Bowerbirds

If stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods sold music, Bowerbirds would be on the list of organic artists in stock. Simple folk music with haunting melodies and lyrics (free of any overproduction or trans fats) is the recipe for guitarist Phil Moore and keyboardist/accordionist Beth Tacular. Oh, yes, and the singers are “green,” staying in an Airstream trailer in the North Carolina woods during the recording of their debut album, 2007’s Hymns for a Dark Horse, a record that definitely reflected their environment at the time. Take the track “In Our Talons,” for example, in which Moore sings, “You may not believe this, but even we were scared at first / It takes a lot of nerve to destroy this wondrous Earth.” Bowerbirds are an eco-friendly band with a hippie vibe, to boot. The duo, which performs with a rotating cast of musicians, resides in a self-built cabin in the woods outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. They often spend months at a time holed up in the cabin where they practice efficiency and work on their art. They’re currently touring behind their second album, Upper Air, which they released last month.