Bombadil has been playing music together for six years. Hailing originally from Durham, North Carolina, the group is composed of four mild-mannered gentlemen who agree on everything except how to make music. The sound is steeped in folk and possesses an almost classical air in its arrangements. Lyrics play a central and weighty role in every tune – telling stories of the mundane parts of life we all experience sometimes and the tragic or comic actions we take to redeem ourselves.
The band hopes listeners will be able to find a bit of themselves in Bombadil, and come to realize its the music they’ve had in their heads all along. After over two years on hiatus, the band is back to celebrate the release of its new record, All That the Rain Promises.
Site of the recording Pendarvis Farm | Happy Valley | Oregon
All That the Rain Promises was recorded here over a ten-day period. We had a great time riding horses, taking walks in the woods, and building fires to warm the barn. Below are our geographical representations of every song on the record.
IBM Campus | North Carolina
♫ I will wait
Stuart wrote this song at work one day.
Below is a video of Stuart performing What does it mean (unreleased)
Lake Gaston house | North Carolina
♫ The Pony Express
We must’ve done ten demos of this song. Demos 4 and 5 were done here.
Bombadil during recordings at Pendarvis Farm
Capitol Cleaners and Laundry | Olympia | Washingston state
♫ Laundromat
This song was written inside a laundromat somewhere in Olympia, WA. We couldn’t remember which one exactly, but this one looks like a nice place.
Ms. King’s House | Durham | North Carolina
♫ Flour, Water, Sugar
This song was inspired by our next-door neighbor at the time, Ms. King, age 90, who seemed to endure the loneliness that so often accompanies old age.
Millwood | Virginia
♫ Avery
Bryan learned how to play guitar at a guitar camp in Millwood, VA. The camp focused on finger-picking guitar. He was thinking of his old camp-mates when he put together this song.
Bryan’s House | Washington | DC
♫ Leather Belt
After Daniel moved to Wilson and Bryan moved to DC, they tried to get together once a month to work on new material. Frequently they met at Bryan’s basement apartment near the National Zoo. There’s a great bakery around the corner.
James’ House | Portland | Oregon
♫ Good Morning Everyone
James wrote the piano part to this song in his sun room in December, while he was wishing there was more sun.
Bombadil at Pendarvis Farm
The Idiots Books’ Barn | Chestertown | Maryland
♫ One Whole Year
This song was originally conceived as a happy first birthday song for a girl named Alden. She lives with her parents Robbi and Matthew, (aka Idiots Books) who conceived the artwork for our last album.
Universidad Catolica Boliviana « San Pablo » | La Paz | Bolivia
♫ Short Side of the Wall
One of the oldest Bombadil songs. Bryan and Daniel wrote the lyrics back in 2005 during an Andean textile class.
Banff | Canada
♫ Unicycle
Daniel had two friends who unicycled from Banff, Canada to the USA-Mexico border raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. After they finished, they asked Daniel to write a song commemorating the journey.
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