# Balmorhea (band)

Balmorhea (pronounced bal-mə-ray) is a minimalist instrumental duo from Austin, Texas, that was formed in 2006 by Rob Lowe and Michael Muller. Over the years they have had multiple members join and leave the group, leading to a diverse range of sounds described as "glassy-eyed, sage-brushed, instrumental Americana". Balmorhea were influenced by William Ackerman, The Six Parts Seven, Tortoise, Rachel's, Gillian Welch, Max Richter, Arvo Pärt and John Cage.

## History

The band self-released their first album, Balmorhea, in April 2007, and their second album, Rivers Arms, in February 2008, and released a limited EP in the fall of 2008. The group released their third full-length album, All is Wild, All is Silent, on Western Vinyl Records. Their fourth full-length album, Constellations, was released in February 2010 on Western Vinyl, and their fifth, Stranger, was released late October 2012. The band released the "Heir" 7" in 2014 as a companion to the re-release of their 2007 eponymous debut.
After a period of five years since their last album, Balmorhea returned as the original duo with their sixth studio album, Clear language. In 2021, Balmorhea released a series of singles under the label Deutsche Grammophon, several of which were later re-released in their next album The Wind. Their 2023 album Pendant World followed a similar pattern of releases. As a duo once more, this era of their music is marked by a turn to more minimalistic and experimental works, in contrast to the albums a decade prior.
The song "Bowsprit", from the album Constellations, was used as the opening theme for the SundanceTV television series Rectify, and the song "Remembrance" from the album All Is Wild, All Is Silent was used within the 2015 Turkish film Delibal. Their 2018 single Clouds was composed for the French film Un homme pressé, which also featured the song "Remembrance".
Balmorhea, called "an exemplary experiment in restraint" by The New Yorker, has toured the US and Europe eight times each, including shows with Tortoise, Thurston Moore, Fleet Foxes, Mono, CocoRosie, Sharon Van Etten, Damien Jurado, Efterklang, This Will Destroy You, and others. Additionally the band has performed at Austin City Limits Music Festival, SXSW, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and the Hopscotch Festival, among others. Their music has been featured and reviewed by Pitchfork, the BBC, Paste, Interview Magazine, NME, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Atlantic, and many more.

## Members
### Current

* Rob Lowe – guitar, piano
* Michael Muller – guitar, bass guitar

### Previous

* Jeff Olson – drums, vibraphone
* Sam Pankey – double bass, bass guitar
* Nino Soberon – cello, guitar
* Aisha Burns – violin, vocals
* Mike Bell – drums
* Bruce Blay – drums
* Travis Chapman – double bass, bass guitar
* Kendall Clark – drums, vibraphone
* Jacob Glenn-Levin – bass guitar
* Nicole Kern – cello
* Erin Lance – cello
* Dylan Rieck – cello
* Taylor Tehan – drums
* Dave Wiley – cello

## Discography
### Studio albums

* Balmorhea (2007)
* Rivers Arms (2008)
* All Is Wild, All Is Silent (2009)
* Guest Room (2009) – short movie soundtrack
* Constellations (2010)
* Stranger (2012)
* Clear Language (2017)
* The Wind (2021)
* Pendant World (2023)

### EPs

* Tour EP (2008)

### Remix albums

* All Is Wild, All Is Silent Remixes (2009)
* Candor / Clamor Remixes (2010)
* Clear Language Reworked (2018)

### Live albums

* Live at Sint-Elisabethkerk (2011)
* The Wind - Live in Marfa (2022)

### Singles

* Candor / Clamor (2010)
* Heir (2014)
* Chime / Shone (2018)
* The Most Fleeting (2018)
* Clouds (2018) - Soundtrack for Un homme pressé
* Rose in Abstract (2021)
* The Myth (2021)
* Time In The Hand (2021)
* La Vagabonde (2021)
* Coventry Carol (2021)
* Solanales (2022)
* Of Hopeful Green Woven (2022)
* Step Step Step (2023)
* New Conditions (2023)
* Range (2023)
* Before Barbed Wire (2024)