Johnny Dowd

A true American original, Johnny Dowd is a highly eccentric singer and songwriter based in Ithaca, New York who makes music that would roughly fall under the alt country and indie rock headings, not by design, but mostly because that's where it accidentally rolled when it fell.  His Americana comes from a bleak and darkly humorous place where artists like Tom Waits and Nick Cave also draw from. He famously started putting out records when he was almost 50, and has been playing like a man who cannot bother to find out what anyone thinks about his music. His songs tend to be lively, bluesy, but also oddly discordant. He sings tales that can get pretty twisted at times, in his low and gravely voice, or growls them more often than not. He frequently collaborates with Mike Edmondson on guitar and Kim Sherwood-Caso on vocals, the latter also providing a wonderful counter-balance with her sweet and earthy voice.