Bottom of the Hudson

Birthed in Charlottesville, VA, ever haunting Omaha, NE and last seen in Philadelphia, PA and the Bronx all at once, Bottom of the Hudson showed unmistakable promise with their 2003 debut, The Omaha Record. Main Bottom-dweller Eli Simon showed himself to be a man in command of his gifts, a talent whose lyrics glow with a bitter romanticism, simultaneously hopeful and regretful, and whose songs explode with inspiration. The eclectic vision of the band's debut (and its sequel, Songs From the Barrel Commando, an "in-betweener" released by Philly's Happy Home Records) was sharpened and honed and welded into a solid collection of songs which dazzle and intrigue, an EP called Holiday Machine. In 2007, the band released their long-awaited proper sophomore album, Fantastic Hawk. Just two weeks after the album was released, while on their way home from a successful string of dates through the South, the band's van blew a tire and flipped over, tragically killing bassist Trevor Butler. Bottom of the Hudson has not played an official show since then.