Erik Brandt and the Urban Hillbilly Quartet perform in the Radio Heartland studio
by Mike Pengra
April 19, 2018
In so many ways, Erik Brandt is one of the caped crusaders for local music in the Twin Cities. By day, he teaches high school English. But when he's not in front of the class, he's often performing music — either as a solo act, or with his band, The Urban Hillbilly Quartet. And for the past several years, Brandt has helped run the House of Mercy Recordings label.
The Quartet hadn't recorded any original music in a decade, and Brandt was anxious to get some of their new tunes on a record. The new five-song EP is called South of Dark, and Brandt says it documents how the band continue growing and changing. They'll celebrate the release of the new EP on Friday, April 20, at the 331 Club in Minneapolis.
Erik Brandt and the Urban Hillbilly Quartet stopped in to our studio to play some of the new tunes.
Songs Performed
"Beautiful Mess"
"Just Us"
"South of Dark"
Personnel
Erik Brandt - guitar, piano, vocals
Jeremy Szopinski - guitar
Mike Schultz - bass
Jim Orvis - drums
Becky Kapell - vocals
Hosted and produced by Mike Pengra
Engineered by Corey Schreppel
Visuals by Nate Ryan
Resources
Erik Brandt and the Urban Hillbilly Quartet - official site
