Singer-songwriter Hiss Golden Messenger performs with Color Green at Intuition Ale Works on February 28.
Formed in 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by Michael Carrington “M.C.” Taylor and Scott Hirsch, the band issued a handful of DIY self-released albums that garnered immediate critical praise, as well as attracting a loyal fanbase. Along with their longtime association with label Merge Records, the band has continued to self-release live albums. In addition to Hiss Golden Messenger’s 30+ releases, the band has also been nominated for a Grammy and performed at the 2021 Newport Folk Festival. In recent years, Hirsch has stepped into more of a production role, with Taylor helming the band.
Recorded last autumn in Texas, the band’s latest, Jump for Joy, is a 14-song release written as a type of epistolary of postcards from Taylor to his imagined teenaged alia, Michael Crow. For the upcoming tour, the lineup for Hiss Golden Messenger includes Taylor’s longtime support players guitarist Chris Boerner, bassist Alex Bingham, keyboardist Sam Fribush, and drummer Nick Falk.
