Doom Bird is a Sacramento-based band fronted by Kris Anaya, working in an atmospheric vein that blends alternative and classical-leaning textures.[1][2] The project is closely tied to a broader network of Sacramento musicians who collaborate across one another's bands and recordings.[1][3] Doombird emerged from the disbanded Sacramento indie-rock band An Angle, with Anaya and keyboardist Dan Block serving as the transitioning members who carried the project forward.[4]
At a glance
- Core members: Kris Anaya and Joseph Davancens.[1]
- Dan Block (keyboards) joined from An Angle at the band's formation.[4]
- Kris Anaya is a multi-instrumentalist who plays keyboards/keys and bass across local projects.[5][2][6]
- Frequently augmented live by a rotating cast of guest local musicians.[1]
- Songs in the repertoire include "Shape of Hearts."[5]
- Performed at the 2012 Sacramento Electronic Music Festival as local talent.[7][8]
Local status
Doom Bird is identified explicitly as a Sacramento act and was billed among the "local performers" and "local electronica talent" at the 2012 Sacramento Electronic Music Festival, where coverage credited it with instilling "916 pride" in the festival.[8] It is also grouped with Sacramento bands in show coverage and is the home band of Sacramento scene figure Kris Anaya.[1][8] Confidence: high.
Members and collaborators
The band's named members are Kris Anaya and Joseph Davancens.[1] Keyboardist Dan Block is also a member, having transitioned alongside Anaya from their previous band An Angle.[4] For live performances the duo typically plays with a larger group of guest musicians; Anaya has said that playing "with a large group of people" keeps audiences "excited about what we are trying to present in our music."[1] At a January 2012 Crocker Art Museum show, the guest backing cast included Krystyna Taylor (cellist from Exquisite Crops), Arjun Singh (drummer from Wallpaper), and Adam Wade (singer from Golden Cadillacs).[1] Zac Brown of I'm Dirty Too is also listed as a performing member of Doom Bird.[6]
Kris Anaya appears across the local scene as a versatile player: on keyboards with Roman Funerals,[5] on keyboard as a guest with Two Sheds,[2] and on bass for Sherman Baker's album Seventeenth Street.[3] Anaya also contributed production work to I'm Dirty Too's album The Downhill Dive.[6]
Sound and live performances
Doom Bird's music has been described as a blend of classical and alternative tones, capable of producing "calming but powerful" passages.[1] At the January 13, 2012 "Baroque Bash" at the Crocker Art Museum — a music-and-art event tied to the museum's Florence and the Baroque exhibition — the band performed on a minimal stage (described as two rugs on the floor) following a classical set of cello and two violins, and Anaya joked over the microphone, dubbing the museum lobby "the International Crocker Airport."[1] The band noted at that show that it had not performed in roughly nine months prior.[1]
Doom Bird performed at the third annual Sacramento Electronic Music Festival in May 2012, appearing among local performers such as Paper Pistols and Dusty Brown.[8] The band was also listed in the festival's announced lineup alongside national and local acts.[7] In September 2012, Doom Bird shared a bill at Harlow's with the Sacramento-expatriate, Seattle-based band By Sunlight, whose producer Robert Cheek has worked on Doom Bird albums.[9]
Discography
Cygnus (2013)
According to the Sacramento News & Review, Cygnus is a concept album inspired by the lives and works of classical composers. Anaya began the project after browsing Claude Debussy's Wikipedia page and wrote first-person narratives imagining himself as Debussy and other composers, before expanding the research to additional figures.[4] The album title came from the Cygnus (swan) constellation in the Milky Way — Anaya has described the chain of association as "Swan. Bird. Doombird. So, Cygnus."[4] The record was made with engineer Robert Cheek (known for his work on Tera Melos' Patagonian Rats) and has been described as channeling "the art-rock Americana of Grizzly Bear into sonic transmission fit for life on Mars."[4]
The Cygnus CD-release show was held September 22, 2013 at LowBrau, 1050 20th Street, Sacramento, with an 8 p.m. start and a $5 cover.[4]
Twin Prime EP (2018)
According to Doombird's Bandcamp page, Twin Prime was released September 14, 2018 and comprises five tracks: "Disappearing Ink," "Azure," "Desterilized," "Blurry Eyes," and "Measure."[10]
Repertoire
A Doom Bird song titled "Shape of Hearts" was covered by Roman Funerals during a January 2011 Townhouse show in Sacramento, with Sacramento's Alternative String Band joining on cellos and violins.[5]
Scene relationships
Doom Bird sits at the center of a web of overlapping Sacramento musicians and projects. Kris Anaya guests with and contributes to multiple acts (Roman Funerals, Two Sheds, Sherman Baker, I'm Dirty Too),[5][2][6][3] while bandmate Zac Brown has also played in Dusty Brown and Tycho.[6] Producer/engineer Robert Cheek, a recurring figure in the Sacramento scene, has worked on Doom Bird albums including Cygnus.[9][4] The band's origins in An Angle connect it to Sacramento's earlier indie-rock lineage.[4]