Crooked Fingers was the solo project of singer/guitarist Eric Bachmann, best known as the longtime frontman for North Carolina indie rock institution Archers of Loaf. A onetime saxophone major at Appalachian State University, he co-founded the Archers in Chapel Hill in late 1991; quickly emerging as a major local favorite, the band's off-kilter noise pop broke through on national college radio two years later with the release of the single "Web in Front," followed by a series of acclaimed LPs including 1994's Icky Mettle and 1996's All the Nation's Airports. In 1995, Bachmann also teamed with producer Caleb Southern to form the instrumental project Barry Black, debuting with a self-titled LP on Alias; Tragic Animal Stories followed two years later.
In the wake of Archers of Loaf's 1998 dissolution, Bachmann founded Crooked Fingers, debuting in early 2000 with a self-titled album issued on the WARM label. A collection of original songs, Bring on the Snakes, followed in 2001, but only one year later a cover EP featuring songs by Neil Diamond and Queen came out on Merge Records. Entitled Reservoir Songs, this was his debut for the label. The next year, Red Devil Dawn furthered his vision, allowing elements like horns and strings to creep into his melancholy indie pop. In 2005 Bachmann penned Dignity and Shame, a loosely tied conceptual piece based on the life of legendary bullfighter Manolete and his lover, Spanish actress Lope Sino. In 2006, going by his surname, Bachmann joined Saddle Creek and released To the Races, a minimal acoustic-based record.
After reverting back to the pseudonym Crooked Fingers in 2008, Forfeit/Fortune was released for Red Pig/Constant Artists, Inc. and distributed exclusively at 20 North American independent record stores, handpicked by Bachmann himself. Bachmann spent some of 2011 playing reunion shows with Archers of Loaf, but found the time to work on new material for Crooked Fingers, releasing Breaks in the Armor through Merge Records later that year. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
When Eric Bachmann wrapped recording on the latest Crooked Fingers album, he sat down with manager Ben Dickey to plot out his next move. They consider...
Crooked Fingers' "Your Control," a duet with Neko Case from last year's Forfeit/Fortune is so catchy it is getting its own EP. Eric Bachmann and compa...
Tweet Crooked Fingers have mellowed considerably with age, as Eric Bachmann has cooled down from his Archers of Loaf days. The new video for his mello...
Kids! Kids are the best. As someone who's about to have his second, I am helpless before a music video that shows kids doing kid things like shuffle-t...
Singer-songwriter John Vanderslice announced today he'll head out on a North American tour this fall. Vanderslice is taking Crooked Fingers--who playe...
Crooked Fingers/John Vanderslice Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC, Oct. 31, 2012 Singer-songwriter John Vanderslice, opening a Halloween show for C...
Crooked Fingers hasn't released an album since Breaks In The Armor, which came out in October 2011, so it's decidedly odd to see the band dropping a v...
