“Galaxies Infinite” (2003), the initial Lonesome Tumblers project, was the result of several months’ work in a makeshift Chicago rehearsal space. Billy Catfish wrote the songs – mostly folk tunes at this point – and invited friends Arlo Pickens, Joe Patt and Dave Acosta to add whatever they saw fit, with additional contributions from Amy Duncan and Anthony Frazzini. Although the Tumblers were never intended to become a performing band, this did in fact happen with several performances in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Ann Arbor. It was at these shows that the band started coping with its complex, largely improvisational approach to performing in a live setting. 

For the band’s second album, the group restrained a great deal of its folk leanings to allow room for more sound texture experiments. Once again recording in Chicago with Brian Harper, “Race Music For The Long-Distance Runner” (2005) was recorded with contributions from Billy Catfish, Arlo Pickens, Joe Patt, and Brian Harper, along with new guitarist Todd Pannent, drummer Jay Madewell, bass player Andreas Tyrodimos, and backup vocalist Andrea Fontana. “Race Music” received many pats on the back and even made a critic's list of the year's best local releases. 

Following the self-release of this second album, the band continued performances in Chicago and Cincinnati, and could be found on stages in Detroit, Ypsilanti, and Dayton as well. The lineup shifted a bit at this point, and drummers Dave Colvin, Paul Kennedy, Don Thrasher and Ian Kaplan would either play side-by-side or trade off rhythm duties, and John Dugan joined the band for a show. Eric Harper could occasionally be found on upright bass, Zach Gabbard, Billy Buzek, and Mike Weinel contributed guitar, and Geoff Burkhart added keyboard. When the dust eventually settled, however, the bass guitar position had been transferred to Andreas Tyrodimos, and Scotty Karate and Mark Zero added dueling lead guitars. 

The Tumblers will begin recording their third album in the fall of 2006, which is anticipated to explore concepts of the center of the earth, life and death, and string theory. 

While the band will not be performing much until this third album is complete, you can still catch Billy Catfish booking an occasional solo show. Arlo Pickens and Scotty Karate can be seen within Scotch Bonnet, and Andreas Tyrodimos is found on stage with Bang Tale and the Coin Collectors. Don Thrasher regularly performs with Kentucky Overflow, and Ian Kaplan plays drums with Human Reunion. 

 

 

-Metro Times, Detroit