Joseph Childress

Thumps, creaks, giggles, clicks -- these are the first sounds you hear when listening to a recording by Joseph Childress. The California-born, Colorado-bred songwriter doesn't make CDs, per se, but rather lo-fi snapshots taken during his many travels across the continent. Perpetually on the move, Childress packs his lush acoustic lullabies with the wizardry of Devendra Banhart and the earthy innocence of Vashti Bunyan, as heard on his widely circulated demo, dubbed The Rebirths by his fans -- if "fans" is an accurate word. Intimate, otherworldly and hypnotically engaging, Childress makes friends, not followers, with his music. Aside from a bona fide recording session in Denver and his hi-dive date with the Places and A Dog Paloma, Childress will no doubt play a few cozy sets in back yards and on front porches while he's in town. Catch a couple before he up and disappears again.