A new album is taking shape track by track over at my studio @coolcataudio.bsky.social. We’ll be releasing new music and playing more shows in 2026, so stay tuned!

Photo: Aaron Fiskradatz

Above: a photo of our recent show at the 331 Club in Minneapolis. Personnel: Jon Duncan, keys and accordion; Rhiannon Fitzkradatz, harmony vocals; Dan Gaarder, electric guitar; Mike Cougar Hallenbeck, acoustic guitar and vocals; Keely Lane, drums; and Matt Regan, bass guitar. <more>

It's a tiny virtual Gilligan's Island, right here inside my phone. Or perhaps my phone was having a dream on my behalf, I'm not sure.

It was a pleasure once again to witness Eric’s songcraft, and the accompanying stories woven in and around them. John Timothy Saunders joined Eric on some sweet sax for a few numbers.

Make sure to check out Eric’s latest rekkid “Second Husband”!

Photos by Pope Kate Blanchard and yours truly.

The songs have gelled in this more minimal arrangement, and– crucially in these close quarters– my deodorant held up great. Come and check out Minneapolis’ least olfactorily objectionable vocal/ guitar trio early on a.Sunday night!

Eric Ziegenhagen with 10 Items or Fewer, Sunday Rocktober 19th, Bryant Lake Bowl Theater, 7 pm. Tickets: www.bryantlakebowl.com/theater/eric...

Tickets to Eric Ziegenhagen and 10 Items or Fewer at Bryant Lake Bowl on 10/19 at 7 pm: www.bryantlakebowl.com/theater/eric...

But I don’t think Thoreau knew how much fun it is to also play with a rhythm section + keys, which might be why when people talk about “Walden”, u don’t hear them list the awesome drum solos as a standout feature. I do list photos by @pablojones.bsky.social as a standout feature here, though.

When Thoreau said “Simplify, simplify simplify”, I think he was referring to the practice of experimenting with quasi-acoustic renditions of songs that usually feature a rhythm section and keys. <more>

“The Fossil Record” by 10 Items or Fewer: 10itemsorfewer.bandcamp.com/album/the-fo...

“Second Husband” by Eric Ziegenhagen: ericziegenhagen.bandcamp.com/album/second...

branching out into assorted arrangement strategies that envelop country, rock, bluegrass, and synth pop– plus the occasional descent into maelstroms of warbling synths, field recordings, and variously sculpted noise. Links to both Bandcamp releases in the comments! <more>

trying unsuccessfully to banish someone from your thoughts, and a post-apocalyptic world where cockroaches dream up mythic creatures with only two arms and legs apiece. The music proceeds from a template of acoustic guitar and vocals... <more>

On 10 Items or Fewer’s “The Fossil Record”, the lyrics meander through topics like having lunch with your ex, the crash of the Russian Space Station Mir, dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, the frustration of staying the same when a friend has changed, ants in amber, Star Wars... <more>

...in which the characters dodge monsters and love each other in the same kind of dreamy haze.” <more>

...wanting to make something that matched that specific week, that place, that time of year, that moment in life. The Chicago Reader has described Ziegenhagen’s lyrics as “a sort of atmospheric poetry of extremity... <more>