Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an alternative rockjam band that originated in Dallas, Texas, in the mid-1980s. The band is widely known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. Their music contains elements of rock, folk, blues, and jazz. Following the release of their 1990 second albumGhost of a Dog, lead singer Edie Brickell left the band and married singer-songwriter Paul Simon. In 2006, she and the band launched a new web site and released a new album, Stranger Things.
Early history
The New Bohemians started as a three-piece band in the early 1980s, gaining experience in the Deep Ellum neighborhood of downtown Dallas. 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, Texas, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Singer Edie Brickell also went to this school. However, the others didn't know her until later. According to Houser, Edie was there for art. Houser attended Hillcrest High School and lived in the same neighborhood as the others. He played in various neighborhood bands like The Knobs which included Kenny, 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 that 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 Deep Ellum. 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. The "New Bos" were a local favorite, packing in the fans at now famous Deep Ellum venues such as Theater Gallery, 500 Cafe, and Club Dada. The Bohemians 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's history, Edie's name was not used in the band's name. Their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, was a commercial success, and produced the US top 10 hit "What I Am". The follow-up album, Ghost of a Dog, was less successful. Soon after the album's release the New Bohemians disbanded.
Recent activity
In recent years, the New Bohemians have released compilations and a live album and have recorded new material. In the mid-1990s Brickell, Bush and Withrow reunited as The Slip. In 2006 the current members reunited to record and tour with the release of Stranger Things. Carter Albrecht was killed in Dallas September 3, 2007. The band's song "Circle" appeared on an episode of Cold Case, Ugly Betty, and and in 2013, it was covered by the pop punk band Bowling for Soup on the album Lunch. Drunk. Love.. The band played live at the North Oakcliff 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. On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Edie Brickell & New Bohemians among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
