Skullcap Snakes of Albuquerque

Snakes of Albuquerque is the debut recording from the rock and jazz, free improvising, classically informed, adventurously rhythmic, and memorably tuneful power cello trio Skullcap.

These long-time collaborators and three of the busiest musicians in the Baltimore/DC-area finally release their first album together! A kind of half imaginary/half real-life road movie soundtrack, it twists through wild emotions, and as the album artwork shows, the music navigates wildly different terrain from Tennessee to Monterey.

This is not a band that is easy to pigeonhole. The song titles offer a kind of road map through its unpredictable terrain. ‘Journey to the Sunset’, ‘Snakes of Albuquerque’: these suggest Gothy darkness, jumper cable skronk, and an internationalist mindset, all qualities apparent in Skullcap’s sound. But tying those attributes to a single genre? Not going to happen.

The way the band writes holds a major key to figuring out Skullcap. Mike Kuhl says "Our writing process is as old as the hills. There are no lead sheets or scores. We write together, bringing in basic ideas - not much information is given. I bring in some sort of groove or vibe, and then I let Anthony and Janel do what they do. All of our material is composed together - there is 100% trust within this group.”



The speed with which they compose and learn the pieces together shows a band working on all five cylinders. Each player is at the top of their game technically and creatively. The musicians mention an intuition with each other that is undeniable in their improvisation and while writing. They also discuss a willingness to connect with all aspects of their musical knowledge; and this could be a reason Skullcap’s music is so hard to categorize. And so much fun to listen to!



Snakes of Albuquerque is a record of instrumental rock that doesn't sound like anyone else. With this instrumentation, how could it?