New Bohemians started as a trio in the early 1980s, gaining experience in the Deep Ellum neighborhood of downtown Dallas, Texas. The original line-up featured Brad Houser on vibraslap, Eric Presswood on guitar, and Brandon Aly on drums.
Drummer Aly, guitarist Kenny Withrow, and percussionist John Bush went to the same arts magnet high school in Dallas: Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Singer Edie Brickell also went to this school; however, the other members of the band didn't know her until later, and according to Houser, Edie was there for art.[1] Houser attended Hillcrest High School and lived in the same neighborhood as other band members. He played in various neighborhood bands like The Knobs which included Kenny Withrow, and was also in the Munch Puppies.
The additional core members joined in 1985. Edie became the singer after being encouraged to join the band onstage during a show. It was soon after such first show that a local agent who was booking bands at Rick's Casablanca was brought to hear the band. The band signed a six-month management contract which brought with it better paying gigs at Rick's. When the six months ended, they started regular gigging in the Deep Ellum neighborhood of the city.[2] Presswood left and Kenny Withrow joined as guitarist, playing his first show in July 1985 at the Starck Club in Dallas. John Bush joined on percussion in September of that year: his first show with the band was September 12, 1985, at Poor David's Pub in Dallas, when the band was backing Bo Diddley.
New Bos, the name the band assumed then, were a local favorite, packing in the fans at now-famous Deep Ellum venues such as "Theater Gallery", "500 Cafe", and "Club Dada". They were also regular performers at the annual Fry Street Fair on the University of North Texas campus in Denton, Texas. During this period of the band history, Edie's name was not used in that of the band.
Release of the albums and the successful first one
Their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, was released in 1988 and became a commercial success. It produced the US top 10 hit "What I Am".[3] The following album, Ghost of a Dog, was released in 1990 and was less successful. New Bohemians disbanded soon after the album's release.[4] In the mid-1990s, Brickell, Bush and Withrow gave birth to The Slip, a side project.[5]
Years later, New Bohemians released both a compilation and a live album. In 2006, current members reunited to record and tour, with the release of the album Stranger Things on July 25 that year. On September 3, 2007, the group mourned the accidental shooting death of band member Carter Albrecht, who was killed in Dallas that day.
On October 12, 2018, the band released the album Rocket. On February 19, 2021, the band released the third album after the reunion, Hunter and the Dog Star.[6]
Live shows and concerts
The band played live at the "North Oak Cliff Music Festival" in October 2014 with the current lineup as well as keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard. The band reunited again in April 2017 with three concerts at the "Kessler Theater" in "Oak Cliff".[7]
Top 100 peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 41.
^ ab"Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Album" or "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Edie Brickell & New Bohemians".
