Summary: Along with luminaries like R.E.M., The B-52's and Pylon, Love Tractor helped establish the college town of Athens, Georgia as a mecca of alternative music in the early '80s. Comprised of guitarist Michael Richmond, multi-instrumentalist Armistead Wellford, drummer Kit Schwartz and guitarist Mark Cline, the band's earliest material was instrumental, if for no other reason than that they could not afford a PA system. However, the approach set them clearly apart from other acts on the crowded Athens scene, and helped win them a deal with DB Records. 1982's Love Tractor documented their formative approach, which touched heavily on fusion and even cocktail music. By their 1983 follow-up Around the Bend, Richmond was taking the occasional stab at singing; after the 1984 EP 'Til the Cows Come Home, Love Tractor resurfaced in 1987 with This Ain't No Outerspace Ship, a full vocal exercise which also found the group tackling a cover of the Gap Band's "Party Train." The quartet enlisted Mitch Easter to produce 1989's Themes From Venus, which, while comprised largely of vocal tracks, did contain the instrumental "Nova Express," effectively bringing the Love Tractor story full circle. Accordingly, in 1991 the group decided to take a break from the music business; they reformed periodically, and began writing and performing new material for a projected album. During their hiatus, Wellford played in Gutterball with Steve Wynn, Bob Rupe, Sparklehourse, and The House of Freaks. Cline travelled, studying Italian opera and ancient languages, while Richmond studied art history. After several failed attempts at completing their "comeback" album, Love Tractor returned in 2001 with The Sky at Night. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide And Love Tractor returns, right where they left off with Black Hole, featuring even more great Mike Richmond songs. You can expect exciting things for 2005 as this new band of seasoned professionals keeps their creative edge alive with an amazing batch of songs. Mike enlisted the talents of Tom Lewis (VOL), Billy Holmes (Uncle Tupelo, VOL), Ben Holst (Avenues, Velure) and Darren Stanley (Squat). Photos: Kevin M. Quinn Brown Bag Photography & Design 864.506.5327 brownbagphoto@gmail.com Sound Engineer: Newton georgiatheatre@hotmail.com Recording: Mike Ewing podcastpower@gmail.com Editing: Mike Ewing podcastpower@gmail.com
