After the Archers of Loaf disbanded, noted songwriter and indie-rock icon Eric Bachman took his music in a different direction when he formed Crooked Fingers in 2000. Instead of the clamorous, angular tock of old, he began creating the sumptuous and delicately melancholic songs that have come to define the band.

The band convened at Jupiter Studios in their Seattle homebase with producer Marin Feveyear (Screaming Trees, The Minus Five, Presidents of the United States of America, Rosie Thomas) to record and mix new songs for an album that many are calling Bachmann's masterpiece. After recording 21 tracks that were intended to be a double record, the band pared the album down to 12 powerful songs of love, lost and found, illustrated by Bachmann's heartbreaking yet newly hopeful lyrics.

The fourth proper Crooked Fingers full-length release, Dignity and Shame shows the band taking a decidedly new route. Their first three releases (Crooked Fingers, Bring on the Snakes, Red Devil Dawn) were filled with gorgeous portraits of the broken down and abused, the drunken and the melancholy, augmented by string arrangements and orchestral flourishes. In contrast, the beauty of , Dignity and Shame lies in its simplicity and accessibility. Bachmann's vocals are at their most confident, while subtle lap steel surfaces from time to time to compliment the standard guitar / bass / drums set up. The infusion of Latin influences that began on Red Devil Dawn has been taken to the forefront on Dignity and Shame - the bold Spanish guitar of the opening instrumental "Islero" to the hint of mariachi in the trumpet line of "Twilight Creeps" depicts a band expanding on their signature sound. In addition, Lara Meyerattken, the Australian singer / keyboardist / songwriter who has collaborated with Ben Lee, Luna, Nada Surf and Luscious Jackson, lends her Siren-like voice to four tracks on the record. These new elements combine to make Dignity and Shame the band's most cohesive and sophisticated work to date.

Touring with celebrated Scottish indie-rockers, The Delgados in the Autumn of 2004, Eric played solo shows billed as Crooked Fingers and invited Emma from The Delgados as well as their cellist, Alan Barr to accompany him in making some incredibly memorable moments for anyone lucky enough to see (and hear) them touring through North America.

Recorded with one microphone onto a MiniDisc player in the parish room of the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, these two songs represent the necessary documentation of both the tour and these incredible renditions of Eric’s songs. “Sleep All Summer” features Eric Bachmann and Emma Pollock singing, Eric playing guitar and Alan Barr playing cello. Lara Meyerratken, Eric’s vocal partner on the new Crooked Fingers album also sings backup vocals in this version. The Australian singer, keyboardist and songwriter has also collaborated with Luna, Nada Surf, Luscious Jackson and Ben Lee. The B-side, “You Must Build A Fire” is a heart-felt duet featuring Eric and Alan Barr’s cello.

The recording is slightly distorted in places, but all involved unanimously agreed, at the time of the recording, that it’s “pretty cool like that” and that “you can’t expect too much from that microphone and a MiniDisc.” We think you will agree....