State River Widening comprises David Sheppard (guitar, bass, keyboards, melodica, mallet instruments), Keiron Phelan (guitar, multi-various keyboards, occasional bass, mallet instruments, flutes and so on) and Jon Steele (drums etc). Louise Clarke creates the visuals for SRW records. The band have been augmented on a couple of occasions by keyboardist/super-eight aficianado Andrew Cannon and recording engineer Colin Peter.
State River Widening were formed in May 1998 by David and Keiron with the intention of fusing acoustic instruments and resonant analogue technology to create `organic-mechanical` recordings that would encapsulate the duos` enthusiasms for systems music, avant-folk-classicism and the pastoral end of Cologne krautrock/Chicago post-rock.
David Sheppard is a member of Piano Magic, Wisdom of Harry and Ellis Island Sound, and here is his first album under the State River Widening name. Happy accidents, improvised passages and non structed pieces make a great album. Live takes, minimal production concerns and an emphasis on `feel` and atmosphere characterise these recordings.
SRW make records in a large wood and wrought iron works building adjacent to a tiny studio (Keep Calm) in south-west London, close to the river...
State River Widening releases to date:
-State River Widening - album (Rocket Girl)
-Unsung Couples/Interlaken - 7" single on Gold Hole (Gole
002)
-Will Our Children Thank Us - compilation album on Foundry
(fr002) featuring SRW (Moriko Mori Shoots The Make-Believe Ballroom) and
The Wisdom Of Harry (another ensemble-featuring David Sheppard), amongst
other fine artists.
Future plans include 2 split singles. The first will appear
on the French label Debut at the end of the year. The other band is Ellis
Island Sound (another David Sheppard project). The second split is still
in the planning stages but will hopefully feature the German band Hessen
and will hit the shops early in the new millenium. There may also be a
record of some kind on Beau Rivage (a German label) some time in 2000.
Records/tracks currently occupying the SRW dansette include:
SRW's label : http://www.rocketgirl.demon.co.uk
Heimdallr, November 1999