Escape Artist Lovers

Kirk Hellie and Rain Phoenix have a background in counterculture that skews earnest. Since the 1990s, Kirk— has been a sideman for the likes of Steve Jones and Glenn Branca, collaborated with various artists including Atticus Ross/Jehnny Beth/Mogwai, and has fronted his own bands (a couple of which were dropped by some of the finest major labels of the time)—has balanced a love of C86 sun-dappled melancholy with thoughtful experimentation. As for Rain, she’s been the picture of positive actualization since she was a kid; growing up awash in the arts starting out with her brother River in Aleka’s Attic, she collaborated toured or worked with artists ranging from Michael Stipe (and REM), Gus Van Sant, to the much underrated Alternative Tentacles band, The Causey Way, then went on to front her own bands and make her first (Hellie produced) solo record ‘River’. With Escape Artist Lovers, Hellie and Phoenix have taken their extensive record collections and filtered those timeless songs through lifetimes of hard knock optimism and an unflagging belief in the power of an insinuating chorus to transform the soul. The duo take on the music of strangers (Jesus and Mary Chain, Dream Academy, “No New Tale To Tell” era Love & Rockets, the Beatles/VU/Ramones holy trinity, Crocodiles, Mazzy Star, PJ Harvey) and treat them as family. Upon listening to their music, it’s clear that Hellie and Phoenix aren’t operating in the shadow of history, they’re basking in its sunlight.