Southern Methodist University for a year and a half before mustering the courage in a bar one night in 1985 to get up on-stage with a local band, the New Bohemians. She joined the band and wrote songs over the next year as the band changed and evolved. They finally settled on the personnel of Brad Houser (bass), Kenny Withrow (guitar), and Matt Chamberlain (drums) before taking off for Rockfield Studios in Wales to record their debut album. That album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, released by Geffen Records, revealed Brickell to be a songwriter with a unique perspective and a singer with an intimate, conversational style. The album was hailed by critics and became a massive hit, selling over a million copies and producing the Top Ten hit “What I Am.” After the disappointing performance of their follow-up album, Ghost of a Dog, the New Bohemians disbanded. After several years of remaining artistically quiet, she released her first solo album in late summer 1994. While Picture Perfect Morning was pleasantly received, it wasn’t a return to the million-selling heights of the New Bohemian zenith. Geffen naturally thought otherwise, but Brickell was resolute. She wouldn’t return to recording until almost ten years later. In the interim, two greatest-hits packages appeared: Best Of on MCA International and Hip-O’s Ultimate Collection from 2002. Of these, the latter was most comprehensive, drawing on material both with and without the Bohemians and featuring seven previously unreleased tracks. In 2006, she reunited with some of the original members of the New Bohemians for Stranger Things, the first studio album from the group in almost 16 years. ~ William Ruhlmann

Photo by Lon BIxby
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians in partership with The Kessler Theater are donating 100% of the ticket proceeds to La Rondalla in Oak Cliff. The free after-school program teaches guitar, bass, drums, voice, and piano to students from elementary to high school.   Now in it’s sixth with over 130 kids, the program has grown under the leadership of Executive Director Dr. Dennis Gonzalez and his instructors who are all professional musicians.  One of the instructors is Kenny Withrow of the New Bohemians. 

The New Bohemians were one of the first of many Dallas-area artists who attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts (then referred to as Arts Magnet High School) as music students, and then went on to sign a major label recording deal shortly thereafter and ultimately perform all over the world. 

Lead vocalist Edie Brickell was born in Oak Cliff, so this show represents a homecoming and an opportunity to give back to her childhood community.  Lead guitarist Kenny Withrow is currently a guitar instructor at La Rondalla Oak Cliff, percussionist John Bush and original drummer Brandon Aly all currently live in the Austin area, and they too will be on board for this very special evening.

Tickets to see one of the greatest Dallas bands of all time. What a perfect last-minute Christmas gift for your music-loving friend or family member of any generation!