The For Carnation

The seeds for The For Carnation were sown in Louisville, Kentucky circa ’97. There, improvising and collaboration between Britt Walford and vocalist/keyboardist Brian McMahan, bassist Todd Cook (Shipping News) and guitarist Michael McMahan, led to the development of a uniquely dynamic, minimalist-informed, yet R&B-inspired music clearly distinguishable from previously related group efforts (i.e; Slint.) Rehearsal tapes made during this period provided the resulting core group (Cook and the McMahan brothers) with a significant body of rough material- work that would, over time, suggest a distinct evolution in the efforts of the TFC collective.

The results of their work, a self-titled 6-song, 45 minute release, was finished in Chicago in '99 with the help of producer John McEntire. With Bobb Bruno (guitar, sampler, keyboards), and Steve Goodfriend (drums), the new five-piece took up where the original group had left off, allowing jams to incubate and take shape as fully realized songs.

The band had previously recorded two EPs, Marshmallows and Fight Songs,
which were released on Matador. They were combined into Promised Works,
and released on Touch and Go in July 2007.