Espers was an American psychedelic folk band from Philadelphia, United States, that was part of the emerging indie folk scene. They formed in 2002 as a trio of singer-songwriter Greg Weeks, Meg Baird and Brooke Sietinsons but later expanded to a sextet including Otto Hauser, Helena Espvall and Chris Smith. Their music is reminiscent of late-sixties British folk as well as many contemporary folk acts. Most of the band's members have also featured on recordings by a number of other folk artists such as Nick Castro and Vashti Bunyan and as a result have become an important part of the psychedelic folk revival.
![]() | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2016) |
Espers | |
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![]() Espers performing in 2006 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Philadelphia, United States |
Genres | Drone, folk, psychedelic, rock |
Years active | 2002-2010 |
Labels | Locust Music, Drag City |
Members | Meg Baird Helena Espvall Norman Fetter Otto Hauser John Heron Ben McConnell Brooke Sietinsons Greg Weeks |
Past members | Chris Smith |
They released their self-titled debut in 2004 on Time-Lag Records and followed that with an album of cover songs, The Weed Tree, in 2005. This release featured the band's versions of songs by artists as diverse as Nico, The Durutti Column and Blue Öyster Cult. In 2006 the band released their third full-length album, II (presumably so called because it was their second album of original material), on Drag City Records. Their fourth album, III, was released on October 20, 2009.[1]