Mobile indie band El Cantador is riding a wave of local recognition after taking home three 2009 Awards, including Best Local Band. Bassist Johnny Gwin won Best Area Bass Player, and frontman Heath Underwood was named Best Area Singer, capping a steady rise for a group that started as one songwriter’s home recordings.
Underwood began writing songs as a teenager but says the material did not take real shape until his early twenties. At the end of 2006, he reconnected with an old bandmate, drummer Sean, and the two recorded a batch of songs at Backdoor Studios, Sean’s family studio. Six of those recordings became El Cantador’s first EP, loosely titled “Orange.”
Gwin, who had previously played with Underwood in the rock group Morris Minor, joined on bass soon after. The lineup settled into its current form in July 2008 when multi-instrumentalist Melody Duncan, who plays violin and sings, came on board after a couple of earlier members cycled through the group.
An Evolving Sound
The band describes its songwriting as having shifted over time, from quieter, contemplative early material toward more experimentation with electric textures, noise and studio layering. Underwood still handles most of the songwriting, but the group says the full band now shapes how newer songs come together. Members point to acts like Broken Social Scene, Colour Revolt, Spoon, Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth and TV on the Radio among their influences.
Asked which song best introduces El Cantador to a first-time listener, the band pointed to “Glean,” calling it a song that captures their sound lyrically and melodically and that helped point the way toward newer material. Fans can also catch newer songs, including “Dull Age,” “Summer Dog” and “If Heaven (redux),” at upcoming shows.
Fall Tour Dates and a New Album
El Cantador has booked fall shows in Oxford, Athens and Atlanta, plus a hometown stop at Bayfest in Mobile. The band says it is about to begin recording a full-length album, taking a deliberate approach to get the right sounds and mixes. The record, tentatively titled “HolyMysteryAbsoluteParadox,” is planned as a self-release, possibly alongside another EP.
Coastal Alabama listeners can find El Cantador’s music, including the Orange EP, The Ground EP and the live release Dinner & a Show (Live at the Blind Mule), through the band’s official channels.