HighTimes Magazine Unsigned Band Of the Month

Gratefulweb Band of the Month

“It’s not a leap to suggest that Absynth Quintet will be a big deal on the west coast string band circuit in short order.” – The Metro, Santa Cruz

A bionic string band? Fire breathing traveling-gypsy-circus-indie-grass? The Absynth Quintet purvey a truly unique brand of high energy acoustic music. The band’s sound, born and cultured in the fertile hills of Humboldt County, Ca. melds a reverent treatment of time honored American music with a reckless, virtuosic and often zany approach to innovation. There’s something Django-esque, something distinctly Eastern European that saturates many of the songs, but always present is the foot-stomping influence of bluegrass roots.

In response to Indigo Shoes, the Absynth Quintet raised the money needed for their second album by pre-selling it on Kickstarter. Promptly, they began work on their latest album, ‘IOTA’, which was released in 2011. Michael Dronkers, program director for KHUM and KSLG radio said “…their semi-nerdy songwriting and brilliant virtuosity don’t overpower the melodies that overrun Iota. This record succeeds at every level.”

Matt Eakle of the David Grisman Quintet said of IOTA, “The Absynth Quintet hit a home run! Great original material, some of the tunes sound like they were written at the height of the bluegrass era, 60 years ago, but about modern subject matter. VERY COOL!”

While touring to support their latest release, the band has shared the stage with such greats as Hot Buttered Rum, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Railroad Earth, Devil Makes Three, Rushad Eggleston, Fareed Haque, Leftover Salmon and Matt Eakle of the Grisman Quintet.

Absynth Quintet finds a space between street corner busking, sit down concerts at The Freight And Salvage and all night laser light shows. They tap into their diverse musical roots and tease out something fresh, original and relevant to today’s music scene.